Past Commissions
This is a selection of my past work, going back to about mid-2005. All are either in the hands of my clients or in my private collection.
Click each large picture to see more of that box.
Spring Princess
Summer King
Autumn Prince
Winter Queen
Nouveau Phoenix
Eastern Totems
Firebirds
Yggdrasil, The World Tree
The Sun, Moon, and Stars
The Unicorn Prince
Into Flame
Tribe of the Dragon
Fallen
Elemental
Absinthe Fairy
Vampire Heart
Gryphon King
Storm Dragon
Uriel's Box
Rory's Box
Ancestral
Scylla
Purple Phoenix
In the same vein as Red Phoenix below, Purple Phoenix features rhinestones. This box has an exuberance, a liveliness. Purple is a royal color but it is also a joyous color.
Once again, the bottom is simply my favorite part.
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Red Phoenix
Red Phoenix introduces a new element: rhinestones. This was a very fun box to do! The contrast between the red and black is so dramatic, and the gold sets it all off perfectly. Simply lovely! I'm very pleased with this one.
You can see that it has been customized to hold perfume samples; the grid is completely removable.
Somehow, the bottoms of these always end up the most beautiful. How does that happen?
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Spring Princess
Spring Princess is the first in the Seasons of the Wolf series to benefit Defenders of Wildlife in their efforts to protect wolves in Idaho.
A fawn-colored wolf's face peers out of forest foliage on the top panel of this spring-green jewelry and trinket box. The sides and bottom are decorated with oak branches, leaves, and acorns. On the back is a wolf's pawprint. The design is accented and outlined with metallic gold, giving it a brilliant shine. The interior is finished with woodsy green felt to protect both box and treasures, and the bottom is protected by black felt bumpers. It measures 5.25" x 3.5" x 3" on the outside, and the interior is 3.75" x 2.25" x 1.75".
It is painted in artists' acrylics, and finished with a triple-coat of high-quality polyurethane to protect it from scratches, dust, and UV light.
Available with perfume customizations, and will hold 40 vials.
This auction has ended!.
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Summer King
Summer King is the second in the Seasons of the Wolf series.
Summer is blazing yellow with amber shadows, and from the middle of the sunlit foliage peers a golden wolf. Oak leaves and branches surround the box on all sides, even the bottom. The wolf's pawprint is on the back. Accents are done in a warm buttery gold. It has a brilliant, silky sheen. The interior is finished with chocolate brown felt, and the bottom is padded with black felt bumpers. Its measurements are 5.25" x 3.5" x 3" on the outside and 3.75" x 2.25" x 1.75" on the inside.
With perfume customizations, Summer will hold 40 perfume vials.
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Autumn Prince
Autumn Prince is a handsome boy. Third in the Seasons of the Wolf series, he features a bold black and grey wolf's face on a red and chocolate background. It is lined in deep brown felt and can be customized to hold 45 perfume sample vials. Exterior measurements are 5.25" x 3.5" x 2.75", interior measurements are 4.25" x 2.25" x 1.5".
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Winter Queen
Hail to the Winter Queen. This box is fourth in the Seasons of the Wolf set. From a halo of misty winter trees stares a white wolf. The box is lined with deep blue felt, and can be customized to hold 45 perfume vials. Exterior measurements are 5.25" x 3.5" x 2.75", interior measurements are 4.25" x 2.25" x 1.5".
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Nouveau Phoenix
I love painting firebirds, I never get tired of drawing them. Something about the wings and the flames and the ecstasy of fire really moves me. The phoenix is also a potent symbol for me personally, and so I always find these projects quite meaningful.
This one is full of a lot of joy, and a lot of pride.
As you can see, I continued the tail down the front of the box. Each panel can be viewed separately and remain whole, but together they'e even better.
It's ironic that I usually love the designs I do for the bottoms best of all; this is no exception. Here you can really see the Art Nouveau influence that sort of took hold of this piece. The feathers balance each other perfectly. I'd love to see one of these feathers rendered as jewelry. So beautiful!
This was a delight to work on! As always, thanks to my client, both for agreeing to let me post pictures and for commissioning the thing to begin with.
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Eastern Totems
This project is the largest I have attempted; the whole thing measured roughly 11 x 14 x 9.
I'm pleased with the balance between the two animals, and also with the balance between realism and stylization.
I don't use an airbrush, and the size of this box meant blending the background by hand in multiple layers. The open time for acrylic paint is ten minutes at best, so I wound up using extenders to increase the paint's open time.
This represented a departure from my usual approach. I eschewed metallics and decided to outline each figure in a slightly darker color, instead. I also finished it with a nice satin finish instead of my usual hard gloss. The end effect is a slightly more sober, dignified box.
The animals were the most fun to paint. Each one is built up of layer after layer applied over a cream basecoat. In an effort to keep the tiger's brilliant oranges from overwhelming the wolf's more subtle coloring, I incorporated more detailed divisions in the wolf's fur, and accended the color with some of the same russet used in the tiger.
