Oleanders & Goblets (click on the picture for details)

I’ve been discovering new ways to incorporate special requests for commissions, particularly with pigs. The newest combines cut-out words, office report backgrounds, collegiate pennants, and university pennants for team spirit! I accept any zany challenges!

I’ve also finally finished my latest glass still life which incorporates Van Gogh’s floral print “Oleanders” with the turquoise goblets. What interested me was the lemony-yellow greens of the Oleander fronds and the turquoise color of the goblets. Using a flat print of flowers instead of a real bouquet adds an unusual look with the tilted picture plane. This painting was started March 31 — it’s a relief to finally complete it!

And for a different twist, these pig collages are fun to create!  I usually have a title for the piece in mind, or someone will suggest something to me. The patriotic pig uses the secondary colors of purple and green with red accents of the flags. I like having people chuckle over the pigs, with the title, colors, and background involvement in the design.

I find that a pig theme adds a humorous touch to my artwork. Ever since I witnessed a runaway pig at the Iowa State Fair, pigs have been a featured design in my collages. I usually start with a contour pencil design, and now I use one of these as a template. I hand-paint the collage papers with thick-bodied acrylic paint, and keep a large file of these on hand. I aim for bright, textured colors and use complementary colors for contrast. I may add other embellishments later, such as beads, play money, maps, and wire.

The Market Hog designs started in 2001. As I work, other title ideas pop into my mind and I jot these down to work on later. Recently I’ve attempted to paint a pig each day, as my ideas keep flowing.

I also painted a portrait of my nephew in watercolor as a sample for upcoming shows.

The Cincinnati school in the early 20th century.

The first school in Cincinnati, Iowa, was built in 1852 of hewn-logs, just west of the town square. The second school was built in 1857 across the street from the present West Pleasant Christian Church.  In 1877, another school was built on the lot where the present school stands, one block north of the square.

This building had two rooms on the first floor; one for study and the other for students reciting in groups.  The upstairs contained one large room for the high school. The first class to graduate from this building was in 1889 with five members.

In 1908, a new building was started just behind the then-present school building. (This is the building my watercolor depicts from that year.) Eight people graduated in 1909. Caps and gowns were first worn for graduation in 1917, which was held in the West Christian Church or Opera House until 1932, when the first class graduated from the new gym.

The last class to graduate from Cincy High was in 1961.  The building continued to be used as an elementary building until May 1974. The building was then torn down with sad farewells. January 1975 marked the opening of the present building, serving kindergarten through third grade.

Having lots of feline models available, my latest watercolors include our indoor cats: Vincent, Jules, and Fiona. We have a total of 8 cats, and over the years in rural Centerville we have had over 50 — but not at one time!  Today I’ve framed up some of these samples for my upcoming festivals.

I often paint commissions for customers who want a portrait of their beloved cat, dog, or other pet. All I need is a good, clear photograph at least a 5×7 to work from — the better the photo, the better job I can do with the details. I can do a fairly detailed drawing of the pet, using the exact colors of the fur, eyes, and other distinctive qualities — trying to capture the mood and personality through watercolors.  You can contact me through phone or email to order a custom painting of your pet. The most popular sizes are 8×10 and 11×14. I use artist-quality pigments and 100% rag paper. Prices start around $75.

This photo of my original sunflower collage, displayed in a family room, shows how an artful client tied it in with the Thanksgiving theme. All the colors in the painting harmonize with the hand-picked flower centerpiece on the table.

This is easy to do. Another way to highlight an original painting would be to pick up one of the colors in the painting and paint the walls that hue. Recently, a customer did just that. She chose three watercolors and picked mats to complement the paintings. Then a warm tangerine hue was chosen for the walls and the result was stunning when she hung the artworks.

You can create some beautiful decor by adding a few prints or original artwork to a room.

In the dining room you will find the perfect setting for using artwork in your home. Since this tends to be a more formal area for eating, you can use traditional art images to surround your eating table in style. Try using subtle prints — impressionistic florals is one style to help set the mood.

