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I’ll be at Art on the Green Fall 2022

art show booth showing paintings hanging inside a pop up canopy tent

This is my first time participating in the local “Art on the Green” art festival event in downtown, Woodstock, Georgia. I’m excited to be a part of this event and share art I’ve created with my local community. Scroll down below for a preview of some of the art I will have on display. I plan to showcase several popular painting series including “Wild Sunflowers”, “Dreaming Dogs”, “Discovered Country”, “Wild Spirits” (Horses), “In Fine Spirits” (wine), and “North Georgia Landscapes”.

Artists will be displaying their work in booths outside on the Event Green starting on Saturday, October 15th at 10am. I plan to have paintings for sale, selected reproductions (prints), and a browse bin of matted art on paper. I’m looking forward to seeing what the other artists will have on display!

Visit https://woodstockarts.org/events/art-on-the-green-fall-2022/2022-10-15/ for full event details. You can also see features of artists who will be at the event on their Facebook page.

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Flowers symbolize hope, courage and caring

close up of a floral painting showing petals of a rose

I’ve been asked a lot lately about my favorite things to paint and I felt a bit silly admitting I like to paint flowers. Why? I mean it’s obvious I’m painting them, especially if I’m standing less than five feet away from my own art. I’ve done some reflecting on this and I’m ready to share why I think I enjoy painting them. Spoiler: It’s not just because they are beautiful, whatever that means.

Flowers are fascinating

Flowers have always fascinated me. They come in so many shapes, sizes and forms. The more elaborate and colorful they are, the more I like them. Some people may see flowers as very feminine, weak, and “girly”. I see them as symbols of courage, hope, and caring (love). Flowers may be temporary, but they are even more powerful symbols of courage and hope to me because of that. We look for flowers every spring. They symbolize renewal and fertility, the continuation of life in many cultures. Giving people hope for the future is not weakness.

Why I paint roses

I paint a lot of roses. Partly because I grew up near a city famous for it’s roses, and my mom took me around the public gardens in the area and would show me all the varieties. Mostly, it is their amazing shapes, colors and textures. The petals are soft yet surprisingly strong. Most of them have sharp thorns.

There are many different smells. Roses use many of our senses: touch, smell, sight, and if you like tea or edible flowers, taste. While they are used for a lot of women-centric marketing and cultural purposes, such as a dozen roses for Valentine’s Day or to sell boxes of chocolate, I see them differently. Roses also symbolize courage to me because of their strength and bold shapes. Every rose is different. The flowers have shadows and light, the petals form shapes that reveal and hide. There is a mystery also about the forms of roses.

More than beauty

Roses are more than beautiful flowers to me. When I create a painting with roses as the subject, I’m making a work of art to express hope, courage and our desire to care for others and be cared for. If someone sees only a painting they think is beautiful, that’s fine. My wish is for people to find one of my floral paintings appealing because it gives them a feeling of hope, courage or love.

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Two Art Shows in July in the Atlanta Area

three paintings of dogs, a pit bull mix, a lab mix and a blue heeler.

I’m thrilled to be showing my work in two locations in July. One in Cherokee County, Georgia, northwest of Atlanta and the second in Atlanta at Ponce City Market. Both shows feature free receptions where you can meet the artists and other art lovers.

July 1 – 26th: Cherokee Members Art Show

Reception: July 7, 6-8pm

July 7 – 27th : Binders Ponce City Market

Reception: July 23rd, 3-5pm

What art will I be showing?

The Cherokee Members Art Show will feature several new paintings in including “Mischief”, “High Energy Jack” and “Shelby Dreams”.

Here is a preview of the pieces that will be in the show:

three paintings featured in cherokee arts center including mischief, a colorful lab puppy, jack a jack russell, and shelby a wire haired dashund mix

Binder’s Ponce City Market will be featuring work from the Friday Painters group at the Atlanta Artist Center including three paintings by me. Here is a preview of them:

three paintings of dogs, a pit bull mix, a lab mix and a blue heeler.

I hope you can make it to one of the receptions!

 

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Stubby, A Real Dog Hero

Real Dog Hero Sgt. Stubby Watercolor

I recently finished the painting of Sgt. Stubby, part of the Real Dog Heroes Series. This is a new series of paintings and drawings based on real dog heroes from search and rescue organizations, every day dogs being heroic and dogs who protected soldiers. The series was inspired while writing one morning about different canines who have done amazing things against what sometimes seemed to be impossible odds. I researched for the series by reading books from different sources and various news sites online.

 

 

Real Dog Hero Sgt. Stubby Watercolor

Stubby was the only dog to be awarded the rank of “sergeant” during World War I. He was smuggled overseas to France by his owner after he was found on the Yale campus. This loyal American Pit Bull Terrier mix saved lives and kept up the morale of soldiers by providing warnings about poison gas attacks and serving in multiple battles and actions. It was his soulful and alert expression that caught me.

Materials used: Watercolor and Prismacolor watercolor pencils and Staedler watercolor crayons on 140# watercolor paper.  Size: 11 inches by 15 inches. Price: $175 for the original painting.

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Dog Portraits: Colorful Boston Terrier using Derwent Inktense Blocks and Watercolor on 140 lb Paper

Boston Terrier dog portrait with rainbow colors but mostly green and purple using watercolor and inktense block art sticks

I’m continuing my series of colorful dog portraits with this friendly Boston Terrier. He was inspired by a conversation I had with a fellow designer at a conference. He was talking about how Boston Terriers are the ultimate pet for designers. They are a cute, quirky and visually appealing breed. They pack a lot of personality into a tiny body.
Boston Terrier dog portrait with rainbow colors but mostly green and purple using watercolor and inktense block art sticks

This piece was made on high quality 140lb watercolor paper using watercolor washes and ink washes with layers of Derwent inktense block art sticks layered on top. And layered again. And again. There were a few chalk pastels used here and there, but yeah who uses ink medium for textured layers? It’s fun to experiment like this and not use art materials the way the were intended. I get a thrilling zing in my belly. Does this make me an art rebel? Cool! I always am careful to create make sure my work is well made and durable. Inks are very durable and long lasting and these are pigment rich.

This is a close up so you can see the texture of the ink sticks and watercolor:

close up of boston terrier dog portrait showing detail of ink and watercolor

Here is a work in progress shot before I added the final ink layers:

colorful Boston terrier watercolor and ink work in progress close up

Like this little guy? You can download a print of him from my Etsy shop, request an art print using the contact form below, or request a commission.

Colorful Boston Terrier dog portrait painting using watercolor and ink on watercolor paper