A simple sketch

Tucker

Charcoal on Paper

8 x 10

Charley

Charley

10 x 10

oil on canvas

This is a sample pet portrait I did to display at Long Dog Fat Cat :) Gotta love those puppy dog eyes! This is my uncle's family dog, Charley! Named for Hurricane Charley. What a sweetie!

Re-hab Furnishings

I'm very proud of my husband and his "winter" company Re-hab. Check out the website if you get a chance! We're still adding content to it, of course. He has been designing, making and selling tables for a couple years now and it's really starting to flourish! He absolutely loves doing it. Here is one of his most recent tables:

This table is called the 'Tucker' in honor of our new dog that we'll be getting this weekend! It's made of solid Walnut and recycled steel. Isn't it beautiful? It's currently displayed at Pearson & Co. here in Omaha along with some of my art! If you have a chance, check out this store! It's beautiful! They have really nice furniture, art and decor. They are out in Legacy and the owners are super friendly :)

New little painting

Limon

oil on linen

8 x 8.25

available for purchase at my etsy shop!

This little painting was a fun one. I think I'll do a larger version soon. I've been working on a couple landscapes lately that haven't been going so well... let's just say they're very purple. Not that there is anything wrong with purple, but they are very purple. I haven't even been able to look at them in a week. So I've been working on smaller paintings and painting the edges of older paintings, sketching, writing down ideas... anything to not work on these other dreaded paintings!! I know I can always start over, but there's just something in me that wants to be able to finish them! I'll keep you posted...

A recent pet portrait

Abbie & Jackson

Oil on Canvas

16 x 20

Sold

Here is a recent pet portrait I did for one of my oldest friends! Her sister commissioned it and it was a surprise which was fun! I really enjoyed this one. I enjoyed the challenge of painting a black dog, the texture of their fur and painting all the grass. Aren't animals so fun? We are currently in the process of adopting a dog from a rescue... pretty exciting!! A new subject for my paintings :)

Check out some of my other pet portraits on my facebook page! Become a fan while you're at it!

Painting Update

A short post today as I am busy painting and cleaning... but here is a painting very much in progress. Sorry that I couldn't figure out how to get the pic on my blog! I took the picture with my phone so it's not the best, but here it is anyway! It's a big one so I have a ways to go! I'm enjoying painting the ocean in the middle of January :)

I have not blogged in so long and I feel like I have lots to update! So stay tuned! I'll be posting some new ideas... what I've been working on... what I will be working on... some inspirations...

OH! and check out my mom's new blog, Ink Wash Letters {very exciting!} about our family history, Omaha history and the arts in Omaha with a focus on a WWII pilot that was an amazingly talented artist {my great uncle Bruce}.

Watercolor Studies

Palm Study

5 x 5.5

watercolor

Palm Study 2

4.75 x 5.5

watercolor

We've just returned from a vacation to beautiful Puerto Vallarta. I have hundreds of inspirational photos to work from now :) The sunsets were fantastic! I considered the possibility of becoming a beach vendor just so I could have an excuse to paint that view everyday! Alas, I chose to come back to the beautiful midwest. I actually do love the midwest landscape, especially in fall. Don't be surprised to find a mix of midwest and tropical landscapes on my site though. I just can't pick one over the other! These are just some little palm tree studies that I did in watercolor. I love the way each palm tree has it's own quirky shape!

Promised Sunrise

Promised Sunrise

oil on canvas

18 x 24

Sold

Here is a recent commission that was a lot of fun. I loved painting the warm light in the clouds against the dark, stormy clouds. This was a surprise anniversary gift for a husband that was in the Navy. It's always an honor to be commissioned to paint something that is meaningful to someone. I have to say, it's a highlight of my job : )

Just Another Day in Paradise

Just Another Day

18 x 24

oil on canvas

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted! Here is my latest painting available for purchase from my etsy shop. This was from a photo that I took while on the beach in Costa Rica. That's Pedro, our bus driver :) It was a beautiful day on the Caribbean!

New Mexico Evening

Originally uploaded by life.of.leia

New Mexico Evening

oil on panel

5 x 7

Available for purchase at my etsy shop!

An evening drive through the desert inspired this painting. Has me wanting to be back there. I am still wanting to paint more of the midwestern landscape but yesterday I was having trouble finding a picture I wanted to paint. Thankfully last night we had a lovely evening at a friend's lake and I took countless pictures! It was the perfect lighting and the perfect setting. I'm so excited to get started!

Happy 4th of July!

Iowa Landscape

8 x 10

oil on panel

Available for purchase in my etsy shop!

Happy 4th of July! Enjoy your holiday weekend everyone!

Fields of Iowa

Fields of Iowa

8 x 10

oil on panel

Available for purchase from my etsy shop!

