A bundle of toys he had flung on his back...

Here's a holiday inspired painting of Pere Noel. Neither of my 2 year olds have any interest in getting within 20 yards of a real life Santa, but they don't seem too afraid of this painting. We've been reading plenty of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas,' and this Santa seemed to fit the story. Enjoy your own holiday and have a wonderful New Year!

Signal Flags

Quiet Day on the Water

11 x 14 oil on panel

Another painting of a sailboat to remind me of summer as winter settles in here in France.

Yellow Buoy

6 x 6 oil on panel

This buoy was spotted on the way out of Nantucket this summer. A yellow buoy is considered a special purpose marker and indicates that you should take caution (it often marks a pipeline, or something similar). I love the contrast of the yellow and oranges with the blues.

Day Dreaming in the Surf

6 x 6 oil on panel

This painting was from a picture at the Harbor Beach in Maine this summer. I used much softer color that I usually do. You can just see my daughter Hadley loving the ocean, and I keep wondering what exactly she was thinking.

Marseille

6 x 6 oil on panel

We spotted this beautiful sailboat tied up in the harbor in Marseille last weekend. Despite the cold, rainy weather the harbor was beautiful and the end of the day light made soft reflections on the water.

Schooner

This schooner was sighted during a trip several years ago outside Victoria, British Columbia. It was sailing as a part of the tall ships parade with several other vessels. We sailed by just long enough to see the boats under sail.

Gerber

6 x 6 oil on panel

Here's a small painting of a Gerber daisy. I was inspired by the recent flower arrangement that made it into our apartment. I also wanted a chance to contrast the bright orangey pinks with the blue to remind me of something cheery in the cold weather we're experiencing.

Harbor Beach

11 x 14 oil on canvas
NFS

This painting brought on memories of home and countless days spent at the Harbor Beach in York, Maine. The cold, rainy weather here in France is making me wish for summer.

Quiet Moment

8 x 10 oil on stretched canvas
NFS

We took my 2 year old twins sailing for the first time in this beautiful boat. This Herreshoff belongs to a family friend and spends its summers on Cape Cod. I forgot how much I enjoy painting the water and boats!

Alley in Bellagio

11 x 14 oil on panel
$100

Here's another painting from our trip to Bellagio, Italy. This alley was right near where we stayed and you could just glimpse the lake and the other side of the lake.

Bellagio

6 x 6 oil on wood panel
$75

This painting is from our trip to Lake Como Italy this past weekend. I actually painted this twice since my twins 'painted' over the first one. The colors were beautiful, even when it was slightly overcast as it was on this day.

Village and Vineyard

6 x 6 oil on panel
$75

I'm finally posting a new painting! This painting is of a small village in the Alsace in northeast France. The vineyards lead right out of the village, which is well known as a wine town. We visited on a beautiful day and enjoyed a glass of wine on the pedestrian road.

Midday Calm

8 x 10 oil on stretched canvas

This painting was done as part of the workshop I am currently involved in taught by Ann Larsen. The paintings, all done around the town of Moreau, NY will be shown locally in town to highlight art in the region. The painting dealt with both moving water and stationary water and the biggest challenge was dealing with where these two intercepted. The best part of painting this was that I was surrounded by very curious Canadian Geese.

Harbor Beach

8 x 10 oil on stretched canvas
SOLD

This painting is the view of the Harbor Beach from the Reading Room in York, ME. I painted this painting on request and it was a pleasure to paint a scene I'm so familiar with. I finally will be posting some new paintings this week. Due to some traveling, a mad rush to learn French before our upcoming move to France, and a crazy amount of logistics to prepare for the move, I've had very little time to paint.

The Front Yard

8 x 10 oil on canvas

Here is the other painting I completed while I was in Nantucket last week. This is the view of the Sheehan's front yard during mid-day light.

Sankaty Head Light

8 x 10 oil on stretched canvas

I spent the last few days on Nantucket with my kids and mother-in-law enjoying the beautiful weather and stunning scenery. I was lucky enough to also get some time to paint while the kids played at the beach. This view is over the Sesachacha Pond with a direct view of Sankaty Head Lighthouse.

Bridge on the Hudson

8 x 10 oil on stretched canvas

This painting was done this past weekend as part of the newest workshop I am participating in. The workshop involves painting on location in the town of Moreau, just south of Glensfalls, NY. I loved the opportunity to paint outside and know next time to apply more sunscreen.

She Said What?

12 x 36 oil on stretched canvas

This is a big canvas with extra deep painted edges. The 'model' for this painting was a singular gull that I captured in different postures during our trip to South Carolina. I went through about 5 different names for this painting, but could just picture these birds catching up on yesterday's gossip with their feet in the sand.

