Cats and dogs and the wild things series!

Bente Bjorn 12x12" acrylic on canvas available SOON!

Grethe Grevling 8x8" acrylic on upscaled canvas available soon

The small dogs 12x12" WIP

Monty 5x5x1.5" acrylic on canvas mini book nook gift available for purchase soon!

Tabby 4x4" mini acrylic on wood coaster with mini easel

Vibeke the elusive Nordic bear

‘Vibeke’ 30x40” acrylic on repurposed canvas 

I feel really good about her

Maintaining the abstraction 

Peeking through the blooms 

She then begins to come together 

In the middle of ugly

This was the look

It started with a good black cat but I needed something different 

 

Original Acrylic animal paintings 12"x30" canvas wall art for the 1980's under the kitchen cabinet decor

Nordic Natur 12x30" Acrylic and oil pastels

Grevlinger AKA badger family from Norway

Nordic fox familie

European Squirrel family!

Bear and fox in a Colorado scene

Bunny rabbit family

Elk in Colorado landscape

Colorado nature 12x30" Acrylic and Oil Pastels

Something that I have been needing is getting back to nature. These landscape paintings are a start of something that I just need. Been doing all kinds of nature/forest animal studies with the 100 day project that I have fallen behind because of these panorama paintings. (That's ok-I am still painting/drawing EVERY day. Just not in my sketchbook that I was posting on Instagram.) I mean 12" x 30" is bigger than I normally paint and something that I need to start which I am-12x12" first-then I keep stepping up to bigger then I go back to 6"x6" as a practice painting the smalls is I can paint the bigs-which I am. Something tells me that people aka collectors of art/paintings are holding onto the wallets a wee bit tighter lately this year and not making any hasty decisions yet. They need to feel sure about buying art. My story is slowly but surly getting out there. And my art practice is also slowly but certainly growing and developing. I'm ok that it is a slow process. This year I plan to have a solid collection for sale. Different sizes and price points. And not to mention my email marketing project. My website is solid, but I have to take a day to complete my monthly email marking via Omnisend. That admin stuff artists need to do. Stepping away from the paint for a minute to step into the chair in front of the computer. That is hard! But I'm on it. 

These landscape paintings (NFS-repurposed Wayfair canvas wall art!) are exactly what I needed for my space under the 1980's kitchen cabinet and also to prove to myself that I can paint a landscape painting and not have to paint over it like I do ALOT. Which I’m so fine with. That painting that just doesn’t feel right makes me feel so much better when I paint over it! Truly. It’s just paint. Feels good move on and the new one almost always turns out ever better than expected!

I love them. I want to paint many more. It's what I needed. To get back to nature. Because I always say- "Nature is the answer to everything" Painting it is needed. And my hope is that people need my art some day.

 

Doing the 100 day project...is hard to keep up, but I'm on my way

Punch and plushie gouache 'The 100 Day Project'

Black Jaguar gouache sketchbook art

Tiger in a mood gouache sketchbook painting

My name is Bob gouache art

Turkish cat always lounging gouache

mama and little bear gouache painting

spring ice storm polar bear in the berries gouache

 

One from the new collection of ‘ville dyr’

 

Super excited about the feeling of this bear!

I love the moody nature of this painting!

All I needed was to get beyond the ugly 

I’m not feeling a thing at this point

Things start out with a good idea

This will be a collection of ‘ville dyr’ wild animals in Norwegian that I am currently working on. Digging deep into my Nordic roots because I do love bears and forest animals. Only a few brown Eurasia bears live in the north of Norway. Polar bears live in Norway but off an island in the north. Red foxes are everywhere but arctic foxes are in the north. And I cannot forget the moose! Moose road signs are everywhere. Still I have yet to witness one. These are only a few of the wilds that will be a part of the series. So excited 🇳🇴

From sloppy copy to final tuxedo cat portrait

Sloppy Copy Pencil Sketch

Starring Trixie!

The nearly finished portrait

Vintage Swiss Made Caran Dache pencils

Tiny 6"x6" practice painting!

