... a portrait to celebrate a couple's love :)

In my ever continuous game of playing "catch up" from my work in the studio, I realized that I had never shared with you a wedding portrait that I had created for my customer, Miss Jen :) 

Miss Jen found my work at an art show a couple years ago and commissioned me to create a personal painting for her partner, Miss Emily. 

This was inspired from my original "Sunshine" painting ...

It was great fun getting to know Miss Jen and working with her; so, I was tickled when she contacted me to help her design a gift to give her sister, a bride-to-be!  We threw around a few ideas and settled on a wedding portrait :)  I had created one similar for my wedding, back in the day! ... and it is something that I truly cherish. 

We have it hung above our bed and every so often I will take note of the wishes and signatures of our friends and family ... and pause in prayer over those who have since gone on to their great Glory in Heaven :)  It means so much to see Pap's name along side Gram Cramer's ... and Grandma Elwood's wishes of happiness ... Uncle Jimmy - - Cousin Petey ... Dear Helen Columbus.  For who are we without the love and support from our family and friends that make up our world?

Miss Jen forwarded to me a photo of the happy couple ...

and she decided on a painting in the style of "my version" of watercolor :) ...

So, I set out to complete a sketch for approval ...

With a slight adjustment made to her sister's jaw line ... we were ready to go!

I applied masking fluid to the couple's sketch, leaving only the background uncovered.  THEN, the fun began!  Playing with the washing and layering of colors is by far my favorite part because it is mood-evoked and leaves room for whimsy brushstrokes in playful light.

Then, came time to bring the happy couple to life :) 

The fluid masking came in handy again when creating the designs of her blouse.  It worked perfectly to create the intricate designs of the floral pattern. 

 

Most often than not, I find it refreshing to see that when I am creatively busy, it seems to inspire my kiddos to try their hands at something similar ...

 

 

Can you tell that Mr. Bieber has some in-house fans??

For presentation purposes at the wedding, I had added plexy-glass underneath the matting and added a foam board backing to mount everything as one piece.  This enabled the guests to sign freely onto the mat itself, without the fear of marking the original painting. 

Upon meeting up with Miss Jen to deliver her painting, I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Emily ... How fun to meet a subject of one of my favorite paintings!!  Both gals are such sweethearts and truly do bring sunshine to the day :)

Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.
-James Matthew Barrie
Creator of Peter Pan

... In the Studio: A Take-over of Enamels & Glass :)

It seems that more often than not that my entries begin with, "Gosh!  It's been too long since my last post!"  I do so apologize :)  Should I have any readers left ... I thought that I would play catch-up of the happenings going on in my studio over the last few months.  And, mostly ... it's been a crowd of boxed glassware and a new indulgence in enamel paints :)

 

I've been blessed with the opportunity of having my work displayed in our town's new art gallery, The Canvas.  This set of ice cream dishes are one of the items that I have there.  I am finding it difficult to fill a whole display with my glass work, as most of what I've been doing has been custom orders.  But, I do have plans on creating some children illustrations to be showcased by Christmas ... fingers crossed!!

The mini dessert dishes below are the perfect accessory to a summertime gathering for samplings of little torts or layered treats.  Adorable mini spoons come with the set of 6.

 

 

Flip-flops ... the quintessential accessory for summer :)

 

The daydream of sipping Lemon Cello along the coast of Italy inspired these glasses ... (love that movie, "Under the Tuscan Sun" :)

Garden party, anyone?? 

 

Truly, I believe that I heard the crashing of waves and calls of seagulls through my studio window ...

 

An Easter offering to our parents, both great and grand, of personalized dessert plates adorned with Lemonade Cupcakes :)

 

 

Miss Janice planned surprise presents for her dear friends during a Girls Getaway ... their favorite flowers on stemless wine goblets :)  What better way to toast years of friendship ...

 

 

Miss Loretta's hubby surprised her with a set of 8 dessert dishes, matching her decor, for her birthday :)  Fiesta Chili peppers spice up the sweetness of any day ...

My sweet neighbor and friend, Miss Helen, wished to surprise the bride with a glassware set she would "flip" over ... (couldn't help it!  just had to make the pun :)

 

 

 

... and she treated herself to some sweet lemonade to enjoy poolside, I presume?  :)

 

 

Between family time, studio time and gallery time, my days are gobbled up!  We've fit in a couple trips, a baseball season, and an ongoing remodeling session that is leaving my already cluttered home in total disarray.  Ugh.  I am currently redoing my daughter's room for the THIRD TIME (even took out a doorway and built a wall!) ... so I am anxious to get that completed so that her darling furniture can find it's home OUT OF MY DINING ROOM!  Hopefully, pictures of the transformation will follow VERY SOON :)  Thereafter, my kitchen and my son's bedroom (as he now has an unfinished wall too - LOL).

So, I'm off to begin the wallpaper primer ... I am so anxious to use the beadboard wallpaper!  I hope that it lives up to all of its raved reviews!  I'll keep you posted :)

The three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love and something to hope for.

- Addison

... no place like home

One of my favorite things to paint are homes. Now, if my family read this, they would say, "What??" Well .... okay - - to be honest, painting homes are the most challenging, which usually accompanies a little bit of stress and a little bit of procrastination ... BUT!! They are the ~MOST REWARDING~.
I love that people cherish their homes ... their childhood homes ... their parents' homes ... really, any place that holds special meaning, which usually comes from the warm memories contained within that structure.

I have this love affair with both of my grandparents' homes, as they have been the constant in my life - - never changing no matter how many times our family moved.

