In between working on my Feminine Wiles series, I found some time to create a couple of paintings for two girls.  One for a girl anyone has yet to meet and the other for a girl I know and love so well.  She is full of sunshine and fire and sass.

My niece Samantha is on the brink of leaving childhood behind and beginning her journey as a young woman.  For her 13th birthday, I decided to create a painting for her that felt like that journey.  The little painting I created was my contribution to Project #2 for the We Are the Contributors project, whose theme was beginnings.  Read more about my thoughts on the piece here.

samantha | beginnings

The Beginnings piece was the first thing I’d painted in nearly nine months.  After getting into my Feminine Wiles series, that style of painting feels much more natural for me, so when I look back on this one, it’s not my most recent favorite.  But it was a first effort and a step in the right direction, which I hope is what Samantha will always remember about any beginning– it’s scary and strange, but you don’t know what will happen until you try.

 idaho sunrise | palette

The second piece I completed recently was a little artsy gift for a few of our Idaho friends expecting their first baby soon.  We could have bought something off the registry, but with our limited travel space, I’m embracing any excuse to paint on a larger canvas and then give it away!  Our friends are outdoorsy like us, but not super modern, so I didn’t want to go too crazy-abstract for their soon to be daughter.  The image on the right is from the bedding they selected for the baby’s room, so I wanted to create something that would compliment the color scheme without trying to recreate that motif.

The finished painting is 12×24 and I think it will add a nice pop of color to her room and something peaceful for mommy & pop to gaze at during late night feedings.  Thanks for taking this little artsy detour with me!  Will have a new Feminine Wiles painting to share soon!

Bedding found here.