Bliss

 

During the dark days of winter, I kept thinking of colorful flowers that would be blooming in the coming months in my tiny backyard. Roses, lilac, camellias, columbines, irises, tulips, delphiniums, violets, lilies, hydrangeas, and so many others would pop up in the spring and summer.

Then in January, we had a sudden opportunity to move and eventually sell the house I called home for 12 years. The new home has twice as much land space, but barren of flowers except for rhododendrons and fuchsias. Leaving my beloved tiny garden was harder than I expected because so many spring and summer days I would just beam at the colors popping everywhere. 

So this painting is called Bliss because that's what flowers bring for me. This is the first spring in several years where I am not tending to an established garden, but planning a new one where I can bring my past experience and mistakes to make it even more glorious than my previous garden. And it will be Blissful.

This is a watercolor and ink on paper measuring 9X12.

The Polar Bear

 The polar bear is a solitary animal. She cares for her cubs, but don't get in her way. I started this painting about the same time my mom was diagnosed with late stage cancer. She had a small collection of teddy bears that she collected in the 80's and 90's that were sitting on the oak shelves in her home. She was much like a bear in personality; solitary, a protective mother, and don't you dare cross her.

She passed away on the full moon, November 4th, 2025. I finished this painting, but my grief was heavy on my ability to focus. I don't feel this is one of my better works, and that's okay. When I look at it, I will always recall the dark days of grief of losing my mother. 

Rest in peace mom.

Surreal series - House of Dreams

About twenty years ago, I kept having a recurring dream/nightmare that involved a home I bought which had a very evil feeling. It was a three story Victorian with a basement, and the dream always was portrayed in the dark. The basement felt safest, yet empty. The attic felt the scariest. This dream came to me at least 10 times over the course of about a year. Then one day, I stopped having them.

While this painting doesn't represent that dream, the house reminds me of the one in the dream. Eyes watching you, darkness surrounds the house, and it's a multi-story home. Unlike the one in my dream, I painted this one with cheerful colors of pink, teal and gold. I did not have a detailed plan for this piece. Other than the shape of the house, all of the whimsical details were spontaneous and were not in the dream. 

The dreams we have at night are a pretty special place to be, I do believe they are another realm of reality to embrace, even if they are scary. 

The Pygmy Owl

The desert can be barren, harsh, and even deadly. Yet somehow life finds a way to thrive there, and when it does, it can be colorful.

These 6" owls nest in the Saguaro cacti in the Sonoran desert of North America. This is the Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy Owl and is now listed as threatened per the Endangered Species Act. If you're lucky to spot them, it most likely will be at dawn or dusk. Numbering in the 100's in Arizona, habitat loss is the major contributor to their decline. 

Painted with M. Graham watercolors and Daniel Smith Luminescent watercolors on 10 X 12 canvas board. 

The Sierra Nevada Red Fox

The Sierra Nevada Red Fox is a small fox species dwelling in the mountains of California, is susceptible to drought and wildfire, and less than 50 remain in the wild. It is on the Endangered Species list currently. They are nocturnal animals, and little is known about this particular species. 

I am very concerned about the Endangered Species Act currently with the swift and massive changes within our US Government. My intent in this post is to not only capture the beauty of these animals, but to amplify the importance of protecting them and their habitat. We have the responsibility to preserve and protect them in their natural environments from climate change and human over utilization of their domain. I have made it no secret of my love for wildlife in this blog, and I will continue to advocate for them through my artwork and blog posts.

This is a watercolor on 10X12 canvas board. 

Phoenix

I lived in Phoenix Arizona (moved back to the PNW because I missed trees), but that's not what this post is about. I have a tattoo of Phoenix rising on my shoulder, but that's not what this post is about. The Phoenix is also a symbol of Scorpio, which happens to be my astrology sun sign as well, and that's kind of what this post is about, but not entirely. 

