Fall City, my beloved Fall City. When people hear it mentioned they think of two things, Treehouse Point and Float the River. Well with those two options I went with the obvious choice. I have never yet stayed at Treehouse Point but I see it everytime I drive to the freeway and now with our beautiful mural in town whenever I drive the 202. All the treehouses at the Point are completely hidden from view, much like a cougar prefers to be.
Drive through old town Snoqualmie and you see the next sight clearly visible from your car. You don't need to stop or pull over to get an eyeful of Mt. Si. This highly paintable mountain looms over our little valley with a gentle observance. Although we all enjoy it, this is really North Bends mountain. The valleys below are home to a well known heard of elk and, if you're lucky, you might just get to watch them cross the highway.
Drive east along the river and you come to our next destination, Snoqualmie Falls, maybe you've heard of it. With Salish Lodge perched at the top you can't beat the view or location. I have stayed at Salish just twice, but the feeling you get when you're there is amazing. You feel taken care of and farther away from life than you actually are. Depicted inside a bear because, like the falls, they are unapologetically visible around here.
Some places just hold a special place in our hearts. Some people also hold a special place in our hearts. Especially those friends you’ve known for a long time. The ones that when you’re together again it’s as if no time has passed. The ones who love your children as their own. Who accept you exactly as you are, done up or undone. This was a commission for my neighbor for just those types of friends. And how do you celebrate friends who hold this special place? With their special place. They have special memories at this amazing scene on an evening just like this one. I feel so privileged to create this scene for them in a way that celebrates the friendship between them and remind them of an evening worth remembering. For those of you wondering, this is Delicate Arch found at Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, USA. An incredible, almost otherworldly type of place with an atmosphere of awe.- Out of stock
Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be a bug? I have, in fact I've thought about it so much I've actually thought this could be a cute children's book. Bugs live right alongside us, in the exact same world we do, and yet their world is so very different. Their lives are spent just being and taking each day as it comes. As I spent many hours painting this little scene, I thought about the lovely spider who spent many many hours creating this beautiful web. This is not only her home but also her livelihood. It's where she sees the world go by and the seasons change. As the days go on she needs to repair her home. It gets used and damaged and she doesn't complain. She just repairs it. This web is far from the perfect and yet to me that is one of the reasons it is so beautiful. It is her masterpiece and her labor of love. Lately I have been seeing ways that time has been affecting my own home. Things are wearing out and needing replaced. What was once newer is now outdated. Lived in, lovingly used and optimistically repaired. My home is the place I most long to be, and seeing the passage of time reminds me of all the love that has been seen there. All the repairs and things done over the last 18 years to make this special place feel like ours. And to me this is such a beautiful thing. I encourage all of you for just a moment, to imagine what your world would be like if you were a bug. Who would be in your little world and what would be the important things that would fill your day? - Out of stock
Let's add a few miles to these tires. This couple finds themselves 20 0r 25 years down the road. Life has happened. Doors that were once open have now closed and maybe life doesn't look quite like they thought it would and has, at times, been disappointing. Some of those chairs that were once filled now sit empty. But guess what, one thing is just as good if not better than they'd hoped for. The love on their wedding day has grown into something much more. The once dynamic passion has smoothed into something so warm and loving it's difficult to describe. The laughter that fills the cracks is one that only years of being together can create. Throughout the years, as they've stuck together, a beautiful garden of love has been growing in the dirt of life. Maybe they have children, maybe not. Maybe they've traveled the world or maybe they weekend trip to their favorite spot again and again. Maybe they've moved a few times and started fresh, or maybe they have been in the same home the whole time. Maybe they've had a dog or two, or maybe they're allergic. Maybe their jobs have changed or maybe a career has been established. Whatever they've done or not done one thing is for certain, they've stayed with each other. They've supported each other, compliment each other and still hold hands when they walk the beach. Meaning behind this painting: The flowers represent devoted affection (heliotrope) and happiness (delphinium). The hummingbirds represent love, joy and resilience. The layers of colors represent the ups and downs that the couple has gone through throughout the years and the flowers collected from the ground are the memories they're holding tight to as they look towards their future. - 50% Off
