September 30, Some Weekend Paintings...

 So every year at my school we do the Blessing of the Animals, and I paint the pets after they are blessed, along with my talented colleagues and sometimes a talented and generous student or two!  This weekend was realy great!  I had gessoed my paper so it was a little easier to paint on, rather that the last year when I've just used good black paper, where the acrylic just soaks into the paper with no surface glide...

So I feel much better about this batch!  Ten little paintings in a bit over an hour on a Saturday morning!

Here's the first 5!

September 24, Sold!

 Wow!  I had such a great time at LOLA this weekend! Thank you everyone who came through our studio!  I know it's a walk from the front door all the way to the back where we are, and I appreciate those of you who undertook that pilgrimage to come find us in my space!  We will be having another event for the holidays on Dec 6 from 11 to 5 or later, so put that on your calendars, and we will have MORE guests in the hallway!

I always appreciate it when someone wants to take my work home to live with them~ and it is especially fun when it is a piece that I love as much as I do this one!

8x10 acrylic on panel 

sold!

September 16, Curious Suspension .2

 I added more to this one, because I didn't think having the purple background gave enough motion... still not sure.

And I think I need to practice varnishing too... I am not that great at it...

But I like this one much better with the green!

24x24 acrylic on cradled panel

$1150

will be at the White Bear Art Center for the MAA show this weekend!

September 14, Chanel

 It's Sunday afternoon, I'm heading over to Diamond's Coffee Shoppe soon to take down the 30 Dogs in 30 Days show and meet anyone there who can come to pick their painting up! It's really humid and sticky today, and I'm so grateful I am NOT doing an art fair this weekend! We did go for a lovely walk this morning with our dear friend Jules across the St Anthony Stone Arch Bridge and she made us a gorgeous breakfast too, so we've already had a great start to our day.  For some reason, I've had a mean sweet tooth the last week or so, and I think this happens every year with getting back to school because we are such a loving bunch of teachers and we have sweets in our lounge a lot... and sometimes I can't eat them because of gluten or lactose, but sometimes I can... and I've had a tough time deflecting that this past couple weeks.

Ack.

And this is a commission, for a colleage at Breck actually, of a lovely creature~ I hope you enjoy!

8x8 acrylic on wood

spoken for~

September 12, A Peaceful Summer View

 Sometimes I just need a little break.

Painting really does that for me. By trying to translate what I'm looking at into paint on a panel, I have to concentrate on really looking- seeing what is truly in front of me instead of what I expect to see. Painting greenery can be hard because we keep thinking we're seeing green, when there are actually a lot of other colors in there...

And I'm not sure I found them all in this one~ but I am happy with the road!

16x8 acrylic on canvas

$256

click here for purchase info!

9/9 Charlie, a commission~

 I still have space in this week's Thursday evening Paint Love class!  Sign up here! And I'll be taking down the 30 Dogs Show at Diamond's on Sunday between 2-4 if you'd like to come by and see those~ and then my lovely friend Jean Leuthner is hanging a show of her newest paintings at Diamonds for the next month and a half or so!

I had such a fantastic time at the SLP art fair this weekend too!  Thank you to everyone who came out to that- it was just great to meet so many people and see so many friends and to get to wrap up so many paintings to go home! I LOVE not having to pack up as much stuff when I go home! Despite the rain and the chill it was a blast.  We were all cozy under the giant ROC cover!

And this is Charlie, a commission!

6x6 acrylic on wood

sold

September 6, SLP Art FAIR!

Hello all!  I expect that you are as excited as I am about today's Art Fair at the St Louis Park ROC  from 10-5! It should be a good one!  I have my NEW mesh sides for my display and love how much more space I have to display my work! I also have some new art for you to see, brand new stuff- some so new I was just putting wire and varnish on last night~

This is one of the new paintings I have today for sale!  I kinda LOVE it! The otter at the MN zoo was so interactive that day!

"Greeting" 6x6 on canvas board

$75

better call me if you want it!

612-720-6675

September 4, Another Commission!

 Isn't this one just great?!  I had SO much fun painting it! I started working on it at Millstream Art Fair last weekend and it just made me smile, and so many people who saw it loved it as well.  This is Jayda, who has a super sweet smile and I was lucky to get to paint her!

12x9 acrylic on wood

spoken for!

September 3, Another Commission

Yes, I do spend a lot of time painting commissions!  And I love it! Because it keeps me painting- and with every one I do I learn something more about this... passion?  Activity? lifestyle? habbit? What IS this that I'm doing anyway? I love to paint! And I love to learn more about what I'm doing- and I know that the more I do it, the better I get. At least, when I pay attention to what I'm doing and stretch myself a bit and try hard things, that's when I get better. I could just paint the same stuff over and over (and yes, maybe that is what I'm doing with pets and all, but every one is different!) but I do hope that I am pushing myself to take some risks and challenges.

That's how we grow, after all~

THIS was a super fun pup to paint! You can probably tell...

Bennie!
8x8 acrylic on panel

sold

August 31, Another Commission!

 This is Noodle... I really enjoyed painting this one!  Something about that eye, and the shading, the purples... all the stuff of a fun one!

And there's still a couple places for fun coming up this Thursday the 4th at the Ivy Building!  You can come paint with me this fall and get your own brush and color groove moving! Sign up for my Paint Love Painting Class HERE!

