Where it all began.
Making this painting with my mom was what originally ignited my love for painting. I remember everything about creating this: choosing the inspiration photo, matching the colors, the techniques my mom taught me to create different textures and patterns, and smushing the paint brush against the paper to create the bushes. But the part that stuck with me the most was the way she unintentionally taught me that art has no rules. We turned the paint brushes upside down and used the rounded off tips of the handles to make the trunks of the palm trees. Then we did the same thing with a thinner brush to make the fronds. I was approximately 10 years old at the time.
Now, almost 15 years later, this painting currently hangs on the wall in my art room. A constant reminder of why I love to paint.
Sour Candy
February 2024
16 x 20 x ⅝” acrylic on stretched canvas
When I think of sour candy, I can all but feel the granules of sugar on my tongue and taste the acidic flavors that make my lips pucker. That is the feeling I wish to invoke with this painting, along with all of those memories associated with eating sour candies. Going to the corner store, dollar bill in hand. Riding bicycles around the neighborhood. Making barefoot treks through the woods. Sneaking boxes of Sour Patch Kids into the movie theater under a sweatshirt. Being an innocent child and the scariest possible scenario is that a candy is too sour.
Sour Candy is currently for sale. Click here for more information.
Spilled Blood
February 2024
11 x 14” acrylic on canvas board
It may come as no surprise to learn that I saw the vision for this piece while watching an episode of Bones. The crime drama has many episodes which feature blood spatter in a variety of places. I really enjoyed watering down red paint and flicking the brush to create the droplets, as well as using a darker palette than I usually opt for.
Spilled Blood is currently for sale. Click here for more information.
Scott’s Lake
March 2024
16 x 20 x ⅝” acrylic on stretched canvas
I love lounging on a boat on a hot summer day almost as much as my dad does. Lake Jocassee in South Carolina is one of our favorite spots. Although I could not give him an actual lake for his birthday, I hope that this piece captures that “lake life” feeling and gives a little piece of it to my dad every time he steals a glance.
Scott’s Lake was gifted in March 2024.
The Impact We Have
October 2024
8 x 10” acrylic on canvas board
After years of entering my driveway and parking my car in the same spot and in the same fashion, I noticed this shape in the ground. I didn’t intend to permanently indent my daily routine into the topography of the earth, but I think that in a lot of ways, we all tend to take for granted the impact we have. Little things that we do without thinking, everyday habits, even the language that we use has a lasting effect on the world around us. Intentional or not.
I used a combination of soft and heavy body acrylic paint, as well as an actual toy car to create this piece.
The Impact We Have is currently for sale.
Eddy
October 2024
5 x 7 x ¾” acrylic on stretched canvas
Eddy is the name that I gave to the Northern Cardinal that visits my backyard bird feeders on a daily basis. I always love when I look out my window and I can immediately spot the stark contrast of his red feathers against the blue sky. That is what inspired this piece. Eddy is a nod to all of the “frequent flyers” out there who are able to spread so much joy by simply existing.
I did not use any tape or edge lines to create the shapes in this painting, which was an excellent test of my ability to create smooth lines with only the steadiness of my hand.
Eddy was sold in December 2024.