New Season, flowers, fingers and toes imprint painting

 "New Season"

© Fawn McNeill 2026

With great anticipation, I covered the floor with a large tablecloth to try another attempt at some silly toe-print paintings. I used a large glass palette this time, and larger amounts of paint. Lots of paper towels were ready as well as some old bath towels for the footbath to follow.  A tub of hot soapy water is a wonderful way to finish up! 

I laid the matboards on the table, all cut to small sizes, as I was not confident enough to start any large pieces.  The matboards come in different colors, and I love using tham for the background. Because I do custom framing, I have lots of choices that have been cut from larger mats.

What a delightful mess. The little girl in me could not have been happier as my toes squished around in globs of paint!

Some of the first practice runs went in the trash. But as I figured out how to better control my dancing toes, I started saving more than I tossed. This is number seven (that I kept) in this imprinting series.

Once it dried, I used globs of paint on my fingers for the small centers and some smaller leaves. then I used a small detail brush for stems, dots, and a butterfly. I tried to match it and make a set, but that didn't work so well.  

Lift your spirit with a reminder of good things to come. Our seasons of sorrow and suffering will bring stronger faith and a longing for the incredible life that awaits us when seek God and His ways.

I imagine the streets are lined with gorgeous flowers!  And you will brighten up any small space (or place it in a grouping). This is also a great gift idea!

~ Original, one-of-a-kind, handcrafted painting

~ Fingers and Toes, Unique Imprint Painting

~ Acrylic on Matboard

~ 6.5 x 9.5 inches 

~ Please email me for availability: fawn@fawnsartstudio.com

Storm Billows Roll,

"Storm Billows Roll"  

© Fawn McNeill 2025

Sunlight breaks through the storm and gives hope for better things. Imagining our glorious forever home with Jesus is the light for me.

(This post is from September last year. I am moving it from the blog on my website to this blog.)

Years ago, one of my instructors at FAU told me, "It's not about painting how you feel, but what you want others to feel. What do you want to emote? Can you make others feel it whether you feel it or not?"

For years I have been celebrating bright colors and joy in my paintings. Before that I did many serious and moody paintings with rainy backdrops to symbolize tears. Then I decided I wanted to bring joy to this dark world and break away from realism and restrictions. So, I did a series of bright palette knife paintings with angels for thoughts of a better place. From there I experimented with fun mixed media pieces.

Creating art was always my way to cope. Worshiping My Creator and reliving beautiful memories gave me peace of mind and calmed my soul. 

After my son, Kyle passed, I have struggled at most things, especially painting. I still play my worship music, still focus on the positive things and good memories, and try to work through the tears that overwhelm me.

But I am not happy with the paintings and get frustrated easily and sometimes have a temper tantrum if I don't back away from the easel.  Needless to say, some ended up painted over with gray or were thrown in the trash. (Not proud of that, but it felt good at the time. Like a spoiled brat I guess.)

Well, my answer to my instructor at FAU is "no." For now, I can't. I have decided to get my feeling out if it helps me heal. Let the tears flow, be honest and accept this difficult season of my life as I learn how to live again.

~ Original acrylic on stretched canvas

~ 8 x 10 inches

~ Elegant Silver frame (the frame is more silver than the image below shows)

~ $450.00

~ email me for availability: fawn@fawnsartstudio.com

Longing for Home, Blue flowers, fingers and toes imprint painting

 "Longing for Home"

Started with a modest amount of toe prints, then I overlapped too many flowers. I added green for leaves, but most of the bottom became crowded in a hurry! Cracks me up! 

I was careful to slow down and not put so much near the top. I love the hanging bluebells and the hidden butterfly.  Used a small brush for details after adding some fingerprints full of thick globs of color.  

As I've stated before, blue flowers are symbolic for yearning for heaven, so I thought the title should reflect that.

Lift your spirit with a reminder of our glorious forever home with Jesus. I can imagine the streets are lined with gorgeous flowers!  And you will brighten up any small space (or place it in a grouping). This is also a great gift idea!

~ Original, one-of-a-kind, handcrafted painting

~ Fingers and Toes, Unique Imprint Painting

~ Acrylic on Matboard

~ 7 x 10 inches, matted and framed to11 x 14 inches 

~ Classic custom frame (see below)

~ $450.00, 

~ Please email me for availability: fawn@fawnsartstudio.com

Click here to see more

Floods My Soul, path, fingerprint flowers, rain

 "Floods My Soul"  

© Fawn McNeill 2026

(The title is from lyrics of the hymn "He Touched Me," by Bill Gaither)

     The shiny gold textures in this specialty mat interested me. I thought a golden path would make a nice setting for some fingerprint flowers.  Impulsively, I scattered green weeds along each side of the path, which already seemed present even before I started. 