We were on our way to the first day of the convention last July. It was early morning were tired. As we came up over the hill on the freeway the sky's color filled our car with warmth. Colors of orange, pink, and a purple that cannot be found in a tube of paint. I thought about that sky for weeks afterwards before finally needing to put it on a canvas. I knew I couldn't replicate the sky because I don't remember what it looked like. I just remember those colors, etched into my eyes. The scenes of these paintings come from a different space. I often think about things that I want to do. Some are grand bucket list things, but most are smaller. I want more moments like these. Quieter, softer, deep breath of relief type of moments. A moment where you made a little extra time, took one single day off, went on a little getaway. I want more of those and I'm on the road to getting more of them. Often though, they seem to be just a moment away. Like I just needed a little extra something that I don't have. These paintings represent the moments taken and opportunities made, A moment away realized. - Out of stock
Take a walk with me, but don’t say anything. Away from the sounds of the cars and the people and the buzz of electricity. Into a forest where you won’t get lost but rather find something you were looking for. I was looking for a place to escape. A place where there were no obligations or time frames or worries. I needed to take a step back, to look up and see where I was and where I was going rather than just focus on the ground I was stepping on. I knew I needed a forest and I knew it needed sunrays. Sunrays to me make me feel in awe of beauty. Nothing calms me down faster than the beauty of nature. It reminds me of priorities, of love and sacrifice, and goals of contentment. Take a step back with me and stop looking at the ground. Look UP and soak in the feeling that that gives you. - Out of stock
I knew what to call this from the moment I thought about it. You see a few weeks ago I was apple picking. Not just any old apple picking, but my own tree and a tree I love very much. It's a McIntosh tree and it sits right outside the entrance to my garden. This tree is many decades old and we have grown very fond of each other over the past two. We have grown together and seen so much life pass through our branches. This tree never ceases to amaze me with it's abundance. Each year it provides us with so so many apples. More than we know what to do with. An abundance. As I picked each and every one over the course of a few days I pondered how much abundance there is in my life. An abundance of love. Love from my husband, my family and my ever growing network of friends. More than I feel worthy of, more than I deserve. These thoughts swirled around my mind and my brush as I created this piece. An abundance to be grateful for. And wouldn't it be nice if everyone in the world could have this abundance. An abundance of love, food, hope and faith. While life is also tangled with sadness and dark things, there is an abundance to be found if you allow it grow. 
I call this one Alpine, but it really should be called Picturesque. This is Picture Lake which shows off the amazing Mt. Shuksan that sits behind it. This spot is a photographers dream no matter what time of year it is. Sitting just below Canada and right by Mount Baker it is everything the PNW is known for: Mountains, Trees, and Water. I painted this and thought of my dad a lot. Something about the scene and the colors I used just felt like him. He used to be an avid hiker and mountain climber. It wasn't my intent but it reminded me of an old painting he had in his office while I was growing up. I sent him the video of this painting and he immediately knew the location. In fact he has pictures from this exact spot and said he used to hike the trails and ski that area all the time when he was younger. My dad now owns the original and I couldn't imagine a better hands for it to be in. However, for 99 special people, you can have your very own copy of this very special print.- Out of stock
I see this mountain almost every day. There is stands, tall and confident, yet gentle and comforting. Its been here for so long I sometimes wish I could talk to it. What changes has it seen in our valley over the past hundreds of years? Has it seen the elk cross that road hundreds of thousands of times? Has it seen cars replace horses and houses replace fields? How many storms has it weathered? A few months ago I saw it like this. The sight took my breath away. Another storm was blowing in its face, taunting it with its icy power. Yet at that very moment the sun set its warm hand on its shoulder, reminding the mountain of all the storms it had already endured. The endless amount of torment it gone through only to give it more strength and character year after year. It was a moment of light and darkness, of strength and gentleness. It was a moment so incredible captivating it pulled me in with it's alluring breath. - Out of stock
I don't know what it is about Highland Cows that have me so smitten. Is it that big soft nose? That felty long shaggy hair? Or the eyes, that despite being hidden behind the forest of fur they still feel like they're peering into your heart? I'm not sure, but I do know that somehow the combination of these things left me aching to paint one. Not a whole herd, just one. One strong lone cow. As I painted him I tried to give him a name and thought a few but none quite fit. To help I imagined we had spent a day together. We talked about what he liked to do, his favorite place in the forest (a field that blooms buttercups, but don't tell the ladies that!), and his favorite branch to rub his horns on. Still no name. Until the day I met Angus. A single lone Highland Cattle living on a local farm along with his newly beloved family. Angus is showing his strength by overcoming his shyness and his family chose him to join theirs. The name Angus actually means "One" or "Choice" and after I learned that I knew that not only was the real Angus named absolutely perfectly, but I knew I had found the name for my Angus too.
