One morning at the beginning of the month, I went for a walk knowing that a storm was forecasted. In the past five years I have lived in places where it rains frequently, but storms with thunder and lightning are very rare. I've forgotten the way that storms change the energy of the air. On this morning in particular, the clouds started to darken and twist together, creating a marbling effect over the sky. The sun was still managing to peak through like a little glowing pearl, and the glow of the morning still hovered over the horizon. Suddenly, wind began rustling branches and all the birds started to fly away at the same time. I took some pictures and almost immediately went home to try to paint the scene, abandoning the sharp pastel palette I was excited about from the previous month. Planning on getting back to that soon :)
This moment uses a similar palette to the stormy sky painting above. Firewheels are some of my favorite wildflowers (they are all my favorite when I am looking at them). I love them when they are in bloom, and also when they've dried out towards the end of the summer. The lines of the stems tell a story about how each flower needed to grow in order to bloom. It reminds me of the lines and scars that form on our bodies, and the dried creek beds that held the moving water from the earlier part of the year. The end of summer is a kind of winter in many ways.
July and August
My wonderful dog ,Leia (like the princess), frequently causes me to notice beautiful moments that I would have overlooked on my own. This painting came from one of these observations. Leia is part hound and becomes completely obsessed by smells. I noticed these uniquely colored leaves one morning while I was waiting for her to finish sniffing this patch of grass by the creek. I actually changed the palette quite a bit when I was making this painting and am so excited to use these sharp pastels in the future.
More little insect paintings while I keep chipping away at the larger commission. I really do think Junebugs are cute, despite being annoying. I may add more black outline to the grasshopper. Not sure what I will do with these yet. I had a lot going on in these two months, so took awhile to post. Hopefully things will be settling down soon.
June 2021
This is the first year that I've ever noticed 'Antelope Horn' or green milkweed. It's one of the flowers favored by the Monarch butterflies that make their way through the country down to central Mexico in the fall. I don't know how I missed this gorgeous, minty-lime green flower cluster with it's purple stars and thick petals blooming in the tall dry grass of North Texas. Maybe because it only blooms for a short time until the flowers turn into fuzzy brownish pods. Maybe also because I've spent so much time this past strange year walking outside. I loved making this painting. When I was mixing the light green and purple paint, I kept having flashbacks to my first bike, a dreamy sea foam green 80sHuffy with white and lavender streamers.
I'm just beginning a large commissioned painting that will probably take me at least two months to finish. I want to keep my promise to myself to make two small paintings a month for this year, so I've decided for the next few months to make some even smaller paintings like this. This one was a lot of fun to make and only took a day or two to finish. They will most likely all be colorful, cartoony little paintings of insects. The originals will be available, all for under 50 dollars, and I will probably use the images to make greeting cards and smaller things. This is the first one! A festive little firefly :)
May 2021
This painting was inspired by a visit to Medicine Bow National Forest in Laramie, Wyoming a few years ago. I love the connection between the clouds and the little pond. I still have a lot to learn about landscape painting, but this was really fun to make.
This painting was inspired by a beautiful peony blooming in a friend's garden this Spring. The rain on this day, made the grain on the gray fence look extra saturated, and I wanted to play it up even more when I was painting the background. I added a katydid because I love their leafy camouflage and their long faces. I also love their names.
