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 »
Due to the disappearance of old barns in Iowa, I have decided to paint a few more of these relics. These structures are dilapidated and full of great character. This particular barn is located in northwest Iowa near the Spencer area. I worked from a photo given to me by a friend. There is a […] 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 »
Old, rusted machinery captured my interest again. I zeroed in on just a section of this threshing machine. Its parts are interesting as large, abstract shapes. There is a limited palette that I used for this composition, and a square format, which is more difficult to work with than the usual rectangle motif. I love the circular […] more »
Recently I decided to continue my train series of paintings and went out to gather more photographs to work from. My main focus was the abstract quality of this boxcar. The shadow shapes were interesting and added strength to the composition. I shot a close up of the brake at the end of the boxcar […] more »
My inspiration for this design came about after our visit to the Airpower Museum in Blakesburg, Iowa, last summer. We were surprised by all the different planes on display there; it is a historic combination of early planes, engines, propellers and other related articles. For this design, I worked from a photo. Because of the […] more »
This piece was inspired by the interesting shape of the violin, and it was something that has been on the back burner for a while. When a friend asked me if I had any collages of this particular subject, I jumped right in and designed a piece. My favorite part of designing a piece is choosing […] 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 »
This piece is a reinvention of one of my favorite subjects: chairs. A challenge with this composition was adding non-related elements, as well as harmonizing the colors. It all began with an elderly blue jay, who flew to our patio and just sat and sat. No movement. He perched on the water bowl for a […] more »
What inspired me to paint another piece of farm machinery was all the intricate shapes of gears, wheels and rusted parts that makes up the whole hunk of metal. This is an old threshing machine that sits at the Prairie Museum in Corydon, Iowa. The massive size of it is amazing… how it once rattled […] more »