This past week I thought this collage needed an updating in the colors and composition. Although I liked parts of the design, I felt there were a couple areas I thought needed strengthening and improvement. It is a view of the urban landscape from the top of a parking ramp in downtown Des Moines. I’m pleased […] more »
This is a small watercolor still life of some of antique bottles and jars. I have done numerous sketches because the transparency of glass interests me, and also the unique bottle shapes. Among the shapes are a clear, frosted larger bottle, an amber square necked jar and two red ones. I usually work from my […] more »
This was an exciting design to work on using my “Royal” Teapot given to me by my mother. It has various kings and queens of England on it and is decorated with intricate patterns. I edited much of the patterns and added other teapots from my collection to the composition. After that, I superimposed a […] more »
This design was specifically done for the annual Mardi Gras celebration. I used my reference photo of garden sunflowers. I love the big, bold shapes of the flowers! I cannot resist painting them because they are happy flowers and my favorites. After drawing the design directly on the archival foamboard, I begin with specific shapes […] more »
For this piece, I used one of my reference photos taken many years ago of a barn down the road. I added a windmill from another neighbor’s farm, as it’s a popular agricultural icon. I used artistic license for the barn’s colors. Another favorite element of my farmscapes is using an Iowa map for the […] more »
I find that painting in a series challenges me to create more dynamic designs using the same elements, and to capture a day in the life of an artist. For this piece I used a reference photo taken many years ago. Sometimes I use more than one photo when I initially pencil in the composition, […] more »
It began with a drawing from life of a beautiful Amaryllis, but I did not want to paint just an ordinary flower. Instead, I divided the paper into fractured planes, drawing around my initial design of the flower. The quilt-like shapes and value changes adds depth and interest to the flower. As I began painting, […] more »
My inspiration with sunflowers is limitless! I started a loose contour sketch using my photographs of our garden flowers, but the design changed from the initial idea. I cut and arrange the shapes and let it evolve on its own. I usually decide on a background hue first (here a limited palette of teal and reds) […] more »
My second model, Sally, was happy to sit and pose for this painting. She looked at me very intently, wondering what I was doing. After the picture taking, she settled in for a long nap. I do work from my photos most of the time, as pets move around too much unless you plan to […] more »
Vincent showed up for a modeling session last weekend, so I decided to focus on a close-up of his face. He has expressive eyes and is happy to sit and pose for me. I used lots of thickly applied watercolor pigments with some acrylic medium. He is quite happy with the results! more »