Beneath our feet, stories are compressed in stone…

Like our sense of smell, music holds memories and emotions that nothing else seems to reach. Want to hear what my studio usually sounds like?

While I love the textures I can create with watercolor alone, I am always looking for new techniques to add to my repertoire!

When you begin working in watercolor, you will may find yourself excited, frustrated, and humbled all in the same painting session. With its fluid nature, it is a tough medium to learn if you don’t understand the basics. Let’s dive into creating washes!

If you have talked with any seasoned watercolorists, you know that they are picky about their paper - and with good reason! The quality of your paper determines the quality of your final product and how long it will last.

One of the most valuable things I have learned about working in watercolor has nothing to do with the paint and everything to do with the paper. Without a uniform, flat surface to work on, the beauty of your brushstrokes is completely ruined. This can be enough for an aspiring watercolorist to give up the medium all together. Luckily, once you know how to stretch your paper properly, this won’t happen to you!

Shopping for watercolor supplies can be intimidating when you first start out. With so many different price points and brands to chose from, how are you supposed to know which supplies you need to get started?⁠

I found myself painting most days throughout June and stumbled upon the World Watercolor Month challenge. Somewhere to focus my energy at a time when the world was on lockdown and I had time on my hands. I invested in professional quality supplies and dove headfirst into the challenge, not coming up for air until August.

As you already know, our family bought and moved to our first home last November. After we settled in, the sellers commissioned a portrait of the house. Knowing this was their first home and how much love they filled it with, I wanted to make sure to captured the warm, sunny essence that made us fall in love with it in the first place.

Since the move, I have been a lot more intentional with my painting practice and screen time. Most days after work, our family heads to the studio instead of the living room.

Our family recently moved from a small townhouse in Madison to our new house in Sun Prairie. Leaving our home of five years – where we brought Oliver home from after he was born, where he took his first steps, where we became a family – has been bittersweet, but we have been ready for a change for a long time. What better time than when we are spending so much time at home?

I have some exciting news to share: I have been invited to participate in the Parallel Artists-Mother Show at The Arts Mill next year! I am honored to be one of the twenty creative women who will be sharing their maternal journey at this exhibit.

Having experienced maternal depression and anxiety while I was pregnant with Oliver, I am always looking for opportunities to connect with other mothers who have made it through or are currently struggling.

…And then there he was. Oliver \ still didn’t feel like his name. \ His long wrinkly baby feet \ squirming \ against my hollow belly…