This is a row of spotted Holstein dairy cows — I love the black and white patterns of them. I decided on painting the plain background first, in a neutral color so it wouldn’t conflict with the positive shapes of the cows. Pieces of an Iowa map are the foreground, sprinkled with some tulips. Lastly, […] more »
This is a whimsical design of nine Iowa hogs running through the tulips. Not something you see every day. I used pieces of an Iowa map for the sky shape and a variety of different colored hogs, plus a green-grass foreground and some happy red and pink tulips. more »
My challenge was to design more whimsical animal Christmas collages. I used sketches of our three goats and added some fun trees and stars. Their shapes describe their breeds: Pygmy, Nigerian Dwarf and a mix of regular-size goat and Dwarf with floppy ears. The colors changed a lot while I was working on this, and […] more »
This is another petite painting challenge, in a 6” x 6” format. Square designs are more difficult than the usual rectangular ones, but I prefer them. I began with a detailed drawing of my garden coneflowers from life. Working in my sketchbook daily is on my to-do list. It is good practice and your observation […] more »
This is another sumi-e watercolor that was completed in one sitting. I used my sketch from life done in May. The blossoms on this iris were bronze and coppery tones. It was a joy to paint! The background was finished wet-in-wet with a mix of green, orange and white gouache. more »
I have been inspired by my garden flowers — the colors are luscious and bright! This piece was worked from using my original sketch, done from a still life of a Japanese iris. They are much smaller than the bearded variety. I set up the iris in one of my mom’s antique jars that has […] more »
I am continuing my bicycle series and loved the challenge of doing a smaller piece. I began with a simple line drawing of a bicycle close-up and started gluing some of the positive shapes. Halfway through gluing, I decided to add another smaller bike above it — a bit of a squeeze, but it adds […] more »
I have been doing a series of bicycles for my upcoming show for the Artisan’s Gallery in Des Moines. This is the seventh in the series. While cutting some of the map pieces, I have been noticing places of interest and small towns in the state of Iowa. Especially interesting are the scenic routes. The […] more »
Another bicycle design! I am inspired by the geometric shapes of the bicycle. When working in a series, it is a challenge to come up with a fresh and interesting composition. I zeroed in on the front of the bike and focused on the gears and spokes. The Iowa map came into play too — […] more »
This lovely bouquet was painted from my reference photo taken last spring. The colors are fresh and my goal was to capture the big shapes without getting bogged down with the details. It was a challenge painting this on my easel using the wet-in-wet technique. more »