This next watercolor is the fifth, and latest addition to my Best of Japan series. I love the way little Ramen restaurants look lit up at night. The warmth from the orange/yellow glow of the lanterns looks something spectacular with the shadows of the night time. These are the small little places, which only seat a handful of diners. This one in particular was in Matsumoto. I've taken many photos of these lanterns hanging up, inviting hungry folk in, and I'm glad to have fina

This was a commission I did over the last few days. It's a scene of the Golden Pavilion, Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto, Japan. The day is bright, with some Autumn leaves in color on the trees in the background. The afternoon sun hits the gold on the pavilion, lightening up with a gorgeous shimmer. The geisha is in the foreground with her parasol up. I used a specific color palette for this painting. I'm focused on improving my color palettes within my paintings, so I've been reading th

I've painted many little watercolors inspired by Japan during my (almost) three years here. My time here is now on countdown, and I'm not quite ready for the next location yet (still unknown). But to celebrate my artistic time in Japan, I'm working on my 12 Best of Japan. The scenes I enjoy visiting and photographing most, and the seasons I enjoy painting most. So far, I've completed four of the twelve. The originals are 6 x 9. This is the first time I have made prints of my

I like naming my paintings with three words, three names. Sort of zen-ish, or of Haiku-esque. So here we have my most recent watercolor painting to date. It's featuring the Autumn season. It's got Mount Fuji. It's got Chureito Pagoda. The title had to be Autumn Fuji Pagoda, it just had to! Another Christmas present to be. Aren't the Autumn colors wonderful?! This is one of my favorite views around the Fuji area. I have yet to see it with Spring blossoms. That will be one my t

Another Mount Fuji painting! And this time overlooking the gorgeous Lake Motosu. It was a brilliant day for viewing all the amazing colors of Autumn. I took loads of photos, and one of them was worthy of being transformed into a watercolor painting. The blue of the lake against the reds, oranges and greens of the trees on the hills surrounding. Fuji was clear and crisp, with a wispy cloud floating across every once in a while. I stayed down by this lake until the sun went dow

I started watercolor painting with little 4 x 6 paintings of Mount Fuji and all the glorious sunsets and sunrises I wake up to featuring this perfectly symmetrical mountain. (You can read more about my Fuji paintings here and here) Over the last two years I've expanded to other sights of Japan: Kyoto, pagodas, lakes, and geisha. I love geisha; it's high on my list of what I picture when I think of Japan. So I was very excited to paint this commission: three paintings, three g

I love watching work in progress videos, especially of artists developing their paintings. I find it magical to watch that portrait come to life. But, what's not so magical is all the hours of thought put in to prepping the painting. Before the painting even comes into existence, so many hours,days and even months have been ideas discussed and weighed out, developed and tossed away. Then comes the composition planning, color palettes and test sketches, all before pencil is pu

This was a great commission piece! It's so inspiring and a wonderful way to remind ourselves how to start the day. I love how this collaboration came to be. It began with a Sunday morning sermon; a message that went home and grew roots. Words and Scripture became images and written text; to be viewed as a daily reminder on how to keep in communion with our Father. And probably what I love most about this collaboration is that two little girls will see this every morning as th

This was a great commission piece! It's so inspiring and a wonderful way to remind ourselves how to start the day. I love how this collaboration came to be. It began with a Sunday morning sermon; a message that went home and grew roots. Words and Scripture became images and written text; to be viewed as a daily reminder on how to keep in communion with our Father. And probably what I love most about this collaboration is that two little girls will see this every morning as th

We moved to Japan in 2015. Our 5th floor hosts a lovely view of Mt. Fuji and the surrounding mountain range. I love waking up in the morning and seeing how it looks. The cloud formations change, the sunset colors, and the sunrise hues: they all share very different views and feels of the same landscape. The time of year also adds interesting variation. I started making 20 minute watercolor paintings on 4 x 6 inch paper of these different views of Fuji. I guess I was inspired

With a break in Arts and Craft fairs for at least a few months, and my most recent commissions completed, I’ve started the sketching for several paintings. I’m working on a watercolor painting to add to People Being Series. This one will be of South Korea. Two girls in yellow hanbok dresses with dark blue sashes. The wind that day means there is lots of movement and fluttering. The girls were part of the Jindo Sea Parting (Moses Miracle) festival in 2008. I put them into a ba

Another great Craft Fair this past Saturday. Due to space constraints, I only displayed my Photo Montage prints and a few paintings. A few things surprised me, upon reflection. Customers who have bought from you previously, really do come find you, and purchase from you again! I love the conversations I get to have with customers and admirers of my work. The biggest surprise is they get it! My message; what I’m trying to say, is conveyed! Very cool! Everyone has been very enc

I have really enjoyed this series. My little 3 x 5 inches watercolor paintings; completed within 20-30 minutes. They have been very popular, and subsequently, I only have one or two unsold, at this point! I am painting more, though. I want to share with you some of the framed completed paintings, and my most recently painted ones. Fuji Views: Blue Line Mountains 2016 Fuji Views: Fuji View 2016 Fuji Views: Tree And Sunset Mountain 2016 And here's some (now) sold paintings in t