Then manner in which I approach painting them is different from most artists. By painting my papers first with heavy body acrylics and then cutting them into collage shapes, I achieve a descriptive, textured painting in bold, bright colors. I feel these textures capture the identity of the structures and give them character, as do the saturated colors. In this design, I focused on the windmill and its shadow.

I wanted to capture the abstract patterns in the goblets too, as I had painted these two years ago and didn’t think the results were my best. It was difficult painting these because of the variety and color in the abstractions. I feel my second attempt is more successful. The results are vastly different mostly because I used different supports. The first painting was on 300# paper which allows for more pigment manipulation, but I feel dulls the colors a bit. The second painting was done on 140# paper and the pigments sit on it more brilliantly, but has the tendency to buckle more.

My idea was to paint all the most popular breeds, so it will take me a while for this project to be completed. I’m always on the lookout for pets!

Orange recently came into my palette of color for reasons I can’t explain — it just has a warm flavor to it. In the past, I would only use it with blues for mixing grays. I used blue for his toenails to complement the orange. The violet background color was applied first before beginning the shapes on the hound.

I also carefully chose some speckled, brown and white collage papers for his body. He is a wonderful addition to my exotic and playful animal collages.

Doxies have been a popular seller for me, so I decided to have some fun with these and added the wool hats and whimsical arched eyebrows. I began on a scrap of hot press watercolor paper, painting the background a minty green to accent the hats. The other challenge is working on a square format, but I feel this design pulls it off.

This particular subject matter has interested me since a gal from St. Louis commissioned me to do a special piece for her. I’ve been working on petite pet watercolors lately, and working on this collage has inspired me to keep my designs and color fun and whimsical. I usually get too serious about my work and get involved with details. I start with contour drawings and loosely sketch the fish and plantlife, sticking wih general shapes.

I enjoy the tropical colors, which I think is influenced from living in Miami a couple of years before moving to Iowa. We’re far from the ocean, palm trees, and warm breezes — which I fondly remember when the snow settles in winter.

Completed on 300# paper and mounted on foamboard.

Done on 300# hot press paper and mounted on archival board.

The first image is the window reflection of 801 Grand in Des Moines, which reminded me of Mondrian’s geometric paintings. The square window shapes and the azure sky popped out at me when walking downtown. The curvilinear building shapes against the blueness of the sky also attracted my attention. The design was already there and waiting to be painted! I took the photo in 2000 and it has been in my files that long! Another difference with this collage is that I’ve used a canvas board instead of 300# watercolor paper. Warping is a big problem with collages since I dilute the gloss medium a bit. This worked out quite well and I’m very pleased with the finished painting.

The second painting is of Court Ave and First Street — the beginning of the Farmers Market. We’ve visited a number of times and I’ve always wanted to capture the bridge and reflections of the buildings in the river. This design is painted in the traditional method of watercolors.

Two different expressions in two different mediums. I like working in both — the bright textured acrylic paint and simpler shapes, and the traditional realism of watercolors.

I  was undecided what artwork to bring with me, so it was half glassware still lifes and the rest acrylic collages. Thanks for the wonderful comments too!  “Lots of bright cheerful colors” is what I heard a lot. And I’ve been busy in my studio painting up a storm. My newest is the triple sunflower bouquet.  The green & blue striped fabric was purchased at the Des Moines Farmers Market last month — and was surprised that the cloth matched my summer pajamas! Somehow I was attracted to the pattern and colors, since I knew they would look good with the blue goblets. And if you look closely, there is a hidden Siamese kitten in the painting. Somehow Fiona always makes sure she’ll get a lot of attention.

Also new in my studio are collages of downtown Des Moines, so be sure to come Sept. 20 to the Valley Junction Fall Art Market — 11am to 5pm. See you there!

Interestingly enough, my Siamese cat is in the picture behind the sunflowers. I painted her into the picture because some of the shapes and reflections were included in the glass and affected the color pattern.

I love all the geometric shapes! My favorite shape of this is the road — this paper was painted a few years ago with oil pastels scribbled on the surface first, then a watery wash of dark gray. The pastels show through the wash lightly and give it an interesting texture.