Dark Clouds Ahead

8x6
acrylic on gessobord

This is the third small preparation painting for our daughter's sailing team auction.  I haven't focused on painting water in a while, so this was really fun.  I loved messing with the skies in this one too!

Windswept Skies

8x6
Acrylic on Gessobord

At one of our daughter's regattas last year, the sky put on a spectacular show.  I snapped a few photos that day with the hopes of using them for a future painting.  In reality, the skies weren't this dramatic.  That's where the magic of paint and imagination step in!  I had a wonderful time playing up the sky!  This is the second small, preparation painting in a set of three that I'm doing for our daughter's sailing auction. 

Sunset Regatta

6x6
acrylic on gessobord

I've been playing around with a few ideas for a painting I'm going to do for our daughter's high school sailing team auction.  I enjoyed playing with the brighter colors in this one.  I think I'll take a vote when I'm done with these smaller sailing paintings to see which one I should turn into a larger piece.

Gorgeous

6x8
acrylic on gessobord

Last summer our daughter spent a week sailing in the Columbia River Gorge.  Luckily, she took me along for support (and money!).  It was blowing between 20-30 mph the first 3 days!  I've never seen so many small boats capsize.  At the end of the first day, I thought Annie (our daughter) would want to throw in the towel.  Nope!  That is one resilient kid!  She had an absolute blast out there.  Once I was sure she didn't need me for emotional support, I did a little exploring and snapped a few fun photos, like this one, for painting.

I will be joining her again this summer in the Gorge, but sadly, the scene will look a little different after the massive wildfire last year.

Ecola State Park

6x6
acrylic on gessobord

One of my favorite things to do while at Cannon Beach  (Oregon Coast), is to hike the trails of Ecola State Park.  The scenery never disappoints, even on a stormy day!

Enjoy the Ride

6x8 acrylic on gessobord

This happy dog is my husband's Navy buddy's dog.   I saw the photo of this pup while Bob (my hubby) was on Facebook.  I knew I had to paint him!  OMG, that face!  That background!  It was so much fun working on this one!  When I finished painting, I swear I had the Lego movie song playing in my head (Everything is Awesome...)!!!

Winter Warmth

8x8 acrylic on canvas

This is a painting I did for a friend.  The photo of this scene was absolutely magical.  I really thought painting this would be a snap.  Well, it was quite the opposite!  The others weren't flowing.  Either it was too dark, too symmetrical, or just plain awful! This is the 3rd one I did, and I'm finally happy with the result.

Ipo

8x10
acrylic on gessobord

This is a painting I did for my mom of her new puppy, Ipo.  She's a Pembroke Welsh Corgi.  Her name means "sweetheart" in Hawaiian.  I have yet to meet her, but I can already tell it won't take long for me to fall in love with her.

Jose

8x6
acrylic on gessobord

This is another commissioned painting I did for a friend.  I had a few photos to choose from, but chose this one because I loved how Jose was sticking his tongue out.  One title idea I had was, "What?  No Carrots?".  I love seeing a bit of goofiness in animals.

Laughing Shepherd

8x6
acrylic on gessobord

Here's another one I painted for my friend.  I really had a good time with this one!  I think it's the joyous expression on this sweet dog's face that made it so fun.  I really enjoyed messing with the colors too!