Other times it comes from one of my favorite movies.
And sometimes, well, it comes from an internet-famous raccoon.
Over the last week or so I found myself smiling every time another video of Jimothy the raccoon appeared in my feed. Like so many others, I immediately fell in love with his determination. Jimothy gets around a little differently than most raccoons, but he doesn’t seem bothered by it. He simply scoots through life, exploring the world with the same curiosity as any other raccoon.
That confidence inspired my latest painting, Living His Best Life.
I didn’t want to focus on what makes Jimothy different. I wanted to paint him exactly as he seems to see himself: a raccoon with somewhere to be. No fanfare, no self-pity, just putting one foot in front of the other and carrying on despite what might limit him. Isn’t that what we all should be doing?
Maybe that’s why so many people have fallen in love with him. Jimothy isn’t trying to inspire or impress anyone. He’s just living his life, and somehow that has inspired millions of people anyway.
I hope this painting captures even a small part of the joy Jimothy has brought to so many of us over the past few days. I had so much fun painting him. ❤️
When I started creating my literary-inspired paintings, I realized I wasn’t interested in painting famous characters or scenes from books. What I loved most were the objects and symbols that stayed with me long after I finished reading.
For me, a single object can sometimes say more than an entire scene.
A green light can instantly bring to mind The Great Gatsby. A rose under glass can remind us of The Little Prince. A worn hat and feather can call up memories of Peter Pan. These symbols become part of the story itself.
I like the challenge of reducing a book to one meaningful image. It forces me to think about what truly captures the feeling of a story. Not the plot. Not the characters. The feeling.
I also love that symbols leave room for interpretation. Someone who recognizes the reference sees one thing. Someone who doesn’t may simply enjoy the artwork for what it is. Both experiences are valid.
As I continue expanding my literary series, I’ll keep looking for those small details that linger in our minds long after the final page. Sometimes the most memorable part of a story isn’t a character at all. Sometimes it’s a rose, a green light, a button, or a key.
Books have always been a source of inspiration for me.
Like many readers, there are certain stories that stay with me long after I’ve finished the final page. Sometimes it’s a character. Sometimes it’s a setting. More often, it’s a feeling or a symbol that lingers in my mind for years.
Recently, I began exploring a new series of gouache paintings inspired by some of my favorite books.
As I started planning the collection, I found myself asking an important question: Should I paint the characters and scenes that everyone already recognizes, or should I focus on something more subtle?
I chose the second approach.
Rather than creating illustrations of famous literary moments, I wanted to create paintings that capture the mood, symbolism, and atmosphere of a story. My goal is not to retell the book through art, but to create a visual interpretation of what makes that story memorable.
My love of literature extends beyond my personal reading life. While attending the University of Georgia, I completed so many Comparative Literature courses that I was only two classes shy of earning a double major in Journalism and Comparative Literature. Some of my favorite classes explored children’s literature, symbolism, character development, conflict, theme, and perspective.
Those courses changed the way I read. They also changed the way I look at life. They taught me to look beyond plot and pay attention to the symbols, imagery, and themes that give stories their deeper meaning. Looking back, it’s not surprising that those same elements are what inspire me most as an artist.
The first piece in the collection was inspired by one of my favorite books, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
If you’ve read the novel, you probably know the image that immediately came to mind: a tiny green light shining across the water.
That small green light becomes a powerful symbol throughout the story. It represents hope, longing, ambition, and the pursuit of something that always seems just out of reach. Instead of painting Gatsby, I painted the night sky, the water, distant shoreline lights, and that single green light reflected across the bay.
For me, that image captures the spirit of the novel more than a portrait ever could.
One of the things I love most about literature is that every reader brings their own experiences and interpretations to a story. I hope these paintings encourage people to do the same.
This collection is still in its early stages, but I already have plans for additional pieces inspired by some of my favorite classics, likely including The Picture of Dorian Gray, To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men,In Cold Blood, The Yellow Wallpaper, Brave New World, and A Separate Peace, and more. Each painting will focus on the symbols, settings, and emotions that make those stories unforgettable.
While the collection is beginning with classic literature for adults, I also hope to eventually explore some of my favorite children’s books and young adult novels in future pieces. Stories such as The Little Prince, Peter Pan, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Charlotte’s Web, Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, Where the Red Fern Grows, The Outsiders, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower have left a lasting impression on me and offer rich symbolism and imagery to draw from.
Just as with the classics, I won’t be focusing on illustrating characters or scenes. Instead, I hope to capture the objects, settings, and symbols that make these stories so memorable. My goal is to create paintings that evoke the feeling of a beloved book while leaving room for personal interpretation and nostalgia.
