Nikki and Brooke

This past weekend I did a photo shoot with two beautiful friends, Nikki and Brooke. Between changing outfits in the backseat of the car and telling people we were taking engagement shots, these two sure turned a lot of heads!

A New Project

I'm home sick for the third day in a row and I've finally decided to stop watching Brothers and Sisters reruns and be semi-productive. So here goes!

The other day I was talking to a dear friend of mine, a brilliant artist and person, about how I haven't been able to paint much lately. He challenged me to complete three paintings a week and bring them to him for a "critique." This may seem like a simple task for those of you who have the ability to stare down a blank canvas, pick up a brush and create a masterpiece. But for me, painting is a long and sometimes painful process where I turn myself into a human punching bag. Lately, my studio resembles a ghost town-- paintbrushes strewn about, unfinished paintings, and blank canvases. And so I've decided to except my friend's challenge and document the process. The purpose of this endeavor is to get away from myself, the thoughts that prevent me from starting and finishing a project. I'm sharing it with you in hopes that you can relate to my habitual self-deprecation and my progress in overcoming it (because, let's face it, it's time to let it go).

Day 1: Letting my inner child out.

As my friend put it, I have a little girl inside me screaming "Let me out!!" So yesterday, I let her have at it. Here is very blurry photo of my painting in progress.

P.S. I'm going to DC this week to visit The Willows (yay!) so the project will officially start when I get back. Stay tuned!

Snowy Days

Portrait Photography

Wedding Photography

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.