Paintings at Desert Palms Gym

I've finally posted some photos from my first commissioned project at the new Desert Palms. Joey and I worked together on the interior design and created about 20 paintings for the gym. It was a lot of work but well worth it! I have two more paintings to do for the yoga room and then we're finished! 

This painting hangs in the front hallway of the gym and is 3.5 x 8 feet. Two similar paintings hang at the top of the stairs on the second floor. The stencil design is the same one that covers the walls in the weight room. 

We came up with the idea for these red flowers to hang in the aerobics room. They are now above the front desk and will be moved upstairs once the sign is finished. 

We worked on this wall in the weight room for several weeks. Joey did the stencils all over the wall with spray paint, and then stenciled Arnold and Lou on canvas with acrylic paint. 

I did four paintings with a similar theme for the weight room. The stencil on the wall is illustrated in ink on these two below. 

These paintings hang directly above the spa and are 2.5 by 3 feet. It was very tricky to hang them without falling in the water!

I did four paintings with this similar style for the hallways on the first floor. The flowers are illustrated with ink and painting over with acrylic paint. 

Aeva and Beatrice

I've never enjoyed capturing moments as much as I do when I'm with Joey and his beautiful daughters. We took these photographs in Snow Canyon Park a few weeks ago, just as the leaves were beginning to change color. 

Brooklyn Dianne

My adorable cousin, Brooklyn, turned 2 this month. Here are a few of the photographs I took at her birthday party. I spent most of the party chasing little B around with a camera.. She thought it was a pretty fun game!

We also did a photo session with Brooklyn at the park. She wasn't too pleased with having her picture taken with a pumpkin, but once we got her to the playground she was all smiles!

Portraits

People are my favorite subject to draw. As such, my family and friends have grown accustomed to posing for me for hours or receiving portraits of themselves as birthday gifts. I drew this portrait of my father for Christmas last year, from a photo of him when he was 25-- my age!                   

I'm also a fan of drawing the fashion models in Vogue. No one in real life looks this perfect. 


A portrait of my sister, Tess, that I created from a photograph I took when she was 17. She never liked pictures of herself and would not be very happy with me for drawing her so much. 

A more "abstract" portrait of my good friend in college, who patiently sat for me until 4 a.m on a school night (which I admit is pretty early for college students). 

Paintings

On a fall morning in 2005 I understood the power art has to heal us when we are broken and to guide us back to ourselves when have lost our way. My sister, only 18 years old, died in a tragic car accident and I felt as though a significant piece of me had been ripped away, never to be whole again. For months my grief was an obstacle to my artwork. And it wasn’t until I was able to let it back into my life that I really began to heal.

I began painting and drawing again shortly after Tess' death. Most of my work was inspired by her--either by the feelings I was dealing with or the desire to remember her smile, eyes and spirit. With each stroke of the brush or snap of the camera shutter, I was able to express debilitating sadness and anger over my sister’s absence in a way that brought healing, not only to me, but my family as well.