The Centennial Mural is Finished!

After several months of planning and several more months of actual painting, the Madeira Centennial Mural is finished! The mural was a project inspired by the small town charm of our city and the celebration of its 100th birthday.

A committee was formed and together we decided on over 20 Madeira landmarks, past and present, to document our history. We wanted to capture the memories of our town and inspire people to share their own when they see the mural.

The mural is located in the Madeira Municipal Building, in the lower level Community Room, a room open to the public for meetings, parties, and any other bookings. Here is the building in real life.
Here is the building in my mural! The Police Department is in there too!

I started the mural in June and just finished the other day (October). It is 6.5 feet tall and 22 feet long.

The mural includes historical residences,

local businesses (past and present),

schools (past and present),

parks, and


old churches.
And to make the mural come alive, I painted the people of our community! Little vignettes depict our residents walking, playing, conversing, and admiring the bell created in honor of our 75th birthday. It arrived on a train through the heart of downtown with great fanfare!

And the committee who commissioned the mural threw me an awesome reception to reveal the mural to our community residents.

We covered the mural, so arriving guests had to wait for the big moment. The mayor read me a Proclamation...


and we pulled a curtain down to show it off. The reaction was priceless.

It was such a lovely evening with great snacks, a string quintet, and my family and friends to show their support. I felt honored to be chosen to paint such an important mural for our "Friendly Town" and it is a Madeira memory I will always cherish!

Leave me a comment and tell me what you think!

Unique Jungle Nursery

Jungle themes are very popular for baby nurseries, but this one is really unique. I painted it for my sister-in-law who is due with her first little boy in November.

She wanted animal silhouettes against a very striking blue wall color. They turned out great!

Choosing highly recognizable positions of the animals really helped give a feel of simplicity and a look that the child will not outgrow.



I also painted this bin to go with the room & filled it with baby goodies. It makes a great accent piece!

So, think about this option when you are considering a jungle themed room! This style would look great in a sun room or basement as well.


Now, all we need is the baby!

Go Reds?!

Well, so much for sticking around in the post season. The Reds were awesome all season, but sort of uh, choked, in their shot to move on. I got caught up in the winning spur of the Reds and made a few items for all of you die-hard fans.
Here is a picture frame to display that great photo you took the last time you were in the stadium.
Or how about these little Reds ornaments? Very cute and a fun way to remember a winning season. I painted a 1" wooden bead with Mr. Redlegs' face on it and strung it up with sequins and very nice quality beads. They sell for $5.50. Yes, I painted those little faces over & over on a 1" round surface!
And here is a mural I did for a little guy who was born into a Reds fan family.

I have included his name on the scoreboard and birthday on the homerun wall. It makes a great accent wall.

And here's my favorite player- Joey Votto!

Go Reds...next year!

Hyde Park Square Art Show

You don't want to miss my next art show in Hyde Park Square! Stop by my booth this Sunday, October 3 from 10am to 5pm in the streets of Hyde Park, Cincinnati. This show represents high quality art with excellent professional artists, I'm sure you will be inspired to purchase some great pieces to add to your home!
Here's the link: http://www.hydeparksquare.org/hydeparkartshow.html

Make your first stop at my booth, where you will find, as always, some great pieces of hand painted furniture. Fill that blank space in that room with a one-of-a-kind addition, like this cute 4 drawer end table. This could go in any room- even an entryway! Think of all of the compliments you'll get!

And don't forget your gift giving needs with my selection of hand painted frames, storage boxes, and new ornaments.

What about picking up these keepsakes made out of old silverware? Charming!


I look forward to seeing you at the show and don't forget to dress for fall!

Country Applefest Lebanon

Hey folks! I disappeared for awhile, preparing for my September art shows! My next show is this weekend, the Country Applefest in downtown Lebanon, Ohio. What a charming town filled with antique shops, cute restaurants, and the infamous Golden Lamb Hotel, the oldest hotel in Ohio. Their restaurant is worth the trip!

Come enjoy a day of arts and crafts on Saturday, September 25 from 10am-7pm in the streets of Lebanon. There are lots of holiday crafts, as well as awesome festival food. Pick up your apple butter and cider and be sure to buy the apple fritters early- they always run out!
I wanted to let you know that I will be having some great pieces of furniture for sale as well as a nice variety of new picture frames.
Get your holiday gift giving started by choosing one of my Doodle Books, an "idea starter" sketchbook where each page is HAND DRAWN by me! Wow! And I embellish with fun stickers. Doddle Books are great for kids on car trips, waiting at restaurants, or to keep them occupied whenever! They are also great keepsakes to look back on once the child has grown. So, next time you are looking for a unique and handy gift (think birthdays), pick up a Doodle Book from me! They sell for $14.00
Stop by my booth, #124, at the Applefest and choose the unique hand painted item that is right for you!

Horse Stable Door Mural

It's hard to know what your baby will be "into" as they get a bit older, so a nursery theme can be quite different from the child's interests as they grow. That is what happened to a customer of mine. She had a purple, garden themed nursery painted by another muralist for her baby girl. Very cute!


But when the girl grew to the ripe ole' age of three, she became obsessed with horses. Because the other muralist had moved away, I was called in to add to the room. The mom did not want to paint over the original mural, but wanted to incorporate the girl's love of horses. This was going to be tricky because the room had very little wall space left. The only blank canvas was the closet door! Because the door's designed panels, it was a perfect solution.


So, I painted the door to look like a horse peeking through a stable door! Notice the winning ribbon, too!


And, I also tied in the bedding by painting a horse pasture scene on the toy box at the foot of her bed.


What a great way of keeping the integrity of the original nursery theme, yet updating it by including the child's new interests. The room will grow with the girl and she will be able to greet her very own horse everyday! Hmm... I wonder what she named it?

School Murals are a Gogh!

These past few years, I have been painting a lot of fun murals in the various buildings of my local school system.

I've painted everything from school logos in gymnasiums,

department labels above doorways,

the American flag above the stage,

and even a continental animal theme throughout the entire elementary school (see my website for that gallery of photos, www.youreart.com).

This summer, the middle school required some artistic attention. There was an open wall space on the second floor that the principal was looking to fill with a mural of some sort, but we didn't know what. We didn't want to fill it with our mascot or anything athletic and we badly needed a theme!
After being inspired by one of my favorite artists, I came up with a plan. I wanted to paint famous, highly recognizable works of art in the style of the original artist, but customize them to feature our school and community. I just finished the first of these works; The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh. The original is shown above.

Here is my version. I tried to replicate Van Gogh's broad, thick brushstrokes and create patterns with color. I customized the painting by including our school name, a rendition of our school at the bottom, and even the little fountain that sits in the heart of our little downtown.

Hopefully, the mural will create discussions about Van Gogh and give a little visual zig to the hallway! More famous paintings are down the road, as I eventually give homage to Picasso and Seurat! Thanks for looking and I would love to hear your comments!