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

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

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

 

Which Pumpkin Are You Choosing?

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

One of the hardest questions each October is "which pumpkin are you going to choose?" We have a lot of pumpkin patches here where I live, and each presents its own dilemma. For example, our tradition is that each year we get a small, little pumpkin that I make an alla prima painting of and then we carve a pumpkin as well. I've made many alla prima paintings of small, little pumpkins in the past, all available on my website. Which pumpkin shape do you tend to choose? 19/52

 

Applewood

 

7x5in. oil on canvas panel - sold

There is a whiskey bar in the city I love to visit called Proof. They have all sorts of whiskey cocktails and drams that you could have poured for you. Normally I get an old fashioned made with Woodford Reserve, but they have another drink called the Applewood. It's similar to an old fashioned (or at least I think it is) but one of the main differences is that the garnish is a few slices of apple with nutmeg and the glass itself is infused with wood smoke. It's what I picture autumn to be in a cocktail: warm, smoky, a little fruity, and all around delicious. Note: please consume alcohol responsibly. 18/52

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

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 - sold; 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

Going Home Study

7x5in. oil on canvas panel - sold

On a road trip to Phoenix, Arizona we had to drive through Colorado. Passing the border from Nebraska into Colorado at golden hour produced this absolutely gorgeous colorscape on the clouds. It had just gotten done raining and it was absolutely serene. This trip solidified in my heart that one day we will move to Colorado. There is just something about golden hour that brings a magical feeling. This painting is actually a study for a larger painting I plan on painting in the future. 14/52

Snow on the Cabin

7x5in. oil on canvas panel - sold

In my first-ever trip out to Estes Park, Colorado, my husband and I stayed in this gorgeous cabin on this small river. Standing outside one day before going on our hike of the day I knew I had to capture the above scene. Surrounded by snow, the air was silent and the breeze was cold on the nose. We have since returned to Estes Part for a second time, but the first time is always incredibly memorable. 13/52

Pot O' Greenery

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

I am not too sure of where I took the reference photo for this painting but I remember falling in love with all of the foliage. This is also actually the first painting I've made that focused solely on greenery, and it was actually challenging to paint. For this painting I tried a more "loose" painting approach, blocking in paint stroke shapes rather than paying attention to definitions of individual leaves and such. I also started this painting with a vibrant red underpainting and left areas of it to pop against the greens. All in all, a fun painting experience. 12/52

Goochy, Mintie and Momo

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

These three little plushies keep me company at my desk while I work my day job and spend my nights editing photos, videos and performing admin work for my art business. My husband gifted me the cute octopus Goochy one year for Christmas and I love his cute little face. I picked up Mintie this year from Michaels - he's one of those Moosh Moosh plushies that you can turn inside out. I love this flipped side of him because his expression makes me think of "determination!" Topping my three-man stack is a cute little keychain of the cat Momo, made famous from the Cream Heroes YouTube channel. Momo is one of my favorites, and the voice that his owner has for him is very cute. 11/52

Candy Corn

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

I love candy corn! I was shopping around Michaels when I saw this cute glass pumpkin and knew I wanted to fill it with candy corn and paint it. To be honest, this composition was incredibly daunting to me. I really didn't know how I was going to approach painting the candy corn inside the glass pumpkin and near the end it was just blobs of yellow, orange and white. Trusting myself to squint my eyes and paint what I saw, everything really started pulling together when I painted on the dark lines to represent the folds in the glass. I filmed the progress of this painting and will be available to watch on my Instagram, Tik Tok and Facebook! Completing this painting inspired an upcoming painting that will consist of various Halloween candies that I enjoy. 10/52

Lil Pun

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

I picked up the most adorable mini pumpkin at Target earlier in the season and knew I wanted to paint it as a still life. Orange is absolutely my favorite color and I love the contrast between the orange body and the blue surface. This time I set up my still life on my desk that can turn into a standing desk and it really made it easy for me to stand up and paint. I recorded a process video and posted a minute-long version of it on my Instagram and Tik Tok! 9/52

Radiant Pumpkin

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

This was my first attempt at painting strong, dramatic lighting alla prima. I had this cute pumpkin glass jar and I tucked fairy lights into it while I set up my black box in my bathroom to give the appropriate level of darkness to let this piece shine. The fairy lights were these beautiful specks against the glass and made the glass warp in delicious ways. I liked choosing to put the subject against the corner of my blackbox, the way that the seams between panels point towards the subject really draw your attention even more to the light source. 8/52

Valentine's Day Candies

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

I love cherry heart lollipops! The next in my candy series, I've created an homage to Valentine's Day. Candies featured in this painting are the cherry heart lollipops, M&Ms and cookies and crème Hershey's hearts. I thought a blue background would help the pinks and the reds really shine. The hardest part about this painting was the foil on the cookies and crème Hershey's hearts, but once I realized that it was just color blocks next to each other, it was pretty easy to translate them into the painting. I also ate all of these candies. 7/52

Sunflowers & Roses

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

Valentine's Day is a big celebration in my house due to my birthday being the following day. My husband always gets me a gorgeous bouquet of flowers and I wanted to try my hand at my first-ever still life set up painting session! It was really difficult but it's such an important exercise. Excited to do more of these! 6/52

Candy Hearts

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

I actually love candies like conversation hearts and candy corn. My husband may make fun of me for my "terrible candy taste" but that means more for me. This painting actually sparked my love of painting candies! I just loved the dramatically lit hearts against the stark magenta background. These hearts said the silliest things, like "bae". The trick to make it "look" like there's writing on the hearts is to actually just paint abstract shapes! Who knew? I ate all of these candies. 5/52

Blueberry Gin Punch

7x5in. oil on canvas panel - sold

I made this blueberry gin punch for the weekend my husband and I played Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Housed in my favorite Woodford Reserve glass, this tasty wintery cocktail hit the spot. You can find the recipe here, just don't forget to cut it in half with Prosecco! Also, apparently, if you introduce a room temperature cup/cool cup to a boiling hot item (like the frozen blueberries that you boil into a syrup), you will crack your glass. I ruined a batch of this tasty cocktail that way (and my poor cup). 4/52