Catching Waves

6x6 acrylic on gessobord
$50

My brother and I spent endless hours boogie boarding when we were young.  Watching these two young boys play in the surf brought me right back to my childhood.  I love painting the blues and greens of the ocean.  The formation of waves and depth of the water in the barrel fascinate me.

Highway Storm

6x8 acrylic on canvas panel board
$50

This is my entry in the Daily Paintworks weekly challenge;  Before/after the storm.  I love the intense sky of a big storm.  This challenge was so fun!  I might have to do another one if  I can find the time before Christmas.  If only those presents could wrap themselves.

Hidden Cove

6x8 acrylic on canvas panel board
$50

One of our favorite activities while out cruising is dinghy exploring.  It's amazing how many wonderful nooks and crannies can be found around the San Juan Islands.  The cliffs are so tall that it is easy to capture dramatic shadows and highlights at almost any time of day.

Eagle Harbor

8x6 acrylic on canvas panel board
$50

This is just one of the many reasons boaters flock to the San Juan Islands every year.  Eagle Harbor is one of a few pristine anchorages at Cypress Island.  We spent three days anchored here.  Our days were filled with paddle boarding, dinghy sailing, hiking, beach combing, and kayaking.  I can hardly wait to go back!

Christmas Brights

6x6 acrylic on panel board
$50

This is my entry this week's Daily Paintworks challenge, "The Quick Christmas Challenge".  It was so fun to loosen up a bit and play with bright, cheery colors!  I tried to keep my strokes bigger and more vague than usual, which has been such a challenge for me (I get a little too "controling" with my paintings).

Sail Away

6x8 acrylic on canvas panelboard
$50

There is nothing more freeing to me than hoisting the sails and watching the ocean rush along the sides of our hull.  I tried to paint that feeling of "escaping the world" and "adventures await".  The dark skies imply stormy weather in the distance and the calm waters are the "calm before the storm". I'm ready for summer and sailing season!

Pink Rose

6x6 acrylic on gessobord
$50

This is my painting for this week's challenge, a rose.  This is the first rose that I have painted.  It was definitely more challenging than I imagined, but a lot of fun.

Watmough Bay Anchorage

8x6 acrylic on gessobord
$50

Another view of beautiful Watmough Bay, Lopez Island.  The emerald green water and awesome, sheer cliffs are truly breath taking.

Watmough Bay

8x6 acrylic on gessobord
$50

One of our favorite anchorages in the San Juan Islands is Watmough Bay, Lopez Island.  The steep cliff and crystal clear water make for a spectacular setting.

Popcorn

5x7 acrylic on canvas board
$35

The Daily Paintworks challenge this week is "popcorn".  This was actually a really fun painting to do.  I concentrated on painting in a more "relaxed" style and am pleased with the results.

Hiking Mt. Ranier

8x6 acrylic on gessobord
$50

Today's painting is my entry into the "Flow through it" Daily Paintworks challenge.  We are so blessed in Washington.  Not only do we have the beautiful waters of the Puget Sound, we also have a gorgeous mountain for hiking and skiing!

Fido 2

8x6 acrylic on gessobord
$50

Dogs make everything better!  Even the beach!  I will donate 15% of the proceeds from this painting towards our local dog shelter.

Autumn in the Marina

6x8 acrylic on Gessobord
$50

I love the shadows and warm colors of Fall.  It's definitely fall here.  The wind is blowing and the weather is turning.  I chose this painting as my entry into the Autumn challenge for Daily Paintworks.

Walking Santa Cruz Beach

6x8 acrylic on gessobord
$50

We spent a year sailing along the California coast and Mexico.  One of our very favorite stops was Santa Cruz, California.  The beach was covered in warm sand.  The ocean was teaming with sea life and the fun was non-stop.

Waikiki Boogie Boarders

6x8 acrylic on gessobord
$50

Waikiki Beach is always full of people enjoying the ocean. It was so fun to watch these girls playing with their boards.  It reminded me of my childhood.  My brother and I would spend endless hours in the waves at a variety of beaches around Hawaii.

