Anyone else planting a lot? I know I am. Plus I see so many posts on Instagram with plants..indoor, outdoor, succulents...tropical etc. It feels like the 70's all over again. 
I've been thinking about sunrooms, green houses & botanical gardens and it inspires me. Which led to start on a lino block of a green house...which then led to a very layered illustration of green things.  It feels a little like a cleanse after such a weird year that I would actually like to forget except it's hard to because the signs are still out there and I just started a painting series of Moods of 2020 and that's going to be the last of any art related to last year. 
The piece on the left was rendered in Procreate with several layers and the background softened to give the feeling of distance. The lino block is a very simple green house. I printed it out and it sold right away on Etsy so that was  nice! The green swirly piece is 36x48. I had a blank canvas and just started going at it. I might keep it - then again I may not. It might become something else over time. 
I hope you are all well and getting outside and enjoying the first full day of summer. I find myself spending a lot of time on TripAdvisor lately - dreaming of my travel future. Chat soon. And plant something. 

I discovered my love of abstract expressionism and it was just accidental. I was wandering through a series of high end consignment shops in Palm Springs and happened upon a group of abstract expressionist works and I just couldn't stop staring. They were so well done and very free. There didn't seem to be conscious design put into it but they worked...in color, composition and the balance of textures, brush width and layers. Each one had a different palette and size-wise they were as small as 8x10 and as large as 36x48. 
I simply wanted to stop and paint right there on the spot. But - being that I was away from home and away from my materials it would have to wait. 

And so I painted. One is a 36x48 piece on wood panel that had another painting on it but I was tired of it and I had a digital file so I was fine with letting it live a second life. 

The next two are 18x24 on paper. I gessoed both sides of the paper to create a strong substrate and then over a period of three or four days I continued to paint and between drying times I moved on to other pieces. 

The works on paper will be floated inside a frame on white backing and framed out in a white wood frame. The large piece on wood will get a silver toned wood floater frame. Once they are photographed they will go on my Etsy shop right here. 
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Thanks for visiting and come back soon!

It's a simple request. It's a constitutionally protected right. It's our voice. It's our simple act to be involved with our government. I'm a passionate voter. I've never missed an election since I turned 18. My parents made a big deal about it with passionate discussion around the dinner table and today my sisters and I all take part and are equally committed. 
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That's where the inspiration came for this illustration. And...let me preface by saying I am not an illustrator. I do LOT'S of art but illustration does not come easy. So with my trusty iPad and the ProCreate app I created this. A series of women of all lovely skin shades standing strong with arms raised. The word VOTE is boldly expressed. 

Then I took the illustration into Red Bubble and Zazzle - my third party shops that carry my products and set them up for all sorts of products including masks, posters, pillows, notebooks, t-shirts and pillows etc. 

So..enjoy and maybe pick up a few items and express your right to vote on November 3rd!!! Because remember...if you don't vote, you can't complain. 

Way back in January, which feels like a lifetime ago (am I right?) I submitted designs for a public art project in Danville. It was to be 15 fiberglass hearts that would line Hartz Avenue. They will be installed for all to enjoy and then at a later date to be auctioned off with proceeds going to more art programs at the Danville Village Theatre and Gallery. 
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So I submitted and the competition was tough with 200+ entries but I was so excited to find out my art was selected. Now to pick that heart up! It's 50 pounds and 50" long and wide...so my friend agreed to use his truck to pick up and then it landed in my garage where I began to paint. Then COVID hit and everything got delayed, but finally in June the hearts came back to the gallery and are now installed in Danville and there are actually 17. Each one is so different, reflecting the talents of the individual artist - so there is something for everyone to enjoy. 

If you can - take a field trip and go visit the hearts...have your photo taken and post it. Community art is good for the soul. It's money well spent because community art is for EVERYONE.  I believe in the democracy of art and public projects like this is what works. 

My heart is in front of J Mclaughlin....and it's a silhouette of Mt. Diablo with golden poppies floating throughout with black and white bursts behind the mountain. I chose a clean graphic design that would catch your eye. 

Enjoy!

