This is a realistic watercolor painting of the newly-renovated bandshell in Centerville, Iowa. Many people have asked me to paint this structure because of the good memories it holds for them. I worked from my photograph, which includes the historic courthouse behind it. more »
This watercolor motif was requested by a client, but I have been thinking of doing some autumn leaves for a long time. In the past, I have completed realistic drawings of oak leaves on a branch and my goal was to try this in watercolor. I wanted to do a piece a little smaller than […] more »
Here is another still life of my garden flowers, which are lush and prolific this year. These are mostly daisies, with a couple sunflowers tucked inside the vase for color. My objective was to paint them wet-in-wet, taking advantage of the watercolor properties of mingling pigmented colors on damp paper. The grays were mixed using […] more »
This collage was inspired by all the lovely zinnias in my garden and the fluttering butterflies this summer. Instead of the usual collage shapes glued onto watercolor paper, I used another Ampersand wood panel in a cradled 1 ½″ inch support. Another difference of this design is that it is square, not a size I […] more »
This building caught my eye when I visited the city of Chariton last year. It is an old, unused grain elevator in disrepair. The afternoon sunlight and shadows were perfect for taking reference photos. The difference with this piece is the support for the collage. I usually use watercolor paper mounted on foamboard. This time, […] more »
The inspiration for this painting are my garden sunflowers. This year they are mainly dark yellows and rust-mahogany varieties. I never get tired of painting sunflowers. I love the large seed pods and triangular, wispy leaves surrounding the heads. The sturdy stems and huge leaves are a big part of my design too. To me, sunflowers […] more »
The bold colors of these geraniums caught my eye. There are many different varieties of these garden plants, and I chose the neon variety. I found it difficult getting the exact color using my watercolor pigments — it is pinkish with a little orange and red in it. In direct sunlight the petals seem to […] more »
My favorite subject matter with collage materials is animals. I was inspired by our new pet, Verne, who is a pygmy goat. He’s not good at standing still and posing for me. He does all kinds of antics instead. I have to take a lot of shots while he gets too close to the camera lens. […] more »
This painting was inspired by artist Janet Fish’s watermelon still life. I set up my fruit and other still life objects outside on a table in bright sunlight. This composition is all about complementary color and a strong design. The juicy watermelon wedges, the blue hand-crafted art dish, the striped cloth, fork, the lime green […] more »
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 »