This artwork is part of my Downtown Des Moines series, one of my most popular themes. I worked from a photograph taken a few years ago. A sketch fleshes out the main shapes and I edit throughout the drawing because there are a lot of unnecessary details that will not contribute to the final composition. […] more »
I have decided to rework the background on this collage. I felt the sky shape needed a brighter color and thought that a cool red, pinks and purples would make the greens pop. The sky was pieced together using many strips of these variegated colors. I also decided that the yellow shapes needed some division […] more »
This is another urban scene of downtown Des Moines that I decided to rework. The colors and composition from the original needed strengthening. My reference photo was used in the first design. It is a view of the Capitol dome in the background with the red skywalk, rooftops and building shapes as seen from the […] more »
This past week I thought this collage needed an updating in the colors and composition. Although I liked parts of the design, I felt there were a couple areas I thought needed strengthening and improvement. It is a view of the urban landscape from the top of a parking ramp in downtown Des Moines. I’m pleased […] more »
Marybeth Heikes’ acrylic collage Flute Music and Petunias is on display this week at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines. This is the 108th Annual Art Exhibition sponsored by the Des Moines Women’s Club. The free exhibition runs from February 21 through February 28. This exhibition is open to artists in central Iowa and are divided into […] more »
Two of Marybeth Heikes’ original collages have been selected for the 22nd annual Greater Des Moines Exhibition. Her collages, RAGBRAI, depicting a close up of a bicycle wheel and pieces of Iowa map of the Mississippi river towns, and Supreme Sunflowers with Red Stems, a floral bouquet, will be part of this exhibit featuring Iowa […] more »
Continued inspiration of the urban landscapes. I used a photo take many years ago and loved the view from the parking ramp with all the intricacies of the city — the sky walk, rooftops, capitol dome — all the geometric shapes and shadows. more »
In this view, I used a photo taken of downtown Des Moines a few years ago from the top of a parking garage. The architecture and building forms interested me. The panoramic view from above was inspiring! Of course, I took artistic liberty with most of the building colors and used a strong value pattern […] more »
This is a more recent view of downtown Des Moines from a photo I took last summer (2009) while visiting the city. What impressed me was the skyline with the taller buildings set against the shorter ones and the lampposts leading the eye into the city. You can see the perspective of the rounded bridge […] more »
This design was inspired by the architecture of the big city, reminiscent of growing up in the environment surrounded by tall buildings, different windows shapes, rooftops, bricks and other building details. It is exciting to have so many varieties of architectural elements crammed into a large metropolis; such a contrast from the quiet country life […] more »