Kingfisher Watercolor Illustration

Every Summer for the past few years, I have been lucky enough to spend the majority of my Summer at our family cottage. Staying there for that duration has made me appreciate nature so much more. It’s nice to have those memories come Fall and Winter, and also great painting inspiration for those indoor months ahead.

The Kingfishers are one of my favorite birds to watch. In our cove of the bay, they perch themselves on a little twig, that really barely really seems to hold them up, and then all of a sudden they swoop down and smack into the water with such speed and force for their aquatic meal. It’s an absolutely fantastic show!

Prints are now available in my Etsy shop!

The original illustration is also available please message for more information.

Kingfisher Watercolor Illustration by Michigan artist, Cheryl Oz

Faygo Cream Soda

“When I was a kid, Faygo Cream Soda was always my favorite!”

I have a new Faygo Cream Soda watercolor illustration to add to my deliciously, delectable soda collection of Faygo illustrations.

If you’ve never heard of Faygo, it’s a Michigan company that’s been around for over 100 years! They have the most delicious soda flavors you will ever pass thru your lips. Yum! Perhaps I’m a little biased, growing up in a suburb of the Detroit Metro Area, where Faygo was all the rage when I was a kid, and still to this day!

Art prints and cards are available in my Etsy shop.

Faygo Cream Soda Watercolor Illustration by Michigan artist, Cheryl Oz

Charcuterie Board Illustration

I’ve been working on this “Charcuterie Board” illustration on and off for several months in between my other projects. I’m so happy it’s completed! This is a digital illustration created in Procreate on my iPad Pro. Prints are now available in my Etsy shop in 11x14” and 13x19” sizes.

Charcuterie Board Digital Illustration by Michigan artist, Cheryl Oz. (Displayed image, 13x19” fine art print)

Charcuterie Board Digital Illustration by Michigan artist, Cheryl Oz

Flamingos : Client Project for Papyrus

Last January, I worked on some watercolor flamingos for Papyrus on a gift wrap project. The scope of the work was to have me create just a couple of full flamingo bird illustrations, and then some bird parts so that the Art Director could create multiple birds in different poses for the gift wrap. It was such a fun, colorful project to brighten up my workspace in the midst of winter here in Michigan! I can’t wait to see the gift wrap in person when my artist samples arrive.

in progress on my studio table…. (artwork by Michigan artist, Cheryl Oz)

Watercolor illustration by Michigan artist, Cheryl Oz

Watercolor illustration by Michigan artist, Cheryl Oz

Watercolor illustration by Michigan artist, Cheryl Oz

Watercolor illustration by Michigan artist, Cheryl Oz

“Pineapple Tropic Party Roll Wrap” — Photo compliments of Papyrus

“Pineapple Tropic Party Roll Wrap” — Photo compliments of Papyrus

Gin & Tonic | Digital Illustration

A Gin & Tonic is such a classic cocktail. It's an easy drink to whip up for guests with only a few ingredients needed. If you want to make it fancy, nowadays, there are so many different ways to jazz one up with different flavored gins. For me though, a classic gin & tonic cocktail, marks the beginning of Summer.

When I was in my early twenties, I remember my Dad mixing up pitchers of G&Ts. My Dad, cousin Joe and I would kick back and catch some rays on my parent’s patio while enjoying the warm Summer sun. Ahhhhhh! Those were the days! Happy Almost Summertime!

Just in case you’re wondering about the berry twig on the bottom of the glass, it's a juniper berry branch which is part of the process in making gin. :)

Art Prints are now available in my Etsy shop!

Gin & Tonic Digital Illustration by artist, Cheryl Oz

Aperol Spritz : Digital Illustration

This is the newest of my illustrated cocktails. This is also the first cocktail that I've drawn digitally in Procreate. Prior to this illustration my other cocktails were done in traditional watercolor. I first tried an Aperol Spritz late last Summer while visiting Chicago. My husband and I went to Eataly. I loved Eataly! I could have literally spent hours there shopping, eating, drinking... it was the most fun place in Chicago for me. If you love Italy and Italian food it's definitely a must place to visit. It was my favorite place to go in Chicago. I went back twice! I pointed out the cocktail to our waitress and she nodded, arriving back to the table with this beautiful, orange-hued bubbly cocktail. At my first sip, I knew this was going to be one of my favorite Summer cocktails! Since Eataly, is a marketplace too, I purchased a bottle of Aperol, saving it for this coming Summer which now is just around the corner! HOORAY! I can't wait to have friends over to enjoy an Aperol Spritz on the sunny patio.

