These paintings are original, one-of-a-kind pieces of art. Each is painted on quality canvas or wood panel and ready to hang or frame. If you are interested in a particular piece and would like additional photos, please email me. And check back frequently, as I'm always creating new work!
Click on the image for details. If a painting is currently on display, it will be noted in the popup,
and the venues are listed on the Retail Locations page.
2022 COLLECTION
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Fleur Sauvage
$1200
XFleur Sauvage
24 x 24 $1200 Acrylic on 1.5" deep canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Wired and ready to hang.
"Fleur sauvage" is "wild flower" in French. This piece started as an abstract landscape and at some point I saw a wildflower start to emerge…so I went with it, and it prompted more abstract flowers! I was listening to French music in my studio when this piece was completed, so it just felt right to name it in French.
Available at Bench Home
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Calleja de las Flores
$900
XCalleja de las Flores
18 x 24 $900 Acrylic on 1.5" deep canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Wired and ready to hang.
Calleja de las Flores is a narrow alley in Cordoba, Spain, lined with blue flowerpots spilling with brightly colored flowers. This painting reminded me of the lush vines, flowers and colorful courtyards of this magical little passageway in Southern Spain.
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Entre Sueños
SOLD
XEntre Sueños
24 x 24 SOLD Acrylic on 1.5" deep canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Wired and ready to hang.
"Entre suenos" is "in-between dreams" in Spanish. It's also the name of a creative retreat with Cosa Buena in Oaxaca, Mexico. I will be a part of this cultural exchange in July, celebrating community and customs of the native Oaxacan people...and I wake up thinking about it every day. The colors and energy of this piece make me feel like I'm already there.
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Sun Bloom
$1950
XSun Bloom
48 x 24 $1950 Acrylic on 1.5" deep canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Wired and ready to hang.
She is a flower, but also the sun, that let's her bloom. - Christiane Starl
Available at Bench Home
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Flowers From Virgil
$1800
XFlowers From Virgil
25 x 37 $1800 Acrylic & oil pastel on canvas, in 1.5" deep douglas fir float frame. Wired and ready to hang.
I have the sweetest friend who lives right across the street from us. His name is Virgil and he is 102 years old. Seeing him is always the highlight of my day (and his too, because he tells me often!). He gives us fruits and vegetables from his amazing garden, and in return we bring him food & meals. Every time he returns our dishes, or is expecting me to come over, he has a special flower from his garden for me. We both think we have the better end of the deal, but I know for sure it's me.
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Flowers From Virgil 2
$1800
XFlowers From Virgil 2
25 x 37 $1800 Acrylic & oil pastel on canvas, in 1.5" deep douglas fir float frame. Wired and ready to hang.
I have the sweetest friend who lives right across the street from us. His name is Virgil and he is 102 years old. Seeing him is always the highlight of my day (and his too, because he tells me often!). He gives us fruits and vegetables from his amazing garden, and in return we bring him food & meals. Every time he returns our dishes, or is expecting me to come over, he has a special flower from his garden for me. We both think we have the better end of the deal, but I know for sure it's me.
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Lawn Party
$2600
XLawn Party
48 x 36 $2600 Acrylic, chalk pastel & charcoal on 1.5" deep gallery canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Signed, titled & dated on back; wired and ready to hang.
Laughter and music in the air, the scent of grass and food being grilled, water balloons and slip n slides, croquet and corn hole, bubbles and garden lanterns floating overhead, sipping summer cocktails and snacking on fresh fruit...under the blue sky.
Available at Bench Home
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I Love Your Wild
SOLD
XI Love Your Wild
24 x 48 SOLD Acrylic on 1.5" deep canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Wired and ready to hang.
Inspired by all the bougainvillea blooms spilling their beauty all over San Diego and Mexico. Bold and bright, untamed, wild and free…dazzling everyone in its path.
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You Taste Like Wildflowers and Sunshine — SOLD
XYou Taste Like Wildflowers and Sunshine
25 x 25 SOLD Acrylic on canvas, in 2.5" deep maple wood float frame. Wired and ready to hang.
Sweet and innocent, yet strong and carefree. Subtle and unassuming, yet warm and bright. Comforting and exhilirating at the same time.
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Leave Me Here in the Sunlight — SOLD
XLeave Me Here in the Sunlight
25 x 25 SOLD Acrylic on canvas, in 2.5" deep maple wood float frame. Wired and ready to hang.
There's no better place to me than a spot in the sunshine, taking in the warmth and energy the sun brings to everything in its glow. It's no wonder the same energy source wildflowers need to bloom, is what brings us color and happiness!
