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Forget Me Not: Honoring Still Life Traditions in a Miniature

Forget Me Not, oil on copper, 4.5″ x 5.5″, is the newest addition to my Swallowtail Series—a body of miniature still life paintings inspired by centuries of natural observation and artistic devotion.

This piece is an homage to two 17th-century painters I admire deeply: Jan van Kessel the Elder and Margaretha de Heer. Though I’ve long been a fan of van Kessel’s work, I only recently discovered de Heer. This painting is a celebration of their shared legacy—and a reflection on the way artists learn through looking, studying, and paying tribute.

Two Artists, One Era: Shared Roots in Still Life

Jan van Kessel and Margaretha de Heer were born roughly 20 years apart and just a few hundred miles from each other—van Kessel in Antwerp, Belgium, and de Heer in Friesland, in what is now the Netherlands. Both were born into artist families, and both became known for their vivid depictions of the natural world.

While each created genre scenes and other subjects, it’s their still life work that has most captivated me. Their paintings, often categorized as nature studies, depict insects, flowers, fruits, and other organic forms with striking clarity.

Stylistic Differences: Density vs. Balance

Van Kessel’s work bursts with detail—his compositions packed edge-to-edge with butterflies, beetles, shells, and blossoms. The perspective often shifts, with elements floating freely or perched on undefined surfaces. You get the sense that couldn’t bear to leave any space unused. There’s a beauty in the chaos, and despite the density, his compositions achieve a remarkable balance. The irregular perspectives feel surprisingly contemporary, not disruptive—just part of the visual rhythm.

De Heer’s paintings, while similar in subject matter, evoke a different tone. Her compositions are more spacious and deliberate. She embraces negative space, organizing her elements with a grounded sense of perspective and a graceful visual flow. Her approach feels more lyrical than scientific—a quiet reflection on the beauty of nature rather than a full catalogue of it.

The Butterfly: A Marvel from Central Africa

The butterfly in Forget Me Not is a Blue-banded Swallowtail (Papilio nireus), a striking species native to central and southern Africa. With velvet-black wings and bold, iridescent blue bands, this butterfly commands attention. Though it lacks the tail streamers typical of many swallowtails, it does belong to the Papilionidae (often refered to as Swallowtail) family and is admired for its swift flight and elegance.

in progress Forget Me Not miniature painting, still life representational oil painting with butterfly, grasshopper and bee by Rebecca Luncan

Finding My Place in the Tradition

One of the great joys of working in the still life tradition is learning from the artists who came before me. By studying and incorporating their approaches, I find new ways to think about composition, subject matter, and symbolism. Forget Me Not is undeniably informed by van Kessel and de Heer, but it’s also undeniably mine. It’s a meditation on legacy, observation, and the quiet power of paying attention.

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Daffodil Limited Edition Floral Prints

Over the past five years, I’ve created still life paintings consistently, and each spring, daffodils seem to make their way into at least one of them. I currently have five limited edition floral prints featuring daffodils available in the shop. While I haven’t made prints of every daffodil painting I’ve done, these are some of my favorite spring moments captured on paper.

Interestingly, this was the first year I didn’t create a daffodil painting in March. It’s a month that holds special meaning for me—my son was born in March, and when we brought him home, around fifty daffodils were blooming in our backyard. The window in his nursery overlooked that garden, and I’ve always thought of daffodils as his flower.

Although I can’t go back and make a March daffodil painting retroactively, I have sketched out plans for a larger daffodil still life for an upcoming show at Harris Harvey Gallery in 2024. That’s still a ways off, so in the meantime, I decided to release a new limited edition floral print and offer a special discount—available for one month only!

New Print Release!

The latest addition to the shop is a print from my “Creature Comforts” series of monthly miniatures. It’s titled Sweetness of Spring and features a small bouquet of daffodils alongside one of my favorite things—cake. Specifically, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, which has become my son’s official birthday cake. It’s also the only time of year I can get him to eat carrots without any complaints!

If daffodils—or carrot cake—hold a special place in your heart too, take a look at the new print and explore the others in the collection.

20% Off Daffodil Prints – Through May 31

Enjoy a special 20% discount on all daffodil prints in the shop now through May 31st. It’s the perfect time to bring a little spring into your space—or gift a bloom that never fades.

nuthatch and daffodils in yellow glass chinese vase still life painting by Rebecca Luncan
Spring Flowers Limited Edition Print
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Botanical Painting with Swallowtail Butterflies

Asian Swallowtails

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. 

