Duck Lake

 

6x8in. oil on Ampersand Gessobord - click to purchase here

On a trail near me there is a lovely little park with a lake. The lake houses fish, a grand water fountain and many ducks. The ducks love to float around and walk around on the grass but they don't seem to care much about the people who sit on the benches nearby. I painted this painting en plein air with a delicious pumpkin spice latte from Dunkin' and I had a sun hat with bug netting on. A few spiders bungee jumped from the tree I was sitting under and landed on me, but they seemed to be more interested with their surroundings and not with me (thank goodness). Wrapping up the painting I had a wonderful moment of mindfulness and gratitude - the breeze was cool and the air smelled like warm grass. It's currently in the 90s (more like 98 degrees with a feels like of 115, goodness) so I can't wait for it to cool down to go on some bike rides soon.

Strawberry Cocktail

 

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

When I lived in the city, our apartment was a few blocks away from a movie theater with a bar attached. This bar was what I would describe as "cool and swanky" - it had the names of drinks and what they consisted of painted on the walls, LED lighting everywhere, a view of the city skyline, Saturday Night Live muted on the televisions and a few pool tables. We would occasionally go just for the bar - the bartender was very kind and I remember that his favorite movie was Spirited Away, one of my favorites, too. Later on the theater was converted into an Alamo Drafthouse and the bar was different. While it was sad to see the change, they had a lovely-sounding strawberry cocktail with a ribbon of lemon peel on the menu. I ordered it and mentally said goodbye to the bartender who loved Spirited Away and the muted Saturday Night Lives as I sipped on my drink. 23/52

Nintendo Tea Time Print

 

12x16in. Epson Professional giclee paper - click to purchase here

Surprise! I've released my Games Done Quick donated Nintendo Tea Time painting as prints!

Cholera, Smallpox and the Black Death

 7x5in. oil on canvas panel - sold

A while ago I received some Giant Microbes plushies as a gift. It was a 5-pack and contained Spanish Flu, Typhoid Fever, Cholera, Smallpox and the Black Death. I love that they have cute little eyes and they look like the microbes themselves. I really liked putting this composition against a neon background, the blue vs orange complementary color scheme is loud and it really pops. 22/52

Spanish Flu and Typhoid Fever

 7x5in. oil on canvas panel - sold

A while ago I received some Giant Microbes plushies as a gift. It was a 5-pack and contained Spanish Flu, Typhoid Fever, Cholera, Smallpox and the Black Death. I love that they have cute little eyes and they look like the microbes themselves. I really liked putting this composition against a neon background, the primary color scheme is loud and it really pops. 21/52

Warmth prints now available!

 

6x6 in. giclee prints - click to purchase here

Surprise! I've created giclee prints of Warmth on my website!

Autumn Tree Study

 

5x7in. oil on canvas panel - click to purchase here

Another Paint Coach Patreon study! I really liked this autumnal tree composition. I have some reference photos of warm, fall trees that I'd like to paint, so I chose this quick and easy study to learn from. I really like how the mountains on the right-hand side blend into the sky's clouds. This simple study composition reads really well, and I'm pretty proud of my study.

Small Landscape Study

 

6x8in. oil on Ampersand Gessobord - click to purchase here

Another Paint Coach Patreon study in the books! I really liked this quick study, how the warm light is shining on the barn to the mountains in the far background. The paint strokes are also pretty thick in this painting, which I like a lot. I definitely enjoyed the mountain practice, I have a lot of photos from the Rocky Mountain National Park that I'd like to paint.

Panama City Beach

7x5in. oil on canvas panel - sold

Whenever we visit my husband's dad, we always take a day trip to Panama City Beach, Florida. It had been such a long time since I've seen the ocean, I forget how magnificent it is. The sand was so light and warm, and the ocean was a gorgeous green. We stayed until sunset, and it was such a good idea. The sky turned a vivid orange and these tiny translucent crabs came out of hiding to walk on the sand. I'd love to go back some day and get a hotel room. 20/52

 

Cornfield 2.0

 6x8in. oil on Ampersand Gessobord - click to purchase here

Another one of my October Plein Air Challenge paintings! I wanted to re-do my Cornfield painting to see my skill growth, and holy cow, I've grown so much! I love painting en plein air. I live near a cornfield so it's my most frequent source of practicing en plein air. This day was a little foggy and very overcast, and a little bit windy. Combatting the weather is always something to keep in mind while painting en plein air, but it wasn't too bad.