I spent this past summer gaining a new love of the water. I spent three days a week practicing and racing with Kai Elua, a San Diego based outrigger paddling club. I've never been much of a water person but after spending hours on (and in!) the water I have found a deep connection with the water that sourrounds me. With this latest series I hope to share with you the peace and beauty I have come to discover in the ocean. Enjoy!
Warmth (30x40) SOLD
This painting was inspired by the many beautiful sunsets I've seen sitting on my surfboard watching the sun settle down off the coast of San Diego. La Jolla Shores to be exact.
The Long Summer Walk
I grew up in New Orleans and my best friend and I would spend our summers walking the mile or so between her house and mine. There were many willow trees along that walk. With upturned faces and eyes closed we used to walk under them and see if we could get the low hanging wispy branches brush against our faces.
Summer Turns to Fall
I have always been blown away by the simple beauty of a tree. So many colors and shapes. Heights and widths. Some with flowers, some without. Some that shed their leaves and sleep all winter only to return bigger and more beautiful the next year. So I jumped in with both feet and began to paint a series (a rather large series) of trees. The background color is painted on with a brush then the brushes go away. I use tiny bottles of paint to squeeze the subject (a tree) onto the canvas. Once dry I pour on a layer of epoxy resin. When dry I squeeze more detail on the tree then again add another layer of epoxy. Sometimes repeating this process 2-3 times. I will also add gold/bronze foils, metallic powders or beads to the layers as well. Some of the leaves appear to be floating in mid air, not touching the canvas and you are unable to touch it as well as it's below a layer of resin, creating great depth and a wonderful three dimensional look. You feel like you could actually walk right under the tree!
All of the trees you will see below are created using this same process. As well of a few of the other non-tree pieces. I hope you enjoy them.
Fleur de Lis (24x30)
I love living in San Diego but I truly miss New Orleans and the South. I love the renewed passion for the Fleur de Lis. After Katrina ravaged that wonderful city you started to see this symbol pop up everywhere down there. It was the symbol of rebirth for New Orleans. It's a symbol that seems to have brought that unique city back together.
We take road trips to and from Colorado twice a year from San Diego. Once at Christmas and once in the summer. Sometimes on the ride home we wake up before the sun rises and after an hour or so of driving, the sun, ever so fainlty, starts to rise behind the mountains and this is what you see. Sometimes you still see the moonlight reflecting off the edges of the mountain tops. I always hope I am not the one driving at this time so I can just sit and stare at this beauty. I almost don't even want to blink and miss one second of it.
