My Great Uncle Bruce

This is a picture of my great uncle Bruce and an example of his incredible skills as an artist.  This man is a hero and an inspiration to my family nearly 65 years after his death during WWII.  He was an incredible son to my great-grandmother and a wonderful brother to his three sisters.  He worked as a commercial artist before enlisting and left our family with beautiful paintings, drawings, ads and letters that will be cherished for many more years.  His life was a short 26 years but he left a legacy through his art, his letters and his love and dedication for his country. He loved his family, his three sisters and his mother, and I think by serving and protecting his country, he felt he was serving and protecting them.  His sisters, in a way, have done their part by telling his story and keeping his memory alive.  I am inspired by his work and incredible ability, but more than that, his loyalty to his family and to fighting the good fight.  

Art & Soup

Art & Soup was a lot of fun this year!  Although I would've loved to have sold more paintings, I did speak with quite a few people who were interested in commissions... which is great! I love doing commissions and creating a painting that someone will cherish for years to come.  My favorite soups were s'more soup (thanks Brian) and a spinach and feta soup from the Greek Isles.  mmm. I also really liked the enchilada soup from the restaurant at Mahoney.  There was a lot of great art too!  I highly recommend getting a ticket next year!  Hopefully, I'll be there again :)

Milagro

Milagro

24 x 30

oil on canvas

Here is the full painting.  It depicts three young men after going through a scary, but amazing experience in Costa Rica.  On our last mission trip we were enjoying our fun day on the beach when some rip tides caught several of our friends on the trip.  Some made it back to shore by somehow swimming through the currents to get back to the beach.  Two were unable to get back on their own. They later told us that they were swallowing a lot of water and may have blacked out at some point.  Those who had made it back to the beach either ran for help or starting desperately praying.  This beach was private and pretty empty.  Two men happened to be walking by as we were praying and we asked them if they were good swimmers and they said yes.  They swam into the currents and coached the two men back to shore.  We then prayed with them, praising God for answering our prayers and they continued walking down the deserted beaches.  We all have wondered who those men were and whether or not they were angels sent to help at the moment when we needed it.  I don't know the answer to that, but I do know that God does send angels to help us and He is in control at all times.  This story is one that I will never forget and will remind me of God's faithfulness in our time of need.  I am so thankful that God brought those men safely out of the water and that He allowed me to be there to witness a miracle.

Milagro (detail)

Milagro (detail)

oil on canvas

Here is a detail shot of my most recent painting.  There is an amazing story behind it, but you will have to wait to see the whole painting... maybe tomorrow.  I had a lot of fun doing this one, I feel like I am venturing in a new direction with my work and I am really excited about it!  I will still always do portraits and pet portraits but I really love working on a painting that tells a story.  So, I hope that gets you excited to see the rest of the painting!

my messy palette

This is what my palette looks like when I am busy painting. Cleaning up my palette is always on my to-do list, but I never seem to get to it! I used to be a little more organized. I would have my colors all lined up in logical color wheel order, I would scrape it clean often and clean my brushes after each use. I have gotten much more lazy these days! I have a scrapings pile that is ever present, my brushes are lucky to get cleaned every few days and my colors are all out of order. I guess, the most important thing is that I am getting paintings done right?

Cosmo

Cosmo

8 x 8

oil on canvas

Sold

I've been wanting to paint this photo of Cosmo for years now! I finally got to it! I realized as I was posting this that I forgot his little pink nose! whoops. and my signature. So, I'll be amending that tomorrow.

I hope you don't mind Mackeys that I painted your cat! He is a good subject!

Ode to Winter

Even though I am very excited for spring to come, there is something that I really love about winter.  The gray days are perfect for staying inside and getting artwork done.  Soon, it will be beautiful outside and I will want to be out in the garden and enjoying the sunshine!  So, I am resolved to enjoy this last little bit of winter, by painting as much as possible before the weeds start begging to be pulled.  I love warm weather just as much as the next person, but I think winter is under appreciated.

I got a lot of painting done today, but won't be posting them for a couple more days.  VNA Art & Soup is coming up on Sunday!  I hope I'm ready!