Things are moving and it feels good. I'm deep into a new painting for our first family show at Gallery 111 — and while I'm keeping it a surprise until it's finished, I can tell you it seems like a sum total of everything I've been working on lately. The underpainting is done and tomorrow I begin layering oils. It's 32×64" and so far it has been a joy to paint.
I'm also looking forward to teaching an immersive two-hour painting class for the Little Egypt Sol yoga retreat, where we'll be painting a lotus flower as a symbol of resilience, empowerment, and self discovery.
Getting closer to opening Gallery 111 — here's a little look at where we started and where we are now.
Wishing you a beautiful spring, and thank you for stopping by my first post here.
From Life
From Life — The Strada Easel Challenge
Winter 2026
Twice a year I take on the Strada Easel Challenge — painting from life every day for a month. This past winter I completed my 10th. Here are a few of my favorites from this round, with more on Instagram to check out.
Daisies
What made this one exciting was combining my tattoo stencil style with a painted-from-life piece — two parts of my practice meeting in one painting.
The orchids were opening and changing as I painted them, so I made this a three-day piece. By the last day the flowers had shifted position entirely. I think I captured the essence of what they were.
I've been so busy lately that I haven't been posting as much as I normally do — but it felt great to get back to some long-term client work over the winter.
For anyone new here, The Bloom Project is an open-ended approach to tattooing where the work grows and evolves over time alongside the person wearing it.
Monica
Her sleeve set is nearly 20 years old and we recently came back to it — adding new work and in some areas laying fresh designs over pieces she had grown away from. Revisiting work this old, on someone I've known this long, is one of the most meaningful things I do. This is the Bloom Project at its fullest — a process of self discovery through ink.
Her shoulder caps date back almost 13 years and we've been adding on ever since. I love this process — matching arms, creating a cohesive look, watching it all come together over time.
She sent me this photo recently — and it's exactly what this work is for. The tattoos move with her, complement what she's wearing, and feel completely her own. This is what it looks like when the work truly lives on someone.
