Artist Diaries | Preparing Tiny Autumn Paintings — Frame Surgery + Reference Creation

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Artist Diaries: Preparing Tiny Autumn Paintings
In this week’s episode, I’m starting a brand new collection inspired by the charm of tiny frames I’ve gathered from thrift shops, antique stores, and even a few unexpected places like Amazon and TJ Maxx.

You’ll see the whole behind-the-scenes process:

• Removing the glued-in glass from each frame (“frame surgery”)

• Antiquing them with wax to add stately charm and old-world elegance

• Creating moody Dutch Master-style reference images with a shared palette

The video opens with a glimpse of my morning ritual — making celery juice by candlelight, something I’ve done for over seven years to stay grounded as the seasons shift into autumn.

This is just the beginning. Next week, I’ll attempt to paint these tiny references in rich, expressive detail. Will it work — or be an epic fail? Come back and see how this fall experiment unfolds.

Bay Side Painting - No Voice – ASMR - Nature Sounds + Music

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Drift away with me by the bay, where I sit beneath an old tree at a picnic table, brush in hand. Instead of capturing the view before me, I turn to a reference image — translating it into a loose, expressive abstract landscape. Broad strokes suggest a cloudy sky, a glowing field of autumn grass, and a dark horizon line of distant trees. It’s not about accuracy, but about mood, energy, and the joy of color moving across canvas.

There’s no voice in this video — just the natural melody of the park: leaves, water, wind. All accompanied by soothing classical music, blending with nature’s calm. Let this be your moment of quiet: a visual poem, a breath, a pause for your soul.

If you love relaxed painting, ASMR nature, plein air sketches, or mood-filled landscapes, this one’s for you.

Cozy Fall Landscape - Painting in the Park

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Join me in the park for a cozy fall plein air painting session! 🍂 Today I’m sharing my thoughts on painting outdoors, the power of toned canvases, and how overcoming limiting beliefs can open up your creativity.

In this video, I paint an autumn landscape using a burnt orange/brown toned canvas that brings a warm glow and depth to the scene. I’ll explain why toned canvases can make such a difference, what to keep in mind when using them, and how they can help you capture that rich autumnal atmosphere.

This painting is a warm-up for a new project inspired by the old masters — a holiday release of small, dark, moody landscapes. If you’ve ever been curious about plein air painting, oil painting techniques, or how to break through creative blocks, I think you’ll find this helpful.

✨ Topics covered in this video:

• Plein air painting tips for beginners

• Why I tone my canvas before painting

• Autumn landscape painting inspiration

• Overcoming limiting beliefs as an artist

Let me know your thoughts in the comments — have you tried painting on a toned canvas? Don’t forget to subscribe and come back next week when I’ll be painting another autumn landscape in a different park!

My Painting Collection | 20 Paintings | 1 Year of Painting Each Week

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This week marks the official launch of Backwards Beauty Collection One — a series of 20 original oil paintings that I’ve poured my whole heart into over the past year.

When I began this project, I honestly didn’t know where it would lead. After illness had pulled me away from my art, I turned to AI as a playful experiment, just to spark some ideas. I never imagined it would reconnect me so deeply to painting. But out of those experiments came the vision for this collection: women seen from behind, inviting you to step into their world, to imagine yourself in their place, and to find beauty in mystery.

Each Beauty carries her own story — some walk through gardens with birds and blooms, some linger by the sea, some carry magic, memory, or quiet strength. Together, they form a collection that is both nostalgic and fresh, rooted in history yet alive with modern emotion.

And now, after a year of painting every single week, the Beauties are ready to step out into the world. The collection is live you can view them in my shop

Always Remember Hang Some Happy,  Buy Some Art Today

One Year of Painting Every Week — What I Learned

This week marks a milestone I never imagined I’d reach: one full year of painting every single week. ✨

When I first started the Backwards Beauty collection, I wasn’t sure where it would take me. I had just come through illness, and honestly, I felt disconnected from my art. Out of curiosity, I began experimenting with AI images — something completely outside my comfort zone — and to my surprise, it brought me back to painting in a deeper way. That spark of playfulness became the seed of Backwards Beauty.

Over the past year, I’ve painted twenty Beauties. Each carries her own story and presence, and together they’ve re-connected me with why I paint in the first place.

In this week’s video, I’m sharing a compilation of the final ten Beauties in the collection, plus some behind-the-scenes moments as I get them ready for launch on September 8, 2025.

I also share a few honest reflections about what it’s been like to show up every week:

• The challenges of consistency when progress feels slow

• The surprising ways curiosity can heal and inspire

• Why sharing my art online still feels vulnerable — and why I keep doing it anyway

If you missed Part One, you can scroll down to last week’s post where I shared the first 10 Beauties. Together, these two videos capture the full journey of creating Backwards Beauty.

Thank you for being here with me. Whether you’ve been following for a year or just found me today, your presence makes this journey meaningful. My hope is always the same: that something in my work invites you to pause, breathe, and see beauty in a new way.

✨ Backwards Beauty Collection One launches September 8, 2025 ✨
You can sign up for early access and updates using the email box right here on the page.