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Firebirds
The top of this little number depicts two firebirds dancing in a Mobius strip like loop. The front shows a seated phoenix pulling fiery little seeds from the Tree of Life; I figure that's probably what phoenixes eat, if they eat anything.
The interior shows three roses blooming on another branch of the same vine, a bit of symbolism personal to the client and the intended recipient. I'm very glad I was able to work it in.
The other dominant motifs are the tree of life and the cup or grail. Flaming grails adorn the sides, back, and bottom. The whole is thick with fertility and rebirth symbolism.
This one was 5" x 3.25" x 2.75", and because it was smaller than my usual size, I had to work hard to fit everything into the available space. I'm still quite pleased with it.
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Yggdrasil, The World Tree
Yggdrasil is the World Ash in Norse myth, the tree that cradles the worlds.
This is only the second Norse design I've ever done, and I think it turned out beautifully. The jewel-like colors and the wide, heavy knotwork complement one another, and the beasties were fun to draw and paint.
The World tree branches out on the top, with the circle of Midgard looped in its limbs. The roots extend down the front to tangle around a dragon, Nidhogg, who gnaws at the roots of the World-tree. On the back is Fenris Wolf, and I exercised a bit of artistic license by making his famous chain a serpent. On the underside, more of Loki's spawn: the Midgard serpent and a relative, tangled together.
I love painting these treasure-chest style boxes, and this is one of my most beloved efforts. I am still quite proud of it.
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The Sun, Moon, and Stars
The Sun, Moon, and Stars is the first glass-topped box I ever painted.
A simple celestial theme wraps the entire box, and the top is adorned with golden enamel stars. The interior is lined in black felt.
At 6.25" x 4.75" x 2.75", these glass-topped boxes are shallow but wide, and they make wonderful display boxes for all sorts of pretty things. I especially love painting on the glass. It's difficult, but the effects are so lovely.
If you'd like to commission one for yourself, or if you've rightly decided they make great gifts, please, visit my commissions page!
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The Unicorn Prince
Another treasure chest, this one a gift commissioned by a dear friend for her mother.
The unicorn is an ancient symbol of the Christ, and the symbolism reflects this. I am not Christian, and was unaware until I had finished putting the elements together just how deeply I'd worked the symbol of the cross into it, on five out of six sides.
The decorative style is Celtic, a combination of knotwork and maze patterns taken from actual manuscripts. The unicorn, of course, is my own, and a proud beast he is.
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Into Flame
I have mentioned that I love firebirds, so when a client asks me to paint one I invariably leap at the chance. The combination of wings and fire is one that I simply adore, and this piece gave me an additional challenge to work in: the addition of a key.
This was a very, very special commission, and one that touched me deeply. The client wanted a box to hold mementos of a lost pregnancy, and the phoenix, her personal symbol, was to be represented not in its moment of triumph, but in the moment of conflagration.
And so the firebird bears the key with it into the flames, even as we carry the keys to our own rebirth and resurrection.
This one touched me on a very deep level, and it was an honor to be trusted to interpret such a meaningful project. It remains one of my proudest achievements, and remains very close to my heart.
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Tribe of the Dragon
I knew I had something special as soon as I whipped off the design for the top of this box
I'd been reading Naomi Novik's Temeraire books, and wanted to paint a dragon.
Inspired by tribal tattoo flash and the coiling form of the oriental dragon, I constructed a multi-tailed dragon caught in a loop-de-loop for the top, and accented it with dancing dragons on every side.
Set against a vibrant green background and highlighted with bright silver-gold paint, this box pops.
I finished it with a matte glaze to preserve the velvety color of the green, then went over the black dragon designs with a glossy finish, making the black figures really "pop" and stand out when viewed obliquely.
It's big, too, a full 8.5" x 5.5" across, and 3.5" high.
It remains in my personal collection and is housing about a third of my perfume collection. At its size, it holds 170 perfume vials. Did I hear you say I'm an addict? I think I did.
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Fallen
I've said I love painting glass-topped boxes, and this is my favorite I've done so far. In fact, I love it so much I haven't been able to part with it!
I wanted to see if I could paint a box in bright colors, not using any black at all. The theme is outwardly a cheerful one. Angels are cheerful, right? Well, perhaps not if you take a closer look. This is a warrior, one of the Fallen, dwelling now in flames.
I have little patience with traditionally soppy subject matter, so when I decided to do an angel, I naturally wanted to paint one of the rebels. And, well, flames are just fun to draw.
Lined with black felt, this one has a glow about it. It's beside me right now, in fact, and every bit as beautiful today as when I first pulled the enameled glass out of my oven and glued it in place.
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Elemental
Some projects exist to devil you.
This client asked me to do an exciting thing: design a box for a shapeshifter. A thing that is neither one thing nor another, yet somehow both.