Asian Swallowtial oil painting still life by Rebecca Luncan

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.

work in progress still life floral botanical painting asian Swallowtail by Rebecca Luncan
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Pet Portrait Painting of Dollie

Oil on aluminum, 9 x 8 inches

A Thoughtful Gift

Dollie is a striking black poodle with a white chin and a calm, intelligent gaze. This portrait was commissioned by Liz as a wedding gift for her son Christian and his fiancé Stephanie. Christian had never had a dog before Dollie, and she quickly became a deeply loved part of their family. Liz wanted to give them something meaningful to honor that bond.

While I often paint formal portraits inspired by Dutch master compositions, Liz provided one image of Dollie in a beautiful outdoor setting that immediately caught my eye. The blue flowers, sunlight filtering through the trees, and Dollie’s relaxed pose gave the piece a natural warmth and elegance that felt worth preserving.

Crafting the Composition

I altered the composition slightly to bring more focus to her face by changing her position in the landscape. I also relied on other close-up shots to capture her features more accurately, especially the small patch of white under her chin. In the original photo her tongue was sticking out, hiding that detail, so I adjusted it to make sure it was visible in the final piece.

Sometimes I provide multiple mock-ups for clients to choose from, but in this case, the winning composition was clear from the beginning. Liz and I both felt confident in moving forward with that one version.

A Detail That Mattered

After I shared the final image of the completed portrait, Liz noticed something neither of us had caught—there was a patch on Dollie’s leg where the fur was very short. She remembered it had been shaved at the vet when the photo was taken. I fixed the painting before meeting her at the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle to deliver the painting just in time for

A Moment to Remember

After the gift was given, Liz sent this message:

“Stephanie and Christian LOVE Dollie’s portrait. It was especially poignant for Christian as I told you his grandfather owned the park that was sold after he died. Thank you again for taking this commission. We will love this for decades.”

framed Portrait oil painting of black poodle, dog portrait by Rebecca Luncan

It’s moments like these that remind me why I love painting portraits. They’re more than images—they hold memory, connection, and love.

If you’re interested in commissioning a custom pet portrait of your own, please visit my commission page for details. I’d love to help you create something meaningful. Feel free to reach out when you’re ready to move forward!

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Pet Portrait Gifts

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? 

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Scottish Terrier Pet Portrait

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.

See my page with tips on photographing your dog or your cat.

The Process

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.

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Common Rose Swallowtail and the Mum a Floral Oil Painting

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

in progress Common rose swallowtail butterfly on mum floral oil painting by Rebecca Luncan

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.

Swallowtail butterfly and Mum oil painting still life by Rebecca Luncan
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Rabbit Limited Edition Prints in time for Easter

Easter is just around the corner and I have several Rabbit Limited Edition Prints available in the shop. The connection of rabbits to Easter has always been a bit baffling to me, so I took some time this year to see what I could find out. Keep reading for information on the symbolism of rabbits through the ages and the origin of the rabbit as the egg bearer for this holiday. 

Rabbit mama and two baby rabbits in chair, oil painting on copper by Rebecca Luncan
The Joys of Motherhood Limited Edition Print $60

Rabbit, symbol of fertility and rebirth

In European traditions, the Easter bunny is known as the Easter hare. The hare has been a symbol for rebirth and fertility and has been included in rituals and religious roles for thousands of years.

Archaeologists have found hares that were given ritual burials alongside humans in fossils from as early as the Neolithic age (10000 BC – 2200 BC), a. They have interpreted the burials as a religious ritual, with hares representing rebirth.

During the iron age (1200 B.C. and 600 BC) when hares and chickens first arrived in Britain, some archaeologists believe they were seen as creatures of reverence, not dinner. Many examples of burials from this time period have been discovered without any signs of butchery. 

The Easter Bunny

It’s not too much of a stretch to find a historical symbol of rebirth associated with the Christian holiday of Easter. But the origin is believed to have begun with a German tradition in the 1500’s of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws”. 

After reading dozens of articles and historical documents, the start of the tradition still makes no sense to me! Eggs were forbidden during Lent so they were a treat to eat on Easter Sunday. There was a tradition in Germany to hide boiled eggs on Easter. The closest I could find as to how the hare delivered the eggs, was a story passed on through folklore.

When a woman hid colored eggs in the garden for her grandchildren to find, they saw a hare hopping away from them and thought the hare left them. The adults loved this idea and ran with it.

Now hundreds of years later, the idea is still running!

Who knows how it really started, but the tradition of the Easter hare caught on in Germany in the and has continued to spread ever since. He works much like Santa and brings children eggs, candies, chocolates (chocolate easter bunny’s are also a German invention!) and sometimes toys – if they’re on the nice list. 

Hope you have a Happy Easter!

A Rabbit in the Forest after Hans Hoffman oil painting by Rebecca Luncan
A Rabbit in the Forest after Hans Hoffman Limited Edition Print $60
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Portrait Miniature in Sunburst Frame

Did you know angels walk among us? The model for my recent portrait miniature is proof. Leo’s mother assured me he not only looks angelic but acts that way too. 

