Blue Antlers

I finished a new watercolor painting earlier this week. It's titled Blue Antlers and is for sale in my Society6 shop.

Also, today only in my shop there is Free Worldwide Shipping plus $5 off T-shirts, Tote Bags, Leggings, and all Apparel. The sale promotion ends at Midnight PT 12/10.

Sketchbook Page - Mount Jo

Today brings another page from my watercolor sketchbook. This was painted at the summit of Mount Jo in Lake Placid back in May.

 This was the biggest mountain trail that we climbed when we were last in the Adirondacks. Even Bilbo made it to the top with us, which is surprising when you remember how short his legs are. He's turning into a real trail loving dog. Mount Jo was a lovely hike, and the view from the top made it all worth it.

  

 

Eventually I'd like to attempt becoming an ADK 46er, but I definitely have a way to go. I think I'll start with the Saranac Lake 6er and work my way up. But Mount Jo still qualifies for an ADK patch! 

Sketchbook Page - Cobble Hill

This page from my watercolor sketchbook was painted at the top of Cobble Hill in Lake Placid this May. Cobble Hill was a great hike to take Bilbo on with us. We met quite a few other people with dogs of all shapes and sizes, and each dog seemed to be having an awesome time. If you're a beginner hiker, or are looking for a hike that can be handled with pets or young children, then I definitely recommend this trail.

Here is a photo that I took from the top of Cobble Hill. It was a gorgeous weekend, and it was fun to see the contrast between spring and autumn in the Adirondacks.

Sketchbook Page - Mountains

I painted this in my watercolor sketchbook last October while I was in the Adirondacks. It was a beautiful day, so it was the perfect opportunity to sit on the peak of Whiteface Mountain and do some paintings of the surrounding view. I consider myself lucky to live in Central New York, because I have access to so much beautiful scenery with the Finger Lakes and the Adirondacks.

While I was looking through my sketchbooks this week, I realized I have several pages from the Adirondacks that I've never posted here, and with autumn rapidly approaching I thought that this would be the perfect time to share them. You can expect to see more of this variety over the next few days.

This painting is also available for sale in my Society6 shop on a variety of products, including throw pillows, tote bags, leggings, and more!

Sketchbook Page - Harbor View Hotel Porch

This morning's sketchbook page was drawn last month on the front porch of The Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown, on Martha's Vineyard. Their front porch has a beautiful view of the Edgartown Lighthouse and it's a great place to stop and rest for a bit while walking around town. It's also a nice, comfortable place to sit and draw outside, without being in direct sunlight. A nice employee even offered to bring our dog, Bilbo, water while my husband and I were working in our sketchbooks.

After sitting on the porch for a while, we took Bilbo down to the Lighthouse beach, where he proceeded to have the time of his life. There was much frolicking in the sand, flinging of seaweed, and splashing in the ocean.

Sketchbook Page - Dutcher Dock, Menemsha

Today's sketchbook page comes from the Dutcher Dock area of Menemsha on the island of Martha's Vineyard. Those colors aren't exaggerated, it really was quite vivid in the middle of August.

I love Menemsha, it's my favorite place to buy fresh seafood. While I was on the island this summer, I made good use of it and on four separate nights cooked scallops, crab cakes (from scratch), flounder, and striped bass. I also made sure that I ate more than my fair share of clam chowder.

Sketchbook Page - Polly Hill Arboretum

I'm planning to post some pages from my sketchbook over the next few days, as I have several small paintings and sketches that I haven't shared yet. Today's page is from this past August and was painted at Polly Hill Arboretum on Martha's Vineyard. Polly Hill is a lovely, peaceful place to sit and draw or read. I highly recommend a visit if you're ever on the island.

Shire Toile - Now Available In Red!

Due to popular demand, my Shire Toile print is now available in red! It can be found in my Society6 shop on a variety of products, including tote bags, throw pillows, duvet covers, and more.

The original blue version of my Shire Toile print can be found right here.

Is there something in my shop that you'd like to see in another color option? Drop me a line, it never hurts to ask.

Into The Blue

I recently finished a new watercolor pattern piece titled "Into The Blue", inspired by Moroccan tiles.

This piece is available for sale in my shop on throw pillows, area rugs, shirts, and more! 

Radiant Sun

This design was inspired by an old, leaded glass, half-circle window that I saw on a historic home tour. I combined vector illustrations with watercolor painting to create it.

Radiant Sun is currently available for sale right here on a variety of products in my Society6 shop. Also, free worldwide shipping is available until Midnight PT on Monday, September 7, 2015.

Throw Pillow Sale - Today Only!

Today only in my shop - $5 off on throw pillows! 

Use the coupon code THROW5 at the checkout. Sale ends Midnight PT 8/27/15. 

This is the perfect time to update your dorm room or home decor for Back To School or Autumn! 

Forest Mushrooms

This illustration in inspired by a cluster of mushrooms that I came across while hiking in the Adirondack Mountains. I used watercolor and brown micron pens to draw this in my travel sketchbook.

  

I have also added this illustration to my Society6 shop where it is available on a variety of products. Click here to see more.

