On My Easel...

I am currently working on an untitled series of sunrise marsh paintings; "52 Weeks of Finding Light" and  "Snapshots."

As a lawyer-turned-artist, I'm also slowly defacing my law dictionary with charcoal sketches.

Sunrise Marsh series

  • I have a life-long fascination with marshes, swamps, and roadside muck! These environmentally important ecosystems offer up an array of textures and colors that change from one season to the next, but also change hour by hour in the case of coastal marshes.
  • When the sun rises, the marsh awakens, and I am particularly interested in figuring out ways to interpret the interaction of sunlight with the elements of water, grass, and muck of the marshes.
  • I begin each new marsh painting by toning my entire surface with a reddish-orange paint that will glow through subsequent layers and create an overall feeling of warmth for the piece. I apply many subsequent layers of oil paint, starting with soft brush strokes on the early layers as the composition of the sky and marsh take shape from my imagination. Then I slowly build up textures with a palette knife.
  • I post regular updates on this series on my social media pages if you're interested in following along. I will announce to my newsletter subscribers and on my social media when these pieces become available to purchase.

52 Weeks of finding Light series

  • I've become obsessed with studying and interpreting light and atmosphere, and so "52 Weeks of Finding Light" is a new series of paintings that I will be working on throughout 2023.
  • Like my "52 Seascapes in 52 Weeks" series that I completed in 2021, my intention is to complete one painting in this new series every week this year. As I learned back in 2021, a weekly challenge forces me to show up consistently for my creative process, and provides me with a level of focus that works well for me.
  • I share each week's completed painting on my social media, and most pieces will be made available to purchase in my online Shop.
  • At the end of the project, I will share an online gallery where the entire series can be viewed. In the meantime, follow me on social media for weekly updates on this exciting painting project about light!

snapshots series

  • My Snapshots Series of tiny oil paintings on Arches oil paper is an ongoing series that I originally started as a way to break a creative block. In this series, I experiment with different color and texture combinations. Formatted to resemble old-school instant photos, these tiny paintings aren’t meant to be perfect compositions, but represent “in-the-moment” ideas that are forming as I work: Snapshots!
  • As I work on new ideas, I find my self painting more and more Snapshots. I hang them up in my studio, and these tiny paintings work their magic, sparking ideas for new artwork!  
  • I'm happy to add them to my online Shop from time to time as an affordable way to share my art process with my collectors. Each Snapshot measures approx. 4.25” x 3.5” and is signed on the back.
  • Follow my social media accounts to find out when new Snapshots are available!

law dictionary project

  • In 2019, I started transforming my Black’s Law Dictionary into a work of art. Symbolic of my journey from lawyer to artist, my law dictionary has become my most important place for recording my interpretations, memories, and feelings from the environment around me. Whether it is an impression left by a particular day at the beach, or a tree that looked particularly interesting after a fresh snowfall, I pour those moments onto these pages.  
  • I begin each page with a thin base coat of gesso, then I use charcoal and sometimes pastels or conté crayon to sketch the images.
  • The original physical drawings remain bound in my law dictionary as one cohesive, ever-evolving collection. 
  • If you're interested in following along, I post each drawing on an Instagram page specific for this project, and also frequently share them on my Mastodon page. 

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