Peonies

I painted this in one sitting—six hours straight—as a birthday gift for my mom. It began with a monochromatic reference, but the colors didn’t stay quiet. They surged forward, unexpected and insistent, like they had their own momentum. It felt less like I was choosing them and more like they were choosing me. This was…

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 while working through a lot of emotion—feeling lost and frustrated. Her gaze carries that weight. She might be looking at you, or just past you, and it’s up to the viewer to decide what she’s thinking. Peaceful? Sad? Something in between? This was an experiment in light and contrast—chiaroscuro with loose, impressionistic…

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…