“He’s a very special boy, he is very gentle and loves people and is missing an ear and back foot from being attacked when he was a baby. I bottle fed him and raised him for the last nine years. I feel like you are the perfect person to capture my sweet boy.”
From Maryel
I think Maryel says it all. I thought fondly of him as “Peter the Brave” the whole time I was painting his portrait. I still think of him that way. Most bunnies would have died instantly just from shock. He had a good strong heart. oil on aluminum, 4 x 4″
I paint lots of commissions of dogs and cats but it’s not every day I get one to paint a portrait of a rabbit. I grew up with rabbits and just lost my English spot rabbit, Harriet (who looked a lot like Peter!) earlier this year. Getting a prey animal to trust and love you is no easy feat, and when it happens its really special. Thanks so much for the commission, Maryel! It was a pleasure to spend time with your sweet boy.
Harris Harvey have produced a lovely video walk through of my paintings. For details, prices and availability see harrisharveygallery.com/ . Exhibition on view at Harris Harvey Gallery through September 28, 2024.
I’m thrilled to share that I will have paintings on view at Harris Harvey Gallery from September 5 – 28, 2024. I’ve been working on getting ready for the show for a while and it’s wonderful to finally see it come together. Please go the gallery website to see what is still available.
Artist Statement about the Paintings on View
I paint objects of intimate familiarity—fruits and florals from my garden, objects handled in my time as a mount maker for Seattle Art Museum—in compositions inspired by the Dutch Golden Age. Much as the Dutch masters would compose seasonal impossibilities, I bring together inspirations separated by time, space and tradition. My work is a reach for a childhood of birds’ nests and frogs, a longing to grasp that wonderment yet reconcile with isolation and loss. It is a meditation on the comings and goings of life, the closeness and distance to kin of all kinds.
Western Tiger Swallowtail and Parrot Tulip, oil on copper, 5.5 x 4.5″Broken Tulip and Bee, oil on copper, 6.5 x 5.5 inAsian Pears and Peaches on Lacquer Tray, oil on copper, 20 x 24 inPlums and Swallowtails, oil on copper, 16 x 20 inFigs and Cheese with Celadon Dragon Vase, oil on aluminum, 10 x 8 inFour Tulips and a Yellow Rose, oil on aluminum, 14 x 11 inMum, Butterfly and the Spider, oil on aluminum, 17 x 12 inSpider Mum, Bee and Snail, oil on aluminum, 17 x 12 inBlackberries and the Indigo Bunting, oil on copper, 12 x 12 inYellow Tulip and Monarch Butterfly, oil on aluminum, 7 x 6 inFiji Papilio Swallowtail, oil on copper, 4.5 x 5.5 inThe artist in the studio with her two sons
All of my pet portraits are special, but this Bichon portrait painting reinforced my resolution to always keep room in my schedule to make them. It’s amazing how much we can express who we are and what we feel in very few words. When Kelly originally contacted me, her enthusiasm for her Bichon Frisé, Sami, was infectious. I envy the lucky humans and canines that get to live in the sphere of Kelly. Let’s just say, I never felt someone smiling at me via an email before.
Kelly contacted me to paint Sami and, sadly, by the time the portrait was completed it was a memorial portrait. It was a devastating and completely unexpected loss even before we had figured out the composition for the portrait. At just seven years old, she was gone. I’ve written about how meaningful memorial pet portraits are to me and it was truly an honor to memorialize her for Kelly. Our cats, dogs and rabbits just don’t live long enough, and it’s especially hard when our short time with them is cut even shorter.
From Kelly “She was truly magic on earth and we miss her every day. Your incredible talent poured into her portrait will be a visual reminder of that bond we shared, and we are looking so forward to receiving it!!”
“Our older siblings often leave huge shoes for us to fill. 🐶🐶 @adoodlenamedfi never met her precious older sister Sami, but with the help of the incredible work of @rebeccaluncan, she will never be far from our hearts 🖤”
I’ve long been a fan of the 17th century still life painter, Jan van Kessel the Elder but only recently came upon the works of Margaretha de Heer. This newest miniature is inspired by both of these artists.
Born around 20 years apart, these two artist had a lot in common. They were born in close proximity to one another, one in Belgium and the other in the Dutch Republic, and they were both born into artist families. The subject matter for their paintings also bore a striking similarity. They both created still life paintings with insects and figurative genre scenes.
