Hello, friends! I hope you're feeling spiffy and ready for warm weather, summer fun, and hopefully some relaxation. As usual, here in North Carolina, the weather keeps changing its mind, but that's ok.

This spring I've been busy, as always, mostly painting for commissions and myself and teaching watercolors to wonderfully enthusiastic students. In February, I also taught my first workshop that focused exclusively on color theory, composition, and other elements of planning paintings, and I think it went really well! I got lots of good feedback about it and plan to teach another such class next year.

New artwork: Town Dock

Oh, Oriental, will you ever cease to captivate me? How is it that such a tiny town could hold so many memories, and so many perfect days? Your harbor has changed very little since I was little, myself, and yet is different every time I see it. I've walked and driven past this spot, and stood on this dock—the "Town Dock"—hundreds of times, yet I still can't get enough. On the days when the water is silky and the reflections are surreal, I feel deeply alive and in love with the world. I can't get enough. It floods here when there's a lot of rain or the wind blows in the right/wrong direction, but it never stops anyone. You're a sailing town, after all, and nobody melts.

Oh, Oriental, if was pledging my love to you, truly, I couldn't leave out the part of town we all call simply "the waterfront", where Lou Mac park and the town fishing pier are located. And spot we call "the little beach"—which also has a real name, the John Bond Town Beach, but I've never heard anyone call it that. I never pass by it without remembering the best parts of my mom. Also North Street, where my beloved grandparents lived, and the leaping-off point for so many adventures. My uncles' boatyard, with the towering boat hulls, the evocative smell of woodworking. And of course, there's all the beautiful old homes in the village, the thrill of the high-rise bridge that used to have a sandy volleyball court at its base, before the new marina, and the many fingers of your deep creeks, filled with boats. You have far more boats than people, my friend.

But, oh, Oriental, this is really a love letter to your harbor, its water steadfastly lapping beside (or sometimes across) Hodges Street. Or rather, my watercolor is the love letter. Every time I paint you, it's a love letter. It's me saying thousand words about a place I love. And they are still not enough.

Current Our State Project- A Year in this House

My current two favorites are from the May issue (above) and the June issue (below). Work in Progress depicts Drew's family's unfinished basement and A Piece of Paradise depicts their backyard haven, complete with writing shed and a furry muse. These articles are part of the magazine's 'Welcome Home' section, which usually starts around page 30.

In the past week, I've actually added 17 new watercolors to my Etsy listings, all of which are smaller, affordable paintings. Buying original art is the best way to support my work and the surest way to give yourself or someone you love a unique piece of art that will last for generations. I hope you'll find something that's right for you in my original watercolors section.

My Etsy shop by category:

Original Watercolors  |  Note Cards  |  Bird Prints  |  Land & Seascape Prints

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