Our "Current Work" page is dedicated to keeping our viewers up to date not only with our newest creations, but also the processes behind each piece from start to finish. Of course it is often most exciting to see the finished results, it is also very exciting to see footage from behind the scenes. This page will change frequently as new pieces are created.
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"Have A Cookie"
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"Mooey Christmas"
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"Are You My Rider?"
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"The Good Ole' Days"
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"Lakeview Love"
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"The Happy Couple"
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"Smells Like Rain"
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"Portrait of R.C."This portrait of R.C. was a fun 8"x10" acrylic painting that I was recently commissioned to do for couple in Ohio.
R.C. (affectionately named after the owner's favorite "pop" drink R.C. Cola) is this couple's second furbaby. He is a very happy, extremely spoiled pup and definitely a daddy's boy! While visiting Ohio with my husband, I was able to hand deliver this portrait to it's new owners, which is a privilidge I rarely get to experience with my clients. Completed: August 23, 2022 |
"Better Together""Better Together" is an 8" x 10" colored pencil portrait commissioned by a returning client. This portrait is a another memorial portrait of "PawPaw" to match the previous "Portrait of PawPaw" I had completed earlier this year.
This portrait proved to be one of my most challenging 8"x10"s that I have ever done. At first I made a terrible mistake by accidentally using the wrong color yellow for highlights on her face! what a mess… there was no saving it after that so I ended up having to start an entirely new drawing. I made progress very quickly, but as you can tell in the progress photos below her complexion was waaayyyy too dark. I’m always thankful for my client’s insights on details like that because once I lightened her neck/jaw it made a world of difference! Completed: August 13, 2022 |
"One Day Soon"This piece is an 11" x 14" graphite drawing that was commissioned as a surprise gift for some recently bereaved parents to help celebrate their baby’s would be 2nd birthday (August 13).
These two young parents tragically lost their baby Tulsa to a drowning accident in February of 2022. There are no words to describe the pain and heartbreak that this family faces as they continue to grow without their precious Tulsa. As August 13th approched, a returning client with a big heart for this family knew that their hearts would be hurting extra that day. She wanted to do something special to hopefully give the family some comfort as they remember not only Tulsa's 2nd birthday, but also the 6 month anniversity of Tulsa's accident. The theme of this portrait is “One Day Soon” and is supposed to mimic what I imagine a Heavenly reunion will be like for these parents and their baby Tulsa. At first I had drawn Tulsa’s face positioned as if she were looking downwards towards the mother, but then I decided to redraw her as if she were making eye-contact with the artwork’s viewer. As I continued to draw Tulsa's now repositioned face, I was reminded of a thought I had with a previous memorial portrait ("Portrait of PawPaw"). Since this portrait is a Heavenly reunion, Tulsa actually IS looking at someone who WOULD be present with them… she’s looking at Jesus! She’s looking at Jesus now too. Not gonna lie, once I realized this I had to take a pretty long break to avoid crying on the drawing lol. But what a neat perspective to realize. Even despite being reunited with her earthly family “One Day Soon”, Tulsa’s sweet admiring gaze will always be on Christ. Completed: August 9, 2022 |
"Family: Our Favorite View""Family: Our Favorite View" is an 8"x10" colored pencil 3-person portrait I was recently commissioned by a new referral client. She wanted to do something extra special for her pastor's wife's birthday, so she and her pastor's daughter started scheming with me.
