This is my first piece of the new year. I decided to do a few pieces similar to the Daily Painters’ group. They create a petite artwork every day, usually in the 6” x 6” format. I find it difficult to work so small and prefer the larger sizes. For this piece, I chose a […] more »
This is my third watercolor of one of the most popular eating places in Centerville — Raymond’s Dairy Creme. Since it changed ownership and there is a new sign in place, I thought it would be nice to do an updated version. I always begin with a photograph for reference to work from, so I […] more »
This is a realistic watercolor painting of the newly-renovated bandshell in Centerville, Iowa. Many people have asked me to paint this structure because of the good memories it holds for them. I worked from my photograph, which includes the historic courthouse behind it. more »
Here is another still life of my garden flowers, which are lush and prolific this year. These are mostly daisies, with a couple sunflowers tucked inside the vase for color. My objective was to paint them wet-in-wet, taking advantage of the watercolor properties of mingling pigmented colors on damp paper. The grays were mixed using […] more »
Many of my paintings are part of a series. This was the first depicting a selection of my brushes and palettes. Here, I collected all my painting materials and set them up outside in direct sunlight. I prefer a casual set up and don’t spend a lot of time arranging the items. I take many […] more »
This piece was inspired from a charming display of old school bells. I visited the Prairie Trails Museum in Corydon last year and I snapped a few photos I thought were inspiring and possible painting subjects. After designing and cropping my photograph, I decided to use a limited palette of complementary colors to emphasize the […] more »
Spring fever always hits when winter weather does not want to stop, and it makes me dream of bright, fresh flowers. I used a photo for this piece and worked much of it wet-in-wet. The tangerine colors are very saturated and lively and the butterfly is the focal point. I painted two layers for the […] more »
This particular piece was not one I breezed through effortlessly. One of the problems was limiting colors. I have a tendency to go hog wild with colors! Every element surrounding the chairs works toward harmonizing the shapes and patterns. It gets complicated if there are too many shapes and if it gets too crowded. I always […] more »
In October, I had the itch to paint some chairs again, but to add a twist to the composition. Previously, most of my designs were with jungle plants, but I decided enough of the greenery! Although I do find myself doing plant life frequently, it is good to do something totally different. In this case, I […] more »
After working on larger paintings, I decided to do a smaller piece in collage. These can be done in a couple days; my full sheet watercolors seem to take longer for me. I like to complete a piece in one sitting so that I feel like I have accomplished something! Animals are favorites of mine, […] more »