I have been noticing the mermaid craze for a few years, but recently was immersed in it with a private commission project. A mom and new friend @jennyreimold contacted me, and has 4 daughters that were in love with mermaids, and in the middle of a move to a new home. So she asked me to create a scene for their new playroom where all four daughters were mermaids, each unique in their underwater activity. Although I do not normally do portraits, all four gals have very different personalities and interests, so this was a fun challenge.
One little girl does not like to leave the house without her pink tutu and cowboy boots. She is precocious and inquisitive, so I painted her in pink, staring down a clown fish. Another daughter LOVES horses, so of course she is playing with her seahorse. The older daughter is fun and carefree, and dancing with a school of fish. The baby has the most endearing smile which I tried my best to capture. This was such a FUN project, that gave me a segue from the "Back Home" country series I have worked on since last Fall. I love my memories of Carolina and all things southern, but we are living in Florida, and have a fondness for all things beachy as well.
I was asked to be the featured artist for an upcoming new coastal line of Home Furnishings, @jarrettbayhome, so this project was just what I needed to feed my creative for coastal and underwater ideas.
For more coastal and southern images, join me on instagram. Message me if you have an idea for a painting for your own sweet, little mermaids. I would love to hear it!
This past year, with the unsurety of the Pandemic and isolation, I felt a calling back to those butterflies that had given me so much quiet joy in the past.
Usually when I paint birds or butterflies, they sell quickly, but I have been gathering a collection of smaller works, affordable for anyone who wishes to collect some beauty for their home. They will be included in an upcoming exhibit called S O L A C E. at the Jewish Community Alliance Center in Jacksonville, FL.
