Watercolor Wednesday: Morning Bugle Hello! I can’t wait to share my newest painting, Morning Bugle, with you on this Watercolor Wednesday, but I owe you a quick explanation about where I’ve been: Where Have I Been? It’s been a minute since I’ve shared anything here on Unbound Roots, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat down in the past couple years with the best of intentions to connect, but I wasn’t ready. The past four years have been A LOT! The COVID-19 pandemic, dealing with long COVID symptoms, a terminal diagnosis for my father, the death of my uncle, selling of our house, building a new home, the death of my dear father, a breast cancer diagnosis for my mother just two months after my father’s death, my mother moving in with us after falling very ill from her immunotherapy, the death of my grandfather (my mother’s father) when my mother was at her sickest, my mother moving back home after seven months (I still miss her daily presence in our home), and healing as we get back to our new normal. Life trials can be tough, and it’s amazing how they can zap any of the creative juices. Writing, painting, woodworking. Nothing felt right in the past four years. Instead, I was focusing on one-day-at-a-time and one-foot-in-front-of-the-other. Sleep (not easy), exercise, helping my children with their homeschool work, visiting with my dad before he passed, being there for my mother, seeing loved ones, preparing healthy meals, keeping a clean house, and working on the final touches on our new home were the only activities my brain had room for. All I can say is THANK GOD for the support of my husband and children, exercise, and daily devotions. These three things kept me somewhat sane over the past few years. It wasn’t until this past September when something began to change within me. On the Road to Recovery Two months after my mother moved back home, my little family of four took off on a long road trip through Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado in early September, 2025. I could go on forever about our trip, but I’ll keep it short. Mountain hiking, hot spring swimming, horseback riding, fly-fishing, rock-hunting, and wildlife viewing renewed something in me. I was able to focus on the present while we experienced new and wonderful things. I remember being home for a couple of weeks after our road trip and saying to my husband, Jake, “I feel happy and content. It’s been so long since I’ve felt this way.” Grief is a fickle thing. No one can tell you exactly how you’ll feel, when you’ll fall, when you’ll start to pick yourself up again, or what your new normal will look like. There is a general grief process (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance), but nobody can prepare oneself for how this process will feel. I know my grief started the moment my father gave me his heartbreaking diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis in early 2020. It was the same awful disease that had invaded his father and both of his brothers. We all knew what his outcome would be. The trials that came after that diagnosis in the next four years just compounded what I was already trying to process. It was ROUGH! In September, the fog of these trials began to lift. Painting, writing, and woodworking – I was starting to feel the pull again, and it felt SO GOOD! I was finally in a place where I could let joy back into my life. So, here we are! I’m ready to share my words and paintings with you all again. Morning Bugle “Morning Bugle” is the first painting I’ve wanted to complete in years. Yes, I’ve finished a few other paintings for myself and others, but this was the first painting I was looking forward to – the first painting I’ve felt inspired to paint in years. This painting was born from an experience in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Rocky Mountain National Park Thirty-seven degrees at 4:30 a.m. in Rocky Mountain National Park, my friend Jen had us up early trying to glimpse the ever-elusive moose. Jen is known as a moose whisperer, and the impressively large mammals seem to flock to her. I have never been lucky enough to see a moose in the wild, but I hoped to change that. We pulled into a parking lot next to a large mountain meadow. I knew we must be in a good observation area as wildlife photographers lined the parking lot with their huge, fancy lenses on tripods waiting for the first light of dawn to break. Promptly, we heard an eerie, high-pitched trumpet sound followed by a series of grunts. Sending chills down my spine, the bull elk’s morning bugle was emblematic of the wild, untouched landscape we were immersed in. When dawn began to break, dark silhouettes of the elk herd began to emerge. Their presence was special to our whole family, but I’ll never forget the beauty of hearing that morning bugle. The bugle that inspired my first enjoyable painting in years. The bugle that signified that healing had arrived. I introduce you to Morning Bugle – a painting that portrays my vision of what the bull elk must have looked like as he bugled in the wooded mountains of Rocky Mountain National Park on an early, chilly morning in September. Experiences Shortly after the morning bugle brought the sun up, two bull moose put on a show that had us all breathless. Powerful sparring between a younger, smaller bull moose, and a larger, older bull moose kept us captivated. Jen, our moose whisperer, was as enthralled as we were. After the sparring, the two moose sauntered up near where we were parked giving us all an up-close experience with the amazing animals. As Christmas and the new year knock on our door, I wish you and your loved ones a year full of grand
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“Frosty”: A Commemorative Watercolor
“Frosty” is a commemorative watercolor painting – my first watercolor of 2022. It commemorates a common loon that my family and I rescued in December, 2021. The story of the rescue can be read here.
