I began this series by taking loads of photographs of the crushed metal cans at the landfill. It was an endless composition of mangled metal — about twelve feet high and six feet wide. Each of my watercolor designs is just a small piece of the whole. I found the ribbed patterns exciting with some […] more »
This watercolor is a continuation of my love of train engines. I took a photo at the yard in Albia as it was sitting there for a while. It has many interesting details. It seems that lately many of my works contain numerals and letters, as well as bright pigments. more »
This design was inspired by a trip to the local recycling center, and I had been thinking about the possibilities of doing more abstract works. I noticed a huge stack of crushed tin and photographed pieces of it. The can ripples and ripped labels were interesting and I wondered about the abstract qualities that were […] more »
I’ve been intrigued with these antique gas pumps and have painted them numerous times. The shapes reminded me of figures chatting with each other. The top inside of the roof at this State Street station has linear direction which leads to the “figures”. It was tough for me to use a limited palette too, as […] more »
This is another farm animal — a black and copper metallic-speckled rooster with orange feet and lavender background. I added yellow divisional strips for the Bingo board and added round map circles in the corners. I added a copper metallic edging and UV satin varnish and a bead eye. more »
Here I am back to do the little piggies again! This one is a smaller size. I wanted to keep it petite for my card rack. This little pig is bright green with a red bead eye and curly tail on a five dollar bill background. It is finished with a metallic copper edge and […] more »
The shape and color of this old telephone continues to appear in my still lifes. Also, it is now an antique. I paired it with the game board and cobalt goblets, one of which recently was broken. I love the deep ultramarine blues and the aqua shades — those colors find their way into my setups! […] more »
The fractured abstract patterns of glassware continue to capture my attention and I feel the need to paint these patterns. The designs have an endless quantity of colors and shapes. This one is a simple composition with the glass tumbler and apples and pear with the wood grain table. I usually set up an elaborate still […] more »
What inspires me to choose certain elements in my still life paintings? It seems I’m always looking for the unusual and unique. Instead of using my tried and true goblets, I grabbed some plain, old drinking glasses from the cupboard and added my Chinese sumi-e brushes. I decided the emerald glass needed its complement, so […] more »
I decided to paint what was right in front of me: my curvy, artistic palette, brushes, paint and water jar. The shapes of the pigment splotches were interesting, but very difficult to paint. Also, the wet paint splashes on the palette were a challenge. Sometimes you never think about painting the obvious! The shadow patterns […] more »