Autumn Oak

I painted this scene en plein air a few weeks ago. I discovered this spot last fall. It's not far from my house, but the only problem is that I have to stand at the edge of a little cemetery; but other than the background noise of the traffic at the four-way stop nearby, it's a nice, quiet spot. It was a perfect day, weatherwise. I could have stayed longer and painted, but I knew after painting for 1.25 hrs that I would ruin it if I worked on it any longer, so I went out the next day too.

Sun Block

I painted Sun Block from a photo I took of my daughter on a sunny day. I really like the way sunlight causes interesting shadow shapes. This painting is currently available through the Lotton Gallery in Chicago. It is also included in the current issue of American Art Collector with a quote from me about my inspiration for this piece.

Copper & Gourd

This still life was painted during a workshop I took with artist, Qiang Huang a couple of weeks ago. This was the one I did on day 1 and I think it turned out the best of the 3. Qiang is a wonderful teacher and an even more wonderful artist! I learned so alot from him.

Leanora

This is a portrait commission I finished a few weeks ago. Leanora is such a sweet little 6-year-old and loved posing for me during our photo shoot.

Gardenia

This is my first posting on my new art blog! I painted this painting of Kayla from a photo I took of her in my garden this past summer. It was fun painting the cool shadows on her skin and the spots of sun hitting her face.