For Life: A Watercolor Painting Portraying Love, Life, and Dancing
“For Life”, an original watercolor by Erin Burton, depicts two sandhill cranes dancing. The story within is one of love, life, and dancing.
A Season of Commissioned Paintings
After returning from my family’s trip to the Southwest, I began a season of commissioned paintings. From the end of October to the end of December I painted – not for myself, but for others. Families were planning their gift-giving for upcoming birthday and Christmas celebrations, and I was honored to be chosen to paint four commissioned paintings that were to be given as gifts. Commissioned painting is a term that I actually don’t love because it sounds impersonal. In reality, these paintings are some of the most personal paintings I create. They are moments or stories that others feel so strongly about that they want them captured and displayed for others to see. The stories behind these paintings are what inspire me to paint. My season of commissioned paintings began with a subject that I’ve never painted before – an angel. The Guardian The Guardian depicts a male guardian angel standing in a never-ending field of daisies grasping a small bouquet of five fresh daisies. This painting was given to a mother by her three adult children and their families. The children wanted to surprise their mother with this painting of a guardian angel. Guardian angels have been important to their mother since she lost her husband too early in life. The husband had loved gardening, and daisies just happen to be the flowers that adorned the couple’s wedding. The wife also carried a beautiful bouquet of daisies down the aisle. So, I decided that the guardian angel should be carrying a small bouquet of five daisies. Each flower representing one member of the family. I like to think of the field of daisies as all of the grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc. that will result from this couple’s love. *Note – most of you know that I usually paint animals of some type, so I added in a tiny ladybug on one of the daisies in the foreground for fun. The Spirit of Love The Spirit of Love was the blending of two sweet stories. This is what I remember of the stories I was told: An elderly couple lived for many years in a home where they were often visited by their children, grandchildren, and a furry little chipmunk. This chipmunk came to visit each summer, ate from the hands of the family, and didn’t mind being pet in the least. This chipmunk brought happiness to all. Last spring, the elderly husband passed away. His wife was not able to care for the property on her own, so she moved into a senior living facility. Leaving the chipmunk was difficult on the entire family. After the woman moved to her new home, she enjoyed walking on the nearby nature trails. She noticed that on almost every walk she took a monarch butterfly followed her. The woman was comforted by the thought that the butterfly was her husband’s spirit coming to visit her on her daily walks. In this painting, it’s almost as if the chipmunk recognizes the spirit of the man in the butterfly. I thought the title The Spirit of Love encompassed all aspects of the painting, and the stories that were behind it. Doug Doug is a portrait of a fluffy white and orange cat. This painting was a gift from two parents to their son. Doug just happens to be a therapy cat and is very special to the entire family. I had so much fun painting Doug’s fluffy fur and clear chartreuse eyes. I was told that he often gets hair cuts because his fur can get a little out of control, but I sure thought his fur was beautiful in the photo that I used as a reference. Painting white animals is something that I’ve started to enjoy as there are so many colors in both the shadows and highlights. Chloe Chloe is a portrait of what I believe to be a beautiful Australian shepherd. This portrait was gifted by a mother to her adult daughter after the daughter had lost her dog. I was told by family members that Chloe was like a child to the daughter. Losing a pet is like losing a family member – it’s never easy. I hope this painting of Chloe laying in the green grass in front of some late-summer black-eyed Susan flowers will ease some of the pain of losing her whenever the owner sees it. A little bit about the painting of Chloe: Chloe’s fur was soft and graceful looking and I wanted this to stand out in the painting. So, I tried a new layering technique for the grass and background flowers that I had learned in a recent workshop. This technique involved laying down a light wash of color, using masking fluid over the paint after it dried to keep those areas that color, and then laying down a darker shade of color followed by more masking fluid. I kept repeating this until I achieved the correct colors in the grass and flower area. Once everything was dry, I removed the masking fluid, which revealed all the layers of color. I was very happy with the texture of the grass and flowers, and how it counterbalanced the softness of the fur. After a Season of Commissioned Paintings All of the recipients of the commissioned paintings have been gifted their paintings, so I am free to share the images with you. I hope you have enjoyed seeing some of the paintings I have completed as of late, and were able to connect to the stories that accompanied them in some way. Even though we all have our own experiences, stories, and feelings, I think we all find family, love, relationships, and happiness (and all the other feelings) to be important aspects of our life. I also think this is why we can enjoy a piece of art that doesn’t necessarily belong to us. I know that creating paintings for others has brought great joy into my life, and I feel so lucky to
Watercolor Wednesday: Fall Paintings
Stop in and view some of the fall-inspired paintings I’ve completed in the past couple of months. You’ll see a shy little hare, a hungry chipmunk, and more!
