Have you ever been stuck as an artist? It’s a helpless feeling when you know something is wrong with a painting, but you don’t know what direction to go next. This is what I experienced about half way through my recent “Singing Lavender” piece. There are a lot of problems with this painting. First I had not finished adding the lavender blooms yet, but I couldn’t even get there because of the pale green mountain and house that seemed so flat. I study palette knife oil painting at “A Touch of Paris Studio” in Grapevine, Texas. When I got stuck...

When I saw this photo I had to celebrate the sun sparkling on the water and these boats with a painting! What attracted me to the image at first was the difference between the straight masts and their wiggly reflections. I knew I wanted those reflections of the masts to dance on the water. The row of boats tied to the dock were begging for the oil with a palette knife style I have learned from my art teacher and mentor, Dominique Galleron. If you are ever in Grapevine, check out her “A Touch of Paris” gallery and studio. I...

I spent the last two days doing plein air painting (painting outdoors) at Grapefest in Grapevine. The Plein Air Painters were hosted by Holder Dane Gallery in Grapevine through ArtNexus. While it was nice to use my new plein air easel and test out my system, the best part of the experience was interacting with the humans. So many different humans, conversations with humans, and interesting interactions. Some people just wanted to watch me paint, one woman sat on the grass and just silently watched and smiled without saying a word. The most curious were the children and the adults...

This is a very famous lighthouse that has been photographed many times, but the reference photo for this painting was taken by the husband of one of my dear friends. I’ve actually been to this place during my many Minnesota summers and loved how he captured it. It returned the memories of the lighter cool air, sounds of seagulls, and vivid blue sky and I was a child again on the rocky shore of Lake Superior. Here’s the photo below taken by Dave Hudspith. He was a faithful follower of Jesus and a loving husband, father, and friend to many...

Celebrating Color, Light, and Life with this fun flower bloom painting. Done in oil on a 14″x14″ canvas and framed in a d 17×17″ frame, this delight makes my soul sing! Thick layers of impasto strokes create rich textured blooms with pops of light color notes and dark centers.

A bird does not sing because it has an answer…It sings because it has a song! The truth in this statement inspired me. I was doing art together with a friend one afternoon when she came across it. Instantly, I loved it and we both added it to the homemade cards we were making. We were using these sweet birds cut out of dyed hymn book pages. I promise I purchased the Hymnbook from a used bookstore. I didn’t just find it from a church. I love using pages from that book because the old thirsty paper soaks in the...

Provision 1 – The Beginning This post is the story of how a painting blessed two families and was an answer to prayer. About 14 years ago, I painted Provision I in acrylic on a large canvas. It was inspired by the story from Matthew 14:13-21 where Jesus took two fish and five loaves and fed 5,000 people. This passage was very precious to me at the time because our family was going through a very tough financial period which God used to show us that He not only was Provider for the people in Jesus’s day, but he was...

How do you paint forgiveness? It’s easier to show you than to tell you. These two new oil paintings inspired by extended and received mercy and love modeled in the Bible are my attempt to paint forgiveness. What is forgiveness? When I began the process of painting forgiveness, the foundation of forgiveness taught in Scripture was key. The Bible reveals that God’s idea of forgiveness is unselfish love. 1 Corinthians 13:5 describes this kind of love with the language, “it keeps no record of wrongs.” If we endeavor to practice this kind of forgiveness with others, it means letting go...

I thought this recent commission from a friend was worth sharing. I usually paint nature and landscapes, so when this request came in, I was challenged by it in more ways than one. She wanted a very small painting of Jerusalem, and the reason she wanted it, was so she could hang it in her office and be reminded to pray for the people in Jerusalem and the entire city regularly. Who could say no to that? Here’s the painting! Prayer for Jerusalem Painting, Oil on Canvas, 6″ x 12″ And here is a prayer… I found this prayer from...