Fragmented Silence

“Sending love to everyone who is trying to rediscover their voice after life made them believe that silence was safer.” -Michell C. Clark

 “Fragmented Silence” 

20"x16"

Media: acrylic, wax, and graphite

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The Beautiful Twists and Turns of a Throughline

 "The Beautiful Twists and Turns of a Throughline"

20"x16"

Media: acrylic, wax, graphite

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Take These Broken Wings and Learn to Fly

 "Take these broken wings and learn to fly."

-The Beatles

20"x16" on canvas

Media: acrylic, ink, and wax

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Mariposas

 Mariposas...do you see them, too?

20x16" on canvas

Media: acrylic and ink

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An Offering of Clouds

 "The sky, a perfect empty canvas, offers clouds nonetheless. They shift and drift and beg interpretation...such is the nature of art."

-Jeb Dickerson

Acrylic on Canvas

20"x16"

My original paintings are available in my online gallery.

  I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

What is Lovely Never Dies

 "What is lovely never dies, but passes into another loveliness.

Star-dust or sea-foam. Flower or winged air."

-Thomas Bailey Aldrich

This past weekend our family joined the many, many thousands of families who have lost someone they loved to COVID. May their memory live on through all that is beautiful.

Acrylic Paint and Alcohol Ink on Canvas

20"x16"

My original paintings are available in my online gallery.

  I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog. 

Always in the Background

 This piece and the writing were published in Down in the Dirt magazine.

There is a constant chaos in the background of my mind as the beginning of the school year approaches. All the colors and shades of not knowing what is next, of fear, of not being seen and heard. I keep myself busy with painting, reading, writing, exercising, playing piano, dancing, cooking, eating, sleeping, talking with friends, laughing, crying...and the background of my mind seeps into all of it. Sometimes big and sometimes small, but always present.

"Always in the Background"

Image description: a woman's face ghostly painted over an abstract, chaotic background. Her eyes are green.

Mixed Media

20"x16" on watercolor paper

My original paintings are available in my online gallery.

  I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

Always in the Background

This piece and the writing were published in Down in the Dirt magazine.

There is a constant chaos in the background of my mind as the beginning of the school year approaches. All the colors and shades of not knowing what is next, of fear, of not being seen and heard. I keep myself busy with painting, reading, writing, exercising, playing piano, dancing, cooking, eating, sleeping, talking with friends, laughing, crying...and the background of my mind seeps into all of it. Sometimes big and sometimes small, but always present.

"Always in the Background"

Image description: a woman's face ghostly painted over an abstract, chaotic background. Her eyes are green.

Mixed Media

20"x16" on watercolor paper

My original paintings are available in my online gallery.

  I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

Smile

"Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile,

but sometimes, your smile can be the source of your joy."

-Thich Nhat Hanh

This piece started as a list of gratitudes, then a palette for painting another piece, then a piece that I worked on during a writing workshop. Today a smiling fella appeared. I think it's just what I needed to see today. Perhaps it's what you need to see, too.

"Smile"

Mixed Media

20"x16" on canvas paper

My original paintings are available in my online gallery.

  I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

She Owned her Curves

I wanted to convey confidence in feminine curves with this painting. We all come in such an amazing variety of sizes and shapes, all so beautiful. When I meet a woman who loves her body in all of its curvy glory, my heart sings. Let's own our curves, ladies!

Click here to view my gallery 

Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.
Please click the links below to share my blog.
I'd love to hear from you...feel free to leave me a comment.

"Owning his Chaos" Part 5

As it's getting cooler here, the pile of blankets on the couch is getting a lot of use. Mixed deep in the middle of the pile is a soft, fleece, covered-in-skulls Snuggie. Well, Dave discovered the Snuggie the other night...and they were inseparable. Once he figured out how to wear it, that is.


I finished this painting. I forgot to take any photos of the last stages, so here's the completed painting.

"Owning his Chaos"

Click here to view my gallery.

Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

I'd love to hear from you...feel free to leave me a comment

"Owning his Chaos" Part 4

The little guy is going to an end-of-season football banquet tonight. He's wearing his first ever suit and has a spankin' new haircut. And he is rocking' it. I do believe I heard him say, "I look good." And I concur.


I continued working on my painting today. I used india ink which is so great to work with.

I used india ink to go over the lines.

I added lines where I hadn't had them before.

I used water on a brush to spread some of the
india ink around and to blur it.

Click here to view my gallery.

Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

I'd love to hear from you...feel free to leave me a comment.

"Owning his Chaos" Part 3

Apparently you can teach an old dog (me) new tricks. At the age of forty-eight I had never used the preheat function on an oven. My little guy, at the age of seventeen, consistently uses it.


Little guy: "Mom, look at the biscuits I made. They're perfect."

Me: "How did you get them to cook so perfectly? Mine never turn out like that."

Little guy: "This button right here." And he showed me the preheat button.


Aha! Consider this new trick officially learned.



We had a lovely show/sale today! Thank you to everyone who came by to see us! I was able to get just the tiniest bit done today during a lull.

I filled in the background with some color.

Click here to view my gallery.

Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

I'd love to hear from you...feel free to leave me a comment.

"Owning his Chaos" Part 2

Whew! I'm blissfully exhausted after working at my teaching job all day and then being part of an artists' market all evening. Dave and I loved seeing everyone who came by. We so appreciate all the wonderful conversations and feedback and, gosh, the lovely people who welcomed our art into their homes.

