The most exciting moment for me is completing a collage without a thumbnail design, allowing the process to carry my creative mind on an adventure of discovery. In the past I began with a specific idea and drawing for a collage. It started with Iowa barns and farm animals. I traveled in southeast Iowa searching […] more »
My goal at the start was to create a unique design using a limited palette. I wanted the final design to be out of the ordinary and be eye-catching. It is also important to me to vary the shapes and sizes of these. This is the part of the process I love. I have no […] more »
This is a design from my archives that I decided to rework and improve with various color changes and textures. The inspiration for this vertical design was the architecture of the buildings in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. I love the different shapes of the buildings. It began with a picture-taking adventure throughout the city, from various […] more »
This is a non-objective vertical design, which began without the help of a drawing. I find it challenging to work this way allowing my creative energies to flow without a definite end product in mind. I first chose some colors from my cache of hand-painted collage papers, limiting the hues. This is difficult for me […] more »
This design was started back in October and I put it aside for a while to think about the composition and colors. Sometimes the creativity flows easily, and other times I feel unsure what direction to take. The colors were good to start with; I liked the teal, turquoise and reds and ochre. Then I […] more »
My idea was to re-work an old piece with the same title, but I ended up changing the whole design. There was a spark of an idea to add a guitar to an abstract piece and it kept evolving. The colors changed along the way too, which is one of the benefits working with collage. […] more »
This rooster acrylic collage is one of the many I have done with an Iowa animal theme. I usually begin doing a loose contour drawing and do not concern myself with a perfect, detailed drawing of the subject matter. I want the linear design to be lyrical and expressive. The background element was unknown at […] more »
This watercolor was painted in the “alla prima” technique, from the Italian meaning “at the first.” It describes a painting which is completed in a single session. The idea is to capture the essence of the subject in a bold, intuitive way, using vigorous, expressive brush strokes and minimal color mixing on the palette. This […] more »
Still lifes are my favorite subject matter because the possibilities are endless. This is a bunch cosmos from this year’s garden. It takes me a while to decide what to include in the set-up, and I chose to paint them in a special vase with a favorite patterned fabric. I begin by drawing the design on watercolor […] more »
I have challenged myself to do a series of petite collages. No easy feat when you are used to 22” x 30”. Using my sketch of a perky bantam rooster, I collaged the rooster shapes with yellow, tan, and orange feathers. Keeping the background simple and plain because of the small area to work, I […] more »