summer Artwork

February 2, 2025

A few years ago I had accomplished a dream of mine and won my way with my beloved team to the United States Tennis Association National Championships. I had spent many years prior, captaining and building teams just to fall short of winning districts each year. Finally winning our season, sectionals, districts, state, and then winning the Midwest championship; we finally did it. This painting isn’t about the feeling of defeat on the court, as that’s always a chance to improve and grow. I didn’t lose in that aspect, because I was nearly undefeated that year and was almost a guaranteed win on doubles. This painting represents the agony, disappointment, disgust, and deceit, I felt when I learned I could not go to play alongside my friends in the championship in Scottsdale Arizona. I had let my team down and missed out on a once in a lifetime accomplishment.

November 21, 2024

I knew an old wise woman once. She told me to make my way back to Strasbourg, so I did. From her pine framed window, she bid farewell, “Okay now. I’ll be seeing you.” With her gaze and expression of both endearment and concern, but excitement for me. Looking on in to the day’s sun. This painting perfectly captures those feelings and experiences with my dear old friend.

September 29, 2024

Tawny Lily is a quick and easy graphite pencil sketch painted in with watercolor. This simple small artwork is a nice little decoration to hang in your room. The Tiger Lily or Tawny Lily, is my favorite flower. Even though I normally decorate my home with either orchids or white lilies, the orange flower is one that grew wild in the valley I grew up in along the ponds and creek sides.

September 21, 2024

Todd’s Sunflowers is a quick and easy graphite pencil sketch painted in with watercolor. This simple small artwork is a nice little decoration to hang in your room. Sunflowers being the favorite flower of one of my favorite painters, Van Gogh, and the added bonus of being a vibrant yellow to attract a summer time feel. My reference was my cousin’s yard, so these are Todd’s Sunflowers.

September 20, 2024

Pink Orchid is a quick and easy graphite pencil sketch painted in with watercolor. This simple small artwork is a nice little decoration to hang in your room. Orchids being one of my favorite flowers, usually white though, I decided to go with a pink one instead to avoid having to paint a background.

August 24, 2024

This watercolor painting captures the delicate beauty of a blue butterfly perched on a cluster of green and yellow leaves. The butterfly’s wings are depicted in vivid shades of blue, with intricate black and white patterns along the edges, adding depth and contrast to the piece. The artist skillfully uses the dark, textured background to make the butterfly’s bright colors pop, creating a striking visual effect. The leaves beneath the butterfly are painted with a mix of green and yellow tones, which add a natural, organic feel to the composition. Overall, the painting evokes a sense of tranquility and appreciation for the subtle details found in nature.

August 18, 2024

This watercolor painting captures a striking and serene scene of a solitary rock formation rising from the shallow waters. The rock, dark and textured, is crowned by a small group of slender trees, their delicate branches reaching skyward. The surrounding water is a soft, muted green, gently reflecting the rock’s rugged base. The sky above is overcast, with layers of pale gray clouds stretching across the horizon, adding a contemplative mood to the piece. The overall composition evokes a sense of isolation and resilience, as the rock and trees stand alone, enduring the passage of time in a tranquil, almost ethereal landscape.

August 14, 2024

This evocative watercolor painting features a single red rose, captured in a moment of quiet beauty as it stands against a dark, rain-soaked background. The petals, rendered with delicate brushstrokes, are adorned with glistening raindrops that reflect light, adding a touch of realism and tenderness to the scene. The contrast between the vibrant red of the rose and the deep, almost black, background highlights the flower’s resilience and elegance, making it a powerful symbol of love and endurance. The soft, muted colors of the stem and leaves further enhance the focus on the rose, making this painting a striking piece that conveys emotion and depth.

July 9, 2024

Irish Coast is a oil pastel artwork of a beautiful landscape somewhere off an Ireland coastline. Featuring a wave crashing against two standing rocks, finally kissing a pebbled beach. The sky is mostly clear except a few faint clouds, bright and cool feeling. As you can almost feel the nice cool wind blown against your face, to balance out the warmth of the sun as it hits you and the rolling green cliffs standing against the sea.

June 20, 2024

Addict’s Contemplation is both expressive and metaphoric in it’s design. It’s a variety of color splashes introduced in the world of light across the lake’s surface of water. A woman stranger sits on a weathered wooden dock, peering in to thought. A foreign intrusion sits right-of-center, still in what is seemingly like the calm parts of the water; an island pier. The waves turn in a moment of calmness and introspection, surrounding the subject in intrusive thought. The summer sun’s light dances through the sky and across the the refraction of rippling waves among the lake’s surface. Nestled hills roll in the attached land’s horizon, muted by the bipolar clouds mood. The melancholic mood set by the this vibrant world, give a sense of tranquility and reflection. The curiosity of what the girl may be thinking, is left to burden the viewer with their own ideas. The subtle details and gentle colors create a peaceful, almost dreamlike quality, inviting the viewer to pause and share in this moment of solitude and serenity.

June 16, 2024

This exquisite watercolor painting captures the tranquil beauty of a pond scene, in Lily Pad. Dominated by lush, green lily pads that float serenely on the water’s surface, the composition is centered around a single, vibrant pink water lily in full bloom. The delicate petals of the lily showcase a gradient of pink hues, leading to a bright yellow core, contrasting beautifully with the dark, reflective water below. The intricate details of the lily pads, including the subtle veins and slight imperfections, add a touch of realism to the scene. I have used a combination of light and shadow to create depth, making the lily and its surrounding pads appear almost three-dimensional. This painting evokes a sense of peace and natural harmony.

March 17, 2024

The Cherry Popping painting depicts two cherries with a realistic appearance. The cherries are rich red with subtle hints of darker tones suggesting volume and curvature. A light source is shining from the upper left, casting a soft shadow to the lower right of the cherries and giving a glossy highlight on their surfaces. The cherries are attached to each other by a green stem, which is connected to only one of the cherries at the top right corner of the painting. The background is plain and light-colored, putting the full focus on the vibrancy and detail of the cherries. The technique used provides a sense of texture that one can almost feel, and the attention to detail in the reflections and shadows is a careful study of light on the fruit’s surface.

December 27, 2023

Juicy! A fruity painting that depicts a slice of watermelon. Watermelon Slice is a realistic drawing that captures the vibrant red flesh of the fruit, complete with black seeds scattered throughout. The watermelon slice has a green rind, transitioning from a darker green on the outside to a paler green towards the inner red flesh. The drawing has a textured appearance from the water colored pencils, and there’s a gentle shadow under the slice, giving it a sense of depth and dimension. The background is plain and lightly textured. Hang it up in your summer themed kitchen, like the basic, normal, coffee drinking, white person you are.