"To me, every hour of the day and night is an unspeakably perfect miracle."

~ Walt Whitman

This is another painting from my midwestern landscapes. I used a photo that I took on a road trip back in May. I just got back from a road trip down to Kansas City this past weekend. I wish I had gotten some pictures of the landscape this time. The amount of flooding in the fields was incredible. It's really unbelievable how rainy it has been this spring. Living in the city I have become a little removed from it. Hopefully the rain will stop for a bit for all the people whose farms and homes are at stake. This is not nearly as important but some of my plants are beginning to rot from all the water as well! The weather really shows us how little we are in control.

Sketches

These were just some quick sketches of my adorable cousin Gracy. She is a lot of fun to sketch... I love all of her flowing hair! I think sketching is important. It helps me to visualize a possible painting and keep up my drawing skills. As a painter, I think understanding value and being able to translate it onto the canvas is key. Sketching always helps me to focus more on value. These sketches were quickly done, not really studies in value but they still are a good exercise even if you only have 5 minutes!

Recent Portrait

Sold

18 x 24

Oil on Canvas

This is one of my recent commissioned portraits. I had a lot of fun playing with skin tones and lighter hair colors. They are really cute kids! Who wouldn't want to paint those faces? It was challenging to have to paint black clothing from a photograph, but I tried to make it interesting by mixing my own blacks and making sure it was a rich black with some blueish highlights.

Costa Rican Cloudscape

This is a recent painting I did from a photo my husband snapped from a bus in Costa Rica. My original vision for the painting was a bit different, but sometimes they tend to take on a life of their own don't they? I honestly think it could be stronger compositionally, but I decided to leave it as it is and maybe my next cloudscape will be more of a study in composition!

A Mural!

Oh my! I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted anything! It has been a busy spring with painting, landscaping season starting back up and getting our house ready to put on the market! Here are some photos of the mural that I worked on in March. I painted it for Sevenings Landscaping in Legacy West. (They work with my husband's landscape design firm Olive Branch). It was a lot of fun to do a mural for them and I wish them much success in their beautiful retail spot!

I really enjoyed working on this mural. It was fun to be doing something new and different from the norm. It also had me thinking of how to possibly do more mural work. It's just nice to get out of the house and do something else for a little while! So... if you know of anyone in the Omaha area needing a mural or decorative painting of any kind let me know! I think I'll be getting together a little portfolio of mural work/decorative painting soon!

Agnes Lake

Agnes Lake

oil on canvas

12 x 12

Available for purchase through my etsy shop!

This painting is inspired by one of our hikes up to Agnes Lake in Northern Colorado. It is such a beautiful lake - I recommend the trip to you all! Riley loved hiking through Colorado with us. The city parks here in Omaha don't quite compare. There are plenty of state parks around here that are beautiful though! We definitely don't take advantage of them! Anyway, Agnes Lake is one of my favorite memories of living in Colorado so I'm glad that I finally did a painting of it!

Riley

Riley

12 x 12

oil on canvas

Available for purchase at my etsy shop!

Here is another recent painting of my dog Riley. He has had a long, tough winter of not being able to properly play with the ball. I keep telling him the snow is melting and we will play again! This painting captures his "please, will somebody play with me" expression. It can also be seen at Long Dog Fat Cat.

Chew-Chew

Chewie

12 x 12

oil on canvas

Available for purchase at my etsy shop!

Hello all! Wow, it's been too long! You would think I would blog more during the winter months, but apparently not. I have missed blogging a bit, but sometimes I think it might be good for me to take a step back from technology and focus on the real world :) Thank you to those of you that have become new followers! I'm excited to check out some new blogs and get all kinds of creative ideas from all you brilliant people out there!

The painting up above is my parent's cat, Chewie. (Yes, that is short for Chew-bacca). She is the best. A little loud and needy at times, but the cuddliest cat I've ever met! I am hesitant to put this one up for sale, but I know I can paint another one, if need be. So, for now it is listed on my etsy shop and it can also be seen here in Omaha at Long Dog Fat Cat.

Still working on those mini paintings from my previous post... they kinda got pushed aside as more pressing paintings came up! Hope you all have a great day! Spring is almost here!!

A New Project

I will admit, I have been slacking on posting new items in my etsy shop. I am going to start a new project of painting on these outdoor furniture samples that my husband had left over from his outdoor design business. I'm sure there are many fun, crafty things one could do with these little samples, but all I see are mini paintings! I normally don't paint so small so it will be a new kind of challenge. I would like to add some more affordable art to my etsy shop too and this is the perfect way! What would you do with these samples? I'm curious what genius ideas are out there! They are pretty just as they are, but the artist in me must alter them!!