green heron

Green Heron is an original 6"x6" oil painting on ⅛" gesso panel. It is available, unframed, for only $100 here.

sassy blue bird

Loving the process and letting myself get lost in the act of painting is so magical. I lose track of time and worries. In the craziness of life I need to count my blessings that this can happen at least sometimes, right? Can I wish to feel this way all the time? I hear it's possible... This original 6"x6" oil painting is available, unframed, for $85 here.

hooray!

I am super excited to be chosen as one of The Judge's Picks on Daily Paintworks for my painting "chasing dreams." I'm over the moon, super excited to be chasing my dream!

chasing dreams

It's the possibility of realizing a dream that makes creating art, and living life, interesting.

Never lose sight of your dreams.

Original 10" x 10" oil painting on 1" think gesso panel. This is suitable for framing, or hanging as is, unframed. You can see purchase information here.

northern flicker

Just loving my new resources for bird reference, my Facebook friend Marvin Stauffer. Thanks, Marvin, for your endless inspiration! When life is too busy to go find your own inspiration, it's great to have friends who are willing to share. Inspiration is everywhere. 

Original 6"x6" oil painting is available, unframed, for $85 here.

hit pause

Just hit pause. I wish that at least once every day. Hit pause to slow time down, at least for a moment. Hit pause, just to have a minute to rest. Not how it works, I know. At least while I paint I lose time, or at least, for a moment, I forget what time it is...until the alarm goes and it's time to be off and running! This original 6"x6" oil painting is averrable, unframed, for $85.Click to Bid

calm

I had a weekend with no time for painting. Every time I take a few days off I fear that I will forget everything I ever learned! We were at a swim meet at Penn State. It was fun and the weather was amazing for the middle of February. I did have a little bit of time this morning before work so I fit this little gem in to get myself back into the flow. At least while I was at the swim meet I had some time to read. A decadent treat! This 6"x6" original oil painting is available, unframed, for $85. Click to Bid

Here's my reading material from this weekend, if you don't have time to paint, at least there's time for some good reading! I adore flow magazine and just started the book Thrive and am enjoying it very much.

happiness

Just. Too. Busy. I'm not keeping up with all of my spinning plates. And the first thing to suffer is painting time. But whenever I find time again, it's always waiting for me. Pure happiness!

This original 8"x8" painting is available, unframed, for $140.
Click to Bid

This is my work-in-progress.

lilly pad

I took the photo for this painting in California, years ago. I thought about painting it many times, but felt intimidated by its complexity, and shadows. So now I was ready for the challenge, of making the lilly pads look like they are floating on top of the water. I am pleased with how it feels. And the colors were a fun combination. Hope you enjoy it. :) This original 6"x6" oil painting is available, unframed, for $85 in my Etsy shop here.

ambitious

I listened to a great podcast on The Jealous Curator this morning with Maryanne Moodie. She creates amazing weavings. Makes me want to start weaving! You can listen to her podcast here, and check out her work.

An ambitious morning...no time to chat...

This original 6"x6" oil painting is SOLD!

live colorfully

Be brave. Trust. Live colorfully. That's all.

This original 8"x 8" oil painting is available, unframed, for $140. You can purchase it, or see my other available pieces at my Etsy store here.

Cheers to a colorful week ahead!

warm light

Sometimes the challenge of having something to say is just beyond me. I am reading a great book called Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life when I am awake at night and can't sleep. Maybe I will sleep better if I have some instructions on Writing and Life. Maybe it will get rid of this writers block, or life block, that I seem to have more often than I'd like. Hope so. This original 6"x6" oil painting is available, unframed, for $85. Thanks for reading :) Click to Bid

oopsie daisy

I tried for loose and free for this one, inspired by Carol Marine's wonderful book Daily Painting. The book is chock full of wonderful instruction and ideas…super easy to read and understand. And it's inspiring! I am so glad that I became a daily painter (maybe not daily, but at least as much as I can!). I started watching all the "famous" daily painters years ago, Carol Marine, Leslie Saeta, Karin Jurick, Lisa Daria, Duane Keiser, Dreama Tolle Perry, just to name a few…and decided, even though I really didn't have any time for it, I needed to give it a shot and do my best to make it a priority. So I carved out an hour of my day from 6-7 am to paint. Only thing I really had to give up was sleep! So even if you don't think you have a minute to spare, it's well worth the effort to make time to learn and grow, no matter what you enjoy doing. This original piece is 6"x6", painted on archival board, sold unframed for $85 here. Happy painting!

pink

What a fun morning I had today! Summer is on it's way, right? This happy flower is 6"x6", $85, unframed.

susquehanna

The Susquehanna River in Lancaster County, Pa, is such a beautiful, peaceful place to visit. 5"x5" $65, unframed. Click here to purchase.

westie

Another painting of my neighbor, Addie. I had so much fun doing the commissioned one the other day that I decided to do one more. And a special thank you to my daughter, Emily, for taking such wonderful photos for me to use as reference. She often takes my photos and has an amazing eye! Thanks Em! 8'x6', $85 unframed.

beginnings

Happy New Year! To start the year of right, I am doing Leslie Saeta's 30 day painting challenge, again. I am always aspiring to actually painting every single day. If nothing else, I am persistent! So here we go again, and I am excited! This colorful rooster is 6"x6", $75, unframed.

he loves me, he loves me not

So here is my second painting in a row that I found really challenging. Well I think roses are super difficult anyway, but it's about time I learn! So the painting that is 5"x7" I did on Saturday and I just wasn't happy with it so, to learn, I decided to give it another try on Sunday. I would love to hear if you think it improved at all, or not...or maybe I should paint it one more time, just to see what happens. That's how you learn, right?? Rose, 4"x4", $50 unframed.

heavens to betsy

Heavens to Betsy. What a fun saying. I was explaining it to my 10-year-old while I was painting this flower. Enjoy! SOLD

looking up

Number 4 of 30! Things are looking up! SOLD.