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 »
Machine compositions seem to have captured my interest again! This design is just a small piece of an old threshing machine. I love the old rusted pieces of metal and weathered wood sections of the machine. It would be fun to see it actually working in the field. When I begin my watercolor compositions, I […] more »
This is a continuation of an abstract collage design I completed for an upcoming competition. At the start, I chose and cut various shapes of papers and played with different configurations until the design pleased me. What usually happens with the design is an evolving of shapes, patterns and textures. Early on, I decided that […] more »
I always wanted to paint this barn, and I’m finally getting around to it. This is a historic, round barn in Wayne County, Iowa. There are not many round barns left and they are interesting characters! Working from a photo, I enhanced all the weathered boards and roof in my usual bold, saturated pigments of ultramarine, […] more »
Working from my old photos, I pieced together these barn board shapes in gray-textured, hand-painted papers against a vivid red sky. I liked the shed extensions on both sides of the barn and used turquoise for the roof — bringing in the complement color of the sky to make it “pop”. I could not resist […] more »
I’m painting my way around Albia’s square. This pale yellow building on the corner is a landmark and on the historic register. It is interesting sandwiched between the other businesses. The other points of interest are the global lights and parked vehicles along the curb. The building colors are a primary triad of yellow, gray-blue and brick […] more »
I’m continuing my metalscape series with all the interesting ridged cans and circular lids. This is the eighth design, and I used a limited palette of burnt sienna and various blues. It took me about a week to paint. I began by doing a couple thumbnail designs in my sketchbook since I worked from my […] more »
Seems like the possibilities are endless in my quest of metal landscapes. Besides noticing all the junk people recycle. The little snips of red break up the gray-striped pattern of the soup and fruit cans. The round lids add interest to the reflected patterns. It is a challenge to mix different shades of gray, warm and cools. […] more »
Another fabulous “tinscape”! These crushed cans are in another landscape formation, with the Folger’s coffee can being most prominent. Being a coffee sipper, I really appreciate the bright red can among the striped soup cans and pull tabs. Lots of movement in this design — all the varieties of gray shapes make the red pop. more »