Cathedrals of Shade


Trees can create such special spaces. There's nothing like being surrounded by a forest full of light! The most magnificent cathedrals of Europe have to come in second place.



"Cathedrals of Shade"   10"x 18"

The Return of the Light


We have had the most beautiful spring weather the last few days! The flowers are blooming with all they have in them and the trees are leafing out in that amazing glowing green. And the sun - Oh how we Seattlites have missed the sun! No wonder the birds are singing!

After painting small careful botanical studies for a while, I seem to have painted something very different - a full watercolor sheet in an almost impressionistic style. It's a rather exuberant celebration of the return of the leaves on the trees and the return of blessed spring!



"The Return of the Light"   24" x 18"

The Willow

Spring Willow 11" x 14"

I love this place. Anyone recognize this willow from along the Sammamish River Trail in Redmond? There really is something irresistible about old willows. To stand underneath a great grandmother willow is to be enclosed and protected and in a world all your own. This willow is just leafing out now. She seems just magical to me with her great twisting arms. What an excellent place for a spring picnic!

New Ferns

New Ferns   8"x 8"   SOLD

I love fern fiddleheads. They are like springs of unstoppable energy! Fiddleheads are such a terrific symbol of the life-filled potential that the earth just resonates with in springtime!

This is the last of the five little square spring paintings in this series. I hope you've enjoyed seeing them this past week. These original 8"x 8" framed paintings are currently available through Gallery Wine & Art in Kirkland, Washington.

I also had some lovely 6" x 6" archival prints made of each of the five little paintings. These very affordable little prints are available unframed at Gallery Wine & Art and Quirkz of Art in Fall City for only $20.

Welcome Spring!

Apple Blossoms & Squares

Apple Blossoms   8" x 8"   $250 Framed

Here is another in the series of small paintings I have been posting this week. These are apple blossoms in my garden.

This series of paintings is the first time I have ever worked in a square format. Squares are so very different from the elongated Japanese-style rectangles I prefer. In the square format you have to work a whole lot harder to create a sense of motion and energy. In this painting, the motion comes from the strong diagonal branch curving toward the sunshine. I just loved the cool soft shadows inside these flowers!  

Cupid's Garden

Cupid's Garden   8" x 8"   $250 Framed

Have you ever really looked at bleeding heart flowers? Most people stop at "Isn't it cute that they are heart-shaped?". They are the strangest flowers! Totally sensual and definitely worth a closer look. I wonder if Georgia O'Keefe ever painted them?

I'm thinking of this little group of 8" x 8" paintings as my "Arrietty" series. If you saw the recent movie by Studio Ghibli, you know just what I mean. I love the viewpoint of the borrowers, like being a little bug in the garden.

I saw this quote by Dr. Kendyl Gibbons this morning on the website of a fantastic watercolor artist named Cathy Hillegas :

The miraculous is all around us. Treasures lie at our feet, bend in the wind above our heads, and unfurl on stems at our kneecaps. Usually, we walk right by without seeing them. Every painting is an attempt to say, “Stop! Look at this. No, really. Take a minute and just look at this!”

Hellebores and Strong Women

Lenten Roses   8"x 8"   $250

If you grow hellebores (also known as Lenten Roses) in your garden, you know how wonderful it is to see them appear so early in the spring. They are the first blooms to appear in my garden in late January and they still look wonderful now as April begins. These girls are tough! They endure frost after frost and torrential spring rains. They show bravery, endurance and perseverance and still somehow they remain beautiful. Hellebores remind me of the women I admire most.