My inspiration for this collage was my love of the shapes of the different buildings in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. I was attracted to the colors and details of this familiar and popular establishment. more »
This abstract landscape was inspired by seaside vacations in the past. I wanted to explore this motif in a different format instead of a traditional watercolor painting, and not use a standard size. more »
It all started back in 1985, when a customer told me about a cool barn to see and possibly do a painting of it. So I grabbed my Minolta camera, the old film kind, and took off. The adventure led to traveling down many southern Iowa country roads without a plan or map — just […] more »
I am continuing my Iowa barn series with this old structure with rustic barn boards, ragged roof, cupelo and windmill. It is very characteristic of Midwestern life, but largely disappearing from the landscape. This one is still standing, at least it was the last time I traveled in that direction. more »
These old structures are fascinating and almost completely disappeared from the countryside where we live. This one is gone, but I used a photo taken years ago. The gaps in the roof and uneven barn boards have interesting abstract designs which attracted me in the first place. I used artistic license with the color — […] more »
This collage is part of my Iowa Series started way back in ’85. My first collages were a small square format of barns and farm animals. Over the years these have evolved to include other elements of farm life. I love the patterns of spots on the dairy cows and the interesting shapes of barn […] 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 »
A Daily Painting of one of my famous Iowa barns. Although the barn has disappeared from the landscape, it is still full of character in this piece, with its raggedy roof and weathered boards. Using artistic license, I added bits of bright color to give it more life. It was quite drab and plain. The […] more »
This is one of my Daily Paintings which was done in one sitting. I enjoy painting Iowa landscapes with all the typical elements of farm life. This one includes a tractor, silos, shed, old tire, and hay bale. I like the casual composition — nothing too orderly with the random placement of things. 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 »