A Fresh Look for My Art Website

Over the past few days, I've been giving my website a much-needed makeover.

What began as a practical project - updating images, removing old PayPal buttons, and making the site easier to navigate - became an opportunity to look back through years of artwork. 

The redesigned site now has a few clearer paths:

• Available Art includes original paintings, mixed-media works, and small studies that are currently for sale.
• Fine Art Prints includes the prints I presently have in stock.
• Portfolio gathers selected work by subject, including still lifes, portraits, landscapes, flowers, creatures, and abstracts.

As I worked through the images, I found myself returning to a few personal favorites.

First in Flight

Rolls Royce

Holding Formation

Sleeping In

If you’d like to take a look, you can:

• Shop Available Art
• Browse Fine Art Prints
• Explore the Portfolio

And if you see an older work in the portfolio that you would like as a print, you’re welcome to email me. Not every possible print is kept in stock, but I’m happy to discuss what may be available.

Thank you for visiting!

SketchBox Review: July 2025 Premium Box - Acrylic Brush Marker Exploration

This month’s SketchBox Premium box was a treat for fans of bold color and painterly mark-making. Featuring a full set of SketchBox Signature Acrylic Brush Markers, this collection inspired me to explore both non-objective design and more layered, representational approaches.

What’s in the Box?

According to the SketchBox product page, this month's Premium box includes:

• A SketchBox Signature set of 6 custom acrylic brush markers – highly pigmented, smooth, and layerable with brush tips that offer precision and expressive control.

• 2 Karin Pigment Real Brush Markers in Lilac and Ochre - water-based pigment markers with a softer, more flexible tip.

• A Pink Prismacolor Col-Erase pencil - great for sketching under marker since it’s both visible and erasable.

• A Gold Posca Brush Marker - a pump-action brush pen that adds a semi-opaque metallic sheen.

• A Clairefontaine 4x6 Bristol Pad (10 sheets) - with brilliant white paper designed to highlight the intensity of marker colors.

First Impressions and Materials

The acrylic brush markers were a standout for me. I loved how layerable the pigment was and how the slightly stiffer brush nib gave me a greater sense of control. These markers made it easy to add details and revisit areas without lifting or muddying the layers underneath.

In contrast, the Karin Pigment Real Brush markers had a much more flexible tip, which felt less controlled in my hand. While I appreciate that they’re meant to blend, I personally preferred the firmness of the SketchBox Signature nibs.

The Gold Posca Brush Marker was a fun addition. It has a larger, softer tip and delivers a rich metallic sheen. It's about 50% transparent when applied quickly, but can build up to full opacity if layered or applied more slowly. I used it as a final touch to add glints of shimmer over dried areas.

Trying the Tutorial: Non-Objective Design

I began by following the tutorial in the SketchBox insert, which focused on a flat, non-objective abstract composition. This gave me a chance to test how the colors layered and interacted. I enjoyed the process but found myself wanting to push the materials further to build up forms and experiment with layering to create depth.

Shifting Gears: A Tree Study

That curiosity led me to my next piece: a simple tree study. I started with the Col-Erase pencil to sketch the basic form. It was perfect for this kind of underdrawing - bold enough to see as I worked, but easy to hide beneath the markers once I began layering color. Before diving into details, I laid down some quick value using the orange and dark brown markers to establish light and shadow.

Final Result

The final artwork demonstrates what I loved most about this box: the freedom to layer and build vibrant surfaces, with enough control for precise detailing and mark-making. I used short dabs, sweeping strokes, and overlapping layers to create foliage and shadows. The acrylic markers held up beautifully, even when revisiting the same area multiple times. The gold Posca added a soft sparkle to some of the highlights and ground.

Final Thoughts

This SketchBox was both versatile and inspiring. Whether you're an abstract artist or someone who likes to work from observation, the blend of opaqueness, blendability, and surface compatibility makes this a strong pick. I especially recommend it for artists who enjoy layering and building surfaces with a painterly touch, but still want the ease and precision of a marker.

Have you tried this month’s SketchBox? Let me know what you created. I’d love to see how others explored these tools!