For your living room or main entertainment area, you can choose prints or art that are a bit bolder in color and style. You want to add energy and life to this room so people feel happy here. Choose brighter colors and interesting patterns and images that will attract attention. When you have new people in this room, it always helps to have an instant conversation starter. You can also choose something larger in size so it creates a focal point and adds to the overall decor.

When it comes to the bedrooms in your home, fine art will probably vary in terms of style and color. You want to be sure that you’re choosing prints that are indicative of the mood you want the room to have as well as the personality of the person that sleeps there.

And in the bathroom, you can use fine art to liven up what is usually a dull space. Try adding life to the walls with fun images and pictures as well as scenes you can look at again and again. You might want to coordinate the prints with a color that’s in your decorating theme or one in the shower curtain or towels.

With fine art and prints, you can add style and class to any room in your home. And though you may not agree on what constitutes fine art, always choose something you like, and your guests will certainly know good taste when they see it.

I was saddened to hear of Andrew Wyeth’s death this month — I have admired his work for as long as I can remember — his subject matter; his work ethic; his compositions. He was one of the most admired American artists of our time. Wyeth said it best: “Art, to me, is seeing… you’ve got to use your eyes as well as your emotion, and one without the other doesn’t work.”

Another week spent partially in the studio and the other part talking with clients about commissions. It seems I spend more time doing business activities and framing, although it’s a nice diversion — I can’t complain!

This week I had the brainstorm to enlarge just a section of one of my still life photos, and spent a while doing these using my ebony and 4B pencils in the sketchbook to test my compositional skills. I was quite pleased with the results and plan to do more. I designed one of these glass abstractions on a half sheet 140# watercolor paper, as I found an old frame it would look good in — so I’ve worked backward coming up with an image size and mat size to fit the frame.

Yesterday I began the painting. The design includes parts of the tall, amber bottle and a couple goblets — blue and umber. I plan to do more painting today and possibly finish it this weekend — before we start defrosting the turkey for next week!

I like the set-up of the elements and I’m pretty much using the actual colors. There’s a couple spots that need re-working, as in toning down some values. The sun was very strong coming in the south windows. And I didn’t want to make the cobalt goblet as dark as it actually was — it was very opaque and too dark, contrasting with the very transparent glasses next to it. The exception is the champagne glass with the mirrored surface.

So it has been a challenge combining and painting these elements together and making it work along with the patriotic theme of the homemade “cards” using the flag fabrics and Statue of Liberty. There are a couple minor things to finish painting, such as the base of one goblet and foreground. I plan to finish it this week, before I start my next portrait commission, which will demand all my concentration and focus.

Just to keep things interesting, I have been working on two different paintings simultaneously. I believe this pushes me to keep my work fresh and uniquely distinctive.

I began this week on the watercolor of the glassware still life, which includes the tall amber-colored bottle. This bottle was also a part of my teapot series a few years ago. I was attracted to its shape and the unusual color. I set the still life elements up in our gazebo in strong morning sunlight. Something new to the setup is the dark cobalt blue goblet.

I usually compose with my camera and take many photos from different angles. Frequently I move things around while taking photos.

Alternating back to the barn collage of the Wickfield Pavillion in Cantril, I have added the turquoise sky to add contrast to the red brick of the bottom of the barn. This complementary color makes it sing!

I will need to decide on the shapes and colors of the foreground next. As I work, more ideas come to mind. I always strive for a colorful end result and dynamic design with plenty of texture.

This week I set aside the barn collage after working a bit on the roof shapes and windows, and thinking about a good sky color to complement the barn textures.

I completed a quick watercolor painting of some of my last garden flowers of the year — pink cosmos and red & yellow gaillardias. There are still a few survivors out there.

This bouquet was painted with bamboo brushes in the Chinese sumi-e manner. I worked from my photos, having set the bouquet outside on my garden bench. The result is a spontaneous, fresh watercolor painting — a remembrance of summer!

