Amber the Horse

Oil on linen on panel, 6 x 6 inches -- SOLD

I love painting horses, especially close up. I was particularly drawn to her expressive eyes. I used palette knife to create texture and blend the horse and background.

Cat with Blue Eyes

Oil on linen on panel, 8x8 inches, $400

This is another portrait of a cat I saw at our friend's house. I was drawn to his beautiful blue eyes. I used a small palette knife to enhance the texture of his fur.

Unwind

Oil on linen on panel, 6 x 6 inches --

This is another portrait of our 11 year-old pet house sparrow, Tobi. Her name, Tobi, is Japanese for flight. She's a great flyer, and loves flying freely around in the house. She often visits me at my computer desk, and perches and relaxes on the big handle of wooden basket on the edge of my desk.

Recently, she injured her left shoulder, and she's disable to fly. She's been hanging on the bathroom counter top in our bedroom all day and night. I pinned a half-size, cubic Kleenex box a few inches above the counter as her nesting box, and lined it with a small soft rug as bedding. Every night she jumps into the box to sleep. Normally, this nesting box is pinned over our bedroom door, but she can't fly up there for a while. I can't wait to see her fly again soon.

Tea Break

Oil on linen on panel, 6 x 6 inches -- Sold

This is a portrait of our pet house sparrow, Tobi. She is 11 years old, and she lives inside our house. She likes perch on the rim of my coffee cup. She probably likes the warmth. I usually use a to-go cup with lid for protection, in case she poops inward. But for this painting, I used a ceramic mug for a better composition.

Laura in the Morning Light

Oil on linen on panel, 8x10 inches --Sold

This is a portrait of a horse, Laura. I saw her at my friend's place. It was in a sunny morning, and she was galloping in the pasture. I was so drawn to the back lighting on her head. I made the background more abstract by repeating the same color palette from Laura's body over the dark space, instead of rendering the details of the things in her background. 

Walking in the Tailwind

Oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches -- Available

I took the reference photo of our pet chicken, Shantie, in the front yard on a very windy day. I was very intrigued by the light on the feathers that are blown by the wind. I also liked the her determined look for foraging in spite of the wind.

Greeters of the Meadow

Oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches -- Sold

I was greeted by these friendly horses in the countryside while visiting my friends on the island. I was drawn to the back lighting on the horses as they appeared from the forest and started walking toward me.


The painting is framed (a light color, rustic wood with gold lip). It looks like this.

Dancing in a Thermal

Oil on canvas, 60 x 84 in. $6,000 -- Available

My husband and I are both advanced hang glider pilots. But he is also a tandem hang gliding instructor and takes people for flying. Sometimes we fly in his tandem hang glider and go cross country for several hours, sometimes soaring over 12,000 ft MSL under cloud base. This painting is based on a view above the Columbia River during a tandem hang glider flight from Chelan, WA, with him. I usually take photos while he flies the glider. I missed our major cross country season this summer due to my art show schedule, etc., but our spirit was with the fellow pilots in the sky.

How did I paint this?
After doing several studies with clay, drawing, and painting, I painted this on canvas stapled on the wall. First I primed the canvas with a paint roller with acrylic gesso. I painted with many thin layers so that it wouldn't crack, and also to add more visual depth. I usually like to review my painting progress from the distance. But since this is so big, I had to walk outside the house to see it through the window. It took me a few month. After the painting was completely dry, I mounted on a 1 1/2 inch deep stretcher. So the painting wraps all the way around the stretcher, and no frame is required.

How do I transport it?
When shipping, I remove staples from the back of the canvas to dismount the canvas. I roll the canvas like a carpet, then wrap it with soft blanket and tarp for protection. Once at the destination, I unroll the canvas and stretch it on the stretcher. It's ready to hang!

Three Sisters

Oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches -- Sold

This painting is about the three young chickens we got a few years ago. When I took this reference photo, they were just a few months old. During the warm season, as  I walked to my studio on our property, these chicks would always follow me to the door. I usually let them hang out in my studio while I paint. I just leave the door open, so that they could pop outside to eat foliage or sun bathe as they want. The left girl is Kiki, the Barred Rock hen, the center is Kara, the Ameraucana, and the right one is Nikki, the Rhode Island Red. This moment really depicts their unique personalities.

This painting will be available at the live auction of the Heart of the West: Bozeman show. Absentee bidding/online bidding available. See more info...

Three Little Sisters

Oil on linen on panel, 12 x 16 inches --

This is a painting I did a while ago, and retouched recently. These were the baby chicks we got from a local feed store when they were a-day old. It's hard to believe that they used to fit in my small hand. I am please to announce this painting will be a part of the Featured Artists' Show at the Inyo Council for the Arts Gallery in Bishop, CA.