"Renee's Cakes" (Original Painting)

This painting is from a photograph that I took at our friends' wedding a few years ago. Renee (the bride) is a WONDERFUL cook and an even better "baker" ... which is a good thing since her husband loves to eat :)

Aside from the appetizing nature of the subject matter, I was drawn to photograph this still life because of 2 main reasons. 

1. I love painting reflections. The glass cake stands and the coffee mugs sucked me in. 

2. The repetition in the objects on the table was so apparent that it seemed difficult NOT to come up with a good composition. There's repetition in the coffee mug, the icing drips, the texture on the cake stand and the baby's breath surrounding the roses. 

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, click HERE for more information.

DIY mural for a kid's room

This is a mural that I painted in my son's room nearly a year ago.

First, I took tons of pictures of him blowing bubbles. I used a data projector to project one of them onto the wall, and I traced his silhouette. Then, I added the circles in a variety of sizes to be the bubbles. I found images that represent his specific interests and used those in some of the bubbles: breakdancers, cars, musical instruments and a soccer player.

You can find lots of good images to use for murals when you search "silhouette" or "vector" along with subject you are trying to find. Many of these are copyright free; just add that to your search.

Summer Project #2: Family Tree Mural

 Here's another project I've started . . . and not quite finished. I love the idea of having a visual family tree in my living room. I have a four year old son and another baby on the way, and I want them to know who their family is (even if they only get to see some of them once a year). I decided to include our (my husband's and my) parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews. I found a basic image of a tree that I liked and used a data projector to project it onto the wall. After I traced it, I embellished it a little- adding extra branches, leaves, etc. Then, I added the frames and painted everything 2 shades darker than the background wall color. Now, I just have to print photos (in sepia tones) of each family member and attach them using double-sided mounting tape.

Attached to the tree is a string held by a bird. I added larger frames that hang down from the string which will include photos of our "core" family: me, my husband, my 4-year old son and our new baby (due Oct. 8)

So far, I've only added one photo- a recent ultra sound of "baby brother." (We haven't committed to a name yet). It's amazing how much he looks like our oldest already. Today marks 30 weeks! Another one of my summer projects is to get his room ready. . .

"Art with Mom"

I collaborated with Noah (my 4-year old son) to make this painting. I asked him to draw a picture for me (about 1 year ago), which I copied onto a 9" x 12" canvas in paint. Then, I painted the three crayons to look as if they are laying on top (trompe-l'oeil style). I went over everything that Noah drew with oil pastel to give it a "crayon look." I look forward to working with Noah on more paintings in the future- especially if we pass them back and forth.

"The General Store" (An original painting)

I finished this painting a while ago, but it was in a traveling show for a year and unavailable for sale.

While painting this, I used a reference photo that I took at the Farmer's Market in Raleigh. They had all kinds of different soda in glass bottles soaking in ice, and the reflections caught my eye (I love painting objects with reflective surfaces).

If you are interested in purchasing this original painting, click HERE.

Still on the Easel

Here's a look at what I'm currently working on. I'm trying out a new process that has made painting even more fun. I started out with a photograph that I took (at the Durham Science Museum's Butterfly Garden). Up to this point, I've been using acrylic paint as well as collage to block in basic shapes.

Whenever I get the mail, I look through the catalogues to see if any colors/text/texture/etc. belong in the painting. Then I tear and glue. 

It has made junk mail much more fun.

Here's a close-up of the painting above. I think I'm finally at the point where I'm ready to continue on solely with paint so tomorrow, I'll break out the oils! I prefer oil paint to acrylic, but you can't collage over oil paint with gel medium (which is what I've been using). Since I've been alternating between painting and gluing, I've stuck to acrylic so far. I'm really excited to finally bring this piece together with some oil paint!

I'll post another picture when the painting is finished.

Painting Commission

Here's a painting that I finished about a month ago for someone that purchased a commission through an auction that I participated in hosted by the Alamance County Arts Council. I had an amazing photograph to work from taken by Josh Drye. 

The mother of these two beautiful girls gave me carte blanche with the background. I had recently covered Alphonse Mucha in my art classes at school, so that definitely played a part in choosing the circular design of flowers that seemed to fit so well in this composition. 

If you're interested in commissioning a painting, check out my prices on my Commissions Page!