Unsurprisingly, I’m most interested in their still life paintings. Jan van Kessel created a vast amount of still life paintings that are more often referred to as “nature studies”. He filled his compositions to bursting with a variety of insects, plants, fruits, and shells on pale backgrounds. They don’t always follow the rules of perspective; some subjects feel like they’re on a tabletop, while others are rendered as if on a wall, and some are just floating. Whatever plane they’re on, the rendering and delicacy is universally exquisite. I found fewer examples of Margaretha’s still life paintings, but they are rendered with equal prowess. Though the subject matter is similar, she organizes her compositions with perspective and balance in mind. She isn’t afraid of “blank” space in the composition, and the flow of her composition feels more graceful and natural.
Part of what I love about making still life paintings is exploring the vast genre of painters that have come before me and truly attempting to learn from the masters. By letting their works inform my paintings, I learn tricks in how to both compose and execute my work. My painting is honest about its influences, but it is no less mine, just as these two artists created such similar yet distinctive bodies of work.
I hope you enjoy the latest painting in my swallowtail series! The butterfly is a Blue-banded Swallowtail found in Central & Southern Africa.
I currently have 5 limited edition floral prints that feature daffodils in the shop. I’ve been making still life paitnings consistantly for the last 5 years, and have made at least one every year with daffodils (I don’t have prints available for all of them). I realized that this was the first year I didn’t make a daffodil painting for the month of March, however! My son was born in March and I had around 50 blooming in the back yard when he was born. The window in his nursery overlooked the garden and I always think of them as his special flower.
I can’t go back in time to make another painting, but I have drawn up ideas for a larger daffodil painting for a show at Harris Harvey in 2024. A year and a half is a long time to wait, so I also decided to add another limited edition floral print to the store and to offer a special discount for one month only.
New print release!
The newest addition to the store is a print from a painting from my “Creature Comfort” series of monthly miniatures. It’s titled “Sweetness of Spring” and includes a little bouquet of daffodils and one of my favorite things (cake). Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting has become my son’s offical birthday cake and we all look forward to diving in. It’s also the only time of the year that I can actually get him to eat carrots without any complainting.
20% off Daffodil Prints for the month of May
Order yours now through May 31st and you’ll get a special price on all the daffodil prints.
Three DaffodilsIsaac’s DaffodilsSweetness of SpringSeven Varieties of Daffodil
For the month of April, I have made a botanical painting with swallowtail butterflies. The two lovely butterflies in my new painting look like completely different species, but they are in fact both Papilio lowis (Asian Swallowtails). The great difference in appearance is present in the male and the female of this species, which is called sexual dimorphism. Often the male has brighter colors to attract the females’ attention, like this dark butterfly with iridescent blue/green scales; the males are also smaller.
Scientists attribute this to differing pressures on the sexes, but the reasons for dimorphism seem to be as diverse as the species themselves! In the case of this pair, the females mimic a type of poisonous butterfly, discouraging predators. The males meanwhile kept their brilliant iridescent colors, which apparently the females find quite attractive.
Inspiration from Art History
The inspiration for the composition on my botanical painting and the background goes back to my 14 years installing artwork for the Seattle Art Museum. I installed countless Chinese and Japanese scroll paintings, and even went to Japan a few times as a courier to oversee the installation of various asian masterpieces for the exhibition, “Luminous Jewels”. One of my favorite scroll paintings in that exhibition was, “Sixty-Four Butterflies and Moths”. The mass of insects flutter evenly throughout the painting, each with its own label. While this painting didn’t directly influence the composition for my painting, the delicate rendering of the butterflies always stuck with me. Thinking of this painting helped set the direction of how this painting would develop.
I hope you’re enjoy this month’s painting, and I hope you’re beginning to enjoy some warmer weather. I’m looking forward to the season when I see more butterflies outside the studio than inside it! Follow my newsletter to see the new monthly miniature and for exhibition updates.
Giving a pet portrait gift is surprisingly versatile, both for the occasion and for the type of recipient. Commission gifts fill fill about half of my commission schedule and they’ve been presented for anniversaries, Christmas presents, Valentine’s day gifts, birthday presents, graduation gifts, and retirement presents. I’ve made them as for gifts for spouses, siblings, parents, children and coworkers. It’s hard to go wrong when presenting a carefully composed portrait of someones special creature (furry, feathery and human variety).
