I Heart Art

My sister/bestie had this lovely bracelet made for me in Mexico. Isn't she sweet? Now everyone can know that I heart art. 

Brenden

Brenden is my brother's friend. When I saw his photo on facebook, I knew I had to paint him. His facial expression says so much and hopefully I was able to capture it here.

Michal 2

This is the second painting I did of my good friend, Michal. She has such an interesting and beautiful face--my favorite kind to paint.

Doodles

Who would've thought doodling all over myself would be so fun?? 

New Year's Resolution

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to paint more! I think I'm doing all right because I've completed three paintings so far this year and it's not even February. Not bad, eh? What are your New Year's resolutions?

Moi

I'm not much of a photographer, but I do enjoy messing around with my camera once in awhile. :o)

Camille (Portrait of My Mom)

My mom is a beautiful woman, don't you think? She wanted to surprise my dad with an extra special gift for his 60th birthday, so she commissioned me to paint her portrait. (Of course mom gets a deep discount.) I hope my dad loves it. Happy 60th, Dad!

Amazing Grass Sculptures

I wish I had a backyard full of these: 

My Hero

Tonight I got to meet my all-time favorite teacher, Mr. Rees, for the first time in ages. He was my art teacher three years in a row in high school. Not only did he teach me a lot about art, he taught me to believe in myself, and he showed me that there are sweet, sensitive husbands out there (I could just tell he was crazy about his wife and I loved that). Mr. Rees truly cared about each individual student. He made us each feel important. Once, when my art was supposed to be accepted in a high school art show at a local museum, and at the last minute, due to an error, the museum didn't hang my painting, Mr. Rees noticed me in near tears and ended up hanging my painting in a hall in the high school. He had a unique approach to teaching. He's the one who got me interested in figure drawing. He invited his students to his home for Japanese food, took us (the art club) camping at Zion National Park, and even cared enough to come to my wedding! He was fun, quirky and caring. The best teacher anyone could ask for. I'm thankful for amazing teachers. In my mind, the good ones are pretty much rock stars.

Hope

I finally got off my lazy bum and painted. And it was sooooo fuuuuun! I always forget how much I love painting until I paint and then I think, "What took me so long?" I did more experimenting with dots/fingerprints. I kind of like how it turned out. 

Easy Coconut Squash Curry Soup

I just made the best soup ever. I was in the mood for something new and exciting--I just couldn't bear facing another spaghetti dinner--so I looked at several recipes online and got some ideas and came up with this recipe myself. It was sooooo yummy. I'm definitely going to have to make it again. And again and again...

1 bag of 10 oz. frozen butternut squash
1 onion (cut into fourths)
1 can garbanzo beans
3/4 cup coconut milk
3-4 cloves garlic (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
1 teaspoon Spike (or use vegetable broth instead of water if you don't have Spike)
1 teaspoon curry powder
salt and pepper to taste

Blend squash, onion, beans and garlic together in a cup and a half water until smooth. Add spices and simmer for about twenty minutes. Serves four. Enjoy.

Chloe

I thought I'd try the spot thing again. I really like how it turned out. I really enjoyed making this one. My job is so fun, it's ridiculous. :o)

Wet Kisses

This painting was inspired by the love I have for dogs. Whenever I see a dog (as long as it's not barking at me) I get really, really happy. I had a few dogs of my own. I miss them so, so, so much. I hope to add a new one to our family someday. Labradoodles, Airdales Terriers and Scottish Terriers are pretty cute--and hypoallergenic. Maybe someday I'll get one of those.

Don't Settle