New painting in progress

Last night I did some more work on that painting that I posted the start photo of yesterday. I was mainly working on blocking out colors and values on the roofs of the buildings. This painting measures approximately 12" x 18" and is being done with acrylic paint on watercolor paper.

Oh deer...and a snow day

Nothing fancy, just a recent sketchbook page.

Yesterday was a snow day, so I used the day off from teaching to start a new painting. School is back to normal today, so I'm planning to continue working on the painting this afternoon.


Also, don't forget - free economy shipping from my print shop on orders over $10! Only a week left on that offer.

Snow and Evergreens - new art and prints

This image was the result of experimenting with a combination of art techniques. This started out as a print made from a sheet of styrofoam that I drew and carved into. I used it to print with black ink on white paper, then scanned it and added all of the color digitally. I would have liked to actually print it with the colors, but I just don't have the set up at this time to do prints with color alignment.

Prints are now available!

Also, there is a promotion going on right now with my print shop. When you spend at least $10 you will get free economy shipping! It's the perfect time to pick up something for yourself or for some holiday gifts.

Autumn Leaf - watercolor painting

A watercolor painting of an autumn leaf, inspired by a trip to Vermont. The painting measures approximately 10" x 8" and is going to be given to my dad for his birthday during Thanksgiving weekend.

Prints are now available!

Inspirations: Random Sketchbook Pages

My sketchbooks tend to have pages filled with random bits of whatever I find in them. Here are some of those pages from my current sketchbook.

Roy Lichtenstein styled self-portrait

I painted this as a demonstration piece for my 8th grade students. They've been making self-portraits inspired by either Roy Lichtenstein or Shepard Fairey (a project inspired by one I saw in Todd Stahl's classroom when I was doing my student teaching). After learning about both artists and taking reference photos to work from, they selected the style they wanted to work in and then transferred their photo to a drawing on 14" x 18" illustration board using the grid method.


Here are some samples of my students' work in progress. For most of them, this was their first time attempting a self-portrait. They're just wrapping up this project now and we're starting a ceramics lesson.

Inspirations: Local Artists

This weekend I went to the Salt City Urban Art & Craft Market. It was a great show with a lot of inspiring work being sold by area artists. I was practically drooling over all of the gorgeous letterpress work. I had some birthday money in my pocket, so I was able to take a few cool things home with me to continue the inspiration.



This felted owl is just too adorable! The artist has more work on Etsy at Peaches Products.



I'm planning on framing this notecard by Ink and Wit. There was a gorgeous calendar that the artist had put together that I really wanted to bring home, but it was a little out of my budget range.



I was determined to bring a piece of letterpress artwork home with me and wound up settling on this sweet little 10" x 8" winter themed print by Pistachio Press. They also had some gorgeous stationery. Their work is also available through their Etsy shop.

A quick glimpse of my classroom

I can't believe that I'm starting my fifth week of the school year already! Time is flying by. As such, I thought I should capture a quick glimpse of my classroom during this time. My students have been working on drawing the still-life arrangements that are on the tables. The bulletin board in the back has a display on the Elements of Design. I started the display with just a couple of images for each element and then my students helped finish it by bring in their own examples found in magazines, newspapers, the internet, or even from their own drawings.