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Flower Stand by the Sea
$2600
XFlower Stand by the Sea
48 x 36 $2600 Acrylic & chalk pastel on 1.5" deep gallery canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Signed, titled & dated on back; wired and ready to hang.
What can be more intoxicating than the scent of fresh flowers mixed with the salty air of the sea? I see big, blush colored dahlias, pink peonies, coral heirloom roses, light blue hydrangeas, deep blue ocean…I smell jasmine and gardenias, lilacs and lilies, freesia and fresh ocean water.
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Lessons Learned from a Wildflower —
$2300
XLessons Learned from a Wildflower
36 x 36 $2300 Acrylic on 1.5" deep canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Wired and ready to hang.
Life is full of obstacles, but even in the worst of conditions we must continue to survive. As humans we need to be strong, resilient and thrive in the most uncomfortable places, just as wildflowers grow in the desert heat, between sidewalk cracks, and on the freeway off-ramps. Wildflowers also don’t need a lot to survive...and neither do we! We don’t need fancy, expensive things to help us grow. In fact, the less we need, the happier we are...sunshine and a little rain is the best medicine. So be wild, free, untamed, resilient and brave...be a wildflower.
2021 COLLECTION
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New Moon in Aries
$950
XNew Moon in Aries
19 x 25 $950 Acrylic, graphite & canvas collage on canvas in a 2" deep maple float frame. Signed, titled & dated on back; wired and ready to hang.
I painted this the week of the new moon in Aries, when bright new beginnings and transformation give us a new direction. It was painted with a looseness and color palette that came so impulsively. I found it so interesting that the energy and colors of this truly represent the passion, boldness and spontaneity of the fiery Aries...a personality I love and feel such happiness around.
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The Energy was Palpable
$950
XThe Energy was Palpable
19 x 25 $950 Acrylic, graphite & canvas collage on canvas in a 2" deep maple float frame. Signed, titled & dated on back; wired and ready to hang.
This piece was finished the day my kids went back to school for the first time in over a year. The excitement, nervousness, uncertainty and plain weirdness of it all was so palpable. The energy in the house on this morning and the days leading up to it was off the charts. So full of life.
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It Feels Like I've Been Here Before —
$1600
XIt Feels Like I've Been Here Before
36 x 24 $1600 Acrylic on 1.5" deep canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Signed, titled & dated on back; wired and ready to hang.
In another time, or another season. In a different life, or maybe a dream. I know this scent…of stargazer lilies, I remember this song playing in the background, I recognize this scene...just after sunset, under big trees and twinkling lights. The last rays of sun are peeking through the branches, casting a warm glow on everyone’s face…it’s happiness. I know this place…maybe it’s déjà vu or maybe it’s going to happen one day. I hope so.
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As Wild as the Ocean
SOLD
XAs Wild as the Ocean
40 x 30 SOLD Acrylic, chalk & oil pastel on 1.5" gallery canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Signed, titled & dated on back; wired and ready to hang.
Energetic, magical, serene, stormy, mysterious, hungry and relentless, majestically beautiful, vast and calm, mesmerizingly peaceful - as wild as the ocean.
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I Wonder What Would Happen — SOLD
XI Wonder What Would Happen
18 x 18 SOLD Acrylic, chalk & oil pastel on 1.5" gallery canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Signed, titled & dated on back; wired and ready to hang.
This is a paintover from a piece in my 2018 collection that was living with my sister. When she returned it, I knew it needed a new life. I painted it side-by-side with "If We Tried" and used the same color palette as a much larger commission piece I was working on. These two lay on the floor underneath, and quickly came together as a beautiful matching pair that could easily stand alone. I named them as one whole sentence, but love that if they were alone, a new sentence could be formed. (Because this has an entire finished painting under it, the texture is just amazing.)
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If We Tried
SOLD
XIf We Tried
18 x 18 SOLD Acrylic, chalk & oil pastel on 1.5" gallery canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Signed, titled & dated on back; wired and ready to hang.
This is a paintover from a piece in my 2018 collection that was living with my sister. When she returned it, I knew it needed a new life. I painted it side-by-side with "I Wonder What Would Happen" and used the same color palette as a much larger commission piece I was working on. These two lay on the floor underneath, and quickly came together as a beautiful matching pair that could easily stand alone. I named them as one whole sentence, but love that if they were alone, a new sentence could be formed. (Because this has an entire finished painting under it, the texture is just amazing.)
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Mérida
$1600
XMérida
24 x 36 $1600 Acrylic, chalk & oil pastel on 1.5" gallery canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Signed, titled & dated on back; wired and ready to hang.