“Aurora” – King of the Boreal Forest
Well, I did it – I added a little contemporary (and A LOT of color) to my realism painting. I have to admit, I had a hard time starting “Aurora” – King of the Boreal Forest, but the process turned out to be a lot of fun. I’ve been wanting to paint a Moose for quite awhile now, as I have always been fascinated by these elusive giants. The Moose Moose hold a mysterious beauty in my mind. Beauty because these often sedentary animals have beautiful, thick coats that protect them from the extreme cold, and the males grow impressive palmated antlers that can span six-feet in size. Did you know that the male moose grows a new set of antlers each year? Mysterious because my family and I take multiple trips each year to the boreal forest here in Minnesota, and we have yet to spot a moose. Moose have poor eye sight, but a keen sense of smell and hearing, which can send them running at more than 35mph before humans (or predators) have a chance to spot them. Pretty good for an animals that can weigh up to 1,500 lbs. – moose are the largest and heaviest species in the deer family I think I need to find a moose guide. The Painting Back to the painting. Adding bright colors to the bull moose was a lot of fun. Initially deciding on which colors to use was difficult, but after I put the first brush strokes down the colors just came naturally. I started with two of my favorite colors to paint with – quinacridone rose (a bright, but deep pink), and ultramarine blue (a deep blue) – and the colors just started to flow. As my painting neared completion, the bull moose started to look imposing with his dramatic color and piercing yellow eyes. The first title that came to mind was “King of the Northwoods”, but I saw another painting of a moose online with the exact title. Instead, I consulted with my mom – my go-to for, well, anything – thanks, Mom! She came up with the the name “King of the Boreal Forest” – and right then I knew that it was perfect. Boreal forests not only house many of the moose in our world, they are also a place where the aurora borealis can be observed – the colorful, dramatic, and entrancing display of lights that appear as a result of collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter Earth’s atmosphere. The bull’s name had to be “Aurora”, as his colors match the night sky in the boreal forest. I present to you “Aurora” – King of the Boreal Forest
Grandpa: A Surprise Watercolor Painting
Last November we lost a special man in our lives. My husband’s grandfather, Norm, passed away just shy of his 91st birthday. It was a hard time as Norm has been a staple in our lives since I met my husband (23 year ago). But, for my husband, he has had a special relationship with his grandfather for as long as he could remember. Before I tell you about my new painting, “Grandpa”, let me give you a little background on Norm: Tickled Pink Tickled pink – the first time I heard this phrase was when Norm was voicing his pleasure after learning about my engagement to his grandson. At first, I thought the phrase funny, but it evoked feelings of happiness, warmth, and acceptance. I can still see the light in Norm’s eyes, the rose in his cheeks, and his wide-mouthed grin when he exclaimed “I’m just tickled pink that you will be my grandson’s wife.” In the years to come, I heard this phrase repeated often – after my husband and I were married, when Norm learned I was pregnant for the first time, and when my son was born and would be carrying on the family name. Goodness, was Norm excited about this. But, it wasn’t just with our family happenings that I heard this phrase, whenever Norm learned of any other positive happenings; not just with his family but with friends too, he’d let the phrase fly. Norm cared. My husband and I met when we were just 15-years old through our love for the game of soccer – hence, I met Norm. I had never met another grandparent who was so involved with their grandchild’s sport. Norm was at each and every game, cheering loudly from the sideline. I soon learned that his support for his grandson reached much further than sports; it was woven throughout his life. Norm visited with the family every weekend, celebrated every holiday with the family, and attended every special occasion. He was a grandparent who lived for being with his family. Within a few years of meeting my husband, Norm started giving me birthday cards, Christmas cards, and notes that were addressed to his “granddaughter”. He extended the love and support he had for his family to