July 15, 2016



"Stargazer Lilies."
Get it?
Get it?? 
:)

A print of this painting
is now available in my shop!




July 5, 2016



Because sometimes
you just need the reminder
(especially these days).


A print of this illustration
is now available in my shop!



June 29, 2016



Fruit, fruit, fresh veg, more fruit, and a big ol' classic ice cream cone--
I don't know about you,
but this is pretty much what my menu looks like
for most of the summer!
Because when the produce is great
and the temperatures are hot,
what else do you need?


A print of this illustration
is now available in my shop.


Happy Summer!



June 23, 2016




"Keep a green tree in your heart,
and perhaps a singing bird will come."


A print of this painting
is now available in my shop!




June 21, 2016


I've been spotting
electric blue dragonflies/damselflies
in the garden lately,
and as soon as I saw them
I knew I'd have to find a way
to work them into a painting.

Paired with cheerful nasturtiums,
a bold lupine or two,
and some delicate rose geranium,
I think these garden visitors
are happy with their illustrated habitat.


You can find a print of this painting
now in my shop!



June 13, 2016



A wayside bouquet
seen on one of my walks
growing ecstatic and wild
and buzzing audibly with bumblebees.


A print of this painting
is now available in my shop!



June 1, 2016


A strong and bold lady Flicker,
looking out from her bower
of wild roses and blackberry blossoms.
She is a wildwood queen.


This painting is now available
as a print in my shop!




May 24, 2016



This painting was inspired
by the family of juncos
that have taken up residence
in the fuchsia basket
on our front porch.

When I first sketched the drawing
for this piece,
the two birds had scraps of grass and fluff
in their beaks,
caught in the middle
of building their new home,
and the nest was empty.
I struggled with the painting--
it just wasn't coming together--
so I set it aside for a few days,
unsure if it was worth finishing.
By the time I returned to it
I had discovered
the dearest,
most heartbreakingly tender
little clutch of eggs
in the real-life nest
on our porch,
and I knew what I needed to do
to complete the piece.


You can now find a print
of this painting in my shop!




May 18, 2016


We were given a bird box
as a housewarming gift last year,
and now this Spring
a couple of chickadees
have taken up residence in it!
I peeked in
and saw a nest
a little while ago,
so now I am
(trying to)
wait patiently
to see if baby birds
join the garden party.


This painting is now available
as a print in my shop!




May 12, 2016



"'There's some big clumps o' columbine in th' garden.
They'll look like a bed o' blue an' white butterflies flutterin' when they're out.'"
-The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett


A print of this painting
is now available in my shop!



May 10, 2016



It's May now,
and sunlight lingers
gloriously late into the evening.
I have been taking walks at dusk
to avoid the heat of the afternoon
and enjoy the blue twilight
in the woods by my home.
Darting rabbits seem to like this time of day too,
and they have kept me company
on enough walks lately
that I decided it was time,
again,
to turn one into a painting.


A print of this painting
is now available in my shop!



May 4, 2016



I was recently inspired to paint
one of the dearest little nooks in my garden.
Though I haven't found any real nests there,
my paintbrush can stretch the truth a little...


A print of this painting
can now be found in my shop!




April 28, 2016


A swirling mix
of land & sea--
trillium and seaweed,
salmonberry and mussels,
driftwood, barnacles, rocks polished smooth by the ocean,
Springtime sightings of wild strawberry and lily of the valley--
inspired again
by my time on the Olympic Peninsula.

A print of this painting
is now available in my shop!



April 27, 2016



Some fairy flowers
in the magical evening light.
How could I resist?

----

Bird Song - The Wailin' Jennys



April 26, 2016


I recently spent a few days
on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula,
and look who followed me home!

A print of this illustration
is now available in my shop.



April 20, 2016



Laying bark
and pulling weeds
on my hands and knees,
gritty with dirt and sweat,
I looked up,
and this was my view.
Above my own toil
soared boats of magnolia petals
and stars of sweet-smelling Osmanthus.
I laughed with delight
at the surprise and beauty of it,
and realized
that I felt beautiful too--
hair in my face
and earth on my cheeks,
but strong,
and working hard,
and full of love,
for the living things around me.