What a weird time we are living in. We won't forget this and we will probably talk about it for years. I hope you and your loved ones are safe, that you are healthy and that you are working through it and finding something positive with the shelter in place restriction. 
It's challenging but part of the challenge can be directed towards learning something new or simply getting better at something you already do anyway. For me it is improving my skill level with the ProCreate app. I downloaded this on my iPad and I am learning more each time I use it. I decided to create a series of drawings...nearly every day - of some place I want to be or someplace I have been but wish to return to.  
It started with Lagos, Portugal which was supposed to be a trip last August but then a bike accident happened. Then it was a May trip and COVID-19 happened. It's been rescheduled again. So for now we have drawings as reminders. 
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From there I moved onto Cape Cod, Monterey, England, France and the Pacific Northwest. 

If you visit my Instagram right here you can see all of the images.  

We will get through this - and it will change us. It will change our culture and the way we travel. It may make us want to change our home decor since we have spent so much time in it...and maybe it will change the way we think about the health of our planet. Today the air quality is 17 - it's usually 30. During the wildfires it was over 300. Maybe Mother Nature was telling us to be kinder. And on that note be kind to yourself, be patient...smile at others because we are all in this together. use this time to create, to read, to grow a garden. 
Chat later...and thanks for reading. 

if you are interested in purchasing any of the travel drawings they are available as mini prints in my Etsy shop here. 
Have a great day! 

So life is going to the dogs! Well actually it’s fifteen dogs that will be installed throughout the town of Danville from May thru September. Fifteen local artists were chosen to design and paint a fiberglass dog for this public art project. I am one of the fifteen and I finished my dog the other day…she’s all painted and ready for display. This project is being organized through the Village Theatre and Art Gallery in Danville.

My latest obsession - tiny art. I mean really tiny. These are 2”x1.5” or 2” x 2”.

I lay out six pieces at a time on one sheet of 9x12 paper and then tape off the openings. I select a palette for each group and then paint earth and sky and sometimes water. Once it’s dry I go over the shapes with graphite pencil and conte crayon which gives the whole piece dimension.

​Check out my Instagram feed for the whole collection and if you are interested in any of the pieces just let me know. Each available for $25.00. Five are sold - 6 still available.

My new obsession is small watercolor abstracts on paper. There’s something magical and spontaneous about painting these pieces and having such a quick response because they are small and dry quickly. The hard part is not over doing it which I tend to do. So I must maintain a level of self control and let it go when it is done. But when do I know it’s done? Thus I make mistakes and some I throw away and some make it. For the most recent one I added mixed media additions including graphite pencil and conte crayon which I find so soul satisfying. Anyone else feel that way about Conte crayon?
For each piece I use tape to create the border - most are either 6x8 or 4x7 and then I paint…a layer at a time and see what happens. I may add a few splatters or drips which add dimension and interest. I have also experimented a little with lavender and pink - but only as accent colors because it can take over a piece and I really don’t want that as I prefer blues and greens to be the focus. When the piece is dry I remove the tape and sign the painting and then I am done.
Most paintings are available for purchase so just contact me through my site if you are interested.

Years ago - I created a series of botanical sketches that were very minimalist with only a few colors and simple black lines. I sold TONS of them as prints and they were very successful. It’s been over 10 years since I created them and I wanted to try again but this time with mixed media on paper using using very diluted acrylics and pastel. So I bought 18x24 mixed media paper and set to work. I used varying shades of blue plus citron tones and pinks which is area popular right now - especially muted dusty rose or ash shades.
Once finished I brought them to my photographer in Berkeley and had them captured at high res and then I cleaned them up and set them up for art prints. The originals are also available - I like to get as much use out of my work as possible.
Check back again because I have a feeling there might be more on the way.

I keep composing my own perception of the earth around me. I take walks in Briones or Hidden Lakes and I look at the layers of hills and I capture these views with my phone and then figure out how I can translate that same look onto my white wood boards that are waiting for me. 

I start with a simple outlines and then fill in the sections. Then - when each section is dry I paint them again..and then I paint them again so what happens is that each layer creates a life and texture and the layers on top don't take away from that life - they simply make it more interesting and if you think about it - aren't humans the same way? Our previous life experiences don't go away when we have new experiences - they are simply added layers to our lives. 

​For my info about each of these works go right here.