I couldn’t resist doing my sixth painting of the Burlington Northern caboose. The difference is the hot press paper and the size. I used artistic license to eliminate all the rust spots on it, so it’s beautiful and spiffed up now. Various pigments were used for the main color , as I find it impossible […] more »
Seems like the possibilities are endless in my quest of metal landscapes. Besides noticing all the junk people recycle. The little snips of red break up the gray-striped pattern of the soup and fruit cans. The round lids add interest to the reflected patterns. It is a challenge to mix different shades of gray, warm and cools. […] more »
Another fabulous “tinscape”! These crushed cans are in another landscape formation, with the Folger’s coffee can being most prominent. Being a coffee sipper, I really appreciate the bright red can among the striped soup cans and pull tabs. Lots of movement in this design — all the varieties of gray shapes make the red pop. more »
This is just a small piece of the whole shebang. It looks like a fairy-tale castle, with an unimaginable amount of rooms, chimneys, and turrets. Here I’ve painted one of the towers and chimneys. I worked from a photo taken many years ago. It was a challenge to paint, but I am pleased with the result. Architecture is one […] more »
I’m continuing on with my painting-a-day series. This image interested me because of the torn, red-striped awnings and the shadow patterns. I took the photo thirteen years ago and always meant to paint it, but never got around to it. I worked on the hot press paper again, which is quite smooth. I usually begin […] more »
It’s difficult to paint a huge engine on a tiny piece of watercolor paper! I chose hot press paper, so the pigments squooshed around a lot — juicy orange! I had to edit the shapes, like the big bold numerals. This engine was idling on the tracks in Albia. I also mixed in some gouache […] more »
The third painting of my recycled mashed metal cans. What caught my eye was the red-striped Barbasol can — something used by my husband every day. It contrasted with the Hy-Vee Refried Beans. The ribbed can patterns are interrupted by the top circular sections and reflect surrounding images. The bright colored labels are offset by […] more »
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 »