My one grandma is still in her home where we visit every other Sunday for supper, along with my dad and sister, and spend most, if not all, of our visit seated around the table where we solve the world's problems. :) We joke that a collective book should be written ... maybe someday.

This is her home that I captured in a children's illustration. Our little Cape Cod has had numerous renovations. My favorite was the buttercup yellow siding with black shutters - - I can still picture it when I close my eyes.

But, it is within those walls that I remember playing on the kitchen floor with my yellow toy telephone, taking pizza orders from imaginary customers ... watching Gram make homemade donuts and getting to shake the bag "real good" to ensure the sweetest donuts ever ... sitting on Gram's bed, as a teenager, listening to "Request & Dedication" on Sunday evenings, pining over a crush ... propping my daughter's bouncy seat on Gram's kitchen table to feed my new, baby girl ... washing dishes in the sink (because Gram doesn't need a dishwasher ... "she has us!") and watching from the paned windows as my son and dad play wiffle ball, just as we had as kids ... and sharing every Christmas Eve over Wagilia Dinner and breaking holy bread with Gram's blessing. See, this house is not just something that provides a shelter ... it is years of love & memories that bind those cinder blocks together ... that's the mortar that holds our family together.

And, I know what it feels like to have that home not be yours anymore to claim as a haven. When my other grandparents sold their home to move into a retirement village, I thought my heart would truly break in two.

I remember walking through the house after the movers took everything and having those childhood images flood my mind as I went from room to room - - a fire crackling in the living room on a winter's day, with a card table set up in the middle for a craft with Gram of sequins, straight pins and Styrofoam balls ... holiday dinners closing with family card games of PIG and spoons - the walls seemed to vibrate with laughter ... shoeing Pap from his bedroom to bunk with Gram, so that I could sleep in his cozy, twin bed, using the opened, paned window at the foot of the bed as an alarm with its cool breeze, warm sunlight and chirping birds ... taste-testing Pap's mashed potatoes on the back of our hand for enough salt and buttery goodness ... and spending hours on the back porch, swinging in between my grandparents and singing into the night by red-hued candlelight from Gram's cranberry glass globes.

My heart didn't break fully that day, but did so a few years later when my Pap passed away suddenly. I remember walking to the house, which was a long-winded trek from where I was living, and simply standing before it ... sobbing. That house still holds such a heartache for me that I've never painted it. Writing this now ... I am thinking that perhaps I need to do that.

I wonder if my customers feel as tied to the homes that they commission me to paint. I'd like to think so. But it is by my own heartfelt relationship to places that I love which draws me to capture that connection for others.

For the piece below, I was contacted by a lovely gal, Susan, who currently lives in Japan with her husband and children. She and her siblings, Tracy and Curt, wished to have their parents' home portrait painted as a gift for Christmas. What better gift than one that signifies "family."

Their wish was to have their parents' home painted for the winter holidays. I know that this home is completely different in architecture, but I visualized the home from Home Alone, and immediately wanted to capture a moonlit night ...

I painted the beginning layers of the night sky, and decided to go ahead with the sketch of the home before placing in the moon, as I did not want the moon obstructed from a peak of the roof.

Then, came the trees ...

... almost eerie at this stage. When I paint commissioned pieces, I usually send along progress photos, so that my customers can see how their painting is coming along. With this one, I confirmed with Susan (& Co.) that this was not a mistake - - I was not painting a Halloween portrait for them ...

(although, I was probably inspired to do so for all of the Halloween Candy that was laying around at the time!) ... it was just the beginning of layers.
With the initial background layer completed, I began to work on the brickwork.

When painting brick, it is all about texture and shading. I am not quite as timid when commissioned to paint brick as I was in the past ... there is always a learning curve and room to play to get it right.

Then, my favorite part of painting these home portraits ... embellishing, especially the winter homes. :)

And, after painting the foreground and covering it in snow ... Susan, Tracy & Curt's tribute to their family is complete.
"How beautiful! Thank you so much for everything! The progress pictures were a very personal, fun and unexpected touch! I can't wait to see it in person!"... "my parents absolutely LOVE their portrait!" - Susan W.

The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.

~Maya Angelou

... hitting "rewind."

When creating with deadlines, I tend to keep the paintbrushes moving and neglect sharing the works here with you. So, I thought that I would take a moment, hit "rewind," and fill you in on what had me busy these last few months ...

Today, I am backpeddling to a family tree that was ordered, back in October, by a sweet girl for her mom. I do believe that the intention was as a Christmas gift, but I received an email from Sara exclaiming, "I ended up giving it to my mom today. I could not wait to see what she thought. She loved it. Thank you so much." ... That warmed by heart :)

Sara had contacted me to order a Family Tree Canvas Wall Hanging, with the requests that the season be of spring, the background be of a lakeside dock and to include her late, family dog ...




After Sara shared the pics that I sent to her, she and her sister inquired whether three more of their beloved pets might be included in this gift for their mom. So, I tucked these cherished animals into the painting ...

... a tabby on a scavenger hunt looking to see what he might find along the banks ...

... a little white pup taking notice of all that is around him, playfully running here to there ...

... and another tabby, larger than the first, lazily stretched out on a branch, content to only watch the action below.

The painting felt more complete to include all that was meaningful. And, with a chosen quote ... "Other things may change us, but we start and end with family. - Anthony Brandt" ... Sara's family tree was ready for shipment.


It was a pleasure to create this family heirloom. My hope is that this will become a piece for Sara's family that will fill their hearts with joy and remembrance...

When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses.

~Joyce Brothers