My approach to collaboration sets me apart

Trying new ideas and embracing the collaborative element of creating a custom painting are fundamental to my creative process. Alexix and I live around 2,500 miles apart and unlike many portrait artists, I often use images provided by my client. Many portrait artists will not work with clients images. Retaining that element of control is a part of their process. While I do sometimes take reference photos of both people and animals for my pet portraits, I’m always open to the idea of using my clients images. There’s something exciting about starting off the painting from the eyes of someone who truly knows and loves the subject. 

Once I have images, the back and forth starts. I ask for as many images as possible then I see what inspires me. It’s useful to get a sense of the personality of the subject and to get coloring right. I then make several mock-ups for my client to look at. Even if there’s one particular image that stands out to me, I can make several variations by changing the background, contrast on the face and colors of the clothing. These details can completely alter the overall feel of the image. Then the client looks at the mock-ups and offers feedback or approval. 

The Perfect Frame

In my first 19th century inspired mock-up of Leo, he wore a dark sweater and I used a simple frame. Alexix had two brilliant ideas: lighten the sweater to add to the angelic look, and go with a bold ornate frame.

We both started searching for the perfect frame online and she found this gorgeous gold sunburst one on Etsy. I made another mock-up of the paitning in this frame. It was perfect! She had the frame shipped straight to me. Once the portrait miniature was complete, he arrived in New York City, framed, wired and ready to install. 

portrait miniature oil paitning , childs portrait inby Rebecca Luncan
Portrait of Leo, oil on copper, 4 x 4″

I truly believe that keeping myself open to new ideas makes for better paintings and ultimately, that’s what I want to do. I want to make great paintings, not good paintings. Contact me to start working on a custom portrait of your very own.

Thank you Alexix for the opportunity to paint your lovely little boy and for such an exciting collaboration. 

From Alexix:

Received and it’s wonderful! I’m so excited to hang our little sun king in the house. Your work is exceptional!

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Framing Limited Edition Prints – Inspiration from Audrey

Once your Limited Edition Print arrives, it’s your turn to get creative. Whether your style is contemporary, traditional or anything in-between, there are many options. Choosing the right framing can feel intimidating, but try to enjoy the process and trust your instincts. Check out an article I recently wrote about framing limited edition prints. Continue reading for an in-depth look at one clients framing choices.

Audrey generously shared these wonderful images of her two framed Limited Edition Prints she recently ordered from my shop. I loved how they turned out and thought they could help inspire your own framing choices! If you’re in the Holywood, FL area, she recomends Nina’s Art and Framing.

What I love about Audrey’s framing

Still life Limited Edition Print framed in ornate black frame by Rebecca Luncan
Framing idea from Audrey. (The frame opening is around 12″ x 12″)

I worked in a frame shop all through art school, and then at the Seattle Art Museum exhibition design department for 15 years. I got to see and hear from the experts on how and why framing should be done in certain ways. Audrey’s choices reflect some of these ideas, and I think describing how will help others make their own choices.

The Mat

The mat for a print serves two purposes: it can enhance the look of the artwork, and it protects the art.

The right mat helps draw the eye in and can add a bit of grandeur or drama to the overall presentation of your new artwork. Use a mat between 2″ and 4″ wide. As for color, I’ve always preferred a simple “white” mat. I feel that a white mat really brings attention to the artwork without any distractions. There are exceptions to this and that’s basically your personal taste and decorating style. If your house is overall more bold and colorful, then adding a pop of color in your mat might fit right in. I say try the white first, but ultimately, go with your gut.

And when I say “white” I mean the white that matches the color of the paper best. If you’re having your Limited Edition Print custom framed, don’t be surprised to have your framer pull out dozens of white mats to choose from!

As to the protective element of matting, keeping space between the Limited Edition Print and the glass is the main goal of the mat. A mat allows air circulation in this space and helps prevent mildew, mold, and buckling. It also keeps artwork from sticking to the glazing material and becoming damaged.

The Frame

The hardest choice of all is picking your frame. This is where your personal taste and creativity really come into play. I often choose narrow, simple frames for matted pieces, which is very different from how I frame my paintings. I’ve had several clients that framed their prints in this way, using a narrow, simple frame with really lovely results. This choice will be the part where you look at lots of different options, and trust your unique style and taste.

Contrary to what I would normaly choose, Audrey’s frame choice is not narrow or simple, but I love it! It’s unique and has a lot of personality without being overwhelming. It brings my eye into the images and the pattern and texture compliments the the images in a subtle and appealing way.

Best of luck in your own art hanging adventures! Feel free to reach out via Instagram, or the contact form here on my website, whether you have a question or something to share. I love to hear from my readers and collectors, and fellow art lovers!