paintandsimple

Posted on January 17, 2026January 17, 2026 by paintandsimple

“When They Walked Together”

3ft x 4ft oil on canvas. Work in progress

These are my kids: #3, #2, #1, and #4. I threw this painting together in a day. I painted the poppies the way I remember them, a blanket of red! I finished this painting and hung it up. I didn’t love it. I love my kids, I love the Camino, I love poppies, but I don’t love it all together. I finally put it back on the easel and asked myself the hard question, why didn’t I like it? I decided the poppies were a problem, there is just too much going on in this painting. Getting rid of all those beautiful flowers felt like cleaning out a too full closet and having to part with GOOD stuff. It was a little sad, but I painted over them anyway. I redrew the hill behind the kids I greyed the entire background down. The painting already feels better to me. Now what??? When I am focused on getting a drawing right, I often forget to be painterly, so the figures look cut out and collaged in. I’ll see if my next painting session can fix that:)

About this series: Our family of 6 walked the Camino de Santiago in 2023, and my husband and I returned with our girls in 2025. I’m painting the journey—one memory at a time—and I hope you’ll follow along as I prepare for an art show in fall 2026.

Posted on January 16, 2026 by paintandsimple · 1 Comment

The Bones of Living

This is a little demo I did for a one day workshop I taught today in Sunnyvale, TX. We talked about composition, abstracting nature, and what a tonal underpainting can do to add atmosphere to a painting.

This painting explores the threshold between decay and renewal. At first glance the trees seem lifeless, stripped down to what remains after growth has passed. Yet the light seeps through and around these forms like breath in a body. Transforming what could feel desolate into something hopeful, reminding us that even in bareness there is vitality. The trees are not dead; they are enduring. Their exposed structure becomes a testament to resilience—the underlying framework that allows life to return.

Posted on January 2, 2026 by paintandsimple

Pause

Our family of 6 walked the Camino de Santiago in 2023, and my husband and I returned with our girls in 2025. I’m painting the journey—one memory at a time—and I hope you’ll follow along as I prepare for an art show in fall 2026.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines a pilgrim as a person who makes a journey, often a long and difficult one, to a special place for religious reasons.

From May 30 to July 4, 2023, my husband and I, along with our four children, walked from St. Jean Pied de Port, France, to Santiago de Compostela, Spain—and then on to the end of the earth, Cabo de Finisterre.

We made this pilgrimage to celebrate 25 years of marriage.

1,295,000 steps to Finisterre

9,131 days to 25 years

Along the way, I learned lessons of:

Gratitude

Trust

Vulnerability

Grit

Hope

Joy

Love

Friendship

Humor

and Patience

I learned that you can go really far if you focus on the possibility rather than the problem. You will get there if you just keep going—the only way possible—one step at a time.

I also learned that it is the little moments along the way that make the journey special. Because of this, I try to pause and appreciate the beauty and significance that are right in front of me.

Posted on August 25, 2025 by paintandsimple

An Illustrated Guide to Blister Care and Prevention

I am an artist who loves long walks.

While walking the Camino de Santiago, I came to see that tending blisters was an act of love, a way of living out these words: “Whatever you did for the least of these, you did it to me.” But love is not only intention—it is also preparation. My blister care kit became a ministry bag, filled with both prevention and healing.

Blister Care Kit Essentials

Good shoes: I reccomend trail running shoes with at least a thumb’s width at the toe (I love Altra Lone Peaks). Most blisters I saw came from boots or shoes that were too small.

Quality socks: Merino wool or other breathable fabrics. Keep shoes, socks, and feet clean—sand and dirt cause friction. On rainy days, change into dry socks midday.

GEHWOL Foot Cream: With eucalyptus, rosemary, lavender, lanolin, thyme, and camphor. Use after your shower at night and again in the morning. It moisturizes, helps prevent blisters (and athlete’s foot), and smells amazing!

Blister wool: Place on hot spots to cushion and “eat” friction before it causes blisters. I passed this out on the Camino like cotton candy.

Needle, lighter, and alcohol wipe: For puncturing fluid-filled blisters safely.

Hydrocolloid bandages: Cover popped blisters until healed.

KT tape: My favorite for hot spots—more flexible than moleskin. Works especially well with blister wool on almost-healed or not-quite-formed blisters.

Toe caps: Reusable silicone covers that protect tricky between-the-toe blisters.

A few band-aids and antibiotic ointment.

This kit reminded me daily that care for the body can also be care for the soul. To tend another’s feet on the Camino is to step into the story of Christ himself, who knelt to wash dusty feet with love. The road humbles us all. Each shared step, each act of tenderness, reminds me that our journey is not only toward Santiago, but also toward seeing Christ revealed in the weary, the wounded, and the ordinary moments of care along the way.

Buen Camino!

P.s. I have now walked the Camino Frances from St. Jean Pied de Port to the end of the world (twice) with NO BLISTERS!

Posted on November 1, 2024 by paintandsimple

Family Tree: Deep Roots Wide Branches

I’m so excited today I am prepping materials for family day at the DMA. I am the feature community artist and my project is: “Deep Roots and Wide Branches”

Come co-create a collaborative piece of art with me at the Dallas Museum of Art tomorrow!! Come write your family story into our collaborative art project. What makes your family special? Is it your deep roots or your wide stretching branches?

“my great granny made me feel like I was the only person on earth and that we had all the time in the world.”

“We all sit down every night for dinner at 6, and everyone can always bring a friend, it can be pretty crazy, but our dinner table is how I think of my home and family.”

Come paint, come play, and come write your story into our family tree. You will have the chance to try out a variety of mixed media tools and techniques, Our collaboration will be structured with enough direction to ensure success and enough freedom to allow for creative expression. DMA Saturday Nov. 2nd 11am-4pm

Posted on September 12, 2024September 12, 2024 by paintandsimple · 2 Comments

Rooted Friendship

“Friendship plants itself as a small unobtrusive seed; over time, it grows thick roots that wrap around your heart”. -Anna Lyndsey

My mom asked if I would paint a daisy image for the cover of a yearbook she was compiling. The yearbook was for PEO, a women’s group she has been part of for over 40 years. I have so much respect for the work and relationships she and her friends have nurtured through that organization. Like the seeds of a daisy, those friendships have grown thick roots around not only their hearts, but mine as well. (You know it is a deep friendship, when love extends to an adult daughter.)

So, here is the daisy, which I was delighted and honored to paint, and may their friendships continue to bloom for many years to come.

Posted on June 24, 2024 by paintandsimple