Art Prints are now available in my Etsy shop!

Find Your Paradise : Digital Gouache Illustration by Cheryl Oz

Good Morning!

I’ve been spending a lot of time working on my iPad instead of traditional art supplies the past few weeks. I like the option of going back and forth between traditional and digital illustration. It’s so convenient to work on the iPad, but soon enough my paints will be calling me back. I just walked down into my studio yesterday and there’s a painting I’m half-finished sitting on my work table. I need to get back at that, but I’m into this mode of digital work right now. I’m loving it, and so I think we should do whatever makes our hearts the happiest. This is making my heart happy right now.

When I’m working in Procreate on the iPad. For those that are not familiar with Procreate it’s a drawing/painting app specifically for use with the iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil. Anyway, when I’m using Procreate the app itself comes with a handful of good brushes and since purchasing the iPad, I’ve been drawn to the gouache brush. Recently though, I stumbled onto a brush pack that is solely for gouache and it is exactly what I have been looking for. I’ve also purchased a watercolor set, but I’m still playing around with that set to make it feel more like my traditional watercolor work. If I can get that to work out, I’ll be really happy about that too!

For this piece, I decided to give myself a little challenge of working on a landscape. I can’t really remember the last time before this, that I really put my heart into working on a landscape. I always paint things, and I’m not really sure why, but typically I work on single things. I chose a tropical landscape for my love of Hawaii and all places tropical, but also because I could include a little bit of everything in one colorful landscape. I enjoyed it so much that I think I want to work on more landscapes.

The Paradise art print is available for purchase in my Etsy shop in 8x10 and 11x14” sizes. The print is sold unframed. Logo will not be printed on the image.

Papyrus: Old Fashioned Birthday Card: Watercolor Illustration

Last Spring I was again approached by an Art Director from Papyrus, to work on a fun and challenging project. Papyrus works a year ahead of time. It’s a long wait to see your work, but it definitely makes for some very happy mail in the mailbox!

I created a watercolor Old Fashioned cocktail in a traditional-style, crystal, crosscut glass. The glass design was very intricate and was definitely a challenge. I’m always up for a watercolor challenge so, I accepted the job and got to work. The painting took about 5 days to complete. I took a lot of tiny breaks while I was working, because of the tedious details. Some days I was hating the painting, but about mid-way of working on it, it just felt totally right and I loved how it turned out. I love the design of the entire card! It all works together so brilliantly. Needless to say, I’m very proud of this piece. I’m also very grateful for the opportunity to work with Papyrus again.

Check out that beautiful gold foil! So pretty!

All of the brilliant gold details continue on inside of the card as well.

Warm Butternut Squash Chickpea Salad

In keeping with my new style, I created this digital illustration “Warm Butternut Squash Chickpea Salad” by Smitten Kitchen. The recipe is actually for a salad without the greens, but I love adding mixed greens and putting the squash/chickpea mixture on top. The tahini dressing is creamy, and addictive. I could literally eat this dressing with a spoon. I don’t, but I could. I may lick the spoon though after I drizzle all of that creamy goodness over my salad. It’s very hearty, filling salad that will keep you satisfied until your next meal. I make this salad so often that I usually buy a larger squash and cut it up in cubes and freeze it for a later date.

New loose style

As an artist, I like to experiment with new things from time to time. Even after all of these years of being an artist, I still love trying new techniques, mediums, and taking classes. I think it’s important to continue the learning and growing process. Some folks think illustrators and artists, should have one unique style. I disagree with that, but I also understand that point of view, having been an Art Director in my past life. I’ll get into this more at a later date.

