if: Toy :: [Tango & Teddy]

Ok, so this is a bit different from what I normally do, but that's ok, right? Tango really loves toys, and has a number of them. Sometimes we line them up for her and tell her to fetch. She always goes and smells each one, and then picks her favorite, the yellow ball. 

I started this watercolor with a pencil sketch, inspired by the art of Penelope Neal. (You should definitely check out her blog and website. She does the most beautiful sketches and paintings.) When I was done with the drawing I scanned it and printed it on watercolor paper, and then I smeared the printer ink and added black watercolor. 

Below is the original image, before I cropped it. I'm not sure which one I like better. What do you think?

if: Cultivate (Listening)

I painted this image a few months ago and named it "Listening". When I was working on it I was thinking about cultivating deep listening, both internally and externally. It is painted on wood with acrylics and color pencils.

if: Stir

So...here it is my latest attempt at watercolors. I find them so difficult to use and yet I love them so much! I'm thinking that I'd like to do this piece over, but the weekend is almost over and I'm away on business all week, so this is it for now. Enjoy!

if: Warning

Stop right there! - this ballerina girl tells it like it is.

I had a lot of fun painting this. It actually took me three paintings to get to this final one. I started with acrylics for the background and tutu, then I switched to watercolor for the background because I was really enjoying the look of the wood and didn't want to completely cover it up. Luckily my friend Bill who is a furniture maker gave me a ton on plywood in January, so I have lots of wood to play with. Thank you, Bill!

Enjoy!