In my mind, I like to think and plan colors ahead and let the thoughts simmer for a while. I sorted through my palette of papers, realizing I will have to paint more of them in the near future. I decided to begin the design with the vent on top, using a lavender and coarse steel gray colors. I thought that earth tones with red and gray tones would be a good start on the dormers. The textures add to the weathered quality of the barn. So far, I’m happy the way it’s progressing. While working on it, I’m already thinking of the next design and also the mats and frame for it when I’m done.

On viewing the cityscape, I wasn’t happy with the color chosen for the sky — the pink was too close in value and made everything look darker. I painted a layer of Interference Orange over it, thinking it would tone it down. Since this didn’t do the trick, I changed it completely by adding a primary yellow mixed with white acrylic. It brightened it considerably and look much improved. After that, I continued working on the skywalk shapes and other sections, noting some changes will be made on the light poles. I’m satisfied with the piece so far. The advantage of working in collage is that changes can be glued down over the offending color.

Today I will begin working on the next portrait commission and working more on the cityscape and perhaps getting a start on the barn.

Yesterday while planning my next barnscape, I came across a design I penciled last October of the Wickfield Pavilion, a historic round barn in Cantril, Iowa. I decided the design looked good and will work on it after finishing the Des Moines cityscape. Figuring out the colors for the barn will be a challenge — each color and texture I use affects the temperature and hues. I’ll also have to consider the possibilities for the interesting shingled roof with the many windows and the cupola and pig weathervane on the top.

The piece is larger than the last one; most of my barn collages are quite small. I like the details on this barn and plan to render a unique design. Of course, the trick is to not let all the details take away from the textured papers and overall big shapes.

I have begun working on my next barn collage, which I took pictures of this barn at least four years ago. A friend came across it and thought it would be a good one for me to do!

It is a large double barn connected with a long extension, as you can see from part of the photo. I decided to do this one on the 8-ply archival matboard. Today everything seemed to go smoothly — choosing the right color and paper textures. That doesn’t happen all the time. Occasionally I have a struggle with the right color for the values and hues. It’s going well!

See everyone at the next festival in Davis County on October 4th!

Update: This is the third week into this painting, Lady Liberty. Each section is a painting in itself. I get lost in the abstract shapes of the glass patterns, statue, and fabric, connecting the patterns and shapes with each other to paint the whole design as a cohesive unit. Periodically, I step back and place a white mat around it to view the value patterns. Still a ways to go with it — I like the way it’s shaping up.

This week I am continuing work on the Lady Liberty watercolor (22″ x 30″) started last week. It is mostly careful observation of shapes and details using my photo reference from my still life set up in the gazebo. The initial drawing is very general to start with, and as I paint I re-draw the structure, mapping it out as I go. I’m still working on the easel and wet the paper with water first where I’ll add the pigments. In other areas I paint on dry paper, where I want a clean, sharp edge.

I’ve added cobalt blue, quinacridone red, gold, sienna and burnt orange to the original palette of manganese blue, yellow ochre, cadmium yellow, viridian, dioxazine purple, and indanthrone blue. So far I’m please with the progress and can’t wait to finish!

Tuesday this week I began the next glassware design, Lady Liberty. It is a full sheet watercolor and I’m working with it upright on an easel instead of working flat on the table. I love the dynamic design of the the fractured glass patterns and warm-cool color combinations, especially the blue-greens, purples, and golds.

Tomorrow I’ll choose paintings and collages for display at Ottumwa’s festival and pack up the van and head out early Saturday morning. See you there!

My main goal is good design, concentrating on a few simple shapes so the values “read” well from a distance — at least six feet away. I had thought about a gray barn roof, but decided it was too bland and neutral. My work is about color, so I choose a medium toned blue-black. The cool blue tones work well against the hot red sky. I cut some narrow strips for the eaves and decided to take a break for lunch. I laid white mat strips along the edge of the collage to view it critically and check if the design is working . So far, so good.