The Parable of the Mustard Seed

A client asked for a painting of the parable of the mustard seed in which a tree large enough to provide shelter for many birds grows from a tiny seed. She also asked for gold which looked wonderful with the yellow of the mustard flowers.

Huckleberry, my studio cat, likes how his eyes match all the gold and yellow.

One of the seeds will not grow into a tree but it is feeding a baby. 

Here the seeds fall to the ground from the pods as birds look on. 

Pets - We Love Them!

Pet portraits are so meaningful and fun to paint. I've had a chance to paint some well loved animals this past year.

I use two styles. Below is a portrait of Jo in acrylic and gold leaf. I also paint in a more detailed style using oil paint which you can see above in my painting of MacDuff the collie. 

This is a detail of a larger painting of three bulldog friends. Acrylic and copper leaf. 

This is a portrait in oil of my own cat Opal. And some of the weeds that grow outside my studio door.

Three beloved poodles. Oil on panel.

This is the most involved pet portrait I have ever painted. Oil on panel and even the plants are portraits of this extraordinary backyard farm. Each chicken is a portrait too. And there are even bees!

Gumbo the gorgeous dog with lovely spots. 

Gabo the beautiful white cat who is friends with Gumbo. 

And most recently I enjoyed painting these sheep for Nashi Orchards on Vashon Island. They are not really pets - but I have a feeling that they really are.

Nashi Orchard

Family Memories of England

Here's a detail of a painting I made for friends who wanted to remember living in England and walking in bluebell woods with their kids. A hedgerow was added - and some ladybirds which is what ladybugs are called in England. 

It started with a flat field.

And trees came - and went. 

I added the family. 

 And finally there is a very verdant and flowery scene with a hedge of "sloe" and some wild orchids.

Raven for Orcas Island

This painting dates back to last fall but escaped the blog until now. It is a commission showing a raven and the madrona trees that grow on Orcas Island, near Seattle. I used copper leaf which echoes the color of the peeling cinnamon bark of the madrona. 

I struggled with the raven at first. This early attempt looks more like a pigeon. 

That's better!

Full Studio

My studio is very full these days. I have so many projects bubbling away. Some are large commissions - one for a school and one for a cider house. Some are private paintings of cats and dogs in various styles for various pet owners. I love working on all of them.

I go back and forth working in oil and acrylic as suits my two styles. Here you can see some of the panels with their underpainting waiting for imagery to be added.

Huckleberry's favorite time is studio time. He complains when we have to skip a day in the studio. Outside the door you can see the grass, wildflowers and blackberry bushes I love in my little alley. Also the orange cones that mark the ubiquitous construction in all Seattle neighborhoods now. My neighbors are building a new house.

Foxes' Party

This is a four foot oil painting of a group of foxes having a party surrounded by summer flowers. It's a commission for a client who wanted the specific subject matter "with pops of red" - and I can never resist pops of red.