In the Studio Lately...

During Christmas break, I limited my art supplies to a journal, Prismacolor Ebony pencils, and charcoal pencils. My goal was simple: to play with value. Every year I set a new goal as an artist, because every single painting teaches you something new. The learning never stops.

I’ve been spending a lot of time in the studio getting fresh paintings ready for February. I’ve been experimenting more too, especially with loose, unstretched canvas. For some reason, it feels more freeing, and I’m excited to see how those pieces feel once they’re stretched and framed.

My home studio is tiny and full of books, ideas, colors, and controlled chaos…probably not unlike my ADD brain. Sometimes that part of me drives me nuts, but I also think there’s a lot of possibility there. I really do think it’s a gift.

Ellie is always nearby, usually sleeping under my painting table. And whenever I stop to ponder a painting, she crawls into my lap and falls asleep.

Outside the studio, life has been full too. My youngest just graduated from high school, and I still don’t quite know how that’s possible. How is my baby boy all grown up?

I’m really looking forward to spending some time in Florida with him…sun, sand, and time by the water. There’s no place I’d rather be. I don’t know if I think better there, or if life just slows down enough for me to breathe and spend time in God’s word.

As I’ve been painting, I’ve been blocking out most of the news. I’m trying to paint, draw, or read instead of defaulting to my phone during this long, cold winter. I truly think these practices are healing to our souls..and when I can add gardening back into the mix, I will be oh so very happy.

As I read this back, I realize I sound a bit like Mr. Rogers and Bob Ross 😂 which honestly makes sense.

So here’s the challenge:
Go find something you love doing, something that excites your brain, and spend four hours this week pursuing it. Take the time you might normally lose to your phone or computer and put it toward something that feels healing to your soul. ❤️

A Year Later...

It is honestly hard to believe that it has only been a year...it feels like a few years piled into one. There have been many tears shed + millions of dollars spent cleaning Asheville + the surrounding towns.

Looking back, it seems as though the storm happened in slow motion- it feels a little fuzzy + dreamlike. Perhaps that is how our brains protect us from the trauma?!

We have been terrified-traumatized-hopeless + numb...but as spring + summer moved in, we all began to feel a little more hopeful...some will always mourn the loss of loved ones, others will fear storms + rain for years to come.

But the beauty of seeing neighbors put aside the left + right divide…was priceless. We all gave what we could- helped when we had the chance + loved each other well!

To God Be the Glory!

Both of these paintings carry the story of Hurricane Helene. Blue Ridge Parkway at Dusk was painted right after the storm, when it felt like the world had turned upside down and yet there was still a glimmer of hope to hold onto.

Months later, as the hills turned green again, I painted Verdant Days of Summer- a reminder that even in destruction, God brings renewal. Ann Voskamp writes, “Hope is never lost because Hope Himself never loses track of you.” That’s the heartbeat behind these pieces: grief and loss, but also the hope that only God can give.

Blue Ridge Parkway at Dusk
36x36 | Oil on Canvas | Unframed
*framing options available upon request

A glimmer of hope in the midst of Hurricane Helene.
“I pray also that you will have greater understanding in your heart so you will know the hope to which he has called us…”
Ephesians 1:18

Verdant Days of Summer
40x50 | Oil on Canvas | Framed

…to finally see hope in the aftermath of Helene’s destruction. Things are beginning to be cleaned up and all the lush green foliage has emerged. A glimmer of hope in the midst of darkness…oh that our hearts would remember..

“hold onto the HOPE to which you have been called.”
Ephesians 1:18

“Hope is never lost because Hope Himself never loses track of you. God is the One who keeps asking the Edenic query, Ayekah (Hebrew) Where Are You? Hope is always the one constant you can count on because you can count on Jesus constantly with you. Hineni (Hebrew) Here I Am.”
Ann Voskamp, Waymaker