The beach as inspiration

Last summer I started riding my scooter out early in the morning to watch the sunrise on the beach several times a week. The skies changed every few minutes and nature provides skies that are absolutely glorious.

Now that it’s getting cooler it’s more of a challenge to bundle up but I’m always happy once I’m there. It really changes how you feel when you witness the changing sky, the smell of the salt air, the sound of the waves and the birds peeping along the shore.

I thought some of my photos of the sunrise would be lovely limited edition prints.

Printed on archival art papers and framed. On demand.

More Botanical paintings

I have been having so much fun with this series of beneficial insects. I find that there are more free-form ideas and color combinations. Each time I do a small one, I tried a different technique… so they’re rather fun and good opportunity for exploration.

“Butterfly Life” is 30×30″ with a lot of carved sculptural elements. It will be advertised on my website.

Also doing some small 6″ gallery wrap paintings. They make great gifts.

I dont advertise my little gallery wrap paintings but have them for sale at various shops and galleries. If you are ever interested in any work that you see in my blog, please feel free to chat with me about it.

From sketches to paint on canvas

I have been working on a project commission by a company in England all summer and creating new works . Each needed be approved by the author and the publisher. The author would give me ideas on what she wanted in the scene and I created several sketches before starting any work. For instance, she wanted a Jamaican mermaid sitting next to a treasure chest with coins floating and jewels all around…representing abundance. She wanted pearls in her hair and golden light shining down the water around her. 

This is the sketch that was approved.

Here is the final painting 48×36″ and will be available for sale during the international launching of the collectible cards in Spring of 2020.

Its been a very intense summer as I had many paintings to complete by an October date. It actually consumed me as I worked long hours and sometimes even evenings. Its good to have the project nearly completed.



More Beneficial Insects

Continuing with the Botanical series… high texture and whimsy.

Botanical Series

i’ve been thinking about this botanical series for quite a long time and had developed a technique about a decade ago with flexible modeling paste and carving to create interesting detail. After I carve and let the plaster dry for a couple days then I can start painting on it. It’s quite fun.

The B paintings are 36 x 36 and the dragonfly paintings are 24 x 24″ gallery wraps. The top two have sold.

i’ve been working on a large mermaid commissions from Hayhouse in England most of the summer so I needed to take a break every once in a while and go from the sea to the land. I am so concerned about the state of the honeybees and the health of our planet. The bees and insects assist in plant pollination, crops and food which give us life.

Dragonflies also are a favorite subject because they are deemed lucky. They dont live very long but are important in spreading pollen.

Meditation Under the Sea

I have been working on adding more diversity to my mermaid collection. “Meditation” is 36 x48″ gallery wrap original. Here is my initial sketch and then her completed.

Beach painting with baby sea turtle

It’s been a good week !!…as I’m working on a paintings in my studio, I got a notice that my “first plunge baby sea turtle VI ” painting was sold though one of the online art galleries that represent me. So I need to package it up and ship it this coming Friday.

It is always exciting to make a sale and know that somebody is enjoying what you’ve created enough to display in their homes.

New sassy mermaid painting

As part of the mermaid card commission that I’m working on, the client wants more diversity so I am creating mermaids and mermen of all ethnicities and body shapes. This painting was done of a plus sized mer-babe recently. The company will only be getting the digital files so the original painting is for sale. I will also be able to print custom giclees and art prints.

I am calling this mermaid “Mimi” and she is 48×30″.

Sketches for upcoming commission

Earlier this year I landed a nice commission with a company in England producing collectible mermaid oracle cards that will sell internationally. For the last several months I’ve been working on the paintings for the cards and I’m down to the last 10. First, I have to sketch from the authors ideas and send to the agent, Publisher, marketing etc to be approved.

Sometimes this process takes a while and meanwhile the clock is ticking. I tried to do a couple paintings while my agent was on vacation without the sketch being approved first and now I have to redo. The marketing group and author added 6 additional cards last week and my deadline was stretched only by a couple weeks. Pressure to create 10 completed large paintings in 6 weeks is a bit intense to say the least. since I do have a marketing background myself I do understand how it works when there’s approvals by committees. on top of this I’m having my master bathroom rehabbed this month. Fortunately, my studio is a separate building in the back yard so I can escape the dust and construction noise.

Hurricane Dorian becomes a lesson in patience

for over a week the main concern in my household was getting prepared for hurricane Dorian. For a while it was a category four and five and was destined to hit our coast pretty hard. My son came out from Melbourne Florida to help and to be here for the weekend. All my yard mobiles, flower baskets, yard furniture, generator primed, food and water stocked….all checked off my list.

on the good side, my husband and my son and I had a good time playing scrabble, dominoes, cooking together, and taking walks in the beach in between rains. I found that being in my studio calmed me down from being so darn antsy. …it was a week of ultra nerve-racking stress and highly creative hours in the studio. Mandatory evacuation ordered but very few friends left the island. i’m on a 20 foot oak hammock and have never had any issues with flooding.