When I draw underwater scenes, I use what's around me as inspiration.  I'm on the east coast of Florida, so my ocean is the Atlantic.  Sure, other oceans might be more colorful or exciting, but one of my mottos is to be happy with what you have and make the most of it.  So you won't catch me dreaming about far away seas, you're more likely to find me chasing all there is to see in the one that's right here. When I need to know what seaweed or a coral looks like, I run off somewhere nearby to see what that thing looks like when it grows here.

I was out on one of the local reefs and felt like sharing some of the shots. This reef is only in about 20 feet of water, so the light is usually pretty good and it makes things look nice.

Being underwater is like being at a party where no one wants to talk to you. Except instead of being uncomfortable it feels totally right.  Fish just swim around doing their thing.  When they pass each other they don't make awkward comments to each other about the weather or their outfits, they keep on swimming.  There's a flow to it all and once you get used to it, it's really relaxing.  Actually, the only times I've ever been uncomfortable underwater were because there were big fish that were overly interested in me. That was a little strange.

Anyways, here are some things you'll see on the reefs in Florida.

I mentioned a couple times here and there that there was a special project I was working on during the past few months.  Well it's happened now and here it is!  It's a bamboo iPhone case made by Grove with my "Feathers" design engraved in it.

In case you don't know about Grove's products, they make one of the best, if not the best, iPhone & iPad case out there. They're all made by hand in Portland, Oregon. The cases are beautiful, feel like quality and are eco-friendly as well. 

It was such a good experience.  They don't just make and awesome product, they're an amazing bunch of people as well - really nice, really good at what they do.  The whole process went so well and it was such a pleasure to be involved (even in in a small way) with them.  If you need a case, this is the place to go.

Here are some more views of the case. The design is laser engraved into the wood.  It gives it a nice texture and it feels good in your hand. I was also surprised how thin and light it is too.  I'm generally not a fan of phone cases because they make the phone too awkward, but this one... This one is right. This is one I will happily use.

Still working on wooden canvases. I'm enjoying using my hands more in making art. Obviously working in photoshop requires hands too, but somehow it's not the same.  It's nice to put a pencil on a surface and whatever mark it makes is the one you're stuck with.  No erasing, line smoothing, adjusting.  It's honest.

This is a series done on pieces of balsa wood.  I also have a surfboard made out of balsa wood. It seems like there's a connection between sea & summer and balsa. So this series is a happy, bright set. Simple patterns and warm summer colors.

They're about 4 x 6 and are in my Etsy shop. Each one is matted in a bright white mat.

I did a design that I submitted to Threadless a couple years ago called "Best Knot Sail Here."  Part of it was a happy whale character that I really liked. A lot of times I'll have these characters that are cool on their own, but need to be developed more to make a good design.  This guy was one of them, and I didn't know what to do with him.

So I tried painting him in watercolor in my next wooden block piece and I'm really happy with how it turned out.  I'm slightly less happy that I can't take a photo that makes it look as good as it does in person... but that's how it goes.  Still, he makes me want to do a series of sea creatures.  I'm going through my sketchbooks to find all the other abandoned critters from the past.

"Depths Below"
8 x 12 Watercolor and graphite.

It's been difficult to get real quality computer time lately. So more than ever I've been relying on traditional means of making art.  This is cool because it's gotten me to try something I've wanted to for a long time: painting on wood. It's one of my favorite looks, I love when the wood grain shows through the image. It just gives it an extra dimension, makes it feel warmer and somehow more "real."

I've messed around with wood painting in the past, but not seriously or for any length of time.  I have an attention problem. Something that makes me avoid sitting down and really working on a thing... Once I start, I'm happy, it's just before that that is difficult. There always seems to be something more fun to do...

Anyways, here is my first ever real attempt designing on wood.  I found these pre made wooden blocks at the art shop. They just under an inch thick, so they stand on their own and don't warp the way wooden sheets from home depot sometimes do.

It's simply called "Feathers" and is done in graphite.

Toolsies.com is a really fun site that allows you to get to know artists by seeing the tools that they use in their craft. I think it's a great concept and I was so happy to be featured on it recently. Below is a picture of my stuff, but if you want to know more about each one and what it means to me, you'll have to read the article.

In making this piece I got kind of attached to the characters. I really started to feel for them, think about how they struggled to get through their lives, living in the harsh conditions that they do. And I spent way too much time staring into the porcupine's eyes. So as a result, I really like this design.  In a way it's a lot different from my normal style, which usually focuses on water.  This is all about what happens when that water is gone. I'm happy to say it's available now in my shop.

Story: A little while ago a friend texted me "Thought of you when we read Isaiah 34:15." 

Huh?  I was confused.  And a little worried what they had read in the Bible that made them think of me.  Had I done something wrong? It turned out that this scripture mentions the "nightjar."  I didn't know what that was, but my friend told me it is an owl-type bird with big beautiful eyes.  She suggested it as a subject for another one of my bird drawings.  It was a really good idea, made even better by whats written in the paragraph surrounding the mention of the nightjar. Beautifully descriptive language of destruction...