I’m in love with this adorable little flower petal ottoman! A friend commissioned it for her daughter-in-law’s upcoming baby shower. She mentioned that the nursery colors were to be green and pink, and then said, “Just have fun with it – I’m sure whatever you come up with will be great!” Well, this is what […]
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Mug Shots
Everyday things, collected over time, tell the story of our lives. They’re reminders of the people we love and places we’ve been. It makes me happy to use things that hold memories for me, like these coffee mugs, which I painted the other day in my 7″ x 10″ Canson Montval watercolor sketchbook. Watercolor with […]
A Very Happy Ending
For the past month, we’ve been having issues with our well. We think it all started with a lightning strike that fried the entire system – the well pump, storage tank pump, and all the wiring. After having everything replaced, we thought we were all set. Until I turned on the faucet one day and […]
Step-by-Step Watercolor Painting: “My Own Sweet Time”
“My Own Sweet Time”, 10″ x 15″, watercolor & ink This post is a behind-the-scenes glimpse into my sometimes focused, often haphazard, approach to painting the watercolor shown above. If you don’t care to read all the details, just scan through the pictures, but if you’re like me, you might find it interesting to see […]
Spring Art Show
If you’re in the Pittsburgh, PA, area this week, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to stop by The Galleria in Mt. Lebanon to see the new spring art show sponsored by the McMurray Art League. Over ninety drawings and paintings by league members are on display until this coming Sunday. I have three […]
Tribute
In the little town of Jefferson, nestled among the rolling hills of Greene County, Pennsylvania, lives an extraordinary man named John Dorean. This past Sunday, we celebrated his 30th anniversary as the pastor of Jefferson Baptist Church, and I presented him with a painting that I made as a tribute to his years of service […]
Sketching While Out and About
I’ve been working on some very detailed painting projects lately, which I’ll share with you soon, but it’s gotten me in the mood to do something looser and quicker. So, this morning when I had to drop my van off at the Chrysler dealer for yet another recall repair, I brought my sketchbook along for […]
Weird Proportions, Funny Noses, Crossed Eyes… It Isn’t Easy Drawing People!
My sketchbooks are filled with pictures of flowers, landscapes, and everyday scenes from around my home. They even include quite a few sketches of our cats and dogs, but one thing that’s glaringly obvious is that I don’t draw people. There’s a whole big part of my life that I’m afraid to draw. I can […]
Simply Elegant Arched Soft Cornice with Beaded Fringe
When there’s a lot going on in a room, I like to keep the window treatments fairly simple. And, when the walls in a room are covered with decorative painting, as in this master bath, it’s critical that the window treatments enhance the look but not compete with it. This soft cornice with jabots does […]
The 5-5-5 Sketch Challenge
I often take time on a Sunday afternoon to go for a nice, long walk with our golden retriever, Buckley. We both love it, and it’s a great way to get some exercise and spend time outdoors. A few weeks ago, I decided I’d throw my sketchbook and a few basic supplies into my backpack, […]