me. He treated me like his own granddaughter. As the years passed, my husband and I continued to spend a lot of time with Norm. In college, I cleaned his townhome for him every week, which led to deep conversations out on his porch after I was done cleaning. We spent hours talking on the porch swing while sipping on soda. After my husband and I married, we had Norm over for dinner often, and he even joined us for weekends up North. Once our children were born, Norm turned into the best great-grandpa. He never missed a birthday party, baptism, or any other special event we had for our children. He also attended many of their soccer games – sitting on the sideline, cheering on the kids, just has he had done for my husband for years. Norm had definitely been our family’s #1 fan. For the past year, Norm had numerous health issues, and I was fortunate to witness something special – my husband stepped up and supported his grandfather in many different ways, just as his grandfather had done for him for so many years. The love had come full-circle. The Painting Just after Thanksgiving, Norm passed away. My husband and his family went back and forth, cleaning out Norm’s place. My in-laws stopped over one day to bring us a bag with a few of Norm’s belongings. In that bag was a photo I had taken 12 years ago. The photo was of my husband and Norm fishing on the old pontoon at my family’s cabin – I knew I had to paint this scene for my husband. Norm had kept this photo framed in his house. For weeks I hid the painting of the photo from my husband. I’d work on it while he was at work, while he was at his indoor soccer games, and while he went out ice fishing (he later revealed that he wondered why I was suggesting he go ice fishing so often). After my husband’s soccer game last week (yes, he still plays year-round), I revealed the painting “Grandpa” to him. He’s not the emotional type, so there was no crying, or “oohing” or “aahing”. Instead he stared at the painting, and continued to stare at it throughout the evening. He thanked me multiple times, and said it was “great”. He was thankful. “Grandpa” will be hung in the office among the fishing decor and soccer trophies – just as grandpa Norm would have wanted. In fact, I’m certain he would be tickled pink.
Snowy Egret: Watercolor
Introducing my first painting of the new year – “Snowy Egret”. I’ve been wanting to paint a snowy egret for a few months now, as I view them as one of the most regal-looking birds. My son actually spotted one of these birds in a nearby neighborhood fishing for a delicious pond snack. He noticed that this egret had a black bill and yellow feet – opposite of our common great egret. Snowy egrets are rare here in Minnesota, so spotting this beauty was a treat! I went into this painting intending to change up my painting style a little by attempting a looser watercolor style. I’ve always been drawn to detail, but I’ve recently been inspired by some local watercolorists to try loose watercolor (see demonstration below), and I thought the snowy egret would be a good subject to test this style out. Here is one demonstration by fellow Minnesotan, Andy Evansen: I love the freedom of the brush and paint when I watch artists perform loose watercolor painting. I was sure I could let loose and finish one of these paintings. I was wrong. Halfway through my painting of the snowy egret, I stopped. I wasn’t happy with the colors, wasn’t happy with the tones, and wasn’t quite sure how I could make the painting work. So, the painting sat on my painting table day-after-day, for about a week. I’d walk into the room, stare at the painting from a distance, study the tones and colors, and try to work out exactly how I’d save the painting. Then, I’d walk back out. Finally, I decided that I would trying painting the eyes and the beak, and then see how I felt about the painting. After all, the eyes tend to make a portrait painting. Well, it worked. But, my loose watercolor painting went out the window. After I saw the realistic eye, and finely faded beak, I regressed into my realism comfort mode once again. Within 24 hours, I had finished “Snowy Egret”. I stepped back once again, stared at the painting from across the room, and was finally happy with the colors, details, and tones. In fact, “Snowy Egret” has turned into one of my favorite bird paintings. I’ll have to give loose watercolor painting another go in the near future. Prints of “Snowy Egret” are now available in the Unbound Roots Shop! For information on original paintings, please contact me here.
