Lauren and Josh’s Hopes and Dreams
18 X 24 inches, oil on vellum paper, 2025
This painting was commissioned by a delightful couple getting married in Saugatuck and was a surprise gift from Josh as Lauren’s wedding present. They had previously purchased another painting of mine at the Saugatuck–Douglas Art Club Fair and working with them was a genuine pleasure. The piece was inspired by their youthful excitement, tenderness, and optimism about the life they are beginning together.

Lauren and Josh’s Hopes and Dreams portrays the couple walking together on Oval Beach as evening light settles across water and sky. The setting sun glows softly through layered clouds, casting warm yellows, pinks, and pale violets that dissolve into the cool blues of the lake. A small sailboat drifts in the distance, quietly echoing their shared movement forward. The figures were painted in part based on reflections shared by Lauren’s parents and are meant to capture the couple’s gentle affection and the sense of possibility that surrounds their future together.