I’m really getting into the abstract patterns of locomotives. In this design, I zeroed in on the rectangular or square shapes with the circular, ovoid shadow patterns. They struck me as I was taking the photos on a bright, sunny morning. Many different warm and cool reds were used in this composition. The dark pieces […] more »
I have been thinking about doing portraiture in watercolor for a long time, and when our goat Zooey had kids, it was the perfect moment. I couldn’t resist painting my husband holding baby George. As usual, I worked from reference photos and edited the background to keep the portrait uncluttered. I feel it was successful […] more »
I have continued my rusted wheels series of the old threshing machine. I love the details! I was interested in how the parts interconnected with each other. It is only a small section of the whole shebang. I used a limited palette and focused on a strong design and value pattern. This watercolor took me […] more »
My goal for this piece was to design an abstract collage in a small, square format. A lot of my colored paper scraps were accumulating on my art table, and I saw the possibility for an interesting composition. After arranging the scraps of paper on a piece of foam board, I tacked the edges down […] more »
This collage was completed using the leftover paper scraps from a previous collage, Journey. I was inspired by the geometric shapes and the colors. I gravitate to square formats, and did this piece smaller than I usually do, moving the shapes around and playing with the design until I found the composition pleasing. I use […] more »
Recently I have been painting some scenes of Bentonsport, a very scenic area on the Des Moines River in southeast Iowa. Last year I painted some of the shops on Main Street. This is a small brick church with the classic tall spire, surrounded by tall pine trees and brick wall in the foreground. It […] more »
This piece was inspired by some antique bottles my mother sent me. I love the shapes and colors of the bottles, but I did not use the original colors. I completed numerous drawings of the bottles first, then edited and designed the composition without adhering to the sketches. I allowed for changes while working on […] more »
Cats play a huge part in my life and are perfect models, although it is impossible to get them to sit still for a photograph. This painting is of Siobhan, who has a lovely pattern of spots on her back. I happened to catch a good pose of her and decided that working in a […] more »
It seems I have a love affair with trains, and this latest piece includes a rusted boxcar, in a long line of old boxcars. The circular shape of the brake caught my eye. The shadow shapes were interesting, but the wheels were the main attraction. After taking numerous reference photos and printing them, I noticed […] more »
This is part of a series I have been working on of the Bentonsport community. I love the historic structures — they are very picturesque! Last summer I took a lot of photographs to use for reference. This old home sits around the corner from the Greef General Store, and is where the store owner […] more »