Hello my artist family!

It’s Jen here, and I am so excited to introduce you to a wonderful member of our community, Roxanne Lewis, all the way from Fall City, Washington. Her story is one of those that instantly makes you smile and reminds you that art has a way of showing up right when we need it most.

Roxanne has loved drawing for as long as she can remember, but her palette knife painting journey didn’t begin until 2019. She retired to care for her granddaughter after her parents returned to work, and she wanted something to keep her mind active. Then she happened to see a video of me painting and thought, “That looks fun.” She jumped in, joined the journey, and hasn’t looked back since. I just love that. It’s living proof that creativity doesn’t run on a schedule — it shows up when the time is right.

When it comes to inspiration, Roxanne doesn’t have to look far. Living in the Pacific Northwest means every season brings an entirely new color palette, and those ever-changing colors fuel her creativity. Honestly, that makes perfect sense when you see her work.

Here are a couple of the pieces Roxanne shared with us:

The grape painting was created during a timed event — no time to think, just paint. And you can feel that freedom immediately. It’s vibrant, playful, and full of life. Roxanne said it was a blast to paint, and that joy comes through in every bold stroke.

The second piece was painted at a retreat and took a much more thoughtful approach. While she was working on it, she said it felt awkward and completely wrong. But when she stepped back at the end, she had one of those magical “wow” moments and realized it was one of her best pieces. I love that moment so much — the reminder that the messy middle doesn’t get the final say.

One of the things Roxanne enjoys most about palette knife painting is the ability to get multiple colors onto the canvas, where each stroke becomes its own little abstract painting. That layered color and texture is exactly where the magic lives.

When I asked what she loves about DabblePaints, she shared:

“I like the limited colors. It makes me think about color mixing and how to produce the shade that I need.”

That kind of intentional mixing is where confidence and creativity really start to grow.

And her advice for anyone just starting out made me laugh and nod in agreement:

“Enjoy the process and don’t sweat mistakes. It is only paint. You can always paint over any mistakes, wipe it off, or just take a sawzall to it. Have fun.”

A sawzall. Now that is full creative permission if I’ve ever heard it.

Roxanne, thank you for sharing your journey, your fearless color, and your joy with all of us. Your story is such a beautiful reminder that art doesn’t need to be perfect — it just needs to be experienced.

Keep creating, keep shining, and keep bringing more beauty into the world.

XO,
Jen