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 »
This collage was completed using the leftover paper scraps from a previous collage, Journey. I was inspired by the geometric shapes and the colors. I gravitate to square formats, and did this piece smaller than I usually do, moving the shapes around and playing with the design until I found the composition pleasing. I use […] 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 »
This piece was inspired by some antique bottles my mother sent me. I love the shapes and colors of the bottles, but I did not use the original colors. I completed numerous drawings of the bottles first, then edited and designed the composition without adhering to the sketches. I allowed for changes while working on […] more »
Cats play a huge part in my life and are perfect models, although it is impossible to get them to sit still for a photograph. This painting is of Siobhan, who has a lovely pattern of spots on her back. I happened to catch a good pose of her and decided that working in a […] 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 »
I enjoyed assembling my paper scraps for this creation. It began with the background piece and I moved smaller pieces on top of the brown, and also cut shapes to insert papers behind the openings. It started as a rectangular composition, but when I started gluing the pieces, I decided it would be a stronger design […] more »
This piece was done from my original sketchbook drawing. I worked from the actual flowers, paying close attention to the floral forms and stems. These flowers are a beautiful soft blue or periwinkle color. My design is a little abstract and I was nearing completion, I added a butterfly shape which is partially hidden. It was […] more »