Mérida is a beautiful, laid back, colonial city in the Yucatan peninsula. Even though it's a large capital city, it has maintained the charm of a smaller town because of the rich Mayan history and colonial architecture. It's a blend of gorgeous tropical jungle and vibrant city life, and that's the way this painting feels to me.
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Tulum
$1600
XTulum
24 x 36 $1600 Acrylic & oil pastel on 1.5" gallery canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Signed, titled & dated on back; wired and ready to hang.
If you have been to Tulum, you will feel it in this piece. It's the only Mayan site located on the ocean, so you have these sacred grounds perched on the cliffs in a lush green jungle, overlooking the deep turquoise Caribbean waters. If you manage to avoid the loads of tourists these days, it's worth a trip here to enjoy Mexico’s natural beauty & fascinating history.
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Past the City Streets
SOLD
XPast the City Streets
24 x 30 SOLD Acrylic on 1.5" gallery canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Signed, titled & dated on back; wired and ready to hang.
This piece is a joyful combination of excitement and relaxation, notably felt when I drive past the city streets and head into nature. I love the city, but as soon as the roads open and there is more space...peace overcomes me. Whether it's the ocean, the mountains, the desert or the countryside...they all fill me up with love, and I'm grateful they're all just a short drive away.
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Turn It Up & Play it Again
$1200
XTurn It Up & Play it Again
24 x 30 $1200 Acrylic, chalk pastel & charcoal on 1.5" deep raw canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Signed, titled & dated on back; wired and ready to hang.
I listen to all types of music in my house and studio, and this piece was painted to a lot of disco music. It's alway so happy and uplifting. Sometimes a song comes on that just gets me in the best mood, dancing and singing and painting away...and I often blurt out, "Alexa, turn up and play again!"
Available at Isabella Design Studio
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Self Love
SOLD
XSelf Love
36 x 36 SOLD Acrylic, graphite & oil pastel on 1.5" gallery canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Signed, titled & dated on back; wired and ready to hang.
It's the most important, selfless, courageous, healing, necessary and beautiful love. It's joy, harmony, compassion and inner peace. It's romantic, just like this piece.
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Siesta
$1200
XSiesta
24 x 24 $1200 Acrylic & oil pastel on 1.5" gallery canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Signed, titled & dated on back; wired and ready to hang.
Painted in January, when my family is usually down in Mexico for our annual vacation. Missing those slow days and daily siestas in the hammocks. This piece takes me from our villa's terracotta floors, on the grey cobblestone walkway, to the golden sand, into a soft white rope hammock tied with worn leather under the palm frond palapa. Heaven.
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Tierra del Sol
SOLD
XTierra del Sol
24 x 24 SOLD Acrylic & oil pastel on 1.5" canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Signed, titled & dated on back; wired and ready to hang.
Spanish for “land of the sun” which is Mexico to me. The beauty of the land, architecture, people, food and craft make it pure sunshine to me…even on a cloudy, rainy day.
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Viaje al Sol
SOLD
XViaje al Sol
40 x 30 SOLD Acrylic & chalk pastel on 1.5" canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Signed, titled & dated on back; wired and ready to hang.
With Mexico still on my mind, this piece emerged just after "Tierra del Sol". It just felt like an adventure through the magical lands of Mexico...with endless color and sunshine filling my days. "Viaje al Sol" translates to "sun trip" or "trip to the sun"...yes, give me all the sunshine!
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Untamed
SOLD
XUntamed
36 x 48 SOLD Acrylic, chalk & oil pastel on 1.5" gallery canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Signed, titled & dated on back; wired and ready to hang.
"She is the sea, wild and unpredictable. Energy in constant motion. Dance partner to the moon. She is a mystery, moving in different ways than you." - John Mark Greene
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Wild and Free
SOLD
XWild and Free
36 x 48 SOLD Acrylic, chalk & oil pastel on 1.5" gallery canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Signed, titled & dated on back; wired and ready to hang.
"And if you're lucky, she will take you into the wilderness. Where her heart grows love, her mind blooms beauty, and her soul runs free." - ekp
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When the Moment Lingers
SOLD
XWhen the Moment Lingers
18 x 24 SOLD Acrylic & oil pastel on 1.5" gallery canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Signed, titled & dated on back; wired and ready to hang.
Lingering moments are some of the most memorable ones, because they seem as if time is standing still. Life tends to move so quickly that when we can experience the true sense of "being in the moment"...we just want it to linger.
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Anam Cara
SOLD
XAnam Cara
18 x 24 SOLD Acrylic & oil pastel on 1.5" gallery canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Signed, titled & dated on back; wired and ready to hang.
