As you can see I'm a spatial painter. I don't care much for working with line to begin with, I much prefer to just start blocking in the shapes that I see, and looking for how they relate with each other. I apologize for the changing temperature, this would be from the changing light of my window.
Here's the process of "Emmalee" as promised. Wow, it sure had some rough spots. The more I paint, the more I realize the difference between a bad painting and a good painting can be just a couple days. We've just gotta keep going! :) Enjoy!
This painting was an experiment in a new type of panel. I've always been a fan of painting on board versus painting on canvas because I don't like the give of canvas, and canvas will expand and contract with temperature and time and thus be more likely to crack. However, panels are also very challenging to create soft edges on, and edges is something I've wanted to improve on. So, I decided to try belgian linen mounted on a wood panel. It should be the best of both worlds right? Yep! I LOVED it! Unfortunately it's about 3 times the price of gessoed panels, but I think it's worth it. So you may be seeing more of these kind of panels in the future. 
This piece was a commissioned portrait of a sweet little girl. I found this piece challenging, you'll understand why when I post the process, but I'm very happy with the results. I used a limited palette of: cadmium red deep, cadmium yellow, payne's gray, and titanium white, and just a hint of quinacridone rose and cadmium red light when necessary. Enjoy!
One of my main goals is to be constantly improving. I think many artists, and people could relate with this. However, sometimes the change can be so slow, and we can't see immediate results. One two hour painting session may now involve dramatic improvements, and it can be frustrating as we wonder if we are just running and running but staying place. That's why it's fun to occasionally visit older paintings. The second painting above, "Winds of Change" was done 2 years ago, I used the same model from the same photo shoot to create, "Beyond the Clouds", so I took the two out for a side by side comparison and I was pleasantly surprised to see progress. Woohoo! It may take looking back over a span of years, and not just hours, but it's there. Patience... patience... :)
While working on my book, I realized that I had a lot of paintings that were of struggles, waiting for answers to prayers, having my patience tried and my faith stretched. This is because it's in these times that my heart feels so drawn out to God and I have to paint it. However, I realized that after the answers came, I didn't always have a painting that expressed my gratitude and joy. And so this painting is just that. If you've paid attention to some previous posts, this year has definitely been one of a financial struggle, and there have been times when we wondered if we'd have a place to live and if my husband would have a job. I think a lot of people could relate with that. But the good news is, the Lord heard our prayers, and they were answered. Things didn't exactly work out as planned, but we were taken care of. I'm so grateful for a God that is aware of me, and pulls me through the cloud cover into the marvelous sunlight. Life is good. 
Hi everyone!
For quite some time now I've been receiving emails from friends, family, and fans requesting I put some of my paintings and words into a book. I've hesitated thinking, "Don't you have to be at the end of your career, a true professional, to write a book?" But then, with the encouragement of my mom, I realized that it might be fun to take someone on my journey of becoming. So even though I still feel like I’m at the tip of the iceberg, the start of the road, the first chapters of my journey, I believe it’s in the process that we learn the most. And so I hope this book, a humble offering, will be an inspiration to you in your own process of becoming.
The book is available in soft or hard covers, and is 78 pages.
Click Here to Preview or Purchase the book!
I thought you might like to watch this painting unfold. Started out rough, they always do. :)
I've had the photo reference for this painting for months, and well it looked so much like fall, it didn't seem the right time for it. So I've waited patiently. I LOVE fall! It's my favorite season, and partly because I get to accessorize so much! Does that seem shallow? Well, I really love hats and scarfs and what better time for them! So naturally this picture called to me. And technique wise, I wanted to take the idea of combining photorealism with painterly elements to the next level. Hence on this painting I tried to keep her face as smooth as I could, and especially tried to soften the edges around her face. Then I had lots of fun with the scarf and the hat, playing with thin and thick strokes. I let the underpainting show through in places and got pretty thick (well thick for me) on the scarf. All in all this painting was just a joy to create. I hope you enjoy it as well. 
