Throwback Thursday: All You Need is...

Painted just because in 2011 and hangs in my kitchen for a bright friendly reminder...

Because it's true and great. All you need is Love...Love is all you need.

Have a happy day friends.

Painting-Vacation Destination

Hi Friends,

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! Mine was fabulous and filled with lots of friends, food (I heart a good BBQ!) fun in the sun, camping and of course celebrating the good ole US of A! (Yay Freedom!)

I've had quite the month of June, traveling a ton both for work and for fun. Summers are the best but now that July is here (how the heck did that happen?) I have some time to really relax and enjoy Colorado. Which, in my opinion, doesn't get much better than this time of year. (Helllooo sunshine and camping!)

Anyways, a couple weeks back I finished another commissioned painting that my friend's friend wanted done to give to her fiance' for his birthday! This picture was taken, I believe, on their first vacation together in Mexico. A fabulous view when they went golfing together (if you look closely you can see the little golf ball close to the flag)

Sketched out and ready to paint, in my makeshift studio of a Kitchen. (The Kitchen has the best natural light!)

 

 

Above is a photo midway through the painting. I like to paint with the largest area first and onto the smaller detail areas, etc. So I almost always start with the sky, working towards the ground, and so on. Because I can't stand a blank canvas...the sooner I get color on the white, the better! Not sure why, but it makes it feel like I've accomplished something, even though I'll go back and rework things to death!

One of my college professors told me that the hardest thing about painting is starting and knowing when to finish. As an artist, your work is never really finished. You put your heart into it and learn to let it go to be enjoyed by someone else. Which is never easy. But the hard is what makes it fun and beautiful and great.

"Cabo Del Sol Painting". Acrylic on Canvas. 11 by 14 inches. 2013

So here's to those creations that make life a little more fun and beautiful and great. 

It's onto the next one for me.

Thanks again Kelli for thinking about me and enjoy your paintings! :)

 

House Portrait

Hi Friends,

Happy Hump day!

I hope everyone's had a great week so far. Mine has been busy, but summer busy. Which is different than regular busy. Summer busy still requires hard work and all of that but it also allows for breaks to sit in the sunshine, bike rides, staying out just a little later than normal, and of course good times with good friends. Can't beat that.

Anyways, I did just finish a couple of paintings last week and wanted to share them on here.

One of my best friend's friend from Chicago, wanted to have a couple of things commissioned to give as gifts!

The below house is her fiance' house that he grew up in and his family has since moved. She had this painted to give as a gift for her future in-laws! (how cute and thoughtful is that?)

 A picture of the house that she gave me to paint.

And the finished product!

"House Portrait". Acrylic on Canvas, 11 by 14 inches. 2013

Thanks Kelli for thinking about me and hope your future-in-laws loved the gift!

Throwback Thursday-College Edition

I figured I'd join all the "throwbacks" out there and feature some paintings from back in the day.

Today's "Throwback Thursday" is dedicated to College. Or more specifically...the College House.

Good ole Navarre Street.

 

Ahhh College. If you're lucky like me, you're college experience was nothing but the best. A magical place where freedom, fun, fabulous people (and of course hard work) all morphed together into my own little safe haven for 4 incredible years.

But senior year...Oh man senior year.

Living for the first time in a real, far away from our parents, free standing, with 4 of your best girlfriends, all of legal age, HOUSE... was absolutely the.BEST.
 (the fact that I also only had class from noon to 4 on Tuesdays and Thursdays my 2nd semester also helped, ha)

However, this little (kind of big..it had 5 bedrooms!) house that we lived in 6 years ago (gross!) is one that will always hold a special place in my heart. Our first taste of freedom. Our first glimpse into the "real" world. (Although, I have come to find out that having random dress up dance parties and day drinking during the week, aren't as widely acceptable anymore..hmph.)

Anyways, see below for a painting I did during one of our "craft times" we had at the house, way back when. One of my roomies is a school teacher and she thought we needed to give the house a little color! So, we all sat outside on our back deck and painted away the afternoon.

It now hangs in my home office, where I glance at it from time to time, feeling like it was a lifetime ago and just yesterday. I can't help but smile thinking about how awesome it all was. Enjoying the little memories as well as the big ones... we made that house a Home.

The first House portrait I ever did! (got to love the fun and whimsical colors!)

The Roomies, SMC Senior Formal night:) Love!

Pooh Painting-Nursery Love

One of my dear friends from college just recently had a beautiful baby girl! A couple months back she had contacted me, to see if I would do a painting for the Nursery. I was honored and so excited to be apart of little Matilda's room!

She wanted something large and almost like a mural. However, with the distance gap (me living in Colorado, and her in sunny Florida), we decided that separating the painting into 3 different large canvases would do the trick!

This way, it not only looks really fun and artsy when shown together, but also made it way easier to make the trek across country:)

Classic Pooh and Honey Bee theme!

In progress, before the little bees :)

"Matilda's Nursery". Acrylic on Canvas. 2013

The larger canvas of Pooh measures approx. 30 inches tall by 24 inches wide. The top balloon canvas is approx. 12 by 24 inches and the Quote canvas is approx. 12 by 36 inches long.

 

 

 

Finished product, hanging in her room!

Congrats again Melissa and Craig! Love to you guys and little Matilda. 

Enjoy every memory :)

New House Portrait-Wedding Gift

As I've mentioned before, I just Love love, and when my Mom commissioned me to paint an old friend's, new house, for a wedding gift.. I couldn't have been happier!

I was a little late getting it to them (sorry Aly!) But I so appreciate the kind words and thank you notes about this painting.

 

 Thanks again Alyson for all the kind words! Enjoy and Happy Marriage and new house:)

Landscape Painting-Fords Beach

Another sea-scape that makes me want to dive right into that clear blue water! Or who am I kidding, lying on that soft sand with a pretty umbrella drink in hand would also be lovely:)

This painting was commissioned by one of my good buddies in CO, as a thank you gift for her Mom. She took this picture on vacation and wanted to capture it on canvas!

 

 Thanks A-Dog for thinking about me! Enjoy!