Waikiki Beach Girls

6x6 acrylic on gessobord
$50

While hanging out on Waikiki Beach I had a great time people watching.  These three little girls were so adorable.  They were having the time of their lives playing in the ocean.  At this particular time they were making plans to jump the next wave that came in.

Last One to the Beach is a Rotten Egg

6x6 acrylic on gessobord
$50

Our girls were always so excited to get to the warm sand and start playing at Kailua Beach.  Of coarse, I'm the rotten egg here, but it was well worth it being able to capture our daughters' excitement!

Fido Friday 1

6x6 acrylic on panel
$50

I'm starting something that I've been wanting to do for a long time.  I will be donating 30% of each Fido Friday painting sold to our local dog shelter!  It amazes me how many dogs end up in local shelters.  There are so many sweet, smart, and amazing pups waiting for a loving home.  This little guy that I painted is from a litter of puppies we had a while back at Adopt-a-Pet.  He was adopted and is living the good life now.

Me and My Boogie Board

6x6 acrylic on gessobord
$50

Quite a few years back my whole family went to Kauai for a little vacation.  While there, we had the pleasure to bask in the sun and warm water of Hanalei Bay.  My nephew, Dylan, brought his boogie board along and found a load of entertainment with it, even though the ocean was as calm as a bathtub!

Wherever You Go, I Will Follow

6x8 acrylic on gessobord
$50

I used to love watching our girls play on shore.  Their imaginations would take them on the most wonderful adventures.  Luckily they were never alone;  Wherever they went, our dog Salty followed.

Beach Dog

8x6 acrylic on gessobord
$55

Dogs and beaches go naturally together for me.  While lounging on Lanikai beach this gentle giant came cruising along.  He was just too adorable not to paint him.

View From Turn Point Lighthouse

6x6 acrylic on gessobord
$50

Turn Point lighthouse is located on Stuart Island in the San Juan Islands.  It has been a tradition for us to hike to the lighthouse from our anchorage each time we are there.  This past summer, we were blessed with fabulous weather and a large aquatic friend;  A grey whale gave us a brief show while he enjoyed looking for lunch in the tide rips.

Outrigger Sunset

6x6 acrylic on gessobord
$50

This is the view from the Elk's Lodge in Waikiki.  My sister-in-law has a wonderful talent for taking stunning photos (and a generous heart for sharing them with me).  I painted this for the Daily Paintworks challenge this week:  The Tres Amigos (using the 3 color palette).  I used cadmium yellow, cadmium red deep, cobalt blue, and titanium white.  Half way through the painting I was wondering," what the heck did I get myself into"!  I didn't realize how dependant I had become on a few of my favorite colors (payne's gray, alizarin crimson, yellow ochre,  prussian blue, phthalo blue). Never the less, I persevered on and am quite happy with the result.

Kailua Sunrise

6x6 acrylic on gessobord
$50

Kailua beach is always a beautiful place, but in the early morning hours, it's beyond awesome.  I took the opportunity to play with some exaggerated colors while painting this.  I love working with various hues and seeing them interact with one another.

Emerald Rower

6x6 acrylic on panel
$50

One of new favorite bays in the San Juan Islands is Watmough Bay, Lopez Is.  When the sun is right, the water becomes an amazing emerald hue.  The clarity of the water is fantastic here too.

Race Day Prep

6x6 acrylic on panel
$50

On one of our daughter's regattas, I took the opportunity to snap photos of all the preparations.  The excitement surrounding the event is truly electrifying!  On this particular day, the sky was blue, the water was shimmering, and the winds were perfect.  It was a fantastic day for sailing and creating a painting!

Thursday Night Races

8x6 acrylic on gessobord
Sold

Thursday night races at the Kaneohe Yacht Club is a regular event for my brother and sister-in-law. They seem to always get the most beautiful sunsets on Thursdays!  The sun going down behind the Koolau mountain range gives such a majestic feel to the landscape.

Misty Silence 2

8x6 acrylic on gessoboard
$55

Some summer days while cruising in the islands we were blessed with a "slowdown".  Sitting in our cockpit sipping on my morning coffee with a cozy blanket wrapped around me was pure bliss.   It had been raining all night and when we woke it was down to just a quiet drizzle.  This is my peaceful place.

