Peonies

This was a gift for an ex—kind of. We went on a date to the koi pond at Hahn Horticulture Garden, and I was inspired to paint this. It was my first time trying to date seriously, and I did everything “right,” waiting for feelings to show up. They didn’t. He didn’t. I let him…

This painting began as an exercise in light, but it turned into something gentler — a moment of calm between the shepherd and his flock. I wanted the morning to feel new, fragile, and full of quiet purpose. The figures don’t speak, yet their closeness says enough. The shepherd looks at his sheep, and not…

I painted this as a gift, starting with photobashed references and building out the scene from there. I added water, birds, ruins, and subtle hue shifts throughout to make it feel a little surreal—like a dream you can almost remember. The elephant is the centerpiece, standing calm in the middle of something ancient and overgrown….

This cow made me smile the second I saw it, and I kept smiling the entire time I painted it. I wanted something that felt jolly and ridiculous in the best way—so I leaned into the exaggerated perspective, pushed the colors brighter, and gave the snoot all the wet, shiny detail it deserved. The curls…

I started this piece knowing I wanted a gathering—ducks, geese, something with glow and contrast and a little chaos, and ended up being one of my happiest pieces. It took years. I kept adding details, then pulling them back, chasing a feeling I couldn’t quite name. Eventually, it clicked: the lineup felt alive, like they…