We all could use a bit of color and joy, my friends~

"Noodle" 8x8 acrylic on wood

sold

August 28, Franklin, a Commission

 Nearing the end of August already- it's still incredibly gorgeous weather in Minneapolis, and I was able to appreciate it from a Water Taxi on the Mississippi last night for my friend's birthday celebration~ she hoped to get waves from passersby, because she said every time she sees a Water Taxi SHE waves at THEM! So we called out to people on the shoreline and a beautiful number of people did wave back. It was really sweet~

And still, its a heavy day. The loss of two more children in a shooting. There are just too many thoughts... the one I keep thinking is still Be Kind. You do never know how much someone is hurting, and your attention may be all it takes. You really can't ever know the effect you have on someone else's life, but it seems most of us do try to make sure we are leaning towards the helping side, not the hurting side. 

I have Wellstone's quote on my board this year, "We all do better when we all do better", and I'm talking my kids through it- I didn't think it was that hard to understand but we're having interesting conversations in the art room~

Speaking of interesting conversations, we have them a LOT in my Paint Love classes~ please come join us! Here's more info~

And this is a Christmas Commission, Franklin~

8x8 acrylic on wood

sold

August 27th, Kitten....

 Sometimes things happen that make no sense.

Humans in pain hurt other humans. 

Try to breathe, and try to be as kind as you can. And tell people you love them.

This is a kitten, a sweet kitten, for your heart today.

Grizzly, 6x6 acrylic on wood

sold

August 26, Wildfire Sunset

It has been absolutely transcendent in Minneapolis these last few days... beautiful weather, cool enough for long sleeves, and yet deliciously warm in the sun if you're feeling chilled. The air is clean, the clouds are white, the sky is blue... I've experienced these kinds of days before, but I think that back then I took them for granted, not having experienced the clogged and smuggy air of our Canadian wildfires. As I get older, I'm realizing more and more that there are many things we need to be more aware of, that every day is a gift.

Every sunset is unique.

6x12 acrylic on wood

$145 (plus tax)

click here for purchase info~

 

August 25, Another Commission

And here is another little kitten! This one is a trade for another artist at the Art Fair at St Kate's- if you didn't know that I accept trades for all kinds of stuff, now you know! I've traded art for other art, for clothes, for gift cards, for babysitting, for dog walking, and even for private flying lessons!

It's also my first day at school with my kiddos!  Here we GOOOO!!!!

Oh, and I still have space in my Paint Love Painting Lessons starting a week from this Thursday! Join us!

AND I will be at the Millstream Art Festival in St Joe, MN next Sunday!  Come on up and see what's up!  I went to St Ben's and this is the start of that school year as well- if you're an alum, come say hi!

6x6 acrylic on wood

sold

 

August 23, Curious Suspension

 This is an otter. I love otters. They swim and play and use their entire bodies to express themselves. That's a good plan for all of us, I think~

I do have to admit I don't think this is the best photo of this painting and I want to try taking another one... it really does matter how good the photo is, but it is also really hard to take good photos of actual art. It is best to see it in person! This one especially, since it is 2 feet by 2 feet, which is larger than life, and those eyes are really well done if I do say so myself!

Oh and come see us at Carpenter Nature Center's Art Fair August 23, 2025!  10-5!

24x24 acrylic on wood, framed

$1152

click here for purchase info!

August 22, A Commission...

Yes, I paint commissions all year round, my friends! I love it. It keeps me painting. I admit I'm a bit of a people pleaser and I tend to do those things I promised other people I'd do first, before I do the things I've been wanting to do myself. So having commissions means I PAINT. That's the important thing. I need to get my brushes moving in the paint, and then the ideas come and the challenges and the desire to translate my vision into color, and having something to paint for YOU really helps me get to that point. So never hesitate to ask me to paint something for you!  It truly helps ME too!

This is the glorious Ksiusha. Those eyes are just intense, and that mane, the fluff... yes!

8x8 acrylic on wood

sold

 

August 21, Cover Under Green

 This is from a photo I took on the south side of Lake Hiawatha, where artist Sean Connaughty regularly works to restore the native plants to create a more natural and healthy Lake Hiawatha- I volunteered on his crew a few times this summer to help with gardening tasks, something that's a little outside my comfort zone.

You should walk over there and check it out!  He's usually there on Saturday mornings!

This is another one painted on a canvas prepped by my mentor and friend Liz Sivertson!

12x12 acrylic on canvas

$288  just $200!

click here to nab!

Aug 18, Double Trunk

 When we were up in Grand Marais in June for the Summer Solstice Pageant at North House Folk School., I was invited out to my friend Liz Sivertson's house because she was moving studios and had some materials to let go of. She gave me a lovely pile of boards and canvases and a sta-wet palette and some oils and acrylics, and that was so wonderful because I hadn't packed my own painting supplies for this trip!  So i was able to sit at our picnic table and paint some stuff~

Because I hadn't packed my own paint supplies, I didn't have my usual black ground so I used the prepped canvases as Liz had left them~

Here's one of them!

9x12 acrylic on wood

$200

click here to purchase

August 15, Beaner's Bird

My sister picked this little guy up during an early spring storm in the parking lot of the Whole Foods in Duluth. She let him warm up in her car for a bit, took a few photos and the let him go.

Yes, I had to paint him too.

8x10 acrylic on linen

 

August 14, From Switzerland

I have finished up my dogs and am now wiring and signing and finishing them up, and I have a few other paintings to post here for you~

This one is one I did in the Perl De Lak park sitting with Kelli in the 90 plus degree heat in Switzerland in early July~ the trees were so wonderfully spiky and tall, and the light coming through them caught me. This woud be a plein air one, and I haven't had the chance to look at it since I painted it, and I kinda like it!

I also have several art events coming up soon, with the Carpenter Nature Center Art Fair the first one on August 23 from 10-5!  Duane and I will both be there- it's across the river in Hudson, just about 45 minutes from our house and should be a lovely weekend!  Hope to see you soon! 

10x8 acrylic on linen panel

$125

click here to purchase