I've been in a rut where I haven't wanted to put out much artwork recently. It's mostly to do with external circumstances that are heavily impacting the path of my 'well organized and laid out plans for the future'. But then, a cat named Phoenix has taken my heart because of a path she is taking that most cats will never do.

I won't go into retelling the story, but most of us by now have heard of Sailing With Phoenix, the young man who left his corporate job, emptied his 401k, bought a sailboat as a novice sailor, and sailed from Oregon (my home state!) to Hawai'i with his kitty Phoenix. Health issues also impact his decision to embrace the decision to start over, which in itself is enough to ponder our purpose.

While Oliver (the young man) has many posts documenting his journey and lovable nature, it's his kitty Phoenix who has captured my heart.

She was found in a dumpster several years ago, and Oliver rescued her from what I can gather on his social media posts. He then continuously expresses his love and devotion to her, and frequently displays their bond throughout his video posts. And all I keep thinking is, that lucky cat! So of course, being a painter of people's beloved pets, I had to capture her with watercolor and ink.

 

I laminated this piece to keep it waterproof because I honestly hope I can get it to her and her first mate as they continue sailing the oceans!

Oliver and Phoenix's journey was incredible to watch. Human vulnerability and humility (to me) are ultimate displays of human courage. That's already on top of his impending health issues, quitting the rat race life we are conditioned to believe is our purpose, and draining the 401k pot of money held for the 'future and security'. 

In Oliver's speech as he was welcomed to Hawai'i at the Waikiki Yacht Club on May 24th, he mentions that the world is in a weird place, and he has displayed that it's possible for people to 'break out'. In the past 6 months with the world being in that weird place for me personally, I am learning to let go of carefully laid plans for the future and embrace uncertainty with hope, vulnerability and humility.

Tuscan Memory

 Often I dream of traveling, but the actual logistics of flying, sleeping in a different bed, trying to figure out where to eat are details I don't always flow well with. I endure these minor inconveniences to feel and experience the wonder of a new place, leaving that imprint of the unfamiliar yet exciting space forever on my soul. Isn't this truly why we seek to travel? Or perhaps others pursue their travel interests for cultural diversity, or exposure to new foods. For me, it is the sensation of the colors, the smells, the landscapes that I wish to drink in personally rather than view it on a screen. 

There was a time I had the bucket list of all the places I wanted to visit. I don't keep such a long list anymore, but maybe a handful of places I find intriguing. 

My great grandparents both immigrated from Sicily in the early 20th century. They came as young adults and didn't know one another until they had moved to the U.S. My grandmother was 100% Sicilian, grew up speaking Italian, and eating Italian recipes. I don't know if she was ever able to visit Italy or Sicily as she passed away in 2000, and I didn't get to know her as well as I would have liked. 

And for whatever reason lately I have wanted to understand Italy more because of my family connection. It's been over 3 months now that I started learning basic Italian, I've mastered making homemade pizza, will only buy Italian pasta, and am keeping a vision of sipping a glass of wine in central Italy (either Tuscany or Umbria) on a beautiful day surrounded by lavender fields. This is my manifestation of what I will see.

The cat on the barrel refers back to a 2022 memory when my husband and I visited a local winery with barrels as tables, and the friendly vineyard cat sat on top enjoying our company. This is a 17 inch square drawing with watercolor paints that took over a month to complete. I consulted a color palette book to get the greens and ochre yellows just right. Fine liners of various colors enhance the details. I am very pleased with it, and it now hangs in the dining room to remind me of my goal to get there.

Another small paint/sketchbook I have dedicated to Italy has one page displaying my visions of Italian lavender fields. This one uses watercolor crayons with less details. These sketches are done typically in a couple of hours, but gratify that urge to splash color with a future memory of where I'd like to visit someday. 

This large piece of Tuscany/Umbria has taught me a lot. While I love and appreciate art immensely, I'm coming to realize that my work is more the illustrative type. The combination of details, colors and my whimsical imagination has convinced me that my work is a focal point of a time and place that captivates happiness, tickles the senses, and gives appreciation for our beautiful world.