    

      No toe prints this time.  I wanted more control of the paint and smaller flowers.  Globs of paint on wiggly toes is way too fun, but also much messier and more random.  I didn't want to lose the golden highlights in the path.  

     "Too many blue flowers. Need to brighten it." So, I added a bit of yellow.  That cheered me up.  Finding joy in the midst of all the sorrow is a huge victory, which is what this imprinting series is all about!

     The rain started as a way to soften the background and add mystery to what is beyond the path. Then it flowed down the path without a second thought. (Rain is symbolic for tears.)

 

The song, "He Touched Me", which says, "The hand of Jesus touched me . . . and oh the joy that floods my soul . . ." is a perfect description of how I felt.

    If you've seen any of my imprint paintings in this series, you know I've added blue flowers to several of them.  (Blue flowers are symbolic for 'a yearning for heaven'. Yellow is symbolic for joy.)

~ Original Art

~ Fingerprint, Imprint Painting

~ Acrylic on Matboard

~ 6 x 9 inches, matted to 9x12 inches (see below)

~ Ready to frame

~ $270.00 (includes shipping)

~ email me for availability: fawn@fawnsartstudio.com

Click here to see more

Morning Greetings, pink flowers , fingers and toes imprint painting

"Morning Greetings" pink roses

© Fawn McNeill 2026

"The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come. . ."

Song of Solomon 2:12

With the end of our winter themes and the beginning of spring we did a few projects that were not focused on realism. We created fingerprint paintings, as well as imprinting with sponges and basting brushes! Wonderful messes and beautiful paintings are in the making. These children's classes inspired me to take things a step farther. Their laughter and silliness touched my grieving soul. 

Honestly, I was not brave enough to have my students put their little toes in the paint, but I wanted to try it for myself.  I wanted to experience that childlike joy. 

This was one of the first practice pieces that survived. Small sizes are less intimidating and tossing a muddy looking mess is not so discouraging. (Besides, I had to get my toes wet before jumping in!) Squishing toes in the paint is easy but adding globs of white on top of bold colors (wet in wet), with hard to control wiggly toes made a glorious mess. Laughter ensued. Challenging yes, but also fun, and more satisfying than I imagined! 

I went back and added fingerprints for the dark centers and also for extra leaves (wet over dry). Then I used a small brush for details.

The subsequent session on slightly larger pieces included a plastic tablecloth on the floor, a larger palette, old towels, and a foot washing tub with hot soapy water!  I have a few more to finish up, but I haven't been this motivated to create anything in so long. 

It feels good to find something that helps with the extreme anguish. Since my son, Kyle, passed, I have struggled with just about everything. 

~ Original Art

~ Fingers and Toes Imprint Painting

~ Acrylic on Matboard

~ 5 x 7 inches, matted to 8x10 for easy framing (see below)

~ $250.00 (includes shipping)

~ email me for availability: fawn@fawnsartstudio.com

Click here to see more

 

Transcendent, blue flowers, fingers and toes imprint painting

 

"Transcendent"

© Fawn McNeill 2026

". . . You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. . ."

Isaiah 58:11

Covered too much of the colored background when I got carried away with the globs of paint on the end of my happy toes dancing all over the place! Cracked me up!

Started with blues and purples and added white by tapping over the wet paint. Then I added more blues and some greens (using my toes).  After it dried, I used my fingertips for the centers and extra leaves.

Some of it seemed to overlap and mix well, and some did not, but I liked the odd effect. It has an other-worldly kind of feeling to it and reminds me of dreams of a better place. (Blue flowers are symbolic in literature for a longing for heaven.)

Clay molds, from paper clay, make up the sculptured elements on the frame.  Paper clay is an air-dry clay which has paper fibers in it, which makes it stronger. This is the second frame I have crafted.  The image below is in warm light, the mat is more of an off white than cream.

This painting is on display at the Okeechobee Main Street Gallery.

~ Original Art

~ # 3 in the Fingers and Toes Imprint Painting Series

~ Acrylic on Matboard

~ Image: 7 x 10 inches (Matted to 11 x 14 inches)

~ Hand Crafted, Antiqued Silver Frame (see below)

~ Email me for availability 

(Fawn@fawnsartstudio.com)

Click here to see more

Homesick, knife and imprints painting, flowers, and path

"Homesick" 

© Fawn McNeill 2026

Did some imprinting lessons with my kids' art class.  Pure joy!  We used sponges, crumpled towels, palette knives, and fingers.  I love helping them discover new methods. I love their excitement and delight in the wonderful messes we make!

