I found this painting the other day.  I started it before I was pregnant over a year and a half ago then completely forgot about it.  The top photo is how I found it.  The bottom is where it is at after painting on it.  This painting is inspired by me as a little girl.  Upon looking at the colors in this painting it will come as no surprise that I was born in the 70's.  I honestly used to hate these kind of color combinations but now it reminds me of my childhood and I love them! 

where I've been...

 

 

This precious little boy changed my life...  For those of you who may have wondered where I have been or if I was even still painting I wanted to let you know why you haven't seen much from me.  Some of you may know that for years I was a single mom and I have two daughters who are now 11 and 14.  After years of being on my own I was blessed to find the perfect man for me.  I honestly believe that it was God's will that I have my son Grey (yes, his name is a color).  It was a hard decision to make at the time, although having him has been the silver lining in my life.  I wasn't sure if it was safe to paint during my pregnancy so I took a year off and didn't paint at all.  I began painting again last March and I was so excited to see that my work is better than ever.  I really feel as though I didn't miss any time painting, my work is more refined.  I had a solo show this last August and was very grateful when almost every painting sold!  Although I have sold many paintings in the ten years I have been selling I am grateful, more than ever that people want my work.  I am excited every time I sell a painting!  Grey is now 8 months old and crawling all over.  How do I paint with a baby?  I stay up late and paint while everyone is sleeping.  Now for some more photos!

 

Grey now:

 

 

  



Many of you know that I am known for painting women and girls and I have been asked if I will start painting boys now.  The answer is yes!  At least mine so far... here is detail of the painting Grey inspired.  It was still in the works when this photo was taken.  To see the finished painting go to my website and look under available.

 

 

 

I am so grateful to be painting again!  I love Grey and he is worth all that I sacrifice as an artist. 

This painting was inspired and named after my pregnant sister-in-law Amy. This piece is available at Coda Gallery.

Here are a couple photos of my new home. I painstakingly made and installed this nickel floor with the help of some awesome friends who had mercy on me and the project I had taken on. I saw it on apartment therapy and decided to give it a try. The top photo is detail of my kitchen. I painted the inside of my cabinets Chartreuse and then oil painted some flowers on some of them. I LOVE my new kitchen and nickel floor!

I don't know if I am the only artist who does this ( I would guess not) but occasionally I like to revisit a painting from the past. The middle painting is from 2007 and I loved it so much at the time. I actually painted it with Barb Campbell's pottery in mind. I wanted both mother and daughter to have a porcelain quality to them. I still remember driving this particular painting to the gallery knowing that it was already sold. I actually cried because I was sad to see it go. So with my upcoming show at Cavalier Gallery I decided to see what would happen if I painted it again with my skills now. I love both paintings and as a mother of two girls love the moments they are cuddled in my arms.

Unfortunately this is not a very good copy of this painting but I love it in person. Inspired by The Wizard of Oz, this painting sold before it ever left my studio.

Many of you know how very rare it is for me to paint boys. This little guy Jack has such a sweet face. I wish I could say I loved every minute of painting this but it was a commission piece and stressed me out. This poor family had to wait over a year for me to finish this painting. It is a little more realistic than some of my paintings but I love the way it turned out in the end.

These are details from paintings currently in my studio. Since I am currently painting for a solo show for November 4th at Bonner David I will not be posting the full images just yet. In the top image it is detail from a multi figured piece that came as a result of my reflecting on the different stages of my life. The writing in the dress is copied from my own journal in 1983. The Garfield on the lunchbox is taken from a page of doodles from when I was 12 years old. The bottom photo is an example of some of the fabrics I have been incorporating into my new paintings. While I was in Japan I found a book of German vintage fabrics which these both came from.

These are my two latest paintings. I love the way the girl at the top holding the stuffed animals came together. The one on the bottom may look familiar. This painting was mostly greens and I decided to rework it and like this new color combination much better.

