Looking through my sketchbooks, I decided to work from a sketch done around 2005 of my garden tulips. I used an archival matboard for the support, instead of watercolor paper. No background was planned initially; I worked with various paper scraps and color shapes to achieve an unusual background. Leaves are at the edges and […] 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 »
I was inspired to do something with the bright orangey colors of our garden cantaloupes. We picked about six of them and I cut them into wedges before cutting them into chunks for breakfast. I wanted to do something fun and whimsical and thought about the praying mantis we had on our back steps a […] more »
This is the second collage I have completed on a canvas one-inch-deep frame. Since I love cats, it is only natural that one fits into my collection of animal canvases! I began first by painting the background a Diarylide Yellow, which is a little orangy. It makes the purple cat “pop” from the surface. I […] more »
These glorious blooms were painted from my garden. I worked from my reference photo and sad to say I no longer have tulips in my garden, as the deer have destroyed them. Tulips are one of my favorite flowers and a sure sign that spring has arrived. These graceful blooms were wonderful to paint. The […] more »
This collage is a continuation of my Iowa barn series that I began in 1994. I used a reference photo given to my by a friend. This barn is in northwest Iowa. All of my barn collages have been done from actual barns found in southeast Iowa, or friends who send me pictures from their areas. […] more »
I’m back doing a still life with my favorite glassware. I recently purchased the round, ruby vase that I thought would be great in a set-up. The other challenge in this still life was using an abstract acrylic collage in the background behind the glass. The pears added interesting shapes and color changes in the design. A piece of […] more »
This is another farm animal — a black and copper metallic-speckled rooster with orange feet and lavender background. I added yellow divisional strips for the Bingo board and added round map circles in the corners. I added a copper metallic edging and UV satin varnish and a bead eye. more »
I decided to paint what was right in front of me: my curvy, artistic palette, brushes, paint and water jar. The shapes of the pigment splotches were interesting, but very difficult to paint. Also, the wet paint splashes on the palette were a challenge. Sometimes you never think about painting the obvious! The shadow patterns […] more »
For this still life setup, I wanted to do something really different and unusual. I used a combination from my glassware collection: the bronze champagne glasses; the bubbly, purple goblets; the turquoise goblets; a cobalt blue wine glass; and the red bubble martini glasses. To achieve depth and height, I stacked them on scraps of glass. […] more »