Marybeth Heikes

Paintings in Watercolor & Mixed Media

Three Brownies

Three Brownies

July 18, 2011

I took this picture of these old cameras at a friend’s antique shop. It reminded me about how the technology has changed so much from these types of cameras and how much easier it is to use the digital devices. These cameras will certainly bring back memories for some folks! This painting was started at […] more »

Ramshackle Fence

Ramshackle Fence

July 12, 2011

I’m still fascinated with old barn structures. My sister-in-law sent me this photo of a barn in northwest Iowa, near Boyden. Not sure if it’s still standing. I liked the character of the rickety fence in the foreground — it has been patched with numerous boards. So far in painting these barn motifs, I haven’t […] more »

Ted’s Pizza

Ted’s Pizza

July 10, 2011

This old pizza place was an interesting structure and color, along with the signage and surrounding buildings. I was told it was no longer doing business, but someone down the street was selling pizza now. This watercolor was completed at the Davis County “Plein Air” event on the square in Bloomfield. In the early morning […] more »

Quixotic Cupelo

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

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

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

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

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

Pepe

March 9, 2011

This is a commissioned work, done from the client’s photo. more »

Feather Hat

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 »