"Your work is so NOT beige”
- a welcome compliment from a recent studio visitor
I hope you’ll let me challenge your idea of art for your home with these colourful paintings. To gently nudge you towards more colour and away from boring. I'd love for you to find yourself, or a playful part of yourself, within this imaginative rainbow on offer.
Enjoy this preview! Take your time taking it in.
Whether an original or an art print, I really hope there's at least one colourful 'Detour' that you simply can't live without.
While working on a giant abstract this summer, I discovered the perfect recipe for a fabulously bold pink. Its base is the pink of field-ripe raspberries and their sticky red juice. Then comes a handful of fading peony petals, a sprinkle of hot red roses and a dash of summer spun candy floss. Finally, melting strawberry ice cream with a cherry on top ... all enjoyed high atop a Ferris wheel. And thus, I whipped up this "hot damn" of a painting. Bon appétit!
There's something cheerfully enchanting about this image. ‘Rose’ is one of those paintings that I completely, utterly, and unconditionally love without entirely knowing why. She breaks rules with a cheeky smile, skips through the palette picking colours at whim and then blushes with unabashed pride because she knows how fabulous she is. I must agree. She's a knockout.
Purple was the last colour I learned to love. It always seemed a bit outside of my comfort zone and I simply didn't understand its power or the glorious range of beauty that it held. Perhaps I was reluctant to explore, afraid of my unknowingness, or simply, a colour snob. I'm happy to see more and more purples - magenta grape here - showing up in my abstract work because it's deliciously fun. It's the life of the party! If there's a painting tempting you to the dance floor - this is the one!
My recent obsession with Emerald Green as seen through spring eyes. This fresh Jade plays with reckless abandon in the garden of colour. Painting this knockout was a curious, challenging exploration over several days involving layers upon layers of paint. But as so often is the case, the magic came through and brought this spectacular beauty into being.
Yellow has long been a secret love of mine. Yellow is bold, it is happy, it is the weirdo at the back of the classroom who entertains and breaks the rules. Its radiant smile won my heart over long ago and this zinger of a summer painting renewed my love. Think hot sun melting butter on ripe corn .... mmmm
This sweet little painting started off as one of my thoughtful colour clusters - an exercise in the intentional placement of colour - but soon found itself excitedly perched on the cusp of a holiday. The day before school lets out for summer, the eve of a vacation, one sleep away from escaping into the wide, violet yonder. It was begging me to find the fun and so I did. Some of the brushstrokes here have already taken off on their own adventure and I’m getting the sense that the others are soon to follow. As am I!
While this piece is as bright and fresh as mint itself, it feels like so much that we all enjoy about the cool treats of summer. A splashing deep dive into a briskly cold lake. A rainbow caught in the spray of a garden sprinkler. A dripping popsicle, a flower swaying in the shade, a cool breeze through the leaves. It's a respite from the heat and a welcome, cheerful summer moment.
Night rides and night hikes are a summertime pleasure. When days are too hot to pedal or log miles, I go out after dark with starlight leading the way. My route through the public rose garden is a favourite. There's a peaceful intimacy, a feeling this garden is just mine, these roses just for me when the darkness otherwise hides all but what's caught in the moonbeams.
A basket of freshly picked peaches at the farmers market struck me as the perfect inspiration for this painting. I didn't want to be too literal so stayed away from obvious oval shapes, but 'sun ripe' was the phrase floating in my head as I worked and explored a palette new for me. Happily, my brushstrokes worked their magic to deliver something juicy and warm with all the delectable velvety tones of my favourite summer fruit.
'Sky Blue'
24" x 24"
$985
Expansive, wide open and free, a blue sky is the backdrop for so many summer memories. This beautiful bouquet of colour feels like a perfect late-summer afternoon spent in the shade of a colourful canopy and a gentle reminder to stop and enjoy the moment. It’s an end-of-season garden on full display, blossoms savouring every ray of sunshine and breath of warm air.
Some paintings are explorations of the heart, others are explorations of the mind. 'Turquoise' is an examination of creative thinking where I observed the decisions behind each brushstroke, experimented with shape and composition and measured movement to examine light vs. dark and the balance of colours. Evaluating what stays, what changes and what is eliminated in a composition is a fascinating but thoroughly internal process that amazes me to this day. I can tickle every inch of curiosity with my brush until the final piece both looks and feels as complete as this luscious burst of colour.
Taking inspiration from one of my favourites of this collection onto a giant canvas meant really letting myself explore the idea and its colours. Needless to say I fell in love with this sophisticated, muted pink all over again. That it's big makes it extra special - it has the 'WOW' factor built in! Large scale art in a home makes such a fabulous impact. It's an unapologetic reflection of what you love and a clear statement about who you are - in this case, curious, unique, colourful and fun! It's hip, it's rose, it's 'Rosehip'!
A quiet and intimate look at a moment deeper in the forest of colour. The earliest peek of a blossom to come. Finding strength, growing towards the light, wisdom in every pore. I love the stillness here and the cascading shades of green in the background. It's a painting that reminds me that ultimately, beautiful isn't complicated.