I’ve been wanting to create a new loose style for awhile now. It’s still a work in progress, because I’m still playing with figuring out which digital brushes and textures feel right to me. Here’s what I’ve already learned about working on a loose style. It’s not as easy as it looks, and it’s not necessarily a lot faster. It is a little faster, but still takes an artful eye, skill and effort. My style has always been to work detailed and more realistic, so this is a nice departure from that. Right now I’m focusing on using Procreate for a digital version of this style, but sometimes I will work in watercolor, maybe sometimes, a mix of colored pencils and watercolor or gouache, basically I’ll decide what I feel for the day when I’m working in this style. I’m really enjoying the process and this journey right now.

For my subjects, I’m going to focus on food, because I love to cook. I’ll be focusing on my favorite recipes to start. The first one I chose is by Bon Appetit, “No-Fail Roast Chicken with Lemon and Garlic.” We love having a roasted chicken for dinner because for one, it’s a delicious dinner, but, also to me the best part is that we always have a lot of chicken for leftovers for the week. There’s so many things to do with leftover chicken.

This recipe is delicious. The lemons and garlic become deeply caramelized. Once you slice the chicken to serve, the lemon drizzled over the chicken is amazing. I like to just eat the roasted garlic as we eat the chicken, but if that’s too intense of a garlic flavor for you, then try mashing the garlic in some potatoes. Sometimes I throw in a few potatoes and other veggies, while the chicken is roasting too, and then you have a simple one pan dinner. In the past, I’ve saved some of the garlic and made a delicious, roasted garlic vinaigrette for the week. So many good things come from this recipe!

Digital illustration by Cheryl Oz

Cardinal Original Fine Art Acrylic Gouache Wood Slab Painting

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I’m excited to show you my newest, and maybe my new favorite wood slab painting. Hello, Mr. Cardinal! So many people have very strong feelings about cardinals and why they like them. It seems like whenever someone tells you they like them, there’s always a story that comes with it. I love that!

I live in Michigan and I’m not a winter loving gal. It’s not that I can’t appreciate a sparkly snowfall, it’s more about the lack of sunshine for me. If we had more sunny days, I know I could embrace winter just a bit more. I love how they stand out against the sea of snow and gray days. To me, they are the sunshine even when we haven’t seen it in awhile.

Thanks for stopping by! Cheryl :)


Wood: Maple • Size: 14" L x 6 1/2" W • Sawtooth hanger is attached for easy wall hanging. • Paintings are signed on the front and back.

This painting is available to purchase in my Etsy shop! This painting is SOLD!
I do accept commissions, please inquire if you’re interested.

Cardinal Original Fine Art Acrylic Gouache Wood Slab Painting by Cheryl Oz

Cardinal Original Fine Art Acrylic Gouache Wood Slab Painting by Cheryl Oz

Pileated Woodpeckers Original Fine Art Acrylic Gouache Wood Slab Painting : Wood Slab Series

Good Morning! I finished this painting the other day, and I could hardly wait to post it to show you. I absolutely love the shape of this wood. I decided to do a young Pileated Woodpecker and a female Pileated Woodpecker because I felt like the top area of the wood felt like the baby was peeking out of a tree hole, looking for his Momma. The reds from the woodpeckers heads really pop right off the wood! I love this paint!

My Pileated Woodpeckers original painting was done in Holbein Acryla Gouache on a gorgeous, Maple wood slab. The Pileated Woodpeckers are part of a series of several wood slab paintings that I've been working on for the past few weeks. The wood slab has been hand-selected to ensure the most unique and beautiful outcome for the painting. The paints are a dream to work with: creamy, opaque and so brilliant. The slabs give the paintings a modern, yet rustic appeal, but also suited for any contemporary home for any nature or bird lover.

I do not offer my original paintings that often, so if you're interested in my work, this is a great opportunity to purchase an original piece. No archival prints will ever be made from this painting.

Wood: Maple • Size: 17" L x 5 1/2" W • Sawtooth hanger is attached for easy wall hanging. • Paintings are signed on the front and back.

This painting is available to purchase in my Etsy shop!