The photo reference was one of the pastor's wife's favorite pictures together, so it was an obvious choice for the drawing! I ended up having to edit the reference picture a good bit to reveal the colors of the sunset, reduce the shadows around the father and daughter's eyes, and recomposition the cityscape in the background to fit within the 8"x10" peramaters. The amount of COLOR needed for this portrait amazed me! Upon first glance at the two black/gray hats, the black Columbia raincoat, and the glass buildings all appeared relatively simple and would require only a couple colors. Well... 17 individual colors later the black raincoat and glass buildings are complete! Completed: July 7, 2022 |
"She's an Icon""She's an Icon" is an 8"x10" monochromatic watercolor painting I was recently commissioned by a wonderful new client towards the end of May. He said he wanted to commission a sentimental piece for his daughter's upcoming birthday. "I want it to envoke good, happy memories" :)
After hearing numerous stories of my client's daughter going on awesome adventures travelling the world, owning a sucessful business, being a strong independant boss lady, and excelling in college studying marine life I kept thinking to myself "wow! What an icon!" When the piece was finished, I just knew I had to title it based on this wonder woman's taste for excitement, so "She's an Icon" was born. My client showed me afterwards what the painting looked like with the frame he and his wife picked out and I thought it was just PERFECT! Completed: June 12, 2022 |
"Portrait of PawPaw"“A Portrait of PawPaw” is a 5”x7” colored pencil memorial portrait I was recently commissioned to do.
I am always incredibly honored any time someone comes to me requesting a portrait of a passed loved one, but when my client asked me about a portrait of Mr. Broyles... I’m not sure I can even begin to describe the feeling I grew up with Mr. Broyles granddaughters and I can remember my family praying for years for “Mr. Jay to find Jesus.” As I drew the silhouette of his face, a prick of pain struck me thinking about the day I found out about his illness and how urgent it was for us to keep praying. I remember my heart breaking after seeing some of the later pictures of him when the illness had really taken over. But then I remembered the overwhelming joy the day I found out that “Mr. Jay found Jesus!” The entire time I drew this portrait I couldn’t help but think about that wonderful news and needless to say it was incredibly humbling! The more color I added to his face, the more I thought about how perfectly well PawPaw is now in Heaven. As I colored in his eyes I couldn’t help but think “wow... These eyes are seeing Jesus right now!” What a wonderful, comforting thought! Completed: May 13, 2022 |
"The Pet Set"This "pet set" has been one of my longest strings of commissions for a single client. I was first contacted by this special client in April of 2021 with the request to paint a portrait of her sister's yorkie. When the portrait was completed in May I was elated to hear how much my client and her sister enjoyed my work. Later that fall I was asked to create a second pet portrait of a cat to match the previous one that was gifted to my client's sister. I began painting immediately to create the second part to this now three piece portrait set. In late March my client came to me again and told me that her sister just got a new puppy, so she commissioned me to complete the third portrait! I was slightly delayed in the completion of this last painting due to injuries sustained in a recent car wreck, however, the I could not be more pleased with the results! I completed the final piece in early May, which marked more than a year of working with this amazing client!
Series Completed: May 10, 2022 |
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"Boss Lady"I recently discovered an old photograph of my grandma leading one of her beloved Haflinger ponies over to where me and my parents were standing. Judging by the series of pictures I found, this was the day Grandma introduced me to horses when I was just a few months old.
Being the severely sentimental person that I am, I knew I HAD to make a drawing or something of this special moment. The origional photograph had very poor clarity so I had my work cut out for me trying to salvage the details. Luckily for me, my Grandma hasn't changed much :) Her familiar face and tiny little white tennis shoes were by far my favorite parts to draw. Completed April 23, 2022 |
"Double Date"The "Double Date" is currently a work in progress. It will be my largest painting to date measuring 24" wide and 48" tall. This piece will be a part of my private collection and will be for sale once finished.
The "Double Date" depicts a big open Tennessee sky with an iridescent gradient of color between the wispy clouds and the horizon. This painting will feature a couple of sweethearts resting against a fallen tree accompanied by their horses. The couple will be surrounded by various wildflowers special to the state of Tennessee. A list of the wildflowers and their site areas will be included on the back of the painting. Progress Update: March 27, 2022
Due to some injuries sustained in a recent car wreck, I am taking a break from this piece as well as other larger paintings in progress. I hope to begin working on it again very soon, but for now healing is top priority :) Thank you for understanding! |
"Where's My Blanket?"by McCall Greenlee
Oil Paint on Wood Panel 12" x 16" Completed on 1/5/2022 |