In October, I had the itch to paint some chairs again, but to add a twist to the composition. Previously, most of my designs were with jungle plants, but I decided enough of the greenery! Although I do find myself doing plant life frequently, it is good to do something totally different. In this case, I […] more »
This piece is a reinvention of one of my favorite subjects: chairs. A challenge with this composition was adding non-related elements, as well as harmonizing the colors. It all began with an elderly blue jay, who flew to our patio and just sat and sat. No movement. He perched on the water bowl for a […] more »
This miniature watercolor was done specifically for the Montana Watercolor Society’s fund-raising program. All the award winners this year were asked to complete a piece seven by nine-and-a-half inches. For me, that is a big challenge. I am more comfortable painting full-sheet paintings of twenty-two by thirty and larger. So painting in a restricted size […] more »
After working on larger paintings, I decided to do a smaller piece in collage. These can be done in a couple days; my full sheet watercolors seem to take longer for me. I like to complete a piece in one sitting so that I feel like I have accomplished something! Animals are favorites of mine, […] more »
What inspired me to paint another piece of farm machinery was all the intricate shapes of gears, wheels and rusted parts that makes up the whole hunk of metal. This is an old threshing machine that sits at the Prairie Museum in Corydon, Iowa. The massive size of it is amazing… how it once rattled […] more »
This is my last bouquet from our garden this year with our bright sunflowers and gladioli. It was painted wet-in-wet and completed in two days, which is quick for me. My main concern was to capture the freshness and bold colors of the flowers. The indigo bowl was a gift from my parents and the […] more »
Now that the weather is cooler and changed into fall, I have been thinking about my summer flowers — the wonderful luscious yellow and mahogany sunflowers among the delicate fuchsia cosmos. These were picked and arranged in my artistic vase, filling it thick with blossoms. I am particularly fond of the red-violet color. It really […] more »
I was inspired to do something with the bright orangey colors of our garden cantaloupes. We picked about six of them and I cut them into wedges before cutting them into chunks for breakfast. I wanted to do something fun and whimsical and thought about the praying mantis we had on our back steps a […] more »
Lately it seems to me that I have been working on a locomotive series. When I was in Ottumwa last month, I took photos of this engine sitting briefly on the tracks and I took the opportunity to get a variety of photographs, even though it was cloudy. I prefer the morning sunlight and strong […] more »
This collage is a commissioned artwork and the largest one I have completed. The specifications were the subject matter and size, and it had to have pieces of maps. All the map pieces are of Mahaska County in Iowa. I enjoyed the challenge and always enjoy doing any type of trains. This piece is owned […] more »