It doesn’t take much to distract me from my bird-painting goals this year. Over dinner recently, a friend mentioned how much she would love a painting of the ocean—and just like that, a new idea took root. A few days later, I found myself back in the studio, beginning the creative process once again.

Whenever I create a painting for someone, I like to spend time quietly reflecting on that person as I work. This time, Jan was on my mind. As the ocean scene began to come to life on the canvas, I felt inspired to include her in the painting itself. This is only the second time I’ve ever painted a person into one of my pieces, which made the process feel especially meaningful.

What truly sets Jan’s Windy Beach apart from my previous ocean paintings is the sense of movement. The waves feel alive, full of energy and motion in a way I haven’t captured before.

This little painting has sparked inspiration for my next project. I plan to recreate the composition on a larger 9×11 inch canvas board, expanding on the idea by adding a child and seagulls along the shoreline. I’m excited to see where this new direction leads.

Below, you can see the stages this piece went through during its creation. It is a 3×3 inch miniature on stretched canvas, and I’m looking forward to gifting it to Jan as soon as I can part with this treasure.

I used a 3 by 3 inch stretched canvas, and Golden Heavy Body acrylic paint for this piece. ‘Jan’s Windy Beach,’ an original acrylic painting by DVD © 2026.

Price: Not For Sale