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My Latest Commission, Sally's Boots, was commissioned by Carol Cobb of Austin TX  for her daughter, Sally. The painting is acrylic on stretched canvas size 24" x 24". She contacted me to do the painting after seeing 'My Red Boot Longing" painting online. 

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This painting was a commissioned by my friend Diane Lehr.  Her 3 puppies are serenading the evening away in an adobe house reminiscent of the one Diane lived in while in new Mexico. This whimsical style is typical of my pet portraits. I believe pet owners secretly wish to live vicariously through their pets! I love to include a bit of humor in my art when appropriate. If you are interested in a pet portrait commission please contact me to discuss your painting. 

The Red Brick Road
16 x 20 acrylic on canvas
sold in an auction to benefit North Alabama Tornado victims.


If the Yellow Brick Road leads to the Emerald City where the 'great and powerful Wizard of OZ' resides then the alternate route or The Red Brick Road must certainly lead to 'The Crimson City' where the University of Alabama resides. This painting not only represents the aftermath of the devastating tornadoes that ripped through Alabama in March, but it is also a tribute to the faith, strength and courage of the people of this great State.  
The Wizard of Oz movie has a scene where Dorothy is asking how to get to the Emerald City. She is told to "follow the yellow brick road". As I watched this movie as a child I noticed that right beside the yellow brick road was a 'Red Brick Road'. (has anyone besides me ever noticed it and wondered?) I always wondered to where it would lead and what alternate adventure would await Dorothy had she decided to take the road less traveled. Maybe there is a reference to it in the book. I need to read it to find out I guess, but I like making up my own stories about where it leads....and for now it leads to Tuscaloosa.

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Every painting has a story behind it. Some are more detailed than others...and other paintings themselves are the story.
I will use this blog area to share stories about my paintings with you. 

My Red Boot Longing
 Acrylic on Canvas
 16” x 20”

My Red Boot Longing painting was inspired by my desire to help with my grand baby's astronomical medical expenses incurred over the past year and half due to his battle with brain cancer. Our friends, Pam and Larry Berzett, hosted a trail ride event and family fun day with a silent auction to raise money for Noah. I decided to donate one of my paintings for it...thought about it for about a minute and knew exactly the subject matter I wished to paint...red boots.

When I was a little girl of 5 years, I wanted 'Red' cowboy boots for Christmas that year. I wanted them so intensely and imagined myself in them playing cowboys and Indians. I thought about how new and shiny they would be and how pretty they would look on my feet. So when Christmas rolled around and I got a pair of white majorette boots (with tassels) instead I was disappointed to say the least! I liked the majorette boots and received more than enough gifts for Christmas that year but they were not my coveted red boots. My sister also received a pair exactly like mine therefor diminishing the uniqueness about them.

As the years have rolled by, many times in my life when I experienced disappointment, I would think back to the red boot incident and remember how I felt that Christmas. Even though I have been truly blessed by God through out my lifespan, I have also been scarred by tragedies, battled insecurities and deep rooted fears. God has always carried me through these incidences and brought me out to the other side a stronger believer. So, the red boots have come to symbolize unfulfilled dreams and longings in my life. I still yearn for a pair of red cowboy boots. I could have purchased myself a pair at any given time over my life but for some reason have never done so.

As I paint, I pray, meditate, remember, daydream, problem solve and hope. I talk to God as I paint and He reveals things to me through the process. As I painted the red boots, He showed me the reason I wanted to paint them and revealed (as mentioned above) the significance of the red boots in my life. So as I contemplated the composition, decided the color pallet and roughed in the boots I knew there was an element missing. I left the painting at the 'roughed in' stage for nearly a month before I knew what I was supposed to include as an element of interest. God revealed to me that a pocket watch should be the unexpected element in the composition. I had my own ideas of the symbolism the watch represented but wasn't fully aware of the impact it would have. At first I thought the watch represented time past and my missed opportunities, the time wasted on unimportant things, or loved ones that are no longer with me. But God revealed to me that the watch, the element of time, represents the past, present and the future. So in essence the watch for me is a symbol of my life scripture Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. It represents my past of course but also my present time, where I am in life right now as well as my hopes and dreams for the future. Even though my hopes may not be exactly what God has in store for me, I know that He has my best interest in His hands, and I find comfort in the fact that I don't have to worry about my future.