Sparkling Passage

6x6 acrylic on gessoboard
sold

On one of our early morning passages this past summer we received the beautiful gift of this scene.  We were in the San Juan Islands sailing from Roche Harbor to Spencer Spit.  The weather was perfect;  The sun was just beginning to shine as the thin layer of fog lifted.  If only these kinds of mornings would go on forever.

Evening Practice

6x8 acrylic on gessoboard
unframed
$55

Our daughter is part of the high school sailing team and this fall they have had the pleasure of practicing during some exquisite evenings.  The joy these kids find being on the water is catching!

Slow Sailing

6x8 acrylic on gessoboard
unframed
$55

The South Puget Sound is a beautiful place to live and sail;  you just have to be patient at times!  When we are lacking wind, the water turns into a glassy mirror of the sky.  There is a calmness and sense of peace that encompasses the whole area.

Sailing Toward Sunshine

6x6 acrylic on gessoed panelboard
$50

One of our favorite passages in the San Juan Islands is sailing from Friday Harbor to Stuart Island.  We always travel through Spieden Channel, along side Spieden Island.    On this particular trip the sky was full of action and lighting up the island in all the right places.

Silent Departure

8x6 acrylic on gessoboard
$55

Sitting in our cockpit, sipping on my morning coffee aboard Pearl, I watched as a fellow cruiser quietly made his way out of the anchorage and into the foggy distance.

Pacific City Beach Girls

6x6 Acrylic on panel board
$50

Pacific City, Oregon is one of our favorite beaches.  Our girls and their best friends had a blast playing in the sand and ocean.  It was warm enough to strip down to a daiper!  There is something about the Oregon Coast that calls to me.

Simple Fascination

6x6 Acrylic on panel board
$50

This is a painting of our daughter, Annie, at Lanikai Beach on Oahu.  She had found a string in the sand and spent about an hour playing with it in the wind.

Family Beach Day

6x8 Acrylic on canvas panel
$50

What's better than a family day at the beach?  These are wonderful friends of ours that truly enjoy life.  The colors of the ocean and sand in the Pacific Northwest makes for a deeply satisfying seascape.  And it never hurts to have a dog in the picture!

Secret Beach

6x6 acrylic on gessoed panel
sold

This is another gem in Kaneohe Bay.  It's named "Secret Beach"  do to keeping it's location incognito.  It is a perfect tropical setting for a painting, don't you think?!  I'd map out this beautiful spot for you to visit on your own, but I'd have to kill you.  Just kidding!

Kaneohe Bay Drive

6x6 acrylic on gessoed panel
$50

When I am home visiting my mom, I always go for a walk along Kaneohe Bay Drive.  Looking beyond the houses out into the bay never gets old for me.  The bay is scattered with reefs and boats that create an amazing landscape of colors.

Kaneohe Bay Sand Bar

6x6 acrylic on gessoed panel
$50

I grew up in Kaneohe, Hi, which is one of the most beautiful places on Earth!  We had a speed boat when I was young and would head out to the Sand Bar in Kaneohe Bay when the tide was right and spend the day playing in the sand and water.  With the Koolau mountains as the backdrop, it always was a beautiful setting.

Hawaii No Ka Oi

Lanikai Beach

6x6
acrylic on panel
$50

I grew up going to Lanikai Beach and it's still one of my favorites to visit every time I go home.  The water is clear and the sand is soft and warm.  The trade winds keep me nice and cool while I walk the beach and visit with friends.

One more pup painting

Boston Terrier

6x6 acrylic on board
$50

Is this little guy adorable or what!  I think I'm obsessed with dogs.  This was a fun painting to do.  It always helps when my subjects pose perfectly.

My first painting blog post!

Lily

6x6 acrylic on panel
sold

I volunteer at one of our local dog shelters and this sweet girl was just too adorable not to paint. My special pet name for her was Piglet (she has the perkiest big pink ears). Thankfully, since painting this, Lily has been adopted by a wonderful, loving family.