Let's Be Thankful.

{An ongoing series in which I remind myself of many good things, and that gratitude is indeed a choice worth making.} 

So, friends, let's be thankful:

When my backyard turns into a magical jungle.

Walks around Kennesaw Mountain with three of my favorite old roommates (two human, one pup - one human not pictured).

A jar full of front yard flowers in the sunroom.

 A potting shed just asking for someone to get to work and start digging.

   

This SNOWBALL TREE.

Paintings for April.

As in any creative endeavor, styles shift and change with time. I felt a slight but definite shift in the studio when I was painting these - partially because I was using new tools which of course makes a difference, but also in the way they were approached. These were quick, more gestural, more layered, a bit looser. 

Now available through the gallery!

Bloom, Then Grow, 36 x 48, Mixed Media on Canvas

Cloud Veil, 36 x 36, Mixed Media on Canvas

 Lilac, 40 x 40, Mixed Media on canvas

Let's Be Thankful.

{An ongoing series in which I remind myself of many good things, and that gratitude is indeed a choice worth making.} 

So, friends, let's be thankful:

 A Saturday afternoon with dear people and sunny skies at Sierra Nevada Brewery.

A walk along a fisherman-dappled Davidson River.

 Car rides that look like this.

Long-time friends who lend me their home for a night, and the view from their living room windows. 

Lenten Roses welcoming me to my parents' house.

 Later sunsets, greener trees, and an evening stroll with a sister.

House Paint and Puppies.

I've been using a lot of house paint lately. 

The vast majority of the paints I have been using in the current series are actually just samples from Home Depot. Something about the consistency, unlimited hues, and semi-gloss finish. I'm a fan.

A fan, except for times like Wednesday when I lost focus mid-painting and started staring into space, forgetting I was holding a small bucket of paint when my wrist just went limp, and suddenly I heard a splatter and noticed a large puddle of gray paint pooling at my feet and the resident studio pup bounding toward me as though I just spilled a bag full of milk bones and not paint a.k.a. poison (lest you thought artist life was void of any real danger)... 

Yes, it's times like those I feel less than thrilled with paint, in general, as a concept.

Let's Be Thankful.

{An ongoing series in which I remind myself of many good things, and that gratitude is indeed a choice worth making.} 

So, friends, let's be thankful:

For Azaleas in the front yard reminding me that "earth tones" is a relative term.

For those particularly pleasant times when weather, snacks, drinks, and company are all top-notch and simultaneous. 

(As they were this sunny afternoon at Wicked Weed)

For a wedding in the mountains with a date who can really cut a rug (and doesn't get mad at me when my swing moves get outta control and I end up accidentally elbowing him in the face).

For an Easter weekend filled with sisters, grandparents, cousins, feasting, gardening, tennis, cul-de-sac games, ice cream, bonanza, and remembering the day when life proved to be more real than death, and our stories were made infinite through such a remarkable grace . 

Studio Updates & A Show.

{Ode to a new paintbrush, one upcoming show, and a handful of new paper works.} 

 One important bit of news is that I have found the cutest paintbrush in all the land, and it is mine, all mine. Fire engine red, wide-bristled, and rearing to hit the canvas. Indeed, m'friends, this is surely the dawn of an enduring companionship between painter and paintbrush in which new things of joy are created and shared.

- - -

And in other news, I shipped out a pile of paintings today for a show in Dallas, TX. If you find yourself in the area Thursday or Friday April 7-8, swing by and spend some time checking out the work.

Celebrate Art - Presented by Lindley Arthur Antiques & Interiors

Thursday, April 7th - 9am-5pm

Friday, April 8th - 9am-7pm

3612 Harvard Ave.

Dallas, TX 

Let's Be Thankful.

{An ongoing series in which I remind myself of many good things, and that gratitude is indeed a choice worth making.} 

So, friends, let's be thankful:

For rosemary spilling over onto the garden path.

For towels that look like the 70s.

For Sunday afternoon bike rides through the neighborhood, and helmet I bought at REI last week for $13.

For texts from a beaming dad showing off his latest and proudest catch.

Springtime in the Studio.

The air feels lighter, the sunlight brighter, and the paintings are starting to look like places I'd like to be. 

Current playlist:

The Fear - Ben Howard

Take up Your Spade - Sara Watkins

You and Me - Sara Watkins

The Age of Worry - John Mayer

Pine Away - Martin Sexton

Ophelia - The Lumineers

Promise - Ben Howard

Brothers - Penny and Sparrow

Let's Be Thankful.

{An ongoing series in which I remind myself of many good things, and that gratitude is indeed a choice worth making.} 

So, friends, let's be thankful:

 Cherry blossoms that aren't certainly on our side of the property line, but aren't certainly on the neighbors' side either.

Warmer days, and afternoon light in the living room.

A weekend in the mountains at Sharptop Cove with these dear friends (and being the token blonde).

Fireplaces that remind you you're in the mountains with dear friends.

FORSYTHIA & CHERRY BLOSSOMS & MAGNOLIA LEAVES, because these things swell and calm and ignite and please my soul.

 Time in the studio, and reminders of just how fortunate I am to do this as a job.

A night with family (human and canine) on the patio, no jackets needed, dinner on the grill.

Breckenridge & Denver

{Because grown-ups need spring break, too.}

We're young, like to ski, love each other and adventures, and needed no other reason than those to plan a ski trip over a long weekend to Breckenridge, CO. 

Two hotels, liters upon liters of water, four sets of matching purple ski pants, several PB&B sandwiches, a few elk burgers, a whole lot of sore muscles, and one torn ACL later (bless you, Gaines), we completed our grown up spring break with full and happy hearts.

Six girls, one Dodge Durango, and a whole lot of Jason Derulo.

Who doesn't love a room with a view?

Indeed, Narnia.

Not pictured: One minute later when I gracefully ate it and vowed to henceforth avoid moguls for the rest of my days.

Snow and twinkling lampposts are a recipe for something magical.

My dear friend Jessica drove over from Golden for a few hours. Getting to play and ride with her on God's playground (as she accurately referred to the mountain) was good for my soul.

Just some kids who love to ski with our gender-identifying pigtail braids (because honestly it can be hard to tell sometimes under all those puffy clothes...)

Here's to traveling light, making the fun times happen, and seeking out the beautiful things.

Let's be Thankful.

I'm a sporadic poster (see: my entire blogging history). But after going down the charming rabbit hole all night and morning that is Today's Letters (talk about #goals, amiright?), I'm enthusiastically hopping back on the blog-train, like a freshly-inspired idiot who makes sweeping statements with no actual plans. But a girl can dream.

Without further ado, things I'm thankful for lately: 

This sunset from Mt. Sassafras that has stuck in my mind since the January evening it occurred.

Patty Griffin + Sara Watkins + Anais Mitchell = the kind of magnificence that takes a while to process.

The beach condo that was once a particularly dusty shade of mauve (SMH), painted! Suddenly this place is quite inviting. 

  

The sounds and colors of a cold ocean in February.

And this. Because cookie cakes and birthdays are cause for great celebration.