They say a dog is mans best friend. If you have ever been lucky enough to have a friendship like this with a dog you know what a hug like this feels like. Hugging a dog. It may just be the most unjudged feeling ever. They know what you are feeling but they don't know why. They seem to be there anytime you need a hug like this. They're there when you need a walk to let off some steam. They're there when you need a buddy to bring back that ball. They're there when you need someone to talk to, to laugh at or to simply have around. And then one day, after days and days, years and years, of them loving you and being there for you, it's your turn to be there for them. They don't know why they hurt or why you cry. They don't know why they fall down or walk slower. All they know is that you are there. Once again you came home to them, fed them love them and hugged them. The love of a dog is such a gift. It is an honor and privilege to have one in your life. And one day soon mine will be gone and I know my heart will hurt, more than the tears in my eyes will allow to show. Until that day I will hug every hug, allow every bad breath kiss, and give her every ounce of love that I can. Desi, I love you and I always will!- 50% Off
The sound of leaves in the wind, the sight of swaying branches, and the scent of eucalyptus in the breeze. Sometimes we need a refresh. A simple breath of fresh air to cause us to take a step back and a notch down. This little series would be perfect for a space that you want to feel calm and new. Simple and uncluttered and a reminder that simple is sometimes just what we need. - 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. - Out of stock
I was at a wedding in July and I started crying a little. A little girl asked me if they were happy tears. I paused, thought about it, and said "mostly." Although this was a very happy occasion, it was felt with a range of emotions. Like a bucket of feelings had been spilled all over me and they came out as a few simple teardrops. So often with life being full of ups and downs, even good things can be felt with a bit of loss. Opposite feelings. Hot and Cold, up and down, rise and fall. That is exactly what I thought about so much when painting this. The power of this waterfall. The smoothness of the river top and then just a moment later a drop off so intense the water seems to scatter through the air. All while this is happening, just a short distance away, are these daisies. These happy cheerful daisies that reminded me that softness and harshness can coexist. Happiness and sadness can be felt at the same time. What a beautiful experience it is to be human and to feel. While not all emotions are pleasant, they serve a purpose. There are times when I feel an intense joy, so much that my face must be beaming! But I know that I can feel joy that intense because I have felt a sadness equally intense. It makes me appreciate the bad times because I know that I am learning to feel and learning how to appreciate the good times more. I will remember this painting as a reminder to take the good with the bad. To allow things to happen and to see the daisies during times of a fall. - Out of stock
What do you think trees would tell us if they could talk? What do you think these trees would tell us if they could talk? Would they talk about the endless years of sunrises and sunsets they have seen? Would they tell you that each one of them is uniquely beautiful and that each time it takes their breath away? Would they tell you about the storms they have weathered or the winters they've wintered. Or perhaps the birds that have raised their young in the shelter of their branches, or the scurries of squirrels that have scuffled beneath? Trees would have such a stationary yet unique perspective. Their view stays the exact same their whole life, and yet they still see more then many people do in a lifetime. It's as if their eyes look up and out, instead of down and back. I think they'd remind us that it is ok to be stationary. That's is wonderful to stop sometimes and just take in the beauty of where they are. I think they'd start out many sentences with "If you could only see..." - Out of stock
When something is radiant, it is impossible to ignore. It is shining so brightly your eyes cannot look away. It has a beauty and a splendor about it and is like a moment of shining beauty in an otherwise dark world. That is why this painting is known as "Radiance" There are many times when I look out and what my eyes see effects my heart. My heart is filled with gratitude and awe. I sometimes feel like I'm allowed to see things others aren't when in fact it is right in front of them too. When I see immense beauty my mind wanders to the one who created it. My inspiration to create comes from creation itself. I am constantly pulled back to a place we visited a year ago. The stunning blue ridge mountains. I feel as though I left a piece of my heart there, and I don't say that lightly. These mountains filled my eyes with awe and made my face shine with radiance. I could not stop smiling that day and felt like I was brimming with happiness. Radiance. To me this painting represents a place where I no longer am, but where a piece of my heart is planted. - Out of stock