From her to him, then from him to her!
This pair of portraits were completed over a year apart. Rachel contacted me seeking a portrait for her fiancé’s birthday of their dog Jefferson. He must have enjoyed receiving the painting, because soon after receiving it, Donte contacted me secretly to make one of Franklin, the newest addition to their family, for her. He gave her the painting for their anniversary. From her to him, then from him to her. Isn’t that just the sweetest?
The reference for my pet portraits are usually images provided by my clients. And the better the reference image, the better the painting will turn out. This terrier pet portrait is a wonderful example of that.
Tilly provided me with around 20 very high quality images and her vision of seeing Arthur in a red chair or on a red cushion. What made their images exceptional was great lighting and the angle she used.
Most of their images were taken outside, or with a very strong outdoor light source from a window as we see in the final painting. Good lighting is incredibly helpful in capturing accurate color, detail and texture in my subject. This is much easier to accomplish with dogs and horses than it is for cats and rabbits. But it’s a great example of how much a window can bring in the much needed light.
Tilly also captured Arthur from his eye level in most of the images. This makes for less distortion and creates a more intimate portrait.
You can see in the above images, how the original images are altered to design the composition. I work with background shapes and colors to compliment the subject. It’s also important to move the viewers eye around to each area of the painting, while keeping the focal point on the personality of the subject. You’ll notice that I moved the line of the chair from above, to below his nose, adding to the feeling of Arthur’s alertness.
There are slight changes from the mock-up to the final painting, but these are minimal. As I work, the colors and form of the subject come together and I allow intuition to guide my brush. My main goals are to create a beautiful work of art and to capture my subject. Though it’s very close to the photo, I always try to make it better than the reference if possible.
While painting, I also look at the other images occasionally to help double check for accuracy. I softened the contrast in his fur and made the background less saturated, which seemed to separate Arthur from his background and give him more dimension. It also made his eyes appear brighter not to match the background so closely. The final touch was to make sure to capture the little tuft of hair that stuck straight up in almost all of the other images (my client mentioned this tuft so I knew it was important to have it in the portrait).
From Tily
“This is perfect! Thank you so much for working so hard on it, I’m absolutely in love- I can’t wait to see it! (in person)”
For inforamtion on pricing, gift vouchers and timeline for your own pet portrait, please take a look at my commissions page.
The inspiration for this month’s floral oil painting took me on a twisting but fruitful path. It all started with a recent class I took at the Kirkland Arts Center, Acid-Free Intaglio. I’ve been wanting to take an etching class for years, and I was thrilled to see that it was finally offered in a location near me. And even better, the instructor, Brad Taylor, teaches a way to etch with electricity instead of toxic acids (I highly recommend this class!).
Once I signed up for the class, I had to figure out what I wanted to make! And as I often do, I turned to art history for inspiration. I stumbled upon a plethora of woodblock prints made by Japanese artist Keika Hyakugiku, “100 Chrysanthemums from Keika”. You can see a few of them on the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives page. I love the contrast between the simple compositions and the complicated forms.
Letting Inspiration Lead You
I immediately began making sketches, one of which became this months painting. Three others, I plan to I plan to make paintings from in future (two larger works and another miniature). Funnily enough, none of these sketches was destined to become an etching!
To let inspiration take its own winding path means I have to let go of some amount of control. Part of creating art is to always be receptive to new ideas and accept that, like most things in life, ideas can change. I’m really excited about this new painting. I feel like I’m finally getting the hang of painting flowers! I hope you enjoy it, too.
The swallowtail in this month’s oil painting is a Common Rose. This red-bodied butterfly inhabits much of Asia, including Japan. Happily, this species is extremely abundant. The bright colouration and pattern of the wings are meant to indicate to predators (birds and lizards) that this butterfly is inedible. As a larvae, they feed on creepers and climbers of the genus “Aristolochia”, and they retain the toxic acids they get from these plants in their butterfly form. The colors are a symbol of danger to some creatures, but they’re dazzling to my eyes!
To see more of the paitning in this series, please visit my Monthly Miniature page! And sign up for the newsletter for a chance be among the first for an opportunity to purchase the newest paitning in the series.
Most bunnies would have died instantly just from shock. He had a good strong heart. oil on aluminum, 4 x 4″
