Lately in the Studio | No. 1

Last week, I shared that I was starting a couple of new series here on the blog. In case you missed it, the first one is called Little Bits of Charm, and it’s a place for me to share the smaller things happening in life that feel worth noting. Things like what I’m reading, watching, decorating, buying, planting, trying, and so on.

These new series are a result of changes in the blog world, changes in myself, and a real desire to bring back a bit of that old-school blogging feeling — the kind that feels a little more personal, a little more in the moment, and a little more like catching up with a friend. I talk more about all of that in the first Little Bits of Charm post, so you can pop over there if you want the full backstory.

You may have noticed that art has become a big part of my life. In fact, I’m working toward art becoming my main focus. I’ve been blogging since 2009, and while I don’t think I’ll ever fully say goodbye to Inspired by Charm, it does feel like everything has been nudging me toward a new path for some time now. And honestly, I’m ready. I’ve been ready.

I would start tomorrow if I could, but I’m still trying to figure out the whole “I need to make a living” part of the equation. So for now, I’m taking smaller steps, hoping that one day soon I’ll be able to run.

With that said (and sorry, I didn’t expect to go quite that far down the rabbit hole), today I’m starting my second new series on the blog, and this series is all about my art. Every other week, I’m planning to share a little recap of what I’ve been painting and creating in the studio. It won’t be everything, just a handful of pieces, projects, and moments that feel worth sharing.

Now, if you’re looking for more about my processes, behind-the-scenes peeks, information about upcoming sales, and a deeper dive into my art life, I’d love to have you join me over on Substack. My Substack is called Paint and Paper. It has a blog-style element where you can subscribe and get longer posts by email, as well as a social feed where I share more in-the-moment updates. In fact, I just shared a post on Tuesday that shares a look at some new things and ideas happening in my art practice. That said, it’s completely up to you, of course, but I sure would love to have you there.

Oh, one final thing. Under each piece of artwork, I’m going to note its availability. It will either say:

• Available: Meaning the piece is currently in my shop or will be coming soon.
• Sold: Meaning the piece is no longer available because someone has purchased it.
• Not for Sale: Meaning the piece isn’t available to purchase. It may be a study, something from my sketchbook, a personal piece, etc. It also may be on hold and become available at a later date.

These notes will reflect the status of each piece when the post goes live. I won’t be going back to update the post as things sell or change, so feel free to just check my shop or reach out directly.

Phew! That was a lot of information. Let’s get into the art.

Hollyhocks 

This year I started working in collage, and I have found much joy in it. This is my seventh collage piece, with another one in progress, and I have ideas for several more.  Hollyhocks is a mix of handmade collage paper and acrylic paint on canvas.

I especially enjoy the layering process and watching the piece slowly come to life. It starts out feeling a little random and uncertain, and then, layer by layer, the image begins to appear. Over on Paint and Paper, I share more about how I make my collage papers, as well as a timelapse of my current project.

Flower Meadow – Available

Here is another collage piece I recently completed. It uses the same basic process, but this time I moved more toward a landscape with a little flower meadow. I had done a piece similar to this one and loved the results, so I wanted to try the idea again.

I liked the way this one turned out, too. There’s something about the mix of paper, paint, color, and texture that feels playful and freeing to me. I’m still figuring out exactly where collage fits into my work, but it feels like a door I’m happy to keep walking through.

Large Tulips

Something else new for me is “working larger.” I had been wanting to do this for a while, and then one day, I randomly got up the courage and just did it. Now, this is large for me: It’s 20×20 on canvas, which may not sound huge, but it feels significant compared to the smaller panels I often work on.

I also took a timelapse during part of my painting process if that’s something you’re interested in watching you can see that below.

Maybe someday I’ll go even bigger, but this size feels like a good place to be right now. The process feels familiar, but also completely different. It’s a new challenge, and I like that. I’m hoping what I learn from “working larger” will also help inform my smaller pieces.

Peonies

Last week was peony season at my house, so I took dozens of reference photos. While I normally enjoy working from life, peony season is so short that I decided to take the pressure off and simply photograph everything I could, while the moment was right. Working from the photographed images allows me to be a bit more leisurely, instead of trying to paint every bloom before it disappears. These smaller pieces are mostly a way for me to get more comfortable with the subject. I’ll be working on some larger peony paintings soon.

And speaking of peonies, supposedly, you can refrigerate peony buds to save them for later, so I have a few tucked away in my refrigerator right now. I’m hoping it works! 

I also did another timelapse of one of these peonies paintings. I’ve been trying to use up some panels with failed / unfinished paintings on them. They actually make a great surface as some of the fun colors pop through in the final painting.

Urn at Highland Park

Every week, I meet up with my local Urban Sketchers group to sketch and paint at a given location in the city. The group has grown so much over the past year. There are usually around 20 to 30 people there, and several of them have become friends, which has been such a lovely and unexpected part of it all.

During the winter, we worked indoors, and I mostly used pen and watercolor. May kicked off our outdoor season, which has been so exciting, and now that we’re outside again I’ve switched over to gouache. I really enjoy working with gouache outdoors, and I’m looking forward to doing more of it this season.

Speaking of Urban Sketchers, our group is wrapping up a month-long art show at Spinning Plate Gallery here in Pittsburgh. I included four of my gouache pieces from last year and also mounted my sketchbook in a shadow box, which was something a little different for me. It was an honor to be a part of this show. 

And I think I’ll wrap it up there for this week. This was really fun and I’m so glad you joined me.

Again, if you enjoyed this post or want to learn more about my art and my processes, I’d love for you to join me over on Substack. I know you’ll like it there, and I would be so happy to have you along for this next part of the journey.