Valentine Designs

LIfe is Beautiful

2010-05-05T08:50:00.004-05:00

My friend Daniel and I decided to swap paintings last summer. He'd always wanted this still from the movie Life is Beautiful to become a painting. We thought I'd do well on this one since it does have a horse ; ) By far, this was this most difficult thing I had ever attempted and is probably the one painting I am most proud of. Extremely intricate and full of lush greenery it was time consuming for sure! And yes, the horse is green. If you haven't seen this movie, it's definitely worth a viewing!

Still Catching Up . . .

2009-07-08T12:39:00.004-05:00

I took a long break from painting anything at all last summer, hence no updates. But have now resumed at a more leisurely pace this year. This is a really neat one for me, I wish I had a better picture, so the details would actually be visible. I'd never done Japanese Koi before, so I was really pleased with the result. There's a lot of texture on the scales and fins that doesn't really translate here, but everything really just seemed to pop.

It's Been a While . . .

2009-07-08T12:17:00.004-05:00

Here's another of the "fairy" ones I got to do. Loved the more relaxed feel to it and lack of intricate details. It was a great one to do, no drama ; ) I've got to get a real camera, this one is another one from my Blackberry!

Haley

2008-04-14T15:57:00.005-05:00

Another fave! This mom-to-be wasn't releasing the baby's gender or name for public consumption but my mom wrangled it out of her ; ) The MTB was using the classic Pooh bedding, etc for the nursery and named the baby girl, Haley. I had no idea how it would turn out, but I was amazed at the results! I'd be really dangerous if I actually knew what I was doing!!

It was from her shower that I was asked to create a gift certificate for a customized painting. Never one to shy away from trying something new, I obliged, natch. Which ultimately led to the creation of Sophia, which I thought was pretty cute, all things considered: Recycling a gently used canvas - bad. Trying a new design and thinking paint pens would help - bad. Two canvasses, lots of Gesso & a misshap with an exacto - bad. A trip to Michaels for a new canvas and roll of ribbon - priceless. The ribbon covered the staples glaring out from the edges of the canvas, which unfortunately you can't see in this photo, but take my word for it - cute!

Heidi

2008-04-07T17:02:00.004-05:00

This one has to be one of my absolute favorites! Hippos & Honey all to match Pottery Barn's Cherry Blossom baby bedding...perfection ; )

Julia

2008-04-07T17:00:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the photo quality, another cell phone pic taken at work, again! This one was really fun, I have to say I liked how it turned out. Thanks Geryl!

Ali Katherine

2008-04-07T16:53:00.006-05:00

Ali Katherine was the last of the original gators, they just tormented me with their refusal to blend properly and I'd never been all that happy with how they'd turn out. My new rule is three strikes and you're out, so I was so happy to come across the way cooler gator to emulate. This one was actually a gift for my cousin's new little girl and her big brother Eli even liked the gator.

*Seriously? Another "A" name? All baby names must start with an "A", it's a new rule apparently*

Alan Elizabeth

2008-04-07T16:41:00.004-05:00

Ooh, sorry for the glare, I took this one with my cell phone sitting at my desk at work. Can I tell you how much I love this little gator? Super cute, Mary Englebreit theme for Alan-Elizabeth.

More Updates

2008-03-26T11:09:00.013-05:00

Wow, I'm really out of date here! I wish I was one of those really organized people that are able to keep on top of everything going on in their world! Alas, such is my plight, to forever be the sterotypical overworked, underpaid, overcommitted single mom. ; ) Okay, I'm cutting myself off, no more pity party for you.

Here are a couple of my most recent works, one for a baby shower for a soon-to-be-born little boy named Anderson.

I worked from a photo (left) of his

actual nursery with his fabulous bedding and created this very concentric blue masterpiece (above right). I love it. Turned out super cute and my patron was quite pleased with my work, ergo everything worked out well for all parties involved.

More photos

2007-10-03T17:36:00.001-05:00

Here are a few more paintings that I've done in the past. It all started a couple of years ago when a friend of mine was having a baby and I thought to myself "I could make her something" and picked up a 16x20 canvas, and "Lily Beth" was created. I took each letter of the child's name and added an interesting design inside in contrasting colors. These quickly evolved from a solid background and names, to include a black and white checked border and small designs in the corners. After seeing some art I loved from a local Birmingham artist who uses text as art, I experimented with squares of color with letters of contrasting color to spell out a phrase. All of these I "framed" with black ribbon with white polka dots.

Then after getting somewhat bored with that design, I moved into replicating and customizing the "A is for_____" style that I ran across online. I WISH I'd created the design/layout of those, I love the symmetry of the four blocks of designs. Although, I'm probably getting ready to change it up again ; )

I just moved into my first home at the end of April and my daughter received a hand-me-down armoire that was unfinished. After painting it white, I let Ari pick a different animal for each drawer pull and painted them for her. They turned out super cute! These are quick and easy to customize as well.

Fun designs

2007-07-24T17:28:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of my most recent paintings, one for a baby boy and one for a baby girl. The colors were chosen based on the respective nursery colors used, as well as the coordinating ribbon used to hang the canvas. I typically use 16x20 canvasses, but will be happy to create a work of art for you on the size you'd prefer. I'm just getting this whole blog/website thing off the ground and will be adding earlier works and any recent works as they're completed ; )

If you'd like to commission a painting, just contact me through this blog and I'll explain my rates and such! Of course, I welcome any constructive criticism as well (i'm not a trained artist at all).