Hi Friends! I hope you are all doing wonderful! I cannot believe we are almost through the first month of 2026. I hope it has been a great start to your year so far.

What have you been up to? Any new goals for 2026? One of mine is to continue my daily painting practice. In January, I also began filming these painting and sharing them each day on Instagram along with a fellow artist I adore, Lauri Prins. Having that shared accountability has made the process even more motivating and fun.

I wanted to share a few of these sketchbook paintings with you. Each one is painted alla prima, which means all in one sitting. I painted these mostly under 20 minutes which has worked perfectly with my crazy schedule of teaching full time, having an art business and also being a mom and wife! Working alla prima also has also helped me work on the looseness of my brushstrokes and helps keep my work free and filled with movement.

I have been painting these daily paintings in my sketchbook.

“January Orchid”. I love the looseness of the brush strokes in this painting.

I am obsessed with vintage bikes with baskets. They are just so nostalgic to me. I painted a picture of my daughter’s bike with lovely hydrangeas in the background. I actually staged this photo this summer just so I could paint it!

Some beautiful wildflowers from my parents’ cottage garden. They have been inspiring me for years!

An Instagram follower sent me a beautiful photo of a pink tree to paint. It was so fun using lots of pink especially since I had just purchased a new magenta paint tube!

Right now I am enjoying the process of creating art and having fun with these daily paintings. I can’t wait to see where they lead my art practice next! These quick loose studies are often where my big ideas begin until they find their way into my finished coastal paintings.

If you are interested in some of my original coastal art, I do have a couple of pieces available on Dress the Room Charleston and the KP Art Collective. Here are some of my favorite paintings available:

These matted blue and white sailboat and hydrangeas paintings are available on Dress the Room Charleston. I love how they remind me of summers on the island.

Available on KP Art Collective! Who doesn’t love beautiful blue Endless Summer Hydrangeas?! I sure do!

“Sailing Along the Grove” is available on Dress the Room. The colors just make me think of summers on the water!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have lovely rest of your January and I will be back in February! Stay cozy and warm!

Michelle