Winter is our longest season. It can feel like it goes on and on. But there is a time when winter is starting to get sleepy that is so special. One moment it's winter, and the next it's spring. The sun is out one second and then hail starts to shatter the warmth. It's as if winter is trying to stay awake but its eyes are struggling to stay open. These trees you see here are feeling it happen. The sun is warming them up, the birds are chirping and then all of a sudden, the rain starts to beat down again. I actually love this type of weather because there is such feeling there. An emotional battle between the seasons and even though we all know who's going to win, winter is coming in for one more encore moment. This is the final piece of my first ever collection, "Endless". I hope you have all enjoyed seeing these and I am excited to see who out there claims each piece. - 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
This piece came from deep inside me. It says something I have trouble saying, at least tactfully. I will do my best to articulate what this means to me. Please bear with me, and I'd love to hear how this piece speaks to you. How do you refill your cup? Let me elaborate. How do you recharge, and what drains you? This is hard for me to admit, but being with people drains me. I love people, and I love the ones in my life, especially those who have spent years forming a relationship with me. I love helping people in practical ways and I love listening when they pour their heart out. Spending time with people has made me more patient, forgiving, empathetic and understanding. That being said, I leave social situations with less energy than when I started. I recharge honestly by being alone, being creative, and being at home. I know that I really need that time. I wish I were that person who was always looking forward to the next gathering, the big event where we all get together. With life being so very packed of good, but social, things, I often feel drained. There are times when I want so to run away. I created this little cabin as a place to go. A place where I can grab my husband and escape to. No one can reach us. A little place in the middle of nowhere. Trees so tall they are touching the sky. Clouds so thick that no one can see through, and no sound can penetrate this little space other than the gently lapping waves on the shore. This cabin is a place where others Let Me Be. They let me be me. - Out of stock
The winter here is always in motion. The rain falls, the trees sway in the wind, and the clouds are always on the go. Sometimes they appear as a heavy comforter, covering the sky in an almost impenetrable barrier between you and sun. Other times the clouds flow like water. They move around almost as though they're checking on the ones they love. And when the clouds meet the trees on the hill, they embrace as though they don't want to let go. They start to touch and dance in an almost seductive way. This is a scene I see almost every day in the winter. The clouds lower into the trees and it is nearly impossible to look away because of their mutual longing. It is honestly one of the simplest yet romantic sights in nature. While defining the word haze is not all that difficult, describing it is. How can one do this act justice with words? I know I can't, but I could try to paint it. So here it is, my Defining Haze. - 53% Off
Do you know someone who makes something difficult look easy? Maybe you only found out how hard something really is when you tried to do it yourself. That's what I thought of the most while creating this piece. Did you that the average cloud weighs over One Million pounds!? I recently rode my bike through one and I was reminded that although clouds can look extremely light and fluffy, they are actually quite dense and wet. But they float and move around as though they weigh nothing. They can stretch and swirl and change colors in a matter of seconds. They make being a cloud look easy. While the trees are the centerpiece of this painting, the focus is all on those clouds. My intense fascination with them is what inspired, not only this painting, but the collection that is to follow. The collection, entitled "Endless", is a celebration of the relationships between the trees and clouds of Washington. Stay tuned for more stunning PNW scenes. All pieces of the collection will become for sale at a date later announced. - Out of stock
A few months ago I had a day I would relive over and over again if I could. My husband and I were on a trip to North Carolina and we drove the Blue Ridge Parkway for the first time. This was the most incredible experience. We happened upon this spot by accident. We had driven over an hour in the wrong direction and naively stopped at every viewpoint we could. Hindsight, this was the best mistake of the trip. The moment I snapped this picture I knew I would have to paint it. I felt on top of the world. The title of this painting comes from the feeling I was having while driving this incredible stretch of road along the Blue Ridge Parkway. This entire day was like a life-goal reset. I felt lighter and more in tune with who I was than ever before. There was a moment of clarity that has stuck with me ever since and I knew I could not ignore it. Together we looked over this fence at opportunities. We could live anywhere, we could see anything, and we could do it together. This stretch of road made us consider what we really want, outside of what we simply know and are familiar with. This fence was not a boundary line, but a starting point.
