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
When I started my monthly miniature Swallowtail series, I warned you that they come in many sizes and shapes, but this one is quite exceptional. The Teinopalpus imperialis is a rare species which can be found fluttering in patches across the Himalayas, through Nepal and north India all the way east to north Vietnam. That’s far from home for me, but part of the fun of this series is to use all of the many tools available to me to stretch my imagination across the globe, even if visiting the Himalayas physically is impossible for me right now.
My Emperor of India is portrayed as more of a natural history specimen than as a creature that just settled down for a nibble or a rest. He is also displayed in verso, with his tummy face up (see his little feet?) so that the most vibrant coloration of his wings are in full view. I went for a full-on manuscript-inspired composition with the addition of a golden arch around this butterfly. My inspiration was Joris Hoefnagel, one of the early pioneers in still life paintings and the study of insects. It’s easy to see how still life paintings caught on with such fervor when viewing his iconic masterpieces created in the 1500’s.
I love how my monthly miniature series gives me so much freedom to experiment while staying within the boundaries of just a few simple ideas. Within the concept of “swallowtail butterflies,” I experiment with compositional ideas within the same general theme and format. Looking back over all the paintings I completed over the year, I get ideas and inspiration for the next series of paintings. I also get ideas for works I exhibit in galleries.
On a personal note…
Hope you’re doing well and I please wish me luck for the next couple of weeks! Baby is due in a week and we don’t have anything ready! We almost have a countertop in the kitchen so fingers crossed it’s not still a complete madhouse when the baby gets here. As you can imagine, I’m exhausted! I have a set up to put my feet up while I’m painting, which means studio-time is also “resting-time”. I’ve thankfully been able to get a little painting done and I’m saving most of the the kitchen construction for my wonderful husband, friends and family.
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.
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.
Sam and I became friends many years ago attending an open-studio gathering hosted by a mutual friend. She loved cats and talked about them all the time, but I was shocked to hear she didn’t have one! She and her husband were catsitters for one and they were very much in love.
After four years, Angus’s human saddly passed, but Sam and her husband were able to adopt him. He went from one very loving home to another. Soon after the adoption was official, she contacted me for a portrait of her favorite kitty.
Hand-Finished Antique Frame
I offered one of my antique frames that my sister found several years ago at a The Castner Picture Frame Company, made in the early 1900’s. You can see my finishing process on a previous post. It’s incredible to watch the transformation they undergo and I love the warm tones in the frame with his fur colors.
From Sam:
INCREDIBLE! Truly amazing. I can’t thank you enough. I absolutely love it and can’t wait to see it in person.
The theme for my new still life series will be the idea of “Simplify”. I’ve been thinking a lot about simplifying my life and trying to learn how to set aside much-needed time for relaxation and contemplation. I’ve titled my series for this year “Simplify” and I’m hoping to bring that idea into my life in the coming year. Contemplating the idea in how I’m composing my work seemed like the perfect way to start (but it’s harder than you might think!).
Oranges are in season now, at their peak of flavor during these cold winter months. Beyond being delicious to eat and beautiful to look at, for me oranges have become a personal metaphor for pushing through and staying alert.
Years ago, I worked full time as a mount-maker for the Seattle Art Museum while also painting full time. I was also an avid hiker and practiced ballet and Iaido (a Japanese martial art). Each day was packed full. And each day around three o’clock my body would protest and demand that I take a nap. After trial and error with way too much coffee and chocolate, I found that oranges not only tasted refreshing but made my whole body feel refreshed. Oranges perked me up perfectly and gave me the second wind I needed to get me through until I could take a nice, long nap on the bus ride home. “Orange time” soon caught on with my coworkers and became a daily ritual.
I hope you enjoy the first painting of this new series! Sign up for my Newsletter if you’d like to see the series as it unfolds.
September has been a crazy month. As you may have noticed, my little garden gives me a lot of produce, and I’m a bit obsessed with not letting it go to waste. I feel like I jumped from a plum roller coaster right into an ocean of pears! I’ve canned 50 jars of pears (underestimate), eaten a million pears (overestimate) and baked a decadent French Pear Tart.
My mom gave me my pear tree 12 years ago, and it’s getting really big. Since our cherry tree came down, the pear is the new favorite for the birds. Our resident Steller’s Jays like to nip at the fruit on the top of the tree, so it felt perfectly natural to invite this Jay to the French Tart party.
Speaking of a crazy month, my own little bird (five your old son) started kindergarten, and talk about roller coasters. My emotions keep going up and down with excitement and fear. Except for a few school bus mishaps in the beginning, it’s been a pretty smooth transition. He is such a sweet little guy, and he really appreciates special homemade treats like this. He loved the tart, but he REALLY loves the canned pears. I have every faith that we’ll go through those 50 jars! The tart was incredible, but with a 21 step recipe, it’s a once-a-year occurrence.
I haven’t quite accepted that fall is already upon us and plan on staying in denial for as long as possible. I hope you enjoy the sunshine and warmth while it lasts and take some time to enjoy a special treat too.
Despite the bumpy start to 2021, I still have high hopes for where this new year will take us. I’m looking forward to saying goodbye to the “new normal.” Meanwhile I thought we could all use some warmth and comfort to cheer us along the way. Each painting of this year’s monthly miniature series will have the theme of “creature comforts”, such as food and drink that makes us feel warm and cozy.
Let’s start this year with a toast. I made you a pomegranate champagne cocktail. Pomegranates are a symbol of plenty, youthfulness, fertility and good luck. Combine that with champagne, overflowing with abundance and joy, and you have the perfect drink to welcome the new year.
Here’s my toast:
The last year has been both terrible and wonderful. Despite a calamitous year, I’ve had the rare privilege to begin painting as a full-time artist without also working a second full-time job. I could not have done it without you, so I propose a toast of thanks.
Your subscription to my newsletter cheers me along. Every time you share my work, you help me grow my audience. Every time you buy a painting, a print or a greeting card, you support me doing something I love for a living. So cheers, and thank you for your continued support. I wish you a new year that overflows with good luck, plenty, and joy!
In 2018, the Portrait Society of America added a new category to its annual Members Only competition: “Animals as Subject”. Since then I’ve entered every year and have been incredibly fortunate to have my work selected either as one of the winners, or as a finalist (top twenty).
My painting of Harrison was selected as a finalists in this years competition. Thanks so much to the Jurors for selecting my work and thank you to the Portrait Society of America for their dedication to furthering the traditions of fine art portraiture. Congratulations to all of the winners and finalists in the competition!
What do these two paintings have in common? They’re both finalists in the Richeson75 Animals, Brids & Wildlife 2020 Competition! Visit the online exhibit to see all of the work included in the show.
Jack Richeson & Co. is a fine art materials manufacturing company and part of their mission is to directly support the visual arts community. They operate the Richeson School of Art & Gallery and have created a series Richeson75 International Art Competitions.
“The Richeson75 competitions are meant to offer a venue in which established and emerging artists may show their latest, best work to a wide and appreciative audience. The 75 finalists for each regular contest will exhibit their work in our beautiful Richeson Gallery and in the online exhibit. The Richeson75 online competitions also reach a wide audience with online exhibits of the 75 finalists’ work.”
All Richeson75 competitions are accompanied with the publication of a collectible, limited-edition, full-color, hardcover exhibit book which includes the artwork of the finalists and other meritorious entries from the competition.
The competitions showcase artwork made in the realist tradition. I’m honored to have two pieces among such a technically well-crafted mix of styles and subjects. Congratulations to everyone in the show!!