Beach Day

6 x 6 oil on panel

Here are my twins absolutely loving a beach day in South Carolina during our recent vacation. The challenge was leaving the beach at the end of the day. I allowed myself only one nap time to paint this painting, so I would only focus on the shadows and light and not all the details!

That Time of Day

8 x 10 oil on stretched canvas
To purchase visit my Etsy site

It's been quite some time since I posted a painting, thanks to a nice trip to South Carolina. This painting is of Brave Boat Harbor for those of you familiar with York, ME. I'm enjoying painting reflected water and looking forward to getting up to the Maine coast soon.

Two of a Kind

11 x 14 oil on linen panel

My first palette knife painting! This painting was done exclusively with a painting knife and has a heavy application of paint. I am currently in the process of painting a slightly larger portrait, and enjoyed taking a break last night and painting something totally different and freer. I love the combination of blues and yellows, and the tranquility of the boats at anchor.

Slow Sailing

16 x 20 oil on stretched canvas
NFS

Another painting of the beautiful vessel Orion (see the previous post for more information on this boat and the Deep Green Wilderness ecology and policy education program). This is a much bigger painting than the other Orion painting and has seemingly innumerable shades of whites and gray. Recently someone suggested that I simplify the number of lines on boats to improve the painting, but the sailor in me struggled with this and in the end I chose to keep all the lines visible in the photo.

Orion

6 x 6 oil on wood panel

After a week spent in Maine, I managed to only paint this one painting. This is a painting of the beautifully restored 1934 vessel, Orion. Orion is currently the platform for the Deep Green Wilderness ecology and policy education program. This program was recently founded by Captain Kevin Campion and run programs in the Pacific Northwest. This is only the first painting I have planned of this vessel! For more information on the program, visit deepgreenwilderness.com or check out the S/V Orion on Facebook.

Hadley #2

6 x 6 oil on stretched canvas
NFS

The matching portrait to go along with the recent one of Fin. I realize that despite a few similarities, the twins look very different, especially thanks to Hadley's soft little fuzzy hair. The photo I used below did not capture Hadley's coloring, so I had to adjust it the best I could.

Day Dreaming

16 x 20 oil on stretched canvas

To Purchase visit my Etsy store

This painting makes me want to grab a book and some shade under the nearest tree. For both the leaves and the bark I used heavy paint with several layers and drying time in between to help achieve a feeling of depth.

Orchid

6 x 6 oil on stretched canvas
SOLD

This painting is inspired by the orchid left sitting by my easel after my last orchid painting. It's the same plant from a different perspective.

Fin

6 x 6 oil on stretched canvas
NFS

This is a painting of my son using a photo from Easter Day (see the photo below). It is much smaller than the other portraits I've done and a more serious pose, although I had fun with Fin's wild and crazy surfer dude locks. After carefully studying his face for the painting, I am convinced he barely looks anything like me! I'm trying to capture a similar pose of Hadley, but it is proving difficult to get the photo, mostly because they've learned to 'smile' for the camera.

Heron

6 x 12 oil on stretched canvas
SOLD

This painting is all about the grass. I chose the heron to add interest and because they are naturally graceful, but I was mostly interested in creating textured grass using multiple layers of paint.

Musk Hyacinth

6 x 6 oil on stretched linen canvas
To purchase visit my Etsy store

These little flowers seem to be coating the lawn next to our house. After a lovely week away in the Pacific Northwest, it is wonderful to come back to spring here in New York State. The leaves are just coming out and pollen is in the air!

The Forsythia Are Out

The flowers are starting to bloom and the grass is getting green. I purposely painted the flowers in the background blurry to give the sense of a photo with the foreground in focus. The bright yellow really pops on this dark green background. We are heading to Seattle for a week of fun in the Northwest, so enjoy this painting and stay tuned for at least a week for the next painting!

Climber

6 x 8 oil on wood panel
To purchase visit my Etsy store

This painting combined a few photos from my friend Clive's recent climbing trip out west. I love the colors of the rocks out west and enjoyed playing with the shadows.

Just Because

6 x 12 oil on stretched canvas
NFS

I received this orchid one day 'just because,' and with spring in the air I knew it was time to paint it. I purposely painted a thin background, and used thick paint for the flowers. I wanted to create the feeling that the orchids were coming out of the canvas. I am going to try the same approach on my current painting of a completely different subject.

Dave

8 x 10 oil on stretched canvas
NFS

For those of you who don't recognize the dashing good looks of this man, this is my husband, David Carlson. I wanted to experiment again with painting someone I know and I felt I finally deserved a painting for myself. I apologize for the photo, it has a lot of glare and has neutralized the colors, something I need to work on.

Where Do We Go From Here?

