Quixotic Cupelo
May 20, 2011
I enjoyed doing a close-up of this raggedy cupelo. It was almost falling off. The barn is located in southeastern Iowa, near the town of Seymour. more »
Grapes & Bananas
May 20, 2011
The challenge was to paint a still life in a petite format, something I hadn’t tried before. It was successful and I ended up doing a series of these. more »
Bishop’s Bales
May 6, 2011
This is an open shed with hay bales, located in southern Iowa. The photo was approximately taken in 1995, when I went in search of barns to photograph. My idea was to document many of the old structures that were disappearing from the rural areas. This is a typical Midwest scene found around the countryside […] more »
Engine 9045
March 25, 2011
The challenge was to paint this engine in a smaller format, which is very different from my usual work on a large 22 x 30 sheet of paper. It still makes for a great design, with less nitpicking details. It brings back memories when I was very small, Dad used to take me to the […] more »
Union Pacific Engine 9027
March 17, 2011
This is the second of my train engine watercolors, a side-angled view with lots of details. I was attracted by the yellow of the engine and red stripe and the value pattern of the shadows, and didn’t notice many of the details until I started painting. It is a massive structure and I composed with […] more »
Pepe
March 9, 2011
This is a commissioned work, done from the client’s photo. more »
Feather Hat
March 5, 2011
Decided to do something different — a small figurative work. I worked from my sketchbook using a head study and added the floppy hat with real feathers. more »
Snow on the Union Pacific
March 1, 2011
These engines caught my eye on the drive to the recycling center. I am interested in painting subjects with a local flavor, and these machines are similar to the incinerators I painted a decade ago. Colors, details and value patterns were important to my design. Exhibited in Arts in Harmony 2013, Elk River Area Arts […] more »
Santa Fe Caboose
February 2, 2011
This caboose was painted from my photo taken in 2004. I found it sitting in someone’s front yard. The red pigment was difficult to duplicate; I mixed a cool red quinacridone red and a warm cadmium red light. Yellows were mixed in similar manner, a cool one — gamboge — and a warm cadmium yellow […] more »
Burlington Northern 11396
January 31, 2011
This caboose is part of Centerville’s historic district, located at the old depot on South 18th Street. It has been renovated and retired and repainted in the original colors. more »