More insects!

I thought I’d offer up some insect illustrations for your Monday viewing. It’s so interesting how making artwork, no matter the style or purpose, usually fills my head and heart with inspiration and a million other works I want to make.

As the spring arrives and I’m spending more and more time in my backyard garden, walking around town and making summer travel plans, the ideas are filling my sketchbooks and I sincerely hope I can make the time to bring them to life in the near future.

I hope everyone is enjoying a few signs of spring if it isn’t fully warm where you live yet. Perhaps I can post some more photos of my recent adventures in New Mexico for those of you who are still getting snow…

Blue Butterfly, watercolor and ink on paper, 4 x 4″

 

Click Beetle, ink on paper, 3 x 3″

A Log Cabin Quilt and a Butterfly

Hello everyone,

I just have a simple post for you today. I’m spending most of this week working on illustrations for the biology text book but realized I had a few more paintings to show you as well.

Here is  a simple but bold painting of a log cabin quilt one of my dearest friends made for me (and hubby) as a wedding gift. Now I can enjoy its aesthetic in different forms around my house!

Log Cabin Quilt, oil/canvas, 20 x 20″

Next up we have a butterfly! Everyone likes butterflies.

Blue Butterfly

Tiger Prawn

I’ve been working on some illustrations for a biology text book… while I don’t want to give away too much, I think I will still update you from time to time with some of the images I come up with. Today you get a Tiger Prawn: Penaeus monodon

 

Tiger Prawn, ink on paper

Company in the Studio

I have wonderful company in my studio every day. Her name is Dragon and she can often be found looking like this… either on my drawing desk or, if I’m using it, on the sunny window ledge.

Sleepy Kitty

Here’s what I’m working on today:

Quilted Wall in progress #1

Quilted Wall in progress #2

Quilted Wall in progress #3

Quilted Sky

My series took a bit of a turn when I produced this painting, “Quilted Sky”.

I’m exploring ways of incorporating quilting aesthetic into other scenes such as landscape, still life and portraiture. This is one of my first attempts to transfer the often geometric motifs from quilts into a landscape. It was very enjoyable to paint and spurred many more ideas… more paintings to follow in the coming weeks!

Don’t worry… there will probably be more cat paintings too

Quilted Sky, oil/canvas, 20 x 20″

 

A kitten in the sheets

Here are some progress pictures of a recent painting, Kitten in the Sheets!

It is usually my intention to take more “in progress” pictures while I paint but most of the time I’m drawn right into the act and when I look up it’s hours later and I’ve missed meals and phone calls and bathroom breaks!

the first sketch

painting in the kitten

adding in the sheets

Kitten in the Sheets, oil on cavnas, 16 x 20″

The kitten is sleeping

The Kitten is Sleeping, Oil on Canvas, 11 x 14″

Another sunny interior

Another interior painting with sunlight, cat and blankets… mmm…

Window Bed, oil on canvas, 16 x 20″

The beginnings of a theme?

Here is another painting very recently finished in the studio. It features another cat portrait! I don’t know if that will become a theme yet. I’m more interested in the spaces and fabric patterns right now… it’s just that the cats want to be in the cozy spaces! What can you do?

Cat on the Rug

In the studio: update

I’m working on a few paintings simultaneously these days and although none are done yet I thought I’d post a progress picture:

Progress picture of “Cat on the Attic Window Quilt”