April Showers

I started this painting in hope that it would cure me of my seasonal art funk. It was mostly unsuccessful and I am thoroughly disappointed with how this painting turned out. Regardless of my personal feelings I have put it in my Etsy shop and am happily moving on to other projects!
Some days I can sit down and paint something really cool with very little effort and then other days it seems to be an uphill battle. No matter how hard you try some paintings just don't work out the way you thought they would; and this is definitely one of them! I try not to let these emotional ups and down effect my productivity but the art I create while "in a funk" is generally not my best. I'm hoping that this little creative blip is almost over so I can tackle my larger paintings!

This painting can be located in my Etsy shop!

Easter Break and my Sketchbook

March has been full of relaxing days of art and painting since spring break connected with Easter this year. This past week I haven't accomplished much painting since I've been in a little bit of an art funk. 
I hate when I feel blocked like this so I decided to take some time away from my paintings and get back to my sketchbook. Whenever I experience this annoying creative/art block I try to step away from my work and experiment with new media and ideas. Normally after a few weeks of this I get re-inspired and get back to my work. These are my sketches from the past two weeks.

Seaweed Lady

My underwater obsession continues with this 8" by 10" Seaweed Lady painting I completed last week. I am currently working on another painting of her in a slightly different format and medium. I've been jumping back and forth between watercolours and acrylic painting this year and often explore the same subject simultaneously in both mediums. 
Every time I watch a new ocean documentary I learn something new about humanity's devastating impact on the health and essential cycles of underwater life on earth. This series of paintings is about finding a balance between the creatures of the sea and our own daily existence. 

This painting is now in my Etsy shop!  

Elephant on canvas

Lately I have been painting lots of different animals in acrylic. Most of them have been inspired by documentaries concerning the disastrous state of our oceans and the life struggling to thrive in it's acidic, polluted depths. As I have been working my way through a blue whale, jelly fish and a sea turtle I have received suggestions to paint and elephant. I'm not sure why elephants are specifically so popular but as they have their own endangerment issues I figured it still fit with my theme. I painted a fun little baby elephant a few weeks ago in watercolour and then decided to make my acrylic elephant completely different. The process for this painting was nice and smooth and it only took me about a week to complete. 

Ivory is 9" by 12" acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas and for sale in my Etsy shop!

Sea Turtle in Acrylic

Acrylic Sea turtle painting- 12" by 16"

Watercolour Sea turtle painting - 6" by 8"

I started this sea turtle at the beginning of January and have worked consistently on it using tiny brushes, working my way through as much detail as possible. I temporarily got frustrated with it for a week and did a smaller scale watercolour sea turtle painting which helped me understand and work through some of the issues I was having with the larger painting. 
I am really enjoying working with acrylics and I'm slowly making my way through a large stack of canvases (purchased on sale!) 
This acrylic Sea Turtle can be found in my Etsy Shop. 

Pinky Picks A Flower

 This weekend I took a break from my larger projects to complete this little guy. My theory is that I will get back to those paintings with fresh eyes this week and finish them up!
I drew this little baby elephant on Wednesday and spent a few days dreaming up the rest of the flowers and animals. Once I had it figured out I went over it with pen and started to add colour. I really enjoyed this painting and was happy with how quickly it came together. I have figured out a particular style and way of working with watercolours that I am now really starting to enjoy. After a few years of practice via trial and error I might kind of, sort of know what I am doing. 

 'Pinky Picks a Flower' is an 8" by 10" watercolour and ink painting and can be purchased from my Etsy shop!

A Sea Turtle in a Coral Reef

Over the past month I have watched numerous documentaries that have enlightened me on the lack of protection and respect humans have for the ocean. A healthy ocean is the beginning of life as well as the largest CO2 absorbing entity on the planet. In a polluted world where we have suddenly become aware (or not so aware) of our harmful CO2 emissions you would think that we would be doing everything in our power to ensure that the ocean was kept in good form to help us out. Sadly we have already wiped out 50% of the coral reefs and are quickly depleting the ocean of fish through unsustainable fishing habits, acidification and the destruction of habitat. If we continue in this manner there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050!
The more I learn, the more I am disappointed in humanity and the people who really have the power to change things. I am currently taking steps to lessen my personal environmental footprint. I try to buy things with less packaging, recycle and I am going back to a vegetarian diet because agriculture and the practices around raising animals for food accounts for the largest percentage of CO2 emissions (more than all transportation combined.)
Because I am so bothered about these facts I have dedicated most of this month to painting sea turtles in a coral reef. I have a larger acrylic version of the same turtle also in the works and every time I sit and paint I am distracted by thoughts about the plight of the ocean. My job as an artist is to share this knowledge in every possible way.

Sea Turtle in a Coral Reef is 6" by 8" mixed media mounted to a cradled board and is now in my Etsy shop!