The show dates: July 27 - September 8
Visit the Gallery website

Sophie Preening Leo

Oil on canvas, 12 x 12 inches --

This is another piece of my rooster series. In this scene, Sophie the hen is preening Leo's neck. Leo is very calm and patient while getting preened. I used this particular style of painting to emphasize on the focal point, Sophie's face. And I left the surrounding abstract.

Here's a snapshot of Leo sitting as a model, while I was working on this painting.

Leo the Red Rooster

Oil on canvas, 12 x 12 inches --  Sold

This piece is a part of my "Red Rooster" series. I got an inspiration from a song, Little Red Rooster. I emphasized the red and orange colors of his body and head, as well as the blue-green  sheen on his tail.

This piece will be available at the live auction during the 44th National Fine Art Show & Auction in Ellensburg, WA, on Saturday, May 21. 

Cat on the Counter

Oil on linen on panel, 10 x 8 inches -- SOLD

I painted this cat based on a photo I took at our friend's house. The cat was climbing everywhere, the table, counter, and chairs. I also liked the juxtaposition of those items on the counter: wine bottles, supplements, newspaper of the day, miscellaneous paperwork to be processed, and the coffee mug. I think many of us can relate to this type of scene, and the cat.

Leo the Bodyguard

Oil on canvas, 12x12 inches

This is a painting of my pet chickens, Leo and Coco. They are our loving Welsummer rooster and hen. Leo's plumage glows so bright in the sun light. I also love the blue-green sheen in his tail and chest. He has an enormous comb, and you can see the cast shadow of it on his back.

He was escorting Coco, while she was enjoying grazing in the backyard. It was somewhat breezy when I shot this photo, and I noticed that his tail feathers were blowing in the wind. I paid extra attention to the value contrast, especially highlights.

Saddie in the Evening Linght

Oil on panel, 6x8 inches -- Sold

This is a commissioned piece I painted recently for my clients who have lovely highland cows in Ellensburg, WA. Saddie is a young female highland with lovely, fluffy fur. I emphasized her fur around the ears and forehead by using a palette knife to create extra texture.

Lucy the Cow

Oil on linen on panel, 6 x 6 inches -- Click here to buy

This is based on a photo of a cow I took at a local cattle field. I've painted her before in a different composition. She has very long white eye lush and fur by the ears. I was drawn to the light and shadow on her face, as well as the organic shapes. I enhanced the texture with a fine brush and small palette knife.

This piece is included in the 6" Square Exhibition and Sale at Randy Higbee Gallery for the holiday season. It opens on December 5. Click here to view my all work in this show.

Connie the Steller's Jay

Oil on linen on panel, 8 x 10 inches -- Sold

This is a painting I did as a demo during the Celebration of Western & Wildlife Art Show & Auction last weekend in Puyallup, WA. It was sold at the live auction in the evening. This is based on a photo I took of a young Steller's Jay we rescued after falling out of the nest. We named her Connie, and took care of her until she grew up and started flying around the backyard, while coming back to the house to sleep in the living room at night. It was so much fun to see her around. One day, she never came home for the night. We don't know exactly what happened to her. We sure miss her.

Sitting on the Stone

Oil on panel, 24 x 24 inches

This is a painting I did for an upcoming group show, with the theme "Stone." I got an inspiration from a Japanese proverb, "Sitting on the stone for three years." (石の上にも三年 - Ishi no uenimo sannen) It means that if you persevere by sitting on a stone for three years, you would be in a better place, and achieve something higher ("sitting on the stone" is a figure of speech). It's a well known Japanese proverb (kotowaza) to promote a virtue of perseverance. 

I was drawn to this saying, because I personally want to believe that if I stick with my career, and keep working hard, I might become successful in the long run, even though it often seems that I'm just struggling.
 
This will be on display at The 4th Street Theatre (Yakima, WA) for one year starting from September.

Benji in the Shed

Oil on linen on panel, 6 x 6 inches --  Sold

This is a commissioned painting of a baby Highland calf. I wanted to emphasize the texture of the fluffy, curly fur in the bright sun light coming through the crack o f the wood wall. I used a palette knife to get the impression of the fur.

Listening

Oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches -- $900 -- Available at Women Painters of Washington Gallery

This is another painting of seagulls from my visit on Vashon Island. I painted a small study of this painting a while ago, and finally decided to paint a larger version of it.

I was watching them closely, and realized that they are a couple, and they do pretty much everything together. I figured that they also talk a lot to each other. In this scene, the one on the right is listening to the one on the left. I wonder what they are talking about.