Sunflower Bouquet 1

 

8x8.5in. oil on Trekell heart panel - sold

Hyvee tends to have some gorgeous sunflowers in stock. With sunflowers being my favorite flower, I wanted to get a bouquet and set up some still life reference photos. I ended up with two bouquet reference photos. I bought these super cute wood panels from Trekell - I really loved the outside border and had the idea to cover them in gold foil rather than paint it. I also love that the gold foil didn't transfer perfectly, I think it adds charm. I'm not sure if I would have painted the reservoir or not, but if I were to paint it, I think I would have used gold as well. I think black would be too distracting from the subject. This heart is part 3 out of 4 of my heart-shaped painting series.

Winter Cabin Study

 

8x6in. oil on Ampersand Gessobord - click to purchase here

A subject I wanted to study specifically was leafless trees in the wintertime. I have a few breathtaking reference photos that I'd love to paint but have absolutely no clue how to approach them due to the trees only being wood. When I found this Paint Coach Patreon study I was very excited to jump into it. I'm also a sucker for reflective water in paintings, and I really liked how saturated the sky was compared to the muted winter landscape. Overall, a really successful study session.

A New Hand Touches the Beacon

7x5in. oil on canvas panel - not available

"Listen. Hear me and obey. A foul darkness has seeped into my temple. A darkness that you will destroy. Return my Beacon to Mount Kilkreath. And I will make you the instrument in my cleansing light." It's safe to say that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is my favorite video game. One of my future planned paintings is a still life of Skyrim props, so my first prop, of course, had to be Meridia's Beacon! I'm excited to gain more Skyrim props and eventually make my final piece. This painting was donated to the 2024 Summer Games Done Quick marathon, benefiting Doctors Without Borders (MSF). 17/52

Mountain Path Study

 8x6in. oil on Ampersand Gessobord - click to purchase here

There was so much about this Paint Coach Patreon study that drew me in. The warm mountains in the background, the verdant dappled light in the grass, the gray path and the wildflowers in the shadows really wowed me. I really liked that this tutorial looked difficult - the cool thing about it is that it didn't end up being that difficult in the end! I learned a lot about hue and temperature play in this study. I will admit that greens are pretty difficult for me to get right, so I'm happy to have followed along to a study that emphasized the greens.

Visions of Gold

 

6x8in. oil on Ampersand Gessobord - sold

My husband's mom lives in a small town here in Nebraska. In her backyard, you can sometimes see the golden setting sunlight on the various houses. This evening was magical: wine coolers on the patio, bees buzzing about, the smell of summer in the air and general warmth was everywhere. I was enamored with the way the dappled golden light fell on this house. This painting went through many revisions - the values on the house versus the value of the dappled light was difficult to control and get right, but I think it all worked out in the end. I don't normally paint architecture, but this was a fun exploration into the subject matter.

Roses Spark the Love in Your Heart

 

9x8.25in. oil on Trekell wood panel - click to purchase here

A while ago I picked up these cute heart-shaped wood panels from Trekell. Picking up a bouquet of roses from Target, I just knew that they had to be the subject of this painting. This heart is part 2 out of 4 of my heart-shaped painting series. The final two will be sunflowers, just because I love sunflowers. While I was setting up the composition for the My Heart is a Bouquet of Roses, I played around with different compositions. This one features more baby's breath and overall more roses, too. While I do prefer My Heart is a Bouquet of Roses, I still had a lot of fun painting this challenging composition. 

Fresh restart.

Hello, all! Long time no post. In the efforts of revamping my website and all of my social media, I am making a better effort at keeping my blog updated. I've also integrated myself into Bluesky (Bsky), Cara, ArtStation and DeviantArt! Check me out on those platforms by clicking the links, they will house my portfolios as well as all kinds of videos. I'm also heavily considering uploading old Twitch VODs to my YouTube page.

I will pick up where I left off soon. Glad to be back!!

- Mina

Strawberry Donut

6x6in. oil on Blick Premier Artist's Panel - sold; click to purchase stickers here

I've always wanted to paint a strawberry donut - a delicious pastry enjoyed with a cup of coffee. While reminiscent of The Simpsons this donut brought a smile to my face. I particularly had a lot of fun painting on the sprinkles - I thought it would be time consuming but it was actually therapeutic. Stickers available here.

Yellow Sky

7x5in. oil on canvas panel - sold

On our drive back from Estes Park we ran into some absolutely gorgeous clouds during golden hour. The clouds had a small break and the sun rays shone through the gaps. I honestly don't think I need to say more - this was absolutely breathtaking. 16/52

Cherry Limeade

 

7x5in. oil on canvas panel - click to purchase here; click to purchase stickers here

One hot evening during summer of 2022 while watching the television show Better Call Saul I had the wonderful idea to replicate the iconic Sonic cherry limeade as a cocktail. It was delicious, refreshing and gorgeous in the golden light. I simply couldn't resist painting this drink and I love how the red of the drink pops against the lighter background. I think one of my favorite pieces in this painting is the lime - you would never think to paint the pulp of a lime orange, but the filtering of the red liquid produced this very cool orange color. I have since lost this straw. 15/52