Curiosity in Bloom - 20x16” Original Oil Painting

Curiosity in Bloom - Doodle & Pastel - Forms of Feeling Series , No. 1
Original Oil on Canvas
16x20” canvas 
Framed - $550
Meet Doodle, the chameleon dragon whose colors shift with his feelings and surroundings, and Pastel, his radiant dragonfly companion who enhances every hue she touches. Together, they create a world that blooms with harmony, joy, and wonder.
This painting is part of my Forms of Feeling series, where each character embodies an abstract element. Doodle’s is Emotion. Pastel’s is Harmony.
Created as an exploration of abstract realism, this piece was inspired by techniques learned at a Milan Art Institute workshop with guest artist Eric Robitaille. It began with pure play and experimentation, starting on a heavily textured gesso surface and building an energetic, motion-filled background with paint splatters and alcohol inks. As the inks created unexpected pathways across the canvas, the image emerged from within the marks, revealing Doodle perched among blooming roses, nose-to-nose with Pastel in a moment of quiet magic.
Expressive palette knife work, layered brushstrokes, and bold complementary color give the scene its glow and movement, while hand-applied diamond dust adds a real, physical shimmer that catches the light. Look closely and you’ll see the roses unfurling around Doodle’s perch, echoing the emotional bloom at the heart of this moment.
Oil on canvas, sealed with archival varnish. Ships wired and ready to hang.
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About the Forms of Feeling Series
Forms of Feeling is an ongoing collection of abstract realism paintings that give visual shape to intangible elements — like Emotion, Harmony, Wonder, and more. Rather than representing the classical elements, each piece in this series expresses a feeling through color, character, and brushwork.
This series is rooted in curiosity, intuition, and the joy of discovery. Each painting blends expressive abstraction with representational realism, allowing characters and moments to emerge naturally through the process. These are not just scenes — they are feelings made visible.