holly carton

It's the 3rd post in my Beginning Watercolor blog series! You can see the rest here:

Watercolor Art Supplies
Color Theory
Using Color for Emotional Meaning (This post!)
Composition (coming soon)
Finding Your Style (coming soon)

Basics of Color-Emotion Theory

You're prob...

"I would like to start painting but am not a particularly good drawer. My favorite paintings are usually abstract but where would I even start?"

This is such a great question! If you want to start painting, even if you've had some instruction a while ago, it never hur...

Are you interested in starting to paint with watercolors, but just aren't sure where to start? Feeling a little overwhelmed with the MILLIONS of choices at the art store?

First I want to say . . .

You can make art with anything; if you can’t afford high-quality mater...

If I could describe 2018 in a single word for my business, it would be LEARNING.

I've been learning about myself as an artist, what I really want to do, WHY I paint the way that I do, and what I want to share with the world.

I've been learning how to run an art busin...

This has been such a beautiful month!

I'm always saying what an honor it is to paint highly personal, meaningful art for collectors, and it's still true. This month I've painted silhouettes filled with scenes that evoke a life verse, I've painted a memorial for a dear...

One of my favorite ways to show someone they are loved is by showing them that they are deeply understood - and accepted.

This is one of the reasons I love to use animal imagery in my portraits. Taking the time to think about which personality traits best match a cert...

This past month has been an amazing time for me, diving deep into the true meaning behind why I do what I do, and realizing that my art has a purpose beyond just being pretty.

Have you caught what it is yet?

My art is all about YOU and your inner world. Your inner wo...

One of my favorite things to add into my work is secret, hidden, or extra meaning behind the obvious, up-front meaning in each painting. A fun way to do that is with the Victorian Language of Flowers!

Imagine receiving a bouquet and knowing you should run for your life...

Whooo, what a month! I'm excited to show you all the things I did this month - which is becoming an interesting challenge, the more active baby girl is getting. If you're a work-from-home mom, tell me all your tricks!

Succulent Watercolor Workshop

The workshop on July...

If you've been following me for long at all, you'll have noticed that I LOVE doing commissions.

I was so excited when I had the idea to do Personality Silhouettes, and when one of my good friends said she'd like me to do some for her girls, I jumped at the chance!

 Wor...