art for purpose | art for fun
California & Hawaii
Arting with the mission to meld passion with purpose
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2024
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2024
Drawing storefronts started off as an introduction to ink and watercolors. It has now become a delightful way to become more acquainted with the town I’m in, residing or visiting. There are buildings and shops that call out to me, with their unique architecture or historic features, or all sorts of colors that clash or complement, but pull you into them.
2024 - Ok, not the storefront, but one of many fun things you can find inside!
An old time favorite place to hangout. Many memories of relaxing and enjoying the large wooden rocking chairs in the back, surrounded by ti leaves and clusters of lauae ferns in the cool shade with the sound of the ocean just beyond.
I have a thing for the old post offices all around the islands. Both searching for them and capturing them on paper are delights.
A local long time favorite from little kid time to now.
5”x7”
This one is on Kinoole St. almost across from Kui’s Florist (which I hope to get to illustrating soon). It was a quiet, warm, and already bright sunny early morning. I drove past it and noticed it for the first time. The pink against to blue sky and the greens popping against the pink. What a delightful morning treat right before the drip kona coffee.
A lovely little store beautifully constructed by the lovely owner. An adorable space filled through in every nook and cranny with all things tasty, cute, and calling to every host and baker. You can also find this print on shirts and tote bags at her shop!
140lb Arches watercolor paper 11.5”x30”
Sailor Ink & mainly Schmincke watercolors (some Mijello and DS).
Some homes have delightful little nuances that pique your interest and draw your eyes into a search for more.
Some homes glow in a unique color scheme that speak to the fun of the inhabitant and contrast beautifully with a perfectly manicured landscape.
Many of these homes hold generational stories that beg to be captured before a wave of architectural or life changes begin a new chapter.
2024
A sweet couple in East Sac with art filled walls and a beautiful home inside and out. Ink and Schmincke, Mijello, Holbein watercolors.
About 16”x22” on 300lbs arches paper with blue ink, Schmincke, Mijello, and Holbein watercolors.
SCDS Auction House #2. Roughly 16”x 22” on 300lbs Arches waterolor paper
A Christmas gift from wife to husband of the home they raised their children. 2023 commission.
2023
I always run by this house when I do my Diamond Head run on Oahu. Love the look and feel of this house - little old style with the lava rocks and framing, little new style with the garage and solar panels.
A beautiful house with rich with history of famous families and childhood memories. A 2022 Christmas gift commission.
I love the orange and red trim. She mentioned wanting a purple front door, but having had one attempt with not the right shade and reverting it back to the red, she’s not sure if it will happen. I’m desperately hoping it will. Then I’d have to do another portrait to capture the gorgeousness of the perfectly purple door popping out from the orange and red.
The first one that started all this house portrait fun! Was out running in East Sac and ran past this vibrant yellow home with a beautiful wood door and I decided to come back the next day to draw it. Left it with the owner who used to be an architect and built his own beautiful door. 2022
Sacred Heart House Tour 2022
Sacred Heart House Tour 2022
Sacred Heart House Tour 2022
Sacred Heart House Tour 2022
Sacred Heart House Tour 2022
Tried something different with a brush pen Phillip introduced me to. I really like it. It’s got attitude and sway in those palms and lines.
Forgot to scan this in before sending it off in order to make it in time as a Christmas commission gift, so a rough iPhone photo will have to do. Would have been nice to do this one onsite, but I wasn’t able to jump over to Oahu for the in-person sketch and study.
Punahou School, located on the island of Oahu, hosts an annual fundraising carnival early every year. In addition to food, rides, games, an auction, and shows, they host the state's largest art show. “The Carnival Art Gallery features more than 1,000 works of art created by over 300 Hawai'i artists, including paintings, photographs, wood bowls, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry and other original fine art pieces. Proceeds from each piece of art are shared evenly between the contributing artist and the Carnival fundraising effort.”