Diamond Patterns - New Art and Shop Items

I recently made a new geometric pattern series that is inspired by colors found in nature. I looked to the land, the water, and the sky when choosing my color schemes.  Each of these patterns is available for sale in my Society6 shop.

Terra Diamonds - for sale on Society6

Aquatic Diamonds - for sale on Society6

Sunset Diamonds - for sale on Society6

Naturalis Diamonds - for sale on Society6

There have also been some item updates to my shop. There are several new phone case models available, including Galaxy S6 cases and iPhone 6 Power cases. I also now have leggings in my shop! Currently, only these new geometric patterns are available, but I will be adding more designs soon.

The Everson Museum 60/60

I am happy to announce that I will be participating in The Everson Museum's 60/60 again this year!  The event is on Friday, June 19 from 5:30-7:00 pm. 60 artists have 60 minutes to create a piece of art. Viewers attending the event can mingle with the artists and listen to live music while enjoying complimentary refreshments and a cash bar. They can also enter several drawings to win a chance to take home one of the 60 pieces of art with them! Tickets are $40 in advance or $60 at the door. 

Photos from last year's event, as well as what I painted, can be found here on my blog.

More information and the option to buy tickets online is available at the Everson's website.

Corgi Love

Lots of Corgi love to go around! This little watercolor illustration was done in February for Valentine's Day, though it could be used outside of that holiday as well.  Bilbo was kind enough to sit still for a few minutes and let me make some sketches to use for this.

This illustration is currently available in my Society6 shop as a print, but also on a variety of products such as t-shirts, throw pillows, and tote bags.

The Lone Mushroom

A solitary watercolor mushroom. I took a lot of photos while I was in the Adirondacks this past October, and there were several little picturesque mushrooms along some of the hiking paths.

This painting is currently available as a print in my Society6 shop. In addition to traditional prints, you can find it on a variety of products such as wall tapestries, tote bags, throw pillows, and more. 

I particularly like how it looks on the throw pillows. It kind of makes me want to make a whole bunch of little woodland centric paintings so that I could have a mix and match forest on my couch.

Chromatic

This illustration, titled Chromatic, was created using a combination of Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. It was inspired by the repetitive radial designs that are created by spirographs, kaleidoscopes, and other similar things.

Chromatic is currently available for sale in my Society6 shop on a variety of items, including wall clocks, area rugs, and tote bags.

Caden

I painted this watercolor portrait of my nephew Caden back in December as a Christmas gift for my brother and sister-in-law. This portrait measures 9" x 12" and can also be viewed on my portfolio website.

Save The Gay Head Lighthouse

A while back, I donated the use of my "Ocean View of Aquinnah" watercolor painting to the Save The Gay Head Lighthouse campaign.

The historic lighthouse, located in the town of Aquinnah on the island of Martha's Vineyard, is in danger of falling in to the ocean due to the erosion of the clay cliffs. People have been working hard to raise money to move the entire lighthouse to a safer location near the cliffs in Aquinnah. Thanks to the efforts of many, the project continues to move forward!

They have been selling my watercolor painting on mugs as part of their fundraising efforts, and the mugs are now available in their online shop. I receive no money from this, I have freely donated the use of my painting to the lighthouse preservation campaign.

You, too, can help support the campaign by purchasing a mug or making a donation! You can read more about the campaign at their website, and the mugs are available in their Lighthouse Gear shop.

Catching Up and New Art

Hello everyone! I know it's been a while since my last blog post. I've still been busy with art (and with life!), I just haven't had a chance to sit down and post. It's been several busy months since I last posted.

Over the summer, my husband and I packed up our apartment and finally moved in to a house of our very own! It's all been very exciting, and I found myself wondering how we ever fit all of our belongings in to our apartment. The past few months have been a blur of unpacking and working on the house. I've been painting rooms, decorating, organizing, etc., and it has been taking up a lot of my free time. I'm looking at you, walls that are slowly being de-wallpapered. We're just now ending a very looooooooong winter full of snow and sub-zero temperatures (thank you, kind neighbors who helped us dig out our driveway!), and I couldn't be happier to see the return of sunshine and plants.

My full-time job, working as a high school art teacher, started again in September. The school year has been going by so fast - I can't believe that March is almost over! Crazy! Set design for our annual high school musical is underway (it's Grease this year), so my weekends have been taken up by that lately.

In other, more adorable news, back in October my husband and I brought a puppy home! We now have a Welsh Pembroke Corgi named Bilbo and he is so much fun. He has been a wonderful addition to our new home. I post photos of him on Instagram fairly often, so feel free to follow me there if you want to join in the Corgi cuteness.

Bilbo was my inspiration for the illustration that I made for my annual holiday card The illustration is titled Winter Corgi and was made using a combination Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

Winter Corgi is available for sale in my Society6 shop. You can purchase prints of this illustration, as well as mugs, throw pillows, tote bags, and more. Stop by the shop to view all of the options.  

Over the next few weeks I plan on getting back in to the swing of sharing artwork on my blog. Don't forget, you can also follow me on Instagram or like my page on Facebook to stay up to date on everything that is going on.