This photo of my original sunflower collage, displayed in a family room, shows how an artful client tied it in with the Thanksgiving theme. All the colors in the painting harmonize with the hand-picked flower centerpiece on the table. This is easy to do. [...] more »
Well, Christmas seems long past, and after a brief break I'm back in the studio with new ideas and new paintings in progress. [...] more »
Another week spent partially in the studio and the other part talking with clients about commissions. It seems I spend more time doing business activities and framing, although it’s a nice diversion — I can’t complain! This week I had the brainstorm to enlarge just a section of one of my still life photos, and […] more »
Since I haven’t painted on this particular piece yesterday or today, I’m viewing it with a mat and deciding how to finish it. This one has been a struggle. But I also have been framing two commissions and delivering them out of town, which sometimes breaks my concentration — it usually goes more smoothly. I […] more »
Just to keep things interesting, I have been working on two different paintings simultaneously. I believe this pushes me to keep my work fresh and uniquely distinctive. I began this week on the watercolor of the glassware still life, which includes the tall amber-colored bottle. This bottle was also a part of my teapot series […] more »
This week I set aside the barn collage after working a bit on the roof shapes and windows, and thinking about a good sky color to complement the barn textures. I completed a quick watercolor painting of some of my last garden flowers of the year — pink cosmos and red & yellow gaillardias. There […] more »
This has been a busy week so far. I intended to finish a portrait commission and start the barn collage, besides finishing the Des Moines cityscape. As usual, things got interrupted for good reasons. In my mind, I like to think and plan colors ahead and let the thoughts simmer for a while. I sorted […] more »
I love animals and was asked by a customer to paint this breed, as I hadn’t done one yet. “Goldens” are a lovable breed with a beautiful tawny coat. I believe I captured that well in this portrait. more »
I started this week by working on the Des Moines cityscape collage. I got sidetracked and didn’t begin the round barn as planned and wanted to get closer to a finish on the first collage. On viewing the cityscape, I wasn’t happy with the color chosen for the sky — the pink was too close […] more »