One of my many paintings has been featured in the Anton Art Center Newsletter. Stop by soon to snag a card, bookmark, or original artwork! ​https://aacgiftshop.blogspot.com/?utm_source=constant+contact+&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter+

The Conference will be on Sunday, March 3, 2024Kellogg Center, East Lansing, Michigan you can register here. Below are some photos from last year, most of this art is SOLD OUT. Great prices on greeting cards, matted unframed watercolors, and my newest bookmarks! The conference has many great topics regarding conservation and also how to help your local environment! 

Like the tide of the ocean coming and going, it's that time of year when I gather up all the art left over from the holiday markets at the Anton and Orion Art Centers and take stock of where 2023 ended up. Being an artist is being a business after all. Who knew when I began earnestly a decade ago that most of my time would be spent editing photos of art and putting videos together instead of just painting all day.  Stay tuned for updates in my store as the work is uploaded and sold work is removed. Subscribe to my newsletter and be the first to know which events I will participate in. Should join my newsletter do request your special coupon for half-off clearance cards. 

That painting was a bit of a style breakthrough for me. I actually created an entire series of Lilac art to cement the idea in my technique. For a long time I was seeking a way to bridge the gap between my watercolors which contain black ink work, and my acrylic paintings, which have not. Using a very liquid acrylic and a really tiny brush, I discovered a way to bridge that gap! I have 3 sister paintings available in the series, but this one is definitely gracing my home as part of my private collection. A reminder that there is an unseen force guiding us all through the turmoil that life can bring. ​

​The accident, well that definitely stalled all of my plans. Shortly after, our main water line had to be replaced. We could not afford to pay for another car and the repair bill on the water line, I decided to take a break from driving for the remainder of the year, if not longer. Since I had to rely on a ride any time I needed to leave my home studio, I have not signed up for many shows. In fact, just the one from early Spring and this year's Holiday Market at the Anton Art Center, because it is really a short ride from where I am. Luckily, if you are not near Mount Clemens, Michigan, you can purchase art from my website! ​

Early Spring flowers are in bloom, and as I am learning about Michigan native wildflowers, discovering that they really are not very present in a suburban setting. I picked up a few packets of seeds at the WAM annual conference, and will be distributing them in my flower bed. For 27 years I have refused to use chemical fertilizers and weed killers on my property. Dandelions, flowering ground covers and Purple Dead Thistle (called that because there are no pricky thorns on them) feed several varieties of wild ground and honey bees, along with the usual butterflies and bumble bees. I am currently a member of the Wildflower Association of Michigan, and have donated funds to continue their mission to educate us on how we can help support native habitats. My gardens thrive with organic compost and some sweat equity to weed out the invasives by hand! Floral watercolors are inspired by the blooms on my property. You can see me create them in my Fine Art For Small Spaces group feed. Check out my Flora section to see the finished pieces. My most recent series is  Floral Portraits, very minimal and most with no background. Every year I am inspired by nature to try something new! Take a journey through my shop and be inspired to bring some nature art into your life. If you want to reach out to me, just send an email. Have a lovely spring!

Winter in Michigan can be difficult. I have been hibernating from the cold. Luckily, the day after the groundhog declared an early Spring, the boulevard in front of our home was filled with the largest flock of robins I have ever seen! They have been swirling about our neighborhood for the last two weeks, their bellies full of dried winter berries, about fifty or so, mixing with the starlings, waiting for Winter's last goodbye.

Behind the scenes, I have been working hard to bring you new greeting cards, and prints. In the coming days they will be available through my website. If you are a wholesale customer, you can find these at Faire.com. This year I will be releasing live and taped video of new paintings as they emerge, so follow me on Facebook to keep in the loop!

Spring is a wonderful time to refresh your home and office decor, and with free shipping even an original painting is within your reach. What we see every day affects our happiness level, even if it is just a glance as we rush about getting ready for the day. It is important to fill your space with images that spark a connection to nature.

​The gallery pages have been updated to show what is currently available locally. I am happy to announce that you can find original paintings and greeting cards at Circare for a limited time in St. Clair Shores. I am there on a trial basis, so if you stop in and purchase some of my art, they will continue to offer it! 

Most of us have had this happen. We go to a party and bring a gift, then realize with ever growing dread that someone else brought the exact same thing. That gift registry should have prevented it...but, alas someone didn't bother to check the list and now you know that your hostess will probably be returning two of the three rice cookers...see that robin in the middle? Yes, whispering will ensue.

So I did a little experiment....I gave away random pieces of art for my husband's friends to bring home and keep....and they were thrilled. Over the moon, because each one was real, unique, their very own to treasure. 

When you give the gift of an original piece of art, you can relax because no one else will have the same one, ever again. The original, the one with the details that brag this is unique will be theirs!

A unique item such as original art, is a perfect gift for any occasion such as a wedding, housewarming, or simply a thank you for doing business with you. You would be surprised at how special they will feel, no matter what you decide upon!

My father loved pine trees. He planted them everywhere he could. Every summer we would drive up north and toil to water his seedlings. There were well over 50 of them. I think they reminded him of the mountains where he grew up. As I got older I really began to appreciate how they could enliven the dreary winter landscape with their pop of color, and whispering fronds. Alas, a fire took his many decades ago, but I had one in my urban yard that served to honor the memory of what was.

I spent the better part of 2017 fussing over dozens of pine cone paintings. I was grieving the loss of our red spruce. I counted the rings in the stump before they ground it and found that had lived next to the garage for over 70 years. I only enjoyed its beauty for 27 years. It was a piece of northern respite in a seriously urban landscape. I spent many a summer gazing up at its branches marveling at the creatures that flitted to and fro in the branches covered in cones. One of the few things that still connected me to my childhood was gone.

I didn't even realize it was a red spruce until I decided to learn more about the beautiful tree that was lost because of a high wind  that nearly uprooted it. It was leaning badly towards the driveway and there was no way to accommodate it. In my online meanderings, I discovered some beautiful things about pine  trees. All over Europe they are a symbol of peace. Personally, I find the cones to be a symbol of hope. A promise of renewal. Many species don't germinate until after a fire has ravaged the countryside. Thinking about the fires that swept through California last year, this fact gave me hope that nature would replenish the landscape if we just gave her some time.

All to often we are impatient for things to renew after an event. We want our spirit to heal right away, but it takes time. Nature takes her course and things will be different but life always proliferates and things shall be renewed. What are your thoughts? I would love to know!

This was the week when all of us, no matter our faith, took pause to remember, reflect, cherish each other, and plan for betterment in the upcoming year. Hold on to that which inspires you most and makes your soul sing!