Samuel Brannan

My painting of Samuel Brannan won third place in the California Pioneer Heritage Art Competition. Jeffery R. Holland attended the opening reception with his brother, Dennis Holland, who is president of the Society. I didn't get to shake his hand or anything but it was surreal standing less than 10 feet away from him!

One of the greatest challenges of this competition was deciding who to paint. There were many influential California Pioneers that I was drawn to, but I finally decided on Samuel Brannan. If you are interested in learning more about him I've included a brief history of this controversial pioneer:

Samuel Brannan was a young printer in New York when he was selected by Orson Pratt in 1845 to lead a large group of Saints on one of the longest religious voyages in history. The Ship Brooklyn sailed from the Brooklyn Harbor to San Francisco, a voyage that took nearly six months! He played a key role in starting the Gold Rush of 1849 by his waving a vial of gold around the streets of San Francisco and announcing the discovery of gold at Coloma, on the American River, and announcing it in his California Star that he hired riders to carry east to the states. He became one of the state’s first millionaires, was instrumental in developing the Napa grape and wine area, helped finance the railroad over the Sierras, and owned considerable real estate.

Unfortunately he was later excommunicated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After abandoning his beliefs and the principals of his religion, his life style changed to the degree that his wife divorced him and his life continued to spiral downward until he died penniless in San Diego. His body lay unclaimed in the county morgue for two years until his nephew came forward and buried him.

His story is a tragic reminder that worldly wealth is fleeting and that we must keep our eyes fixed on eternity. He could have done so much to build the kingdom of God with the opportunities he was blessed with. I hope that we will all use our talents and opportunities to further the work of the Lord, and that we will acknowledge the Lord's hand in all things.

I took some photos of my painting along the way. I wanted the painting to look period appropriate so I painted it all with clean, hard edges, kept the colors muted, and went as realistic as my three-week time limit allowed. I'd say that everything about the process, except drawing the map, was pretty fun.

Big Time Baby Model

A few weeks ago I saw an intriguing ad on Craiglist entitled, "FREE Family or Kids Portrait" so I checked out the photographer's website and was VERY impressed with his work. He (joSon) wanted to photograph 2-3 families while he was in Sacramento for one day so I responded with photos of Jonah and our family. I was so excited when he called to set up an appointment. Apparently he got around 50 responses and we ended up being one of the two lucky families!! He just sent us the pictures. Doesn't Jonah look older? And insanely cute?

JoSon is primarily a commercial photographer but is working on this artistic family project on the side. He was so great with Jonah and was laughing the whole time. The most embarrassing part was when he insisted on taking some photos in our bedroom, despite the serious clutter. But overall it was a great experience. For ALL the photos go here.

Jonah was standing on the kitchen island for some of these photos which made me pretty nervous but I was right there to catch him.

I carefully removed his favorite blanket from this photo and replaced it with the bear.

Jonah loves brushing his teeth!

Not your traditional family portrait but we like it.

He's ONE today!!!

Happy birthday, Jonah! This year has gone really fast and we have enjoyed watching Jonah develop into an active and intelligent little toddler. He practically runs everywhere now! For pictures of his b-day, please see my sister, Merilee's post here. Ryan has our video camera with him in DC so I can't upload the new videos. And I left my camera charger in Ryan's backpack! So thank you Merilee for your wonderful post and I will add more pics and videos soon. We had a wonderful time "monkeying around" with our families! And no, we didn't do his hair like that for the party. But I think it's great that we can do his hair like that! He's got so much hair! WE LOVE YOU, JONAH!!!

New studio and recent works

Now that Jonah is a big, strong boy it has been increasingly difficult to paint in the kitchen (as he can knock over my easel and get into paints, etc.) After researching studio rental costs I was discouraged until I found one studio owner who was willing to let someone work for the space. Here's my new downtown studio. Yes, it's dirty, but it's spacious and full of light!

It isn't a perfect solution but it's meeting the immediate need to allow me to work. We have a wonderful woman named Lidia watching Jonah on Tues, Thurs, and Fridays. She picks us up at 11am, drops me off at the studio, returns to our apartment to take care of Jonah, and then picks me up at 3:45pm. If Ryan doesn't have class he just studies in the library during that time. Jonah always seems to be content and happy when they pick me up which makes it easier for me. The biggest downside is the extra time I have to work on Saturdays to "pay" for the space. I've been gaining valuable experience but I hate being away from my family. I am power-washing, power-sanding, priming and painting one side of an apartment complex for the studio owner in exchange for my studio. It's hard work but I figure those skills will come in handy when we are eventually home owners! Here are some of my recent paintings:

OSCAR THE CAT--my very first animal portrait

JOHN AND ANGIE DAY--they were so pleased that they commissioned 5 more paintings!

MICHELE--this is a drawing/painting for an upcoming show.


I am so thankful that Ryan has encouraged me to continue with my art. We all make sacrifices for it but we feel it is worth it. I am now working on a portrait of Samuel Brannan for a special art competition sponsored by the California Pioneer Heritage Foundation. The painting must be finished in two weeks but I think I'm on track.

Free Cleaning

Miller X-mas Eve