This particular design of my daughter’s electric guitar has been on my mind for a long time. I worked from some old sketches and photographs, but also did a series of just sections of this instrument. Most of the time I use tracing paper to compile my sketches, then edit during the process of designing […] more »
My second piece of artwork this year! This is another petite size of artwork using a drawing from one of my old sketchbooks. I have been trying to keep in the habit of sketching daily. It was a difficult design, since the ladybugs and dimensions were tiny. The shapes are simplified as best I could do […] more »
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 »