I'm always inspired to paint fresh flowers from my garden. The colors are vivid and luscious, and that is what I try to capture in my paintings. The shapes, leaves and stems -- all the details inspire me to paint and draw these natural forms. more »
This painting began first as a watercolor. Then I decided to switch media and create a collage using bolder colors. I used the watercolor painting as a springboard for the new design. more »
This is a row of spotted Holstein dairy cows — I love the black and white patterns of them. I decided on painting the plain background first, in a neutral color so it wouldn’t conflict with the positive shapes of the cows. Pieces of an Iowa map are the foreground, sprinkled with some tulips. Lastly, […] more »
This is a whimsical design of nine Iowa hogs running through the tulips. Not something you see every day. I used pieces of an Iowa map for the sky shape and a variety of different colored hogs, plus a green-grass foreground and some happy red and pink tulips. more »
Flowers are one of my favorite subjects. For this collage, I used one of my sketches done in 2005. I love the shapes of tulips and the curved leaf patterns. I did not have a background planned, but improvised one using paper scraps to keep it fresh and exciting. The tiny triangle pieces were nipped from […] more »
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 »
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 »
Painting the flowers from my garden is almost a religious experience. Jonquils are a true sign of spring, along with the bright red tulips. Duplicating the colors of nature with watercolor pigments is difficult. So many nuances are found while observing the flowers when painting. I try to capture the freshness and vitality of the […] more »
The third of this series features a large opened purple tulip and two daffodils tucked under it. There is a red tulip on the left side under a purple tulip. more »
The second in my series of the tulips. This design includes three purple tulips on top, red tulip with a black center, a daffodil squeezed between them on the left, and a bright yellow parrot tulip with the red strips more »