a curious nature
“the soul desires expression” - John O’ Donohue
“the soul desires expression” - John O’ Donohue
I’ve always been an animal lover. We had cats, dogs and a pony when I was a kid. My family and I currently have a rabbit (won at the county fair by my daughter 8 years ago) named marshmallow and a dog (a German Shepherd mix we got from the local shelter 7 years ago) named Scout. In addition to my love of pets, I’ve been enamored by wild animals. I absolutely adore foxes!
As mentioned, I adore foxes! I saw a photo of a couple of foxes on Instagram and this little guy was the result. I plan to do a painting of him and hope to create a series of foxes.
This fox was created in pencil.
My favorite place is a little island off of the coast of North Carolina. I love to get up early, shell bag in hand, and be one of the first on the beach. I splash in the puddles left from high tide and check out all of the creatures marooned from the night before.
I’ve been an avid reader since I learned to read. I love going to the library and bookstores. I love to walk up and down the aisles and run my hand along their colorful spines. I love the tactileness, is that even a word?, of books. Everything about them is pleasing to the senses.
Ray Bradbury became my favorite author after I read his book Something Wicked This Way Comes as a kid. I’ve wanted to do a piece inspired by the book for a very long time. This piece is the result. Mr. Dark both haunted my dreams and inspired my imagination…thank you Mr. Bradbury for sharing your talent with us all.
This piece was created in pencil.
Alice in Wonderland has always been one of my favorite books. The Mad Hatter being one of my favorite characters. I created the hat sketch one evening while watching tv. The Hatter was in the back of my mind as it started to develop. After I finished the sketch, I used Adobe products to add the quote from the book.
This piece was created with pencil and Adobe Photoshop and InDesign
POE. The brilliance of Poe to tap into our humanity and turn it against us. The stories he wrote and the poems he tore out his heart to give us continue to inspire decades later. This ink sketch was created for a class assignment on developing a Halloween sketch. What a cool assignment from an awesome teacher…thanks Megan Stingel.
This piece was created in pencil and black ink.
The Raven sketch was placed over top of a print of the poem The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe.
I used Adobe Photoshop and InDesign to create this piece.
I have a deep fondness for flowers and plants. Walking through a meadow of wildflowers or playing in the dirt of my herb garden and smelling the lavender sounds divine!
I know most people try to get rid of dandelions when they pop up in their yard. I however, love them! They remind me of childhood. I loved picking yellow dandelions and making a bouquet for my grandma. But, my favorite thing to do was pick them after they went to seed and got their fuzzy white tops. I’d close my eyes, make the biggest wish I could think of, open my eyes and blow as hard as I could. The seeds would scatter and I would sometimes chase them, blowing on them to keep them afloat. (By the way, I still make wishes on dandelions!)
This dandelion was created with acrylic paint.
I love working with people to make their vision a reality. It’s very rewarding to see the look on someone’s face and their reaction to artwork created just for them. It’s personal and that is the best part!
My first book cover! I was so excited to work on the cover for MovingThrough. This novel was written by a wonderful young author, who I’ve had the privilege to know for several years. I am grateful he chose me to create the cover and look forward to working with him again. To learn more about Chase and his novel check out his website https://chasewill.com/
Bella the horse was painted on a seven foot tall barn door. I, as well as the customer, wanted to maintain the rustic appeal of the door. After a lot of research and several practice pieces, I was able to achieve the look we both envisioned.
“The Freeport Four” is what I am calling the next piece. These four guys had many stories to tell, but the one we captured is epic. Four high school senior guys on their first big road trip into Cleveland to see Led Zeppelin in August 1970. The customer and I created this piece from several individual photographs and what he and his buddies would have posed like if a photo was taken of them that day. This was my first big portrait painting and was thrilled with his reaction.
Portraits are challenging and intimidating for me. I do a lot of studies of facial structure and developing a person’s likeness before beginning a portrait piece.
Sketching is my foundation. Any project I have, whether it be in pencil, acrylic or digital, I start with pencil and paper. Everything starts with a series of sketches. Sometimes those sketch studies become finished pieces!
So, I bought a book called Anatomy For The Artist and this skull was the first piece I created. This skull sketch started as a study and I really liked where it was going so I spent a little more time developing it. It’s one of my more popular prints.
The skull was created in pencil.
When I think still life, dramatic lighting and texture come to mind. I try to incorporate those elements into my pieces.
These pieces were created with pencil and charcoal.
This still life was set up in the Agriculture Barn at The Coshocton County Fair as an assignment for an art class. Fall Harvest was my first fully fleshed out charcoal piece and took me several hours to finish. To be honest, I’d probably still be working on the piece if the assignment had not been due! (Agree Thomas Nelson?)
This piece was created with pencil and charcoal.
This still life was created as the basis for a logo. Trying to get the curve of the bottles, glasses and grapes was the most challenging part of the piece. After the sketch was finished, I made it digital and turned it into a logo using Adobe products.
Wine and Cheese was created using pencil.
I always have several pieces going at the same time. The reasons vary…sometimes it’s because I’m juggling more than one commission, sometimes its because an upcoming festival requires my attention, and sometimes its because I know I don’t have time to paint so I work on sketching and projects that require less time.
This piece is the result of using the wrong paper, changing my mind mid process and frustration. I have a vision for this piece and I will see it through. This will be another piece that will be getting a redo.
Lavender is one of my favorite scents. I have potted plants of Lavender on my front porch and it smells so good! I started this painting, got too heavy with the paint too soon and am frustrated with the results. This will be getting re-worked in the upcoming months.
Early stages of a character study.
Pencil on sketch paper.