Greeting Card Giveaway
Yes, you read it correctly! I’m hosting a greeting card giveaway right here on Unbound Roots. Last winter, my friend Angela, from You Are Awesome, suggested that I give away a pack of watercolor greeting cards. Angela has many great ideas (you need to check them out on her blog link above), so I thought I better follow her suggestion. Aside from Angela’s awesome suggestion, the timing is right. Let me explain: Unbound Roots is getting a make-over in the next month. I am still going to be writing stories about topics that inspire me – hiking, animals, thoughts that grab my attention, gardening, the family farm, and painting (to name a few) – but my blog will be just one portion of the website. I will also be adding a gallery to showcase my watercolor paintings, and an online shop where people can purchase watercolor originals, limited prints of paintings, and packs of greeting cards. Shoppers will also have the option to request original paintings – personal paintings that can be treasured for centuries. As many of you know, I have been doing a lot of painting throughout the past month. My kids and I came up with a list of animals that are common here in the Upper Midwest, and then I painted them into snow scenes. Five paintings have been completed, and will now be printed onto greeting cards. Silent Night Winter Treasure First Snow Christmas Spirit Late for my Winter Slumber I had so much fun painting these wild cuties! Okay, okay, I’m sure you’re waiting for the details, so… Here are the greeting card giveaway details: On Friday, December 21st, I will be randomly drawing the names of two recipients. Each recipient will receive one pack of five greeting cards – one card of each of the paintings above. How Do I Enter the Free Giveaway? It’s simple! All you have to do is enter a comment below. Any winter-related comment will do. You can tell me about your favorite winter activity, favorite tradition, favorite winter recipes, or you can suggest a painting you’d like to see me complete – it’s up to you! I will write down the names of all the people who comment, and randomly draw the names on December 21st. The winners will be announced right here on Unbound Roots, so be sure to check back! If a recipient fails to respond within 48 hours, a new recipient will be chosen. I am excited to send off my very first greeting cards! Good luck to everyone, and enjoy the holiday season! Warmly, Erin
Wild Spirits: Watercolor Wednesday
Since the day my daughter was able to walk, she ran. When she was able to run, she flew. In her day-to-day world she is a hawk, mountain lion, tiger, jaguar, snow leopard, or a bull. Her imagination soars, and whichever animal suits her mood on that particular day, wins. But, on most days, she is a horse. Going by names of Apple, Pepper, or Candy, she gallops down the side of the dirt road as fast as she can while giving out a few whinnies, neighs, or snorts while kicking up dust in her wake. I wonder if my daughter ever catches me looking at her with extreme love or admiration – I hope so. She is full of wonder – she is a wild spirit. My family is fortunate to live just four doors up from a horse boarding stable, so when we moved to our current house in 2012, we started visiting the horses on our daily walks. We bring baby carrots or apples from our apple trees to feed the horses. If we don’t have any snacks at home, the kids love to pick the long grass just outside of the horses reach by the weathered wooden fence. When we leave to continue on our walks, my daughter always chooses a horse to hug – her love for them evident. For my daughter’s 8th birthday I told her I’d paint her a picture of anything she wanted. Without hesitation, she picked a photo I had taken of her and one of her favorite horses. A horse that she had affectionately named Taffy. Taffy is a beautiful buckskin mare with a sweet disposition. I had taken the photo with my phone on one of our walks about a month before her birthday, and without her knowledge. I loved that my daughter had Taffy in her arms as she closed her eyes to enjoy the moment. I loved that Taffy stood still for as long as my daughter wanted to hold her. I loved that their hair was blowing in the warm summer breeze. I loved that my daughter’s brows were furrowed with strong feeling. I loved that Taffy’s ears were alert and happy, while her eyes were content and warm. I loved that they seemed connected for the moment – wild spirits. How on Earth could I paint this special photo? Could I do it justice? I needed to try. It took me a few weeks after her birthday party to start the actual painting – I was nervous. I had never painted a person, and horses are not easy to draw or paint. I wanted the painting to convey the feelings that I knew were behind this moment. In preparation for the painting, I read books on painting portraits and figures, I watched YouTube videos of artists painting skin, hair, and horses, and I studied my photo. My first step was to sketch out the photo on my watercolor paper. A simple background was the first paint to be laid on the paper. I didn’t use any detail in the background because I wanted the viewer’s eye to be drawn to the detailed figures only. From there, I painted the face because I figured that if the face didn’t turn out right, I could easily start over without wasting too much time or paint. Satisfied with the face, I continued on to the hair and the horse. My daughter had snapped the picture above while I painted the horse. I must have been zoned in on my painting as I found a surprise on my phone a few days later. My favorite part of painting animals is painting their eyes. I feel that if a good eye can be painted – the rest of the animal will fall into place. After a few days of painting, I was happy with the look of the sunshine on my daughter’s hair, the shine on Taffy’s coat, the way the highlights and shadows made the facial curves just right, the soft look of the muzzle, the sparkle in Taffy’s eye, the windswept hair, the course-looking texture of the mane, and the wrinkles in my daughter’s shirt. My daughter’s 8th birthday painting was finished – it’s one of my favorites. Wild Spirits is the name that came to mind when I looked at this painting. My daughter wholeheartedly approved. My daughter said that she loved the horse’s eye, how their hair was flowing in the wind, and all the details of the painting. I love that my daughter’s feelings of love, passion, connection, and yearning are evident. Happy 8th birthday, my dear daughter! May your wild spirit live on forever.