"Sweet Dreams" 12x15 watercolor

I am almost done with another painting!

This painting is inspired by Brenda's photograph - thank you for letting me paint from it!

"Sweet Dreams"

"First Day Home" - 15x19 watercolor

It has been so long since I last posted - sorry! Life has been crazy with house guests, a family trip to my folks' house, and more house guests.

I have been working really hard on several larger pieces, as well as several custom paintings. This one still needs some small tweaks, but is mostly finished. It is a large version of my "I'll Protect You" painting, and I've named it "First Day Home." I wanted to capture the love and promise of protection from the Mom, as well as the little girl's mixed feelings of wanting to be snuggled and loved, but also still being really darn afraid.  

First Day Home 15x19

This painting comes with a cool story. As some of you remember, I painted "I'll Protect You" as part of my Everyday Art Project last year:

In addition to selling prints of the little painting, I also sent free ones to a few of the families in our agency who had been waiting at #1 for a long time. Just a week after I sent one of the Mommas a print, her family got a referral for their daughter... and she looked so much like my little painting!

I was thrilled and honored to have been able to bless and encourage this family with my art... not even knowing how it would touch their hearts!

Once sweet Baby O was home, her Momma sent me a picture of herself posed with Baby O in the same way as the "I'll Protect You" painting. The picture she sent me is the photo that I painted from when I created "First Day Home."

Prints will be available in my Etsy shop in a couple of weeks.

Custom 5x7 - Princesses in the Mirror

I recently finished a really fun little custom piece! This painting goes with a set of wonderful rhymes about a mother and daughter that my client's husband wrote.

Mommy and Me

Flamenco Dancer - 15x22 watercolor

Here is the Flamenco Dancer whom I finished painting yesterday. I challenged myself to paint with soft edges, while at the same time staying precise. I wanted the dancer's dress to look like it is really swooping!

15x22 inch Flamenco Dancer

This painting is for sale in my Etsy shop HERE.

I see Africa - 12x16 watercolor

A client recently asked me to paint a much larger version of my ACEO-sized African Eye painting. I decided to add the African continent into the reflection!

I see you - 12x16 inches

Do YOU see Africa?

Done! "Little Friends" 22x22 inches

I know it has been a while since I last posted... in part this is due to finishing my big gardening/landscaping project in the front yard. In part this is because I have been painting some custom pieces that I can't post online because they are gifts for people who also read my blog. In part this is because I've been working on some bigger "for fun" paintings! *Surprisingly* a 22x22 inch painting just takes longer than a 2.5x3.5 inch painting... who would have thought?! :o)

Little Friends - 22x22 inches

Custom 8x10 fashion portrait painting

I just finished this fun fashion portrait painting for Treasure!

Custom 8x10 fashion portrait

This was such a fun project! I especially enjoyed painting her beautiful full curls.

8"x22" - Princess on a Pea

I have been pretty busy painting custom pieces for the past few weeks, as well as wrapping up my projects for my watercolor class.

I was in bad need of a 'just for fun' project!

I had this 8x22 "scrap" of nice 300gms Arches hot press watercolor paper that was waiting to be painted on... so I decided to revisit my little Princess on a Pea theme, this time in a larger size (the original one was 5x7), and with many more mattresses stacked on top of each other...

Thanks to the violinist, this princess is sleeping soundly through the night!

I'm working hard on completing a few other paintings - stay tuned!

Work in progress - Kirsten - Finished!

I finished another painting a few days ago. Remember the 12x14 painting of my youngest sister Kirsten, playing her Cello that I've been working on in my watercolor class? Well here it is!

I feel pleased with how it turned out. I have learned so much in my watercolor class!

A special custom piece - Birth Mother

This painting was a special assignment: a Momma asked me if I would be able to paint an illustration of her son's birth mother, going off of her description of the woman and a photo of her son.

I think it is so wonderful that a Momma would choose to honor her child's birth mother in this way!