Happy New Year! To start the new year off I felt it was about time to paint TRIXIE the sassy tuxedo kitty cat from the lovely nordic neighborhood in Norway. I have been drawing small thumbnail sketches on hot press watercolor 4"x6" paper which is absolutely bokehlicious- new word using Bokeh from photography that refers to the soft buttery background of an image. This paper has that feel and I could probably use other mediums to test it out but for now the vintage Caron Dasche color pencils from the past works well. I love my pencils and it was about time to resurrect them and bring them back to life. Step 2 was to actually paint on a surface-so the tiny 6" x 6" practice painting on canvas board turned out just how I imagined with loads of texture from a repurposed painting from the past. I find that the more layers that are added the more interesting the look I am aiming for. The 3rd step in this process was to paint on these ready to hang ALSO repurposed round wall art decor pieces with a sturdy metal ring for hanging that I found at a super bargain! They originally had some word art that said-'too old for that sh*t' or probably more like 'home sweet home'-so instead I sanded, gessoed and painted with acrylics a traditional like pet portrait of her-again there is texture and interest and mystery in her eyes-what in the wild wild world of sports is her brain thinking? What cats do best-not much-but enough to bring me daily joy. 

Just making some things in 2025 and letting other people see it

The Gallery wall AFTER

Bear Night Christmas Ornament

Bear Bright Christmas Ornament

Snow Bear Christmas Ornament

Brown Bear Christmas Ornament

Black Bear Christmas Ornament

My Teddy Bear Ornament 

The Gallery wall BEFORE

The Gallery wall AFTER

Swapped a black console for a white one and tucked the ornaments in-between

As you can see I finally painted the studio wall chalky black by Glidden Diamond 'Black Magic" in eggshell finish. Before the makeover, there was seriously nothing going on here on this sad end of the studio room. Simply dull and full of ridiculous art and home storage which is now organized mostly. So here is my inspiration story-One of my favorite shopping event stores of all time ever since I can remember in Omaha Nebraska was a unique gift shop/art gallery called 'The Afternoon" at a still to this day thriving mall- 'Westroads'. Unfortunately, "The Afternoon" closed its doors in 2020, but my memories are still pretty vivid. It was dark and moody (black painted walls!) with floor to ceiling gift and art pieces for sale, kitchen gadgets, decor, books, greeting cards, Christmas decorations and TOYS! You really lost yourself while browsing for neato stuff. It was magical. My sister Christmas gifted me about 30 years ago a crystal cat dish made in Japan from this charming boutique that I still possess (Thank you Kay!). I actually do own a couple of tchotchkes believe it or not-and this one should make its way to the gallery soon because it is a cat after all. So truly the vibe of this lovely store is where I was going with my own personal gallery look. My pieces of art (all of these are original acrylic paintings-except for the 2 bottom right cat art pieces that are digitally drawn-available in my Etsy shop!) are mostly cohesive as they are either animals and flowers or rather animals in flowers with some wild animals thrown in along with the "wild" flowers with a couple of halloween ghosts with a similar color palette-pinks-naturally. It's a group of smalls so I can make the bigs next year. This is my artist gallery wall-not a group show wall-(all works of art are available for sale on my website!) 2026 will be a very cohesive body of work as I plan to be working A LOT. The "Black Magic" paint color is fitting yeah? 

It's a bit over stuffed with my current art pieces which is just how I like it for now. 

Orzo appreciates it as well.

Feeling grateful

 

At Melissa's Home, Weston NE, 2020

At Lucy's Home, Omaha NE, 2015

Back in the spring of 2005 after my husband died I had an opportunity to take a road trip 

with Leia, my 10 yo daughter, mother in law Nina and sister in law Annette and naturally the small lap dog furby my blonde Pom to the lovely state of South Dakota to get away for a long weekend to soak in some much needed nature and wildlife. It was an easy trip and as close to the Colorado mountains as we could get and also for us all to witness buffalo herds in the safety of our car. That was a moment. 

Getting to know James side of the family more, to bond and to have those memories tucked in my brain is truly a blessing. 

For every family gathering since then up until last thanksgiving I could always count on Annette to be right by my side at the big girl table with a plate of the best meal chatting and learning about ourselves doing dumb things, our sisters, kids and of course her beautiful grandkids. 

Both of us were unfortunate young widows in our lives and had so much in common. 

I will miss this the most. 

She was another sister I never knew I always wanted. 

Thank you Annette ❤️❤️❤️