The style is Celtic, though you may not recognize it as such; it comes from the mainland European La Tene artistic period; these were designs found on shields and scabbards. The flowing lines are reminiscent of curling vines, flowing water, whirling air, and even tongues of flame. Even the figure itself is caught halfway between human and beast. The color could be the green of vegetation or deep water, the blue of fire or storm, and in his hand, the shifter holds the akashic flame, all elements combined into pure spirit.
I was delighted with the design, and applied it carefully, only to discover that I had failed to mark the box properly and had painted the entire panel upside-down.
Thankfully, the client was gracious enough to wait an extra two days while I sanded the design off and repainted it right-side-up!
I included the wings because this piece absolutely would not balance without them, and serendipitously, discovered that though they were not in the original design plan for this box, they matched another piece he had commissioned from another artist.
It's always a little scary when I pull something out of the hat I didn't put there.
Absinthe Fairy
Started as a free project and sold to a friend before it was even finished, this one was me wanting to get away from the heavy reds and golds I had been working in. I lay down the gradient and as soon as I did, I knew what had the theme had to be.
The wicked emerald green of raw absinthe fades to a creamy louche, a poisonous, psychotropic cocktail. Twisted butterfly wings and a fairy shaped just a bit like an absinthe spoon round out this beautiful box.
I'd feel bad about not having it around to look at if I didn't know it's with someone I like!
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Vampire Heart
This was a work of sheer self-indulgence, inspired in equal parts by the Angel series logo, tattoo flash, and badass old cars with flames painted on them.
Its air of eyeliner-smeared Goth romance and the hearts on several of the sides have led me to dub it the "Vampire Heart" box, after a H.I.M. song that is equally cheesy and overwrought, and that I also love.
This box marks a watershed -- I found my style with this one, and haven't looked back since. In the picture of the inside, you can see the underside of the glass painting, which is done on the outside of the glass but is also visible, and pretty, from the inside. This box, as well as every box I make, is meant to be picked up and viewed from all sides.
I love the sides the best next to the top itself, because it's stylized to the point of abstraction, but is still reminiscent of wings and flames. It's also gently asymmetrical, which is unusual for me. Overall, I think the design on this one is pretty sound. Seriously, the pictures do not do it justice. It's just so cool I need a new word for it. Infra-cool.
This one isn't for sale yet; I haven't been able to put a price on it. It's still too close to me, it's the first like it I ever did, and so I may choose to keep it forever.
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Gryphon King
My favorite mythological beastie to draw has got to be the gryphon. I love cats and birds of prey, and it just so happens that both of those are more fun to draw than you could possibly imagine! So I relish each gryphon commission I get. They're challenging, but so lovely!
This is one of those that gave me grief to the bitter end. I wasn't sure until I put the final coat on if he'd look as princely as I had hoped. But you know, I think he turned out all right.
He's photographed here with some of my jewelry and perfume accessories.
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Storm Dragon
There are so very many different ways to paint dragons. I love this guy. He's a wyvern, technically, since he only has two legs, but who's counting?
I think he has a charming, charming face, and his spots are very dear. If he weren't such a fierce-looking chap, I'd be inclined to say that he's downright cute!
It stormed the entire week I painted him, culminating in a ferocious storm the day I finished. There were five separate areas of rotation visible in the clouds over our house at one point . . . baby tornados, for those of you who don't live in Oklahoma.
This little guy earned his name!
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Uriel's Box
This style of box, the treasure chest, is one of the most delightful styles to play with because it offers so many separate areas to decorate.
Uriel is the first in a pair of commissions for a friend. It's always a pleasure to work with people who know exactly what they want!
While the Celtic style is almost second-nature to me, I don't do much spiral work -- but this one is covered with it! It turned out nicely, though! And these are some of my favorite colors to work in, too.
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Rory's Box
A pair, with Uriel above, Rory is a very dignified fellow.
Like Elemental, I painted the top panel for this one upside down at first, only I caught this one before I'd finished it. Thank goodness! He's none the worse for wear, though. See how he glows!
The last thumbnail above shows the inner grid for holding perfume sample vials. He's not only a cute dragon, he smells nice, too.
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Ancestral
This one was painted for my grandparents, many years ago. It's one of the only designs I've ever duplicated; I sold an earlier version of this, and liked it so much I reproduced it for myself, fixing a few things that had never satisfied me.
By the time I was done, I had decided to give it to my grandparents for Christmas, and it sat on their mantel until they both passed on.
Now it's mine, and I cherish it doubly; for having been theirs for a time, and for being a very early piece.
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Scylla
Something about the sea has always frightened me.
Here, dread Scylla flares her monstrous mantle and raises her silver spear. Taken from a Greek design, this ocean blue box features sea dogs on all six sides, and a dolphin on the bottom. The interior is painted in a matching silver. The clear topcoat is slightly glittery, too, giving this piece a luminous, aquatic quality.
The hex-shaped box measures 5.5" side to side across the lid, and is 3.25" high. The inside is 4.75" across and 2.5" deep.
This is one of my earliest pieces, and still one of my favorites.
The necklace pictured here was beaded by Mel Tatum of Otter Works Creations.
