Reach

 "Learn to light a candle in the darkest moments of someone's life. Be the light that helps others see;

it is what gives life its deepest significance."

-Roy T. Bennett

Reach out to someone.

"Reach"

Acrylic and graphite on distressed watercolor paper

22"x30"

My original paintings are available in my online gallery.

  I welcome commissions.

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Clarity Will Emerge from Chaos

 

"Clarity Will Emerge from Chaos"

Acrylic, wax pastel, and graphite on canvas

14"x11"

My original paintings are available in my online gallery.

  I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

Thankful

I was incredibly fortunate to have been asked by Art Spark Texas to do an artist talk this past week. I was in the middle of the piece below on the day of the talk and I wrote several passages before my talk about how thankful I was for the opportunity to share my journey and process and how thankful I was for those who would attend (and also those who would see it on YouTube when it's posted). After my talk I began drawing and then painting flowers. It's a lovely thing to be experiencing growth during a time when there is so much chaos. Thankful. 

Image description: pink flowers with long stems over a blue, yellow, and pink background with minimalist writing and white paint splatters.

"Thankful"

Mixed Media

42"x12" on wood

And the leaves each have a bit of gold that sparkles and glimmers.

My original paintings are available in my online gallery.

Let me know if you're interested in prints of my paintings.

  I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

Together we Stand

I'm loving these three...standing together, strong, united.

This is the third time I've painted this canvas. I have the feeling that this is the final version.

"Together we Stand"

Acrylic

Original available for $95.

If you are in the Austin, TX area, please contact me to purchase. We can skip the shipping if you can pick it up.

24"x24" on a reused canvas

Prints available on request.

(Printed image may be slightly cropped for printing purposes.)

My original paintings are available in my online gallery.

Prints of many of my paintings are available in my Etsy shop. 

Let me know if you're interested in prints of my paintings.

  I welcome commissions.

Please click the links below to share my blog.

Her Soul Wept

"Her Soul Wept"

My original paintings are available in my online gallery.

Prints of many of my paintings are available in my Etsy shop. 

Let me know if you're interested in a print of this piece.

  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.

Hope

"Hope is the ability to hear the melody of the future." - unknown author

"Hope"

This piece began as a quick pencil sketch, then ink over that, and then it sat for a while as I pondered what to do next. I kept feeling like I should finish her out, adding color to her entirety, but my inner voice kept saying, "Leave her be." And I did...all except for the heart as it was sending echos of a piece I did in early November ("Your heart knows the way. Run in that direction.")

Prints of many of my paintings are available in my Etsy shop. 

Let me know if you're interested in a print of this piece.

  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.

Make it Happen

My first painting of the year is filled with my thoughts and plans: be brave, yes, joy, bliss, love, confidence, embrace your superpowers, fabulous, creativity, cheer, peace, happy, gratitude, create, make it happen....

"Make it Happen"

This original painting is available in my online 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.  

Click here to purchase my paintings.

Expressing my Inner Joy 2

...because sometimes one is not enough to express my inner joy.

"Expressing my Inner Joy 2"

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.  

Click here to purchase my paintings. 

This painting was inspired by Donna Downy as part of Lifebook 2016.

Expressing my Inner Joy

The title pretty much sums it up.

"Expressing my Inner Joy"

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.  

Click here to purchase my paintings. 

This painting was inspired by Donna Downy as part of Lifebook 2016.

She Wore a Flower in her Hair

I very seldom use watercolor these days, but when I do it's always such an amazing experience. This sweet one is almost all watercolor with just a touch of ink here and there. Watercolor is so deliciously ethereal. And I did it on canvas....loved that that actually worked!

"She Wore a Flower in her Hair"

This painting is part of a year-long online art class (instructor Jane Davenport).

 

  

7 Day Challenge - Day 3

It was calling out for yellow. I get that.

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. 

Whoooo's that, Mama?

And...in honor of Superb Owl Sunday!

This started as a painting in the class I'm currently taking but I wasn't grooving on the lesson so I went a different direction and ended up with these two cuties. I adore owls.

"Whoooo's that, Mama?"

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.

A Vessel Full of Tenderness

I've been sitting in the back yard with our big old cat, Pug, today. He's been recovering from some sort of an injury to one of his back legs and is just now wanting to go outside again. He lay under the table on the deck and chicken after chicken came over to him. I think they missed that big hairy dude. So sweet and tender!

This painting is part of a year-long online art class (instructor Pauline Agnew). 

"A Vessel Full of Tenderness"

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.

Solemn - Part 4

I've been remembering my dreams a lot lately. One, in particular, has really stuck out. I was dreaming about cockroaches. Ugh...I'm no fan of cockroaches. I actually catch them and then release them in the backyard where our chickens gobble them up right away.

Anyway, in my cockroach dream the cockroaches had fuzzy little tails and actually kind of resembled puppies. My waking thought was, "Cockroaches are so darn cute!" (Interpret that, dream analyzers!)

That feeling did not last long.


I completed this painting. I really enjoyed working on it. Particularly when I stopped thinking of it as a self portrait, that is. I've loved using this palette of dark colors but now I think I'm ready for some brightly colored flowers or butterflies!

"Solemn"

Just when it seems like I'm getting near to
completion I go and decide I want to make
big changes. I decided that I didn't like the
shape of her lips. I also decided that I
wasn't really liking the totally dark background.

I got the lips pretty much right and then the
nose stopped looking right.

I redrew the nose.

Then I decided I didn't like her hair or the
way the necklace chain fell on one side. I
also added a bit of green to her eyes.

I went over her hair with a yellowish tint and
redid some of her neck. I also changed the shape
of the right side of her face. I added some pink
to her face as well. Then a number of changes
happened and I neglected to document them.
I was too busy working on the painting...bliss!

Click here to view my gallery.

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

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Sylvette, Six Decades Later - Part 3

It's an episode of "How the Hen House Turns"....

My big guy discovered that part of the fencing that keeps our chickens in their part of the back yard had fallen down. And sure enough, our chickens were where they weren't supposed to be. Those rascally girls have had a bad habit of going under our shed and laying eggs way out of our reach. Not cool, ladies. And Dave and I have definitely noticed an egg shortage lately. So now we have to decide how badly we want to get those eggs if they're under the shed, if they're even edible after having been outside for several days, who is going to take one for the team and get all dirty for the retrieval, and, most importantly, if it's even worth it to avoid the likely stank that will ensue come the warm months if they're left as is.

Stay tuned.....


And I completed this painting. This was so much fun! When I first looked at it I thought it'd be "easier" than painting a realistic face. Well, it had it own level of trickiness, too. The thing is, everything is just made up of shapes. And if you break them down by individual shapes it's much more approachable. The shapes with this one were extra fun and, well, super "shape"ly!

"Sylvette, Six Decades Later"

I had done the criss cross marks on the "chair"
but then I decided that I didn't like the color
of green I'd mixed so I redid it.

I added a lot of details to her face
and a bit to her jacket.

I added a lot of highlighting marks throughout.

I added additional strokes to her ponytail.

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.