Occasionally I find myself drawn to the small town local scenes. I have done numerous sketches of Centerville’s back alleys and even had one published in The Best of Sketching & Drawing by Rockport Book Publishers. This old shoe repair sign caught my eye years ago; in fact, I took the photograph in 1996. The […] more »
I decided to compose another watercolor using my large assortment of brushes with old license plates. I wanted something different for an upcoming competition, although I did set up some of my palettes to start with the brushes. We artists seem to accumulate supplies of all kinds. The design was playing around in my mind for a […] more »
Every time spring rolls around, I am eager to paint my garden flowers, and this year is no exception. However, the weather is unseasonably cool, so I am relying on some of my old photos until some of my perennials bloom. This particular lily had been in my garden a while ago. New flowers are added every […] more »
This is a business that used to be on the northwest corner of the Centerville square a few years ago. Maybe a better title would be “remember when?” The storefronts and signage change occasionally and this is what attracts me to the subject matter. I like painting the old brick buildings. Most of the details are […] more »
I am back to painting barns and landscapes of southeast Iowa! This particular barn is located on the winding highway traveling to Oskaloosa. At the time I took the photograph, there were many more outbuildings around this barn, but they are no longer there. It has the characteristic weathered worn boards and shaggy roof. The […] more »
This painting is a continuation of my engine series. It is a close-up of an engine I photographed in the Albia trainyard in winter. I wanted to focus on the abstract design qualities and omit some of the details. I drew the large shapes first and then added some of the important details. A limited […] more »
These glorious blooms were painted from my garden. I worked from my reference photo and sad to say I no longer have tulips in my garden, as the deer have destroyed them. Tulips are one of my favorite flowers and a sure sign that spring has arrived. These graceful blooms were wonderful to paint. The […] more »
This is a petite composition done specifically for an upcoming show with size limitations. I found it difficult to crop my reference photo and even more of a challenge to paint a six-inch-square format. So it is just a piece of the larger design I had planned originally — I may get to that another […] more »
Flowers are one of my favorite subjects to paint! I am anxious for spring to come so I can paint more flowers from our garden. I used a photo from my reference files, a great big luscious peony. I am also a big fan of Chinese brush painting and have learned that in China, the Peony […] more »
In the back of my mind, I have always wanted to do another bicycle design in collage. When I received an invitation for an upcoming show with a bicycle theme, I got to work right away! I took a few photos of an antique bicycle, which was my reference for this composition. The main objective […] more »