Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle
24x30 Acrylic on Canvas

Neuschwanstein Castle - Acrylic on Canvas

Neuschwanstein Castle is one of the most visited castles in Germany. It rests in Bavaria, with the Alps at it's back. The castle was built by King Lidwig II, who was known as the "Fairytale King". During our visit on our honeymoon, the tour guide mentioned that this castle was the inspiration for the Magic Kingdom castle in Disney World. The whimsical nature is apparent on the outside, but the inside has even more character. My favorite part was the "cave room" in which King Ludvig II had a fake cave constructed that you walk through to get from one room to the next. It was quite amazing. My husband has been nudging me to paint this since we returned from our trip. The day that we were there it was snowing and overcast, and the trees were bare. I chose to paint it with vibrant colors, which is what King Ludwig would have wanted.

Owen's Painting

Owen's Painting - 2010
30x40

Mixed Media on Canvas

Owen's Painting - Mixed Media on Canvas

I was looking for a way to keep all the beautiful cards and notes that people gave us when I was pregnant with Owen. I was rocking him in his nursery one night trying to figure out what would be a good painting for over his crib when the idea came to collage the cards, notes and gift wrap together onto a canvas with his name. For those of you that know my husband and how much of a sports fan he is, that is how I came up with the idea to create his name with a sports theme over top of the collage. Here is the final result. We love it. I included a detail shot so you can see some of the textures and layers that exist within the painting. The polka dots came from white and blue tissue paper that came with a gift. The big bird was on some wrapping paper that I cut out as well as the elephant and footprint. I used oil pastels, marker, acrylic, charcoal, graphite, varnish, a spray bottle and other tools for spreading paint. If anyone is interested in something like this for your kids or to give as a gift let me know!