Ask my 5 year old son his favorite food and his answer is “ice cream in an ice cream cone!”

I’ve always thought of my “real” age as being 5. Having an actual 5 year old around brings lots of fun but also some harsh realities. I don’t have half the energy that he has and struggle to keep up. I can’t even keep up on ice cream consumption! He’s definitely an inspiration though, full of creativity and adventure. It’s impossible not to smile when I see the all-consuming joy he experiences in the simple act of eating his ice cream in an ice cream cone.

Though these two paintings are far from typical for a 17th century still life, my initial inspiration was actually a portrait by Jean Ranc from 1729. When I stumbled on a detail of his portrait of Barbara of Portugal, my mind immediately replaced the flowers in her hand with an ice cream cone.

We spent the first week of July visiting my family after a long COVID separation. For the first time, my son and husband experienced lightning bugs, something this Ohio-raised gal has missed since moving to Washington. Sharing that magical part of my childhood with my boys meant so much to me. The concept for my painting began to evolve as I watched them chase flashes around in the dusk, and the result is a combination of midwestern summer, childhood magic and love.So why the daytime version? Creativity comes at unexpected moments. As I played hide and seek in the backyard with Isaac, I laid along the fence line, behind a row of daylilies. Gazing up at the sky, I was filled with the desire to paint that color. I knew that for my July painting I needed to capture the brightness of the summer sky. Isaac posed for me at Carkeek Park in Seattle, and the daytime version was born.Then I had a delima. I couldn’t decide which painting to make! They both felt perfect for my July creature comfort so I made them both. Happy summer!

The creative process for different artists vary wildly, and even my own creative process varies. I believe that keeping myself open to new ideas and inspiration so my work stays fresh and exciting and avoid blocks;(we’ve all heard of “writers blocks” but it’s something visual artists experience too). Having a yearly theme to my monthly miniatures has proven to tap an exciting torrent of ideas; something about creating constraints, even something so loose as a theme, helps me really engage with what is still possible. As the year progresses, I get ideas for paintings in the months to come from all sorts of directions. The idea slowly becomes more and more clear, until, joy! I get to make it. 🙂 

I have dozens of June bearer strawberry plants in my garden. After years spending an hour each morning picking strawberries, I can’t think of June without my strawberries. They are incredibly delicious and remind me of all the friends that have helped me make my garden over the years, by sharing ideas, plants, or coming over to get in the dirt.

The idea of strawberries was the seed for this painting. But my second inspiration came by thinking about different flavors and tastes. What did I want to eat with the strawberries? Angel food cake and whipped cream popped into my head at once. Then the image of these coupe champagne glasses. It might be a rose wine or champagne that fills them; you can help me decide, but it’s refreshing, pairs well with strawberries, and just begs to be finished too quickly!

When it came time to make the painting, I picked the strawberries, baked the cake (a dozen egg whites!!) and whipped up the cream into stiff peaks (the way I like it). But the painting needed couple glasses, and I had only flutes. So I did what I always do when I need help, I called my sister. I mocked the painting with martini glasses, and she sent back a shot of perfectly-posed coupe glasses.