Due to the disappearance of old barns in Iowa, I have decided to paint a few more of these relics. These structures are dilapidated and full of great character. This particular barn is located in northwest Iowa near the Spencer area. I worked from a photo given to me by a friend. There is a […] more »
This painting is done from a photo of the old Zephyr engine located in Albia, Iowa. Currently I am working on a series of different train engines in collage. I find these old engines fascinating and love painting them using my acrylic hand-painted papers. All the details on the engines add interest: the bell, railing, […] more »
This collage is a continuation of my popular train engine series. I have been doing engines for a number of years now. This one is a close-up of a Union Pacific. I used one of my reference photos for this. The details of the engine caught my eye: the shadow shapes, the numerals and flag, […] more »
This collage painting is one of my Engine Series. It is the Appanoose County Red engine, circa 1952. It has been recently repainted a bright red with white stripes. I worked from my photographs, and designed a vertical format which accentuates the dynamic bulk of the engine. Some of the foreground papers have oil pastel […] more »
Recently I have been painting some scenes of Bentonsport, a very scenic area on the Des Moines River in southeast Iowa. Last year I painted some of the shops on Main Street. This is a small brick church with the classic tall spire, surrounded by tall pine trees and brick wall in the foreground. It […] more »
It seems I have a love affair with trains, and this latest piece includes a rusted boxcar, in a long line of old boxcars. The circular shape of the brake caught my eye. The shadow shapes were interesting, but the wheels were the main attraction. After taking numerous reference photos and printing them, I noticed […] more »
This is part of a series I have been working on of the Bentonsport community. I love the historic structures — they are very picturesque! Last summer I took a lot of photographs to use for reference. This old home sits around the corner from the Greef General Store, and is where the store owner […] more »
Old, rusted machinery captured my interest again. I zeroed in on just a section of this threshing machine. Its parts are interesting as large, abstract shapes. There is a limited palette that I used for this composition, and a square format, which is more difficult to work with than the usual rectangle motif. I love the circular […] more »
Recently I decided to continue my train series of paintings and went out to gather more photographs to work from. My main focus was the abstract quality of this boxcar. The shadow shapes were interesting and added strength to the composition. I shot a close up of the brake at the end of the boxcar […] more »
My inspiration for this design came about after our visit to the Airpower Museum in Blakesburg, Iowa, last summer. We were surprised by all the different planes on display there; it is a historic combination of early planes, engines, propellers and other related articles. For this design, I worked from a photo. Because of the […] more »