Sunflowers are still an inspiration for my art. The sunflower sprouts are still coming up in my garden now, so I am working with a photo taken last year. In addition to the two large blossoms, I have added a couple butterflies seen at the Botanical Center and Butterfly Center in Ames. They were both incredibly […] more »
This is a new still life setup, which includes many familiar pieces from my collection of objects. I set up the items on a table in our front east window, using the direct sunlight streaming inside. My favorite amber bottles and goblets are the main elements, along with the turquoise striped cloth. The clementine and […] more »
Now that it’s spring, you will notice my paintings are full of fresh flowers. I love the pale violets and lavenders of the coneflowers, and the orange and rust-colored centers. They attract numerous butterflies, bees and other interesting insects. My general plan of attack is to take numerous photographs, and if I have time, I […] more »
Many of my paintings are part of a series. This was the first depicting a selection of my brushes and palettes. Here, I collected all my painting materials and set them up outside in direct sunlight. I prefer a casual set up and don’t spend a lot of time arranging the items. I take many […] more »
I am continually searching for interesting flowers to paint. This is a big, beautiful bloom at the Botanical Center in Des Moines. These finger-like petals sprout from the center of the plant on a large stalk. Tropical plants always have bold colors, and their leaves have fun details to paint. I painted the flower shape much […] more »
I am getting into spring and painting more florals! The variety of subtle whites inspired me to paint this orchid. I used my snapshot from the Botanical Garden. I love the pale, minty greens and the fuchsia and lavender centers. My goal was to capture the gracefulness and delicacy of this plant. more »
This piece was inspired from a charming display of old school bells. I visited the Prairie Trails Museum in Corydon last year and I snapped a few photos I thought were inspiring and possible painting subjects. After designing and cropping my photograph, I decided to use a limited palette of complementary colors to emphasize the […] more »
Spring fever always hits when winter weather does not want to stop, and it makes me dream of bright, fresh flowers. I used a photo for this piece and worked much of it wet-in-wet. The tangerine colors are very saturated and lively and the butterfly is the focal point. I painted two layers for the […] more »
My intention for this painting was to use complementary colors to make this piece sing! The chairs were painted wet-in-wet, dropping the pigments into the the damp areas of the paper. I love the way the pigments have mingled and flowed into each other. This is the main attribute of watercolors, and I love to […] more »
This particular piece was not one I breezed through effortlessly. One of the problems was limiting colors. I have a tendency to go hog wild with colors! Every element surrounding the chairs works toward harmonizing the shapes and patterns. It gets complicated if there are too many shapes and if it gets too crowded. I always […] more »