I look forward to sharing more as the collection grows.
Thank you for following along on this creative journey.
For most of my artistic life, oil painting has been my primary medium. I still love oils and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. There is something special about working on a larger canvas, building up layers of paint, and watching a painting come together over time.
“Dwelling Place” Oil on 30×40 Gallery-Wrapped Canvas
That said, art has a way of evolving, and over the last couple of years I have found myself exploring new materials and new ways of creating.
About two years ago, my parents gifted me a set of watercolors. At the time, I had very little experience with watercolor painting, but I had been wanting to give it a try. They sat in my studio unused for at least six months. What started as simple experimentation quickly became something I genuinely enjoyed. Watercolor challenged me in ways that oils never had. It taught me to loosen up, embrace imperfections, and work with the paint instead of trying to control every detail.
One of my first watercolor paintings
Since then, watercolor has become a regular part of my creative practice. Many of my recent bookmarks, postcards, and small works have been created using watercolor. I have especially enjoyed painting florals, botanicals, insects, birds, and other nature-inspired subjects.
More recently, I have started experimenting with gouache. I am still very much in the learning phase, but I have enjoyed discovering the similarities and differences between gouache, watercolor, and oils. In some ways, gouache feels familiar because it can be reactivated with water like watercolor. In other ways, its opacity reminds me of working with oils. I am still figuring out how I want to use it, but I have enjoyed the process so far and look forward to creating more gouache paintings in the future.
Gouache Study Inspired by Artist Kate Jarvik Birch
I have also been spending time experimenting with mixed media and collage art. This is another area where I am learning as I go, but I find the possibilities exciting. I hope to share some new mixed media pieces on my website in the coming months.
While my work has expanded into watercolor, gouache, and mixed media, my relationship with oil painting is far from over. My interests and style are simply evolving. Many of my past oil paintings focus on landscapes, seascapes, buildings, and other structures. Lately, I have been spending more time working on oil portraits.
One of the biggest recent changes is the launch of my Etsy shop. Although I have had an Etsy account for many years, I only recently decided to open a shop and begin offering some of my smaller handmade items for sale.
The shop currently includes original hand-painted bookmarks and postcard collections, with additional items being added regularly. In the future, I plan to add notecards, artist trading cards (ATCs), miniature paintings, and other small-format original artwork. As the year progresses, I also plan to offer seasonal and holiday items, including printed Christmas cards, ornaments, and other giftable artwork.
If you would like to browse the shop, you can visit it here:
Thank you to everyone who has followed along as my art continues to grow and change. I appreciate your support and encouragement. And I am excited to see where this creative journey leads next.
I only recently started submitting my work to art or gallery exhibitions and I ran into a situation I was unsure of, so I thought I would chime in for people who may also be new to showing their artwork.
There were two exhibitions I felt one particular painting might do well in. I was holding off on entering it into the second exhibition until hearing from the first one about whether it was chosen.
Everything I had read online in the art community and on blogs suggested entering the same painting to two shows that run simultaniously is a big no-no!
So when the deadline to enter the second show hit and I still hadn’t heard from the first exhibition, I decided not to enter it into the second show.
Unfortunately, the day after submitting a different piece of art into the second show, I received an email from the first exhibition saying my art was not selected, which means it would have been available to show at the second gallery.
I was a little bummed since I felt my chances of it being chosen by the second exhibition were higher, but on the other hand, I began to question what protocol is for this.
Can you enter the same piece of art into multiple shows simultaniously? What if more than one exhibition accepts it? Then what?
Is it unethical to show a piece of art in more than one show, at different times?
While it seems everyone has a different opinion on these topics, here’s what I’ve determined works best for me.
I only enter a particular piece of art to one show at a time. If the art is chosen by multiple shows that run simultaniously, then I figure I’m potentially burning a bridge with the gallery shows I decide to pull out of.
In fact, pull your chosen art from a show or a gallery multiple times and you may gain a negative reputation of being an unreliable artist.
It’s better to scan the internet for potential shows to enter, and then create a piece specifically for an exhibition.
If it’s not chosen, don’t fret. There’s always other shows you can enter.
I see nothing wrong with showing the same piece in multiple shows, so long as the guidelines of each show allow it and the times don’t overlap. It’s important to read the fine print to make sure you’re adhering to all the rules when you enter a piece of art into a show.
I hope this helps clarify a few things for people who are new to submitting their art to gallery shows.
Do you have a different opinion? Would love to hear your thoughts!! Feel free to comment below.
