My vision for my project is to draw/paint bird species I come in contact with on my daily life. Not bird watching birds, just the birds that live near my home and work, etc. The Eastern Bluebird is the Missouri state bird but more common on the western side of Missouri, so seeing them in St. Louis is always a treat.
Blue Jay #1
Lately I have been tying to pay closer attention to the species of birds I see on a regular basis. I often seen two blue jays hanging out on the cedar trees in the employee parking lot at work in the mornings. It's always such a treat. These old friends deserved to be commemorated with their own portraits. I really wanted to show their personalities, as they are always super playful and active.
George
George was named after his owner's favorite Beatle and is a very cute boy.
Rock Pile!
I loved the Joshua Trees but even more I loved the gigantic rock piles. Had to start this one on site and finish 'er up in my friend's kitchen in Los Angeles. Never ideal but better than nothing! I can only fit three more drawings in my panorama sketchbook, I wonder where they will be!
Cairo
There are two circumstances which make painting pets tricky. Cairo here had both of them. She is no longer with us, which limits the availability of reference photos. Also, my client was giving this portrait as a gift, so couldn't ask her owner for better pictures. After some sleuthing I was able to find another Abyssinian cat in this pose and painted Cairo's face. I think she turned out great!
Joshua Tree!
My 35th National Park was Joshua Tree! I loved loved loved the landscape. Wish I could have made 100 more drawings when I was there, but too many good hikes!
Daily mastodon
I was in Los Angeles last weekend and sketched this Mastodon momma at La Brea Tar Pits! Spent about 5 min on her. I love drawing skeletons, so many interesting parts!
Drawings Drawing Drawings
Whops, that was really 1/1/18 but clearly I am bad at writing 2018.
More daily drawings!
Daily drawings
My New Years Resolution for 2018 is to draw every day, even if its just a 5 minute sketch. I've tried this resolution before and it hasn't stuck. Hopefully 2018 is my year! Here's a few I have gotten a head start on.
South City
South City is full of great brick homes. I finished this commission a few weeks ago, the dog on the porch was a special request. :-)
Chicco
I had a last minute request to paint this horse for a Christmas gift. Luckily I have been painting horses since age 6 so it was no problem to get him finished in time. His name is Chicco and I would like to snuggle his nose!
Solar Eclipse!
I'll never forget watching the solar eclipse on August 21, 2017 in front of a lovely huge glacial lake. I did this quick sketch leaning up against a log and watching it progress.
Dont worry I had eclipse glasses, I just had to take them on and off so I could draw the landscape!
See! Glasses! And I printed this tank top, which reads "Solar Eclipse of the Heart". No big deal.
Roosevelt Arch
Yellowstone really is my happy place. This is Roosevelt Arch, at the North Entrance near Gardiner, Montana. Driving through it always makes my heart swell. This is the 100th anniversary of the Roosevelt Arch so I made sure to stop for a painting.
Avalanche Lake
Avalanche Lake at Glacier National Park. I made sure you could see some glaciers in the top left corner. This was a lovely (long!) hike!
Bob
Pet portraits as wedding gifts seem to be very popular this year! This is Bob. He is a corgi/lab mix and has the cutest little stubby legs.
Lamar Valley!
Here are some Bison at Lamar Valley. It was so chilly I painted this one from the car. I cant wait to get back there.
Yellowstone Views!
I am getting some of my paintings from my recent trip to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and Glacier National Parks scanned. Here's one of Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone.
Trixie!
Another pet portrait as a wedding gift! My client commissioned Trixie for her brother and new sister in law. Apparently Trixie can have quite the attitude but her parents love her anyways. I swear, I should start a collection of "cats in sexy poses"!
Callie!
I've been super busy with school work and regular work, but not too busy to paint this little lady!