Pileated Woodpeckers Original Fine Art Acrylic Gouache Wood Slab Painting : Wood Slab Series by Cheryl Oz

Pileated Woodpeckers Original Fine Art Acrylic Gouache Wood Slab Painting : Wood Slab Series by Cheryl Oz

Great Blue Heron Original Fine Art Acrylic Gouache Wood Slab Painting : Wood Slab Series

Hi. This is my newest personal project, that I’m really excited about. I posted the Snowy Owl first, because I was exciting about sharing it after I finished it, but this painting the, Great Blue Heron was actually the first of my series. Thank you for taking a look! :)

My Great Blue Heron original painting was done in Holbein Acryla Gouache on a gorgeous, maple wood slab. This was the first painting I did on my wood slabs, and I'm not sure why, but I knew that I would do a Great Blue Heron on this piece of wood long before I started working on it. We see the Great Blues at our family cottage on Drummond Island, MI in the Upper Peninsula. I just love watching them hunt for fish, or watching them soar across the lake with their giant wingspan from the cottage window. The Great Blue Heron is part of a series of several wood slab paintings that I've been working on. The wood slab has been hand-selected to ensure the most unique and beautiful outcome for the painting. The paints are a dream to work with: creamy, opaque and so brilliant. The slabs give the paintings a modern, yet rustic appeal, but also suited for any contemporary home for any nature or bird lover.

I do not offer my original paintings that often, so if you're interested in my work, this is a great opportunity to purchase an original piece. No archival prints will ever be made from this painting.

Wood: Maple • Size: 13" L x 6" W • Sawtooth hanger is attached for easy wall hanging. • Paintings are signed on the front and back.

This painting is available to purchase in my Etsy shop!

Great Blue Heron Original Fine Art Acrylic Gouache Wood Slab Painting by Cheryl Oz

Great Blue Heron Original Fine Art Acrylic Gouache Wood Slab Painting by Cheryl Oz

Snowy Owl Original Fine Art Acrylic Gouache Wood Slab Painting

For the past few weeks, I’ve been working on a series of wood slab paintings. My husband Jeff purchased a few slabs for me before the holidays. I loved them, but I wasn’t sure exactly what I was going to paint on them at the time. After the holidays, I knew I wanted to dive into something new. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed working on them!

My Snowy Owl original painting was done in Holbein Acryla Gouache on a gorgeous, walnut wood slab. I chose a Snowy Owl for this piece because I knew the whites would look amazing on the darker wood. The wood slab has been hand-selected to ensure the most unique and beautiful outcome for the painting. The paints are a dream to work with: creamy, opaque and so brilliant. The slabs give the paintings a modern, yet rustic appeal, but also suited for any contemporary home for any nature or bird lover. I love the bark on this piece.

I do not offer my original paintings that often, so if you're interested in my work, this is a great opportunity to purchase an original piece. No archival prints will ever be made from this painting.

Wood: Walnut • Size: 13 3/4" L x 6" W • Sawtooth hanger is attached for easy wall hanging. • Paintings are signed on the front and back.

This painting is available to purchase in my Etsy shop!

Snowy Owl Original Fine Art Acrylic Gouache Wood Slab Painting by Cheryl Oz

Welcome to my new site!

HOORAY! I’m excited to finally launch my new portfolio website! When I finally decided to have my online portfolio, I knew I wanted the design to be simple, clean and lot of white space. I use a lot of white space in my work, so I wanted something that would make the vivid colors in my work, standout and sparkle. It was also important for me to have a site with easy navigation, and to be honest for me to quickly update with new artwork. I’ve had personal websites before, I used to design wedding stationery. I’ll tell you more about that another time. I’ll try to update new work as often as I create it, to keep the material fresh. I’ll also try to announce when I’m having something exciting happening in the studio, events, sales in my Etsy shop too, any other random creative thoughts I might have, and of course new recipes that I may love and like to share. I love to cook as much as I love creating art! I hope you love the site as much as I do, this little puppy is long over-due!

Thank you so much to my husband who puts up with all of my artist craziness! Coincidentally, I’m making my first blog post on our 16th anniversary. YAY! I can’t imagine what my life would have ever been without you. Thank you for all you do and your endless amount of support! I love our journey together. XO XO

Thank you to my friends and family, especially you Mom, (and if Dad were here I know he would be so proud too)!

Last but never least, thank you, thank you to all of the clients who have hired me to do work for them. My customers from brick and mortar shops, the shop owners (Theresa, Melissa, Holly, Nicole and Kat) who carry my work and their employees (Janine!) that work so hard to sell my work, my customers at art fairs and my online Etsy customers too!

You’re all a part of making my artist dreams come true! THANK YOU!