I was invited to submit 3 pieces for the 2023 Art Show. While I was visiting family and friends during a recent visit to the islands, I walked around the beautiful campus with a dear cousin and dear friend as guides and snapped photos of many iconic and historic buildings around campus.
These are the three pieces I created to submit. Each are 22”x33” unframed.
A variety of Hawaii alcohols locally made and flavored. This was different to do, but I loved the whimsy of it and had so much fun making it. This is version 2.5 and this one is going to the show.
Painted on a 300lbs Arches watercolor paper, 22x30.
Painted with Schmincke, Mijello, and Holbein watercolors on 400lbs Arches watercolor paper. Inked with diluted Carbon Black ink in a Indigraph fountain pen. 22”x30”
Lines and color can capture and convey so much feeling and thought. These little nuggets were meant to capture sincere thank yous and whimsey to share. The cards are always made to let the precious souls we have in our lives know what they mean to us.
First in it’s series, four of Sacramento’s favorite beers and breweries captured in watercolor, ink, and gouache. Fun to paint as it was fun to sample! 11x17 giclee print available in The Shop.
Available in 11x17 archival print
Additionally, a Jessica Laskey article of my background and work was printed in the April and May 2022 editions.
This is technically a storefront, but it’s the inside of a shopping center. Delicious pies made from scratch.
I drew this as a thank you for a friend who got back to the Islands before I did and picked me up a collection of ABC Store trucker hats per my humble request.
A fun doodle and practice in the early stages
Rendered for a nephew who has been developing his drawing talent. Character pulled from Marc’s drawing book and colored this way for humor. Not sure if it got a laugh.
This page will eventually have some images of some illustrations I pull from my watercolor journals. As much as I’ve wanted to sit for daily or frequent (written) journaling, I don’t have the extended time yet or patience. I did find that rushing to my sketchbook at different times of the day to get a drawing or two in on thoughts about life, struggles with parenting, self-reflection was all easier to do in drawings. It turns out to be a wonderful way for me to capture all the thoughts, the feelings, and the actual event in the one sketch.
The cards here have been a continuation of my card adventures that all started from wanting to make one message for an old friend who had been feeling the weight of the world for quite some time. The cards started off as individually hand-cranked letterpress and hand painted to the inked and watercolored illustrations. I think of certain people when the messages come up and I imagine packaging my best wishes to them in the envelope and sending them off.
Each individually inked, watercolored with Schmincke and Mijello watercolors on 300lb arches paper.
Individually hand cranked and then hand painted with Kuretake paint on 300lb Arches paper.
I had observed from afar an old friend who had been feeling down for quite some time. I wanted to send this message to him anonymously. And I wanted it to be beautiful, so that it would make him stop and really take it in when he first opened it. So, I spent months researching and hunting down a small used hand-crank letterpress, designed and ordered plates to press, and then hand painted the first one. Then I finally sent it.
There are many projects in the making. One of them is a book titled
The Incidents
It may or may not be actually published, but the intent behind this project is to open up a space for moms, parents, caregivers to have an opportunity to share about their incident(s). We’ve all had them, some play themselves over and over in our heads, some smarted and flipped a switch in our being good or bad, heavy or bright.
“It was that time when…” When during the life of parenting, prenatal, post-partum, post-post partum, when that thing happened. That time when I felt broken. That time when I realized that I was not who I thought I was. That time when I thought I broke my kid. That time when I realized we’re all still here, together. I’m going to tell you what exactly went down, my very honest wish in that moment, and what I wish today for that mama that I would love to have hand delivered to her in that moment.
It was that time when… and this is how it happened…
What I wished in that moment was…
If I could go back in time, I’d give [her]…
How about you?
If you have that Incident on the tip of your tongue or you hear it screaming from time to time to please let it air, it would be an honor to receive your words, if you would like to share them. I would keep them safe and private and one day aim to create a sketch to go along with it. And maybe all these little big Incidents will keep each other good company.
There’s always another thing. But sometimes it comes and goes.