This is #5 in a new series I started after we did a few weeks of playing in the paint. (I'm still working on the first few, trying to get good images and give them titles. They won't get posted in order.)

I needed some healing in the grief and anguish of this past year.  (Read more.)

Blue flowers are symbolic for longing for heaven. I did not know that until recently.  It was cool to look back and see that these blue flowers have been showing up in my work a lot lately.

This painting actually started with globs of paint on a large palette on a tablecloth on the floor!  White blobs printed over dark blues and purples were imprinted with my toes! Some green toe prints were added next.  After the painting dried, I used a palette knife to add the path, and some of the grasses.  Loaded more globs of paint on my fingers to add detailed flowers and leaves. A fan brush was used to dab on some weeds. then I used my fingers for the fog once everything was completely dry.

Silly, fun, and messy, but satisfying as each piece is so unique and random! 

~ Original Art

~ Knife and Imprints Painting

~ Acrylic on Hardboard

~ Professional Materials

~ 9 x 12 inches

~ Antique gold, custom frame (see below)

~ SOLD

Click here to see more

 

Under Water, lily pads, mixed media

 

"Underwater" (Lily Pads)

© Fawn McNeill 2019

Not sure why I never updated this reworked painting. After closing my gallery from COVID, so many things ended up in storage.  I got this one out this week to show at Okeechobee Main Street.

This was originally a color scheme study in analogous greens, created years ago, from some photos I took at McKee's Botanical Gardens (in Vero Beach, FL.) I often took tons of pictures as I worked "en plein air" at paint-outs.  

I was amazed at how many different hues are in lily pads! 

I have gone back and removed the little snake that was resting on the lily pads (too many people objected!) Wish I had left him there, but I had fun adding more water and some beads to capture the transparency and glimmer. 

~ Original Gallery Wrap canvas

~ 6 x 12 inches

~ Painting continues on the sides (framing is optional)

~ $550.00

Click here to see more

Passing Storm, seascape, knife painting

"Passing Storm"

© Fawn McNeill, Dec. 2025

This painting is over a year in the making. I created it totally from memory.  (Usually, I work from my photos and/or sketches, but this time I worked without any references.)  

I experimented with contrasting the very smooth background with thick knife applications. 

I got carried away with the flowers and enjoyed splashing colors at odd angles.  My lighting and wind direction are not consistent, which was an attempt to create the feeling of shifting wind and light.

I'm proud of this one.  It turned out better than I anticipated, as most of my work this year remains unfinished or was destroyed.  Felt good to sign it!

(Click here to read more about this extremely sad year.)

~ Original Knife Painting

~ Acrylic on Hardboard

~ Professional Materials

~ 9 x 12 inches

~ Ready to frame

~ $450.00 (includes shipping)

Click here to see more art

 

Christmas Church, mixed media

"Christmas Church"

© Fawn McNeill 2025

 

I just love this little country church on a snow-covered hill. Metallic paints dress up the ornaments and glitter paint makes the snow sparkle.  Red beads add another dimension to the berries on the bushes.  My young students still teach me to have fun with our Christmas projects!

I'm currently teaching a small private group at my home studio.  It is so healing for my broken heart.  

Read more at: Random Thoughts

~ Original acrylic on stretched canvas

~ 11x14 inches

~ Ready to Frame

~ $550.00 includes shipping

Click here to see more art

Rainy Day Angels, stormy sea, oil painting

 

"Rainy Day Angels"

© Fawn McNeill September 2025

This site is working again, so I am going to post here and try to keep up with my website blog.  I like this format much better.

It has been a hard year, with the passing of my Son, Kyle, on March 21st, 2025.  Words cannot express the anguish and sorrow I still struggle with.

I am trying to get back to painting, so hopefully these pages will come back to life. For now, please bear with me as I post a few older works to get started.

The rain slows, and light shines through. A broken gray heart fades in the clouds. Ministering angels tend to it.  Symbolic in deep levels.  Waves of emotions take me under. Rain for tears, sunlight for hope to see Kyle again one day, and angels to remind me Father God loves me and I'm not alone. 

Read more at: Fawn's Art () - Fawn McNeill Art and/or Random Thoughts

~Original Oil on hardboard
~11 x 14 inches
~Not for Sale

Click here to see more art

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