Saturday saw the completion of the mini map of SMAC campus. You can read all about the historic campus here in the original blog post on this project. I’m always terrified inside when I have to sit down and start what I consider to be the final part of a project. The initial sketch is … More The Mini Map

This past weekend my family and I made a quick trip to Warsaw. And of course, I brought my watercolors along too. Warsaw, you say? Warsaw, Poland? No, no. I wish! Warsaw, Missouri is just a few hours away from St. Mary’s, KS. My grandad’s last sister, great Aunt Sib lives there with her daughter … More A Trip to Warsaw

A new commission is a great honor, but an even greater honor the commission is from one’s alma Mater. That Alma Mater is St. Mary’s Academy and College in St. Marys, KS. St. Mary’s Academy and College, located along the Oregon Trail in St. Mary’s, KS, is an old Jesuit campus.  In 1848, the campus … More A Map of SMAC Campus

Hello there dear reader, and here are the last entries of the Middle Eastern trip. It’s a little late, but better late than never, right? Things have been a little busy with my grandma’s funeral, my sister’s wedding, and the start of the school year. They all converged this the past month. Excuses…let’s get to … More Petra and the Last Day

Hello, dear reader. This very first commission deserves a post before we finish up Petra and the Middle East travels. Last May I received a commission to paint the treasured scene of a dear family’s backyard. The work was done in Windsor Newton watercolors, on 22×30” Arches 140 lb. paper. There were several stages to … More “The Hill” interrupts!

Day 10 was a whirlwind journey with a taste of Amman, then atop the mountain on which Moses died, and ended in Petra, under the stars. Amman was the ancient city of Philadelphia, and bares signs of influence of Mesopotamian, Persian, Greek, and Roman culture. The city has a building code: all buildings must be … More Amman and Petra

This past Friday my maternal grandma, Laura Ann Jones, passed away. You never really realize how much you have until it is gone. I have a feeling we will constantly be re-discovering just how wonderful of a grandma we had, now that she is no longer with us. She is a Grandma in whom I … More An Interruption for Grandma

Salaam! This is a reflection of the crossing the Red Sea, followed by some traveler’s impressions and photos below. The Reflections: Moses crossed the Red Sea, but in a way very different from the quick flyover we were about to do. Where Moses had spend his entire adult years, we had scurried around for only … More Crossing the Red Sea

King Tut, Mummies, Egyptian city life was on the menu that morning. We woke up in a high class hotel which I didn’t like. Being able to open the window and not feel like you’re an animal in a pet store is very important to me. You can soak up more of where you are … More The Last Day in Cairo

This entry takes you from Luxor, to the Valley of the Kings, and back up to Cairo, with photos and watercolor travel journal pieces. After sailing down the Nile and stopping at Kom Ombo, we drove up to Luxor, settled in at the hotel, and then got ready to see the great Temple of Luxor … More Egypt Travel Journal Pt 2