Spring Farm

Spring Farm, 12x16 Soft Pastel

I was happy about the vibrance in this piece, which came unexpectedly. I also got to use one of my favorite, but not often used, techniques to get the yellow specks in the grass. My parents took the photo of the mule on one of their trips and I was glad to finally find him a home.

Screech Owl

Screech Owl, 5x7 Soft Pastel
This owl reminded me of those wooden carvings I remember from my childhood...I don't even know where I have seen them, but they are in my memory. I gave him a glow in the night, with a midnight blue behind him, using complimentary colors to enhance his presence.

King of the Mountain

King of the Mountain, 8x8 Soft Pastel SOLD

I have had the photograph of this sheep forever and he always made me laugh. I finally had the inspiration to use him in a picture, and he has already found a new home!

Bird Series

As part of my Southern Exposure series, I am drawing a series of birds. I have started with some of my favorites and am enjoying the change of wildlife subject.

Cotton

"Soft Cotton" 3x5 Soft Pastel, $95 in matte and frame

I am working on new backgrounds for my cotton bolls. Instead of a flat color, I am trying faded cotton and earth.

Empty Tub

Empty Tub, 18x24 Soft Pastel
I finished this piece in a day, and then kept coming back to it adding colors and making adjustments. It shows a certain stiffness in the pose, but I intended it as a moment of frozen reflection, sort of like when you are reluctant to get out of the bathtub even after all the water has drained out.

Feather

Feather, 5x10 Soft Pastel
I like the odd simplicity of this piece, and the single bright red feather.

Untitled

18x24 Soft Pastel, Untitled
A larger addition to the Blue Series. The final addition of peeling paint in the corner added a whole different feel to this piece.

Blue Series

5x7 Soft Pastel

Arrangement

"Arrangement"
12x16 Soft Pastel
The latest addition to my new "Blue Series." It's funny how art happens...one minute you're painting bucolic fields, sheep and cotton and then one day you sit down and this comes out instead. It is surprising, but you have to let it flow. Art has a powerful ability to channel emotions and express them in unplanned ways.

Untasted

"Untasted"
9x11 Soft Pastel
I am experimenting more with color and texture in this piece, one of a series.

Wings

"Wings"
9x12 Soft Pastel
I am branching out into the dog breeder world with pet portraits...this is a portrait of a prize-winning Boykin Spaniel, a treasured pet of one of my friends. They breed these spaniels and are located in Mountain Brook, Alabama. www.otmboykins.com

Vigilance

"Vigilance" 8x12 Soft Pastel

Everyone needs a release...a way to express how you feel, what you think...some outlet through which you can work out internal confusion. I find my release in art. As I drew this piece, I contemplated my life, my faith, my questions, my struggles and could feel my eyes looking into the light in hope that all will be well. It is hard to sacrifice, to search for authenticity, to love with a selfless love. In this picture, I sit for a moment in peace and breathe through my lingering thoughts...

Cotton Field Series addition

12x16 Oil Pastel
I'm trying out some more detailed oil pastels...they have a very different feel that the soft pastels. I like the smoothness and it is nice to switch up the techniques.

Southern Exposure

Southern Exposure
11x14 Soft Pastel

This picture evokes a lot of feelings for me. I called it Southern Exposure because you can't look at it without feeling something about the South, it's history, it's conflicts...I hope it will expose feelings that have been ignored and remind us that we are all human.