6 x 8 oil on wood panel

Sagre's Point, located in Southwestern Portugal, has long been an important landmark for sailors. Before ships sailed North or West out of the Mediterranean Sea, they would often pause in the lee of this point and hold out for good weather. A fort and lighthouse are located on the point near the former location of the school of Prince Henry the Navigator.

Judd at Work

9 x 12 oil on stretched canvas
NFS

I did this painting for my brother, Judd. Judd lives in Miami and spends his time working as a DJ. This painting is from last summer when he worked a night at the Red Door in Portsmouth, NH. I chose to go a little crazy on the colors for a little change.

Ready to Eat

6 x 6 oil on stretched linen
To purchase visit my Etsy Store

Spring is officially here, and the solstice has brought with it warm weather and fresh fruit in the grocery store. These strawberries were so inviting and may inspire some sort of baking endeavor in the few days. I can't wait to get outside for some painting in the next few weeks!

Upside Down

6 x 8 oil on panel
To Purchase visit my Etsy Store

This is another painting from my trip to British Columbia during the summer of 2005 (see Toba Inlet Post). This painting exemplifies the weather we had during our trip: cold, cloudy, and rainy. Despite the weather, the scenery in British Columbia is breathtaking with mountains everywhere you look! This photo shows a little glare from the still wet paint.

Steve's Ironman

11 x 14 Oil on Stretched Canvas

This is obviously a departure from normal. I painted this map for my brother-in-law, Steve Carlson to celebrate his Ironman this fall in Cozumel, Mexico. Steve did an awesome job in the race, finishing the race in 11 hours, 26 minutes and 46 seconds. As a geographer I love maps and enjoyed finally finding a use for all my geographic training!

Robert C. Seamans: First Day Out

8 x 10 oil on stretched linen canvas

This is a painting of the Robert C. Seamans, one of the two vessels owned and operated by Sea Education Association. The Seamans runs sail training and oceanographic education programs in the Pacific Ocean for mostly undergraduate students. Both my husband, Dave, and I worked on board the Seamans and have fond memories of sunrises, sunsets, and dawn clean-up. To learn more about the program or boat, check out sea.edu.

Duoro Valley Vineyard

6 x 8 oil on wood panel

Following our wedding in July 2007, my husband and I spent 2 weeks in Portugal exploring and relaxing. This beautiful coastal country is steeped in maritime history and culture, but we did manage to leave the coast for a few days in the Duoro Valley. Vineyards throughout this valley produce port and welcome visitors for tastings and tours. This painting is of an especially picturesque vineyard with a view of some of the distant hills.

Kaya

8 x 10 oil on stretched canvas

This painting was done for my Aunt and Uncle of their granddaughter, Kaya. Having never met Kaya, it was a challenge to try to capture her with just photographs, but I loved this pose and all the personality behind it!

On a Dark and Stormy Night

8 x 10 oil on stretched canvas
NFS

For those of you not familiar with a Dark and Stormy, I suggest you go treat yourself to this tasty little beverage. A Dark and Stormy is a typical sailor beverage (again - served with a lime to ward off scurvy). As landlocked sailors, we often enjoy this drink with family at the holidays, or any other time we get together. I loved the challenge of painting multiple glass items with various colored liquids.

Almost at the Beach

9 x 12 oil on stretch canvas
NFS

Another Sand Dune painting. The colors in this painting are softer than the other sand dune paintings, and it has the feeling of a late day visit to the beach.

Monte Verde View

6 x 8 oil on panel

During the summer of 2006, my sister Mikayla and I spent a month in Guatemala taking language courses and traveling. This painting is from an early morning boat ride into the mangroves in Monteverde on the Pacific Coast. Despite he prolific bugs, this was a wonderful morning.

Ken's Cabin

6 x 8 oil on wood panel

Finally, a painting that is a bit more seasonal. This little cabin (Ken's cabin) is part of the Tenth Mountain Division Hut Association in Colorado. During the time we lived in Breckenridge, we visited several of these ski-in huts with friends. This hut is just above the town of Breckenridge and is a gentle upward ski with some great views!

Sand Dune #2

6 x 8 oil on wood panel
SOLD

Another sand dune painting to remind me of a day at the beach despite the new snow on the ground outside. While I am looking forward to the warm weather, the fresh coat of white snow that fell yesterday is a welcome change. Unlike so many folks along the east coast, we are well below our average snowfall for the year.

Boat at Dock

11 x 14 oil on stretched canvas

This painting is very loosely based on a picture from the same sailing trip mentioned in the Toba Inlet painting post (found here). I used a picture of our little boat at a dock in a quiet harbor but completely changed the colors. On this day, we had no engine and had to sail the boat onto the dock against a really strong headwind with very little space. Eventually, we actually used our kayak to run a long line out to the bow and literally haul the boat the last few yards! We put on quite a show for the rest of the boats on the dock!