Looking forward to more wonderfulness tomorrow. Please stop by if you didn't have a chance to tonight.


I was able to get just a tiny bit done on my painting this evening when there were a couple of short lulls.

I painted over the charcoal with white paint.
It blended with the charcoal to make a lovely gray.

I began adding a second color.

Click here to view my gallery.

Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

I'd love to hear from you...feel free to leave me a comment.

"Owning his Chaos" Part 1

I've just started a new class in the Studying Under the Masters series I'm taking. This one is inspired by Brett Whiteley. I'd never heard from him and he is fascinating. I so, so, so love being exposed to artists that are new to me. I've been super busy tonight doing last minute invites to and buying yummies for my and David's show/sale this weekend. (Please come! We'd so love to see you!!!) So that on top of watching videos for this lesson left just a bit of time to just get started. I decided to use charcoal, though that was not the media suggested. It just felt right to me.

This is just a two or three minute sketch.
Excited to work on this more tomorrow.
Not sure where it'll take me. Maybe I'll
paint it...who knows?!?! 

Click here to view my gallery.

Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

I'd love to hear from you...feel free to leave me a comment.

The Clown - Part 5

There's a misconception about chickens. I know this because the other day I picked up a dozen eggs (our chickens are molting and not laying much) and the container said "laid by vegetarian chickens" on it. Well, unless those chickens are in a completely sterile environment, there's no way they're vegetarian. Chickens love to eat bugs and other small critters. Just the other day Dave saw Phyllis running around the yard with all the other chickens pursuing her. She had what was either a mouse tail, a lizard tail, or a snake hanging out of her mouth. And I tell you what, that girl can run!

Run...gulp...run...gulp...gulp...run...run...gulp...done!

Vegetarian, I call fowl play. (See what I did there?)


And I finished this painting. What a fun piece!

"The Clown"

I painted the other two balloons.

I added a couple of elements to her face.

I outlined the balloons.

I added some fun reflection marks on
her outfit, her hat, and on the balloons.
I decided that the balloon strings
could simply be implied.

Click here to view my gallery.

Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

I'd love to hear from you...feel free to leave me a comment.

The Clown - Part 4

Best thing that happened with the trick-or-treaters last night?


Little ninja warrior: "[Gasp!] You're a teacher!" (I teach at the neighborhood school.)

Me: "Yes. Hi, X. You know me."

Little ninja warrior running away from me toward his big sister: "You gotta see this...there's a teacher in there!"


I'm thinking that little guy may have just realized that teachers do not, in fact, live at school.



I continued working on this painting. It's making me want a little red hat.

I painted the background.

I started doing some outlining and
painted one of the balloons green.

I did more outlining. This takes so much
concentration. I find myself needing breaks.

Click here to view my gallery.

Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

I'd love to hear from you...feel free to leave me a comment.

The Clown - Part 3

My little guy turned seventeen today. I think that this actually means that this is his 18th Halloween. And I can see that he's transitioning into an adult because this is the first Halloween that he hasn't dressed up and gone trick-or-treating. But don't worry too much, he did dress up as an astronaut yesterday at school.

Happy Birthday, little guy! It's an honor, a privilege, and such an incredible joy to be your mom!!!


I continued working on this painting just a bit in between all the busyness that this day has held.

I repainted half of her face a different flesh tone.
I also painted the big white stripe on her shirt
and the smaller white bits on her hat.

I started doing some of the line work on her face
and hat. It's really bringing her to life!

Click here to view my gallery.

Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

I'd love to hear from you...feel free to leave me a comment.

The Clown - Part 2

We took the little guy out for dinner tonight. Tomorrow he turns seventeen. I think it must be awesome to have a birthday on Halloween. And perfect for the occasion, our waiter was dressed as a zombie. I'm not sure a zombie is the most appetizing thing to have serving you food, but we sure dug it!


I continued working on this painting. It's such a fun piece! I'm loving all the colors and shapes.

I painted the left side of her face as well as
her eyes and some more of her hair.

Ah, now she's coming alive! I love what painting
the eyes will do. I also painted her eyelids,
more of her hair, and a bit more of her hat.
I'm loving making her asymmetrical!

Next her eyebrows, upper lip,
and the beginning of her collar.
I also decided I didn't want the clown collar.

I painted her lower lip and continued
working on her striped outfit.
She personifies fun and whimsy!

Click here to view my gallery.

Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

I'd love to hear from you...feel free to leave me a comment.

The Clown - Part 1

I know you've been just sitting on the edge of your seats waiting for the next episode of "How the Hen House Turns". Don't even bother denying it. Well, yours truly was the one who ended up looking under the shed. Did I go and get all dirty? While I'm not opposed to getting dirty, I did not. I went out in the back yard with one of our funky blankets, lay it on the ground by the shed, got on top of it, and shined my flashlight under the shed. All this while a construction workers a house away had me in clear view.

Yes, I'm the crazy lady who lays on a blanket in her back yard.

And...no eggs. Not a single one. I officially tag Dave as "it" for the next egg quest.


I started a new painting. It's going to be Picasso-esque. I decided to paint a clown as it would lend itself to whimsy. So, here goes!

I sketched my design on a canvas.

I started adding some color.
Note that fun Picasso-esque face emerging.
Excited to do more tomorrow and over the weekend.

Click here to view my gallery.

Most of my paintings are for sale and I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

I'd love to hear from you...feel free to leave me a comment.