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Here is a car that I'm doing a watercolor portrait of. Does anyone know what it is? I photographed it at the Concourse d'Elegance in Lexington, Kentucky, in 2009. Mystery solved!  It's a 1935 Packard. [...]

This is an old watercolor painting from a photo I took of Gratz Park in Lexington, Kentucky.  The blue house is now a cream or taupe color.  I preferred the blue.  The blooming crabapple tree wasn't actually blooming at the time; I changed it for effect.  Gratz Park is near Transylvania University and is a very historic place with lovely architecture.  Our current warm weather is making me anxious for Spring flowers.  I think I see crocuses blooming by the road as I write this... "Gratz Park" watercolor, 16 X 20 inches [...]

I was feeling the need to produce something for Valentine's Day so I went through my floral photos and found one I thought I could render quickly, meaning 1-2 hours.  Well, it took 6 hours.  Still, that's not bad considering my big paintings normally take 16 - 24 hours.  I took a photo of this painting and made a Valentine's Day card for that special someone in my life... "Valentines' Day Rose", watercolor, 10 X 14 inches [...]

  Last year I read about a site that challenges artists to spend twenty minutes doing a painting.  The twenty minutes includes any sketching.  I decided to give it a try and believe me, some of the results aren't good!  But this one turned out quite well.  The exercise is a bit nerve-wracking because my desire to have a good painting is still strong, despite the odds against me!  Some artists are quite good at it, (or they're only sharing their successes), and you can see their works at http://twentyminutechallenge.blogspot.com/. [...]

Here is a scene from the French Alps.  Living Kentucky, but being from parts of the US where there is a lot more snow in the winter, I was craving a snowy vacation.  I had recently discovered some French cousins on my father's side, and after meeting them for the first time the previous summer in Milan, Italy, I managed to get myself invited for a "ski vacation".  Now, by this time  in my life I hadn't skied in 16 years.   In preparation I went to the gym three times a week and worked out, but my skiing really sucked.  I fell down [...]

I did this painting in a rush.  It was October and I knew I needed to get it finished and printed.  The first painting I did was based on an outdoor snow scene from my yard, but I didn't like it.  Yep, you'll never see it!  Everyone who received this card said they loved it!  [...]

When I was 9 years old, I fell in love with horses.  Literally.  Not an uncommon story, but for me it was when I saw my cousin Carlas black horse gallop across a field on a sunny Indiana day.  Like a lightning bolt it hit me.  Her head was tucked and her maine and tail flew with her strides.  After that, I read every horse book I could find, collected every horse statue and toy I could afford (or cajole my parents into buying for me), and drew horses non-stop for years.  I think this intense effort on horses is what [...]

This composition was done in preparation for a watercolor workshop with Paul Jackson.  He had provided a composition for us to prepare before beginning the workshop, but I just knew I wouldn't be able to mimic his style to my satisfaction, so I devised my own set-up.  I learned a lot in his workshop and still use his tips and techniques nearly a year later.  I so enjoyed the glass and crystal work that you can expect more! [...]

This was from a golden opportunity when friends came to visit us in Charleston, South Carolina one year.  I rarely get opportunties to photograph children, who are wonderful subjects for watercolor.  This girl was completely wrapped up in her imaginary world, the world I remember as a child. [...]

This is from a photo I took while visiting Midway, Kentucky, on July 4th, 2009.  The town was practically shut down that day, quite opposite of Lexington, which has downtown blocked off with vendors of all kinds and live music every couple blocks!  But the day was pretty and I got some good photos of the historic buildings. [...]

My husband and I decided to celebrate our wedding anniversary this year by picking a spot in Kentucky we wanted to go see. We chose to go visit a covered bridge. On the way there, my husband saw a sign for an orchard. I was reluctant to stop since it wasn't on our "itinerary", but in the spirit of the day, I agreed. The orchard was on a long road off the main highway and I was beginning to doubt we would find it. We did, and it was this little white garage-like building. The garage door was open, but nobody [...]