Anam Cara is the beautiful Celtic phrase meaning "soul friend". "Anam" is the Irish Gaelic word for 'soul' and "cara" translates to 'friend'. The Celts believed that your Anam Cara could be a friend, a companion or spiritual guide...so not quite the same as "soulmate" as it's not always romantic. This piece is the "anam cara" to its sister piece, "When the Moment Lingers".
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Surf Shack
$4500
XSurf Shack
67 x 42 $4500 Acrylic, oil pastel & paper on 1.5" gallery canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Signed, titled & dated on back; wired and ready to hang.
This piece was worked on for over six months and just kept gathering layer of paint without any direction. The palette and composition changed countless times, but finally one day I was flipping through the book "Surf Shack" in my studio and the inspiration just poured out. Beach abodes that beckon you with their airy, natural, authentic, earthy and creative elements...one day, one day.
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Stories Told Around the Fire
$3300
XStories Told Around the Fire
66 x 32 $3300 Acrylic, chalk pastel & charcoal on 1.5" deep raw canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Signed, titled & dated on back; wired and ready to hang.
The intimate conversations that happen around a fire are so special. Whether gathered around a backyard fire pit, beach bonfire, campfire or fireplace...there's something about the mesmerizing flames that lures us in. Soon, we are sharing stories while laughing, listening, learning and sometimes singing...face to face in the glow of the fire.
2020 COLLECTION
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No Place I'd Rather Be
SOLD
XNo Place I'd Rather Be
25 x 25 SOLD Acrylic & oil pastels on canvas, framed in 1.5" deep natural douglas fir float frame; wired and ready to hang.
This piece embodies the feeling of being wrapped in complete joy and contentment of the present moment. When you’re in a place that you love, with people you love, and you want to press pause. Whether it’s an everyday simple feeling or an exciting new feeling, you know in your heart, in that moment, that there is no place in the world you’d rather be.
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Day Drinking
SOLD
XDay Drinking
25 x 25 SOLD Acrylic, oil & chalk pastels on canvas, framed in 1.5" deep natural douglas fir float frame; wired and ready to hang.
This one was painted between two wonderful girls weekends with lifelong friends. A LOT of day drinking was involved...one weekend filled with wine tasting in Northern California, and one weekend filled with cocktails by the beach in Southern California. Drinking in the sunshine with girlfriends, surrounded by nature's beauty...it just can't get any better!
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Late Night Conversation
SOLD
XLate Night Conversation
30 x 40 SOLD Acrylic, chalk & oil pastels on 1.5" gallery canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Wired and ready to hang.
There's something about the comfort of a late-night conversation that makes us open up more and feel at ease sharing the "real things" we often don't share in the daylight hours. Maybe it's the stillness of the night, or maybe it's just that there's nothing to distract us, but these conversations always seem to be deeper, more intimate and more honest. You aren't even thinking about losing sleep, because time stands still.
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Lingering in the Tasting Room — SOLD
XLingering in the Tasting Room
36 x 48 SOLD Acrylic, chalk & oil pastels and pieces of painted canvas on 1.5" gallery canvas; colors wrap around sides. Wired and ready to hang.
The best part about wine tasting at wineries is that it's never rushed. It's a slow process of chatting with wine makers (who are usually very passionate about their craft) while sipping different wines and often snacking too. I could linger there for hours, but at some point we have to stop because we usually need to get to the next tasting room!
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Salvador de Bahia
SOLD
XSalvador de Bahia
19 x 25 SOLD Acrylic & oil pastel on 1.5" gallery canvas in a 2" deep natural maple float frame. Wired and ready to hang.
This was inspired by a documentary on the Afro-Brazilian street food in Salvador, Brazil. I was so inspired by the colorful culture and history of Salvador, the passionate people and the life they live on the bay (bahia de todos os santos). This piece is my own expression of both the calm and energy of Salvador de Bahia.
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Between Two Thoughts
SOLD
XBetween Two Thoughts
19 x 25 SOLD Acrylic & oil pastel on 1.5" gallery canvas in a 2" deep natural maple float frame. Wired and ready to hang.
A quiet mind is a space where fresh ideas, creativity and contentment have room to grow. If we can give some attention to the space between that endless reel of thoughts (mental noise!), our sense of peace will increase. I'm definitely no expert on this, but I'm always trying to mind the gap!
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See You in My Dreams
SOLD
XSee You in My Dreams
25 x 25 SOLD Acrylic, oil pastel & pieces of painted canvas on gallery canvas, framed in 2.5" deep natural maple float frame; wired and ready to hang.
