My dear friend Pammy loves ladybugs. As a holiday gift, I decided to explore creating ladybug art. Below, you can see my process of developing three versions of the same basic painting. I gifted version two to Pammy. I fell in love with version three. However, when another friend commissioned a ladybug painting, I chose version three to fulfill the order. Although I felt sad to see it go, I am thrilled it will find a cozy place in someone’s home.
I still have this version. It is painted on a 12×12 unfinished wood plaque using Golden Heavy Body acrylic paint.
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Here is version two. In this version, I decided to add random tree branches to give the painting more depth. I also made the whimsical bubbles smaller so they wouldn’t overpower the ladybugs. This is the version I gifted to Pammy. It is painted on 8×10 stretched canvas using Golden Heavy Body acrylic paint.
This is the third version. This painting stands out from the others because it is set over water. It’s the version I fell in love with, especially because it has a cave-like appearance in the background. This piece was painted on a 4×6 wooden craft board using Golden Heavy Body acrylic paint. It was commissioned, and the new owner is very pleased with it.
On November 1st, 2024 my father passed away. He lived a wonderful life of 84 years. Four days earlier a dear friend also passed. I wanted to express my grief through my art. I went into my studio, shut the door, and picked up a brush. I had no idea what would happen. This is what I ended up with. This was a very healing experience for me. This painting is to honor anyone who has survived grief. I am also sharing a couple of photos with my father. He was a nut!
I revisited a trip we took last year for inspiration this time. This piece features a beach in Crescent City, California. I am particularly excited about how the clouds turned out, and I feel the waves look fluffy as well. Overall, I think this is one of my best ocean-themed works.
Venice is a magical place. I’ve been twice in my lifetime. The first time was with my sister, and the next was with my husband. This painting was inspired by a photo my sister took in Venice. I wanted to try something completely different and the challenge did not disappoint. I found the windows and the buildings especially difficult as I don’t have much practice with these things yet.
To create ‘Venice Canal’ I used Golden Heavy Body acrylic paint on a 9×12 canvas board. Thank you to Peggy Vega for the photo inspiration.
I am continuing to focus on water this year, hoping to gain confidence in this area. Here is a photo from our kayaking trip in May. I completed the painting in June 2024, and it was quite a challenge.