For those of you interested. This painting is on the cover of the June issue of Art Calendar, as well as an article inside about my career as an artist and two additional paintings. It is a magazine available at most major bookstores. I know for sure that it is available through Barnes and Noble.

These are my two latest paintings. The top painting is titled "Talleigh" and is 18x24 available through Cavalier Galleries. My favorite detail of this painting is the button on the side of her dress. It is an old button I have laying around my studio and I had a great time painting it. The bottom painting "Zoey" is already sold. I love the shirt on Zoey because once again it reminds me of something I would have worn as a little girl. I filed my taxes today....phew! It is the one day of year when I lay papers all over my studio and reckon with the stacks of receipts and papers I have kept all year. Yahoo, it is done and I even get a refund! I am working on some things I am just loving right now but once again I am painting for a solo show in November at Bonner David Gallery and don't want to reveal the images just yet. I will try and post a few bits and peices though. Thank you for those of you who actually follow and check my blog, sorry I am not more diligent at posting. It is all part of being pulled in too many directions as a mother and artist.

I just recently finished this painting. It is 8 x 12 and will be available through Bonner David Gallery. I had a great time painting this one. I am currently in love with the colors and clothes from the 70's. I am sentimental to the core and painting these things that remind me of my childhood helps me feel connected to some long lost part of me. I like my work more than ever and am surprised that I continue to refine my style and skills with every new painting.

This painting was a Christmas surprise from a cute client of mine for her brother. She sent me photos of them both as children for reference. As you all know it is rare that I paint a male figure and I thought he had especially unique hair which was fun to paint.

These are two new paintings I sent to Bonner David Gallery for their small works show. On the bottom piece "Afternoon with the Birds" came about almost by accident. I was having a hard time getting the mothers nose just the way I wanted it so I decided to put a mask like bird nose which then spurred the idea for the rest of the painting. I love these two little ladies and have to laugh at the difference in hair color between the mother and her daughter... which is the exact opposite of me and my girls.

I am currently experiencing some sort of artists block... I am wanting to paint something different or women in a different way only I am not sure what that is. Honestly, as important as moments like this are to my evolution as an artist, they scare me to death! Don't worry, I am so driven to create that I am sure I will come up with something soon.

This is my most recent painting "Olea". It is a small painting which is available through Bonner David Gallery. I tried something new with paper on this one and am very pleased with the way it turned out.

Here is detail of a painting I am currently working on. It is a woman surrounded by 3 birds. I had the opportunity this last weekend to attend an artist's retreat where I met James Christensen who is one of my all time favorite artists. I remember so clearly seeing his work when I was 14 at ZCMI mall. It is pretty cool what 20 years can do. There I was relating to him as another working artist. He was the keynote speaker and gave such an inspiring talk. I had the opportunity in the past as well as at the retreat to meet his daughters Cassandra Barney and Emily McPhie who are both delightful. All three of us are mothers of girls and working artists and relate in so many areas... but first and foremost the lack of time! I think time and the management of it will forever be my greatest struggle as a mother and an artist.

I know that I have been terrible about blogging lately! For those of you who check... sorry, I will try and be better. As an artist I go through times of pulling in and focusing. I have this other little world in which I exist in order to create the paintings that I do. Painting for my show in July was intense. Some days I would paint 12 hours in one day, so in August I took a month off from painting so that I could enjoy the last few weeks of summer with my girls. It has felt good to be back in the studio painting and I am learning to accept that creativity sometimes comes in intense waves and it is ok to take a little time to refill once in a while. I want to thank those of you who came to my show and also those who bought paintings. I feel very fortunate and don't take for granted that I am lucky enough to support myself doing something I am so passionate about. Above are two recent small paintings which are available through Bella Mesa Gallery in California.

This is one of two new paintings I just sent to Cavalier Gallery. I love this particular painting and hated to see it go. I have never painted such red lips before which I love with the contrast of her light eyes and green background. I am SO burnt out from painting too much but I don't even dare let myself think about it with just a few weeks left to prepare for my show. I am so excited about this new group of work and feel like it is my strongest yet.