If I have met you or seen you before, you will most definitely appear in my dreams. I dream vividly every single night, and always remember my dreams; they are never reality and always crazy. Sometimes I wish I didn't dream, as I always feel tired when I wake up because I've been so active all night...but most people say I'm lucky.
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Song of the Open Road
$1000
XSong of the Open Road
25 x 25 $1000 Acrylic, oil pastel & pieces of painted canvas on gallery canvas, framed in 2.5" deep natural maple float frame; wired and ready to hang.
This piece took me on quite a ride, and adding the cut-out canvas shapes was a spontaneous move at the end of it all. When I looked at the collage of colors and movement, it made me think of travel...especially long road trips on the open road. The Walt Whitman poem "Song of the Open Road" is one of my favorites, and it just had to be the name for this!
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Tell Me a Tale
SOLD
XTell Me a Tale
24 x 24 SOLD Acrylic & oil pastel on 1.5"" gallery canvas; wired and ready to hang.
I painted this piece while listening to the soulful voice of Michael Kiwanuka, so it only seemed fitting to name it after one of his songs. "Tell Me a Tale" is a song about being true to yourself...
Paint me a picture that I can see
Give me a touch that I can feel
Turn me around so I can be
Everything I was meant to be" -
October
$1700
XOctober
30 x 40 $1700 Acrylic on 1.5" deep canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Wired and ready to hang.
Painted during the best month in San Diego…between warm beach days & cool nights by the fire pit, suntea & hot lattes, sundresses & sweats. Hello beautiful October.
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457 Miles
SOLD
X457 Miles
37 x 37 SOLD Acrylic, graphite & oil pastel on canvas in 2.5" deep maple float frame. Wired and ready to hang.
457 miles is the distance, door-to-door, from my house in San Diego to my parents' house where I grew up in the Bay Area. I've been doing this drive over thirty years now and I still love it...maybe because it's going "home" but also because California is gorgeous. And don't even get me started on the coastal route...an hour or two longer but one of the most beautiful drives in the world!
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Never Not Thinking of You
SOLD
XNever Not Thinking of You
24 x 48 SOLD Acrylic & oil pastel on 1.5" deep canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Wired and ready to hang.
Acrylic & oil pastel on 1.5" deep canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Wired and ready to hang. I painted this in early November, while thinking of family and friends I haven't seen in a long time. This "year of covid" sure has made us appreciate the ones we love even more! The phrase "I'm never not thinking of you." kept floating around in my head as I painted, and I suddenly felt grateful that I can express my feelings through my art. This upcoming Thanksgiving holiday won't be the same, but at least we have zoom!
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Unfamiliar Places
SOLD
XUnfamiliar Places
30 x 30 SOLD Acrylic & oil pastel on 1.5" deep raw canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Wired and ready to hang.
To me, unfamiliar places are exhilarating! I come alive in a new place, as it involves everything I love…meeting new people, learning the lay of the land, discovering new scents, sounds, tastes and hidden treasures. My favorite thing in the world is waking up in an unfamiliar place, knowing the whole day is full of "unknowns" and so much to learn.
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Romance of the Unusual
SOLD
XRomance of the Unusual
30 x 30 SOLD Acrylic & oil pastel on 1.5" deep raw canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Wired and ready to hang.
This piece just feels romantic to me. The deep colors seeping into the raw canvas, marked by various shades of pink...the implusive brushstrokes and intentional straight lines...all living harmoniously together. It's both calming and exhilirating...and named after Ernest Hemingway's quote: “Live the full life of the mind, exhilarated by new ideas, intoxicated by the romance of the unusual.”
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You Really Got Me
SOLD
XYou Really Got Me
18 x 24 SOLD Acrylic on 1.5" deep cradled wood panel in 2.5" deep douglas fir float frame. Wired and ready to hang.
Created while listening to Van Halen, the week EVH passed away. Growing up in the 80s meant Van Halen was always on the radio, on casettes in the car and played at school dances. What an amazing rocker and so fun to sing to...girl, you really got me now...you got me so I don't know what I'm doin.
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Somewhere I've Never Been —
SOLD
XSomewhere I've Never Been
67 x 42 SOLD Acrylic & oil pastel on 1.5" deep canvas; colors wrap around the sides. Wired and ready to hang.
This is the ultimate feeling for me...knowing that I'm going somewhere I've never been. The anticipation is often better than the act itself, as I have definitely been let down, but just the idea of seeing somthing new is so exciting. And being somewhere I've never been, whether a local neighborhood or a new country, is exhilirating. New people to talk to, new sights, smells and sounds...it all evokes so many emotions. If I ever feel restless, I simply get in the car and drive somewhere I've never been.