Progress.

5x7 Melon painting.

4x4 pheasant study.

Progress on the Fox Dreams.

Compilation of recent works.

5x7 cat commission.

8x10 cat commission.

5x5 inch tomato study.

2 4x4 inch cherry studies.

And last but not least, a repost of a facebook post.

Yesterday, we went for a stroll around the Maymont park. And there, near Italian garden, we found a shrub. But it was no ordinary shrub! It was a shrub covered with waxy, fragrant blooms.
Now, you cannot blame me for thinking that Mother Nature had gone off the deep end again- flowering things that could be smelled 20 feet away do not belong in the month of January. But Mother Nature was not to blame here, for a change.
This plant is originally from China, and is called wintersweet (one of the Chimonanthus species). It is not as common in the gardening trade as it should be, due to the long time it takes to bloom (3-7 years) and due to its relative plainness in the summer. Still.The bugger actually blooms. Fragrantly. In the winter. And if I'm gushing, so be it. If you are from Richmond, you have absolutely no excuse to not visit Maymont and be amazed at this little winter miracle.

A new year with a bang.

First of all, a couple of 5x7 commissions in progress.

And the first major piece for the year.
16x48, acrylic on board. Dandelion Mountains.
Due to the odd weather on the east coast, we've been slammed with unseasonal temperatures- it actually got into the 70s last week. Dandelions and pansies aren't even thinking about dying.
Dandelions have always been dear to me- pretty, prolific, invasive, useful. Just like people. Dandelion fluff, to me, represents the ease with which we are transplanted across the city or even country. And the mountains... well, if you've ever lived in the blue mountains of Appalachia, you'll know what I'm talking about. Think of this as a nostalgia piece, I guess.

Oh, and the pictures are crap. The background is iridescent, with lacy overlay.

Minor project updates.

A trio of 4x4s from today.

4x6 inch cat study. (Warm-up).

Painted pot. Want to do a group of those for a display in the Bucket of Birds studio window.

And, last but not least, a Christmas Wren.

In other news, 've been having quite a few panic attacks over city living, and am also working on getting better via the power of distractions and positive thinking. Seems to be working so far.

A large and a small.

16x48 inches, acrylic on board. Bluebirds flutter. (~22 hours work).

5x7 inch kitty commish'.

Oh. Also, I officially have a webshop now.

More smalls.

Another 5x5 inch poppy. Background is the perfect blood color.

4x4 decorative motif.

And a 5x7 inch commish' in progress.

More odds and ends.

6x6s for a fundraiser.

And a 5x5 inch kitty commish', whose colors I couldn't get just right on the painting's photo.

Dawg, finished cat, and an owl.

Finished 8x10 cat commish.

Finished 6x8 inch dog. (Not commission, just example for an upcoming show.)

And last but not least, a 5x5 owl.
El: "Why does the owl have a leaf on its head?"
Me: "Because it lacks opposable thumbs. Duh."

Cat'n'More flowers.

Last Saturday, volunteered at a local craft show (at the Science museum of Richmond), then went out to listen to Diana Nyad speak at the Altria Theater. Sunday was spent a the in-laws, where we were given much food and where El did computer fixings. Then we went to Strange's florist and I got Christmas cacti! (Originally wanted just one, but El liked the pure white-flowered ones they had, so we got a little one of those, too.). It was a good weekend.

Also, here's an 8x10 cat named Houdini from today. Commissions are funny. A week goes by without a single one, then suddenly everyone and their brother wants a painting, and they want it yesterday.

A little magnolia 4x4 from last week that I forgot to post for whatever reason.

Edit: also, an 8x10 dog from today.

5x7 cat commission

This falls somewhat into the category of studio critters. A number of years ago, Josh and I volunteered at the garden of the Fields-Penn House 1860 Museum Out back there grew a very impressive vine with fruit that looked like something out of a horror movie. (Possibly involving aliens).
Before we left Abingdon, we gathered a few seeds from it and, finally lo and behold- A baby chocolate vine all of our own! (The stringy things behind it are daffodils, and the thing in front of it is a rogue potato. Not sure how either of them got there.)

More kitties.

A pair of 4x4 commish's.

Kitty and a small.

Still getting the space settled. Meanwhile, here's an 8x10 commission cat.

And a 4x4 inch warm up.

The muse of photography is not with me today.

Tweaked 8x10 dog portrait.

5x7 decorative.

6x12 decorative /w a snail.

Paintings from tonight.

A few things-for-agent from tonight.

8x10 underpainting for another pet portrait.

A pair of 4x4s, Jerusalem artichoke and trillium.

And last but not least, another 5x7 Creeper Trail. Apparently the first one sold (along with Solomon's Seal, from the same batch), and someone else wanted a copy for their wife.

 Sitting here, I'm suddenly struck by how much I love what I do. 

Cat and birds.

8x10, acrylic on board. Commish's are delicious~.

And a pair of hawks has been hanging out around here for a couple of days now. Broad-winged or red-tailed, I think..?(EDIT: The hawks turned out to be of a red-shouldered variety. :D)

Finnegan and Eggplant.

Fini-cat. 9x12 inches, acrylic on board

Eggplant study. 4x6 inches, acrylic on board.

Some small odds and ends.

6x7, acrylic inks on watercolor paper; request for a friend.

5x5 inches, acrylic on board. Last bird'n'flower motif for a while.