Now that it’s spring, you will notice my paintings are full of fresh flowers. I love the pale violets and lavenders of the coneflowers, and the orange and rust-colored centers. They attract numerous butterflies, bees and other interesting insects. My general plan of attack is to take numerous photographs, and if I have time, I […] more »
Many of my paintings are part of a series. This was the first depicting a selection of my brushes and palettes. Here, I collected all my painting materials and set them up outside in direct sunlight. I prefer a casual set up and don’t spend a lot of time arranging the items. I take many […] more »
I am getting into spring and painting more florals! The variety of subtle whites inspired me to paint this orchid. I used my snapshot from the Botanical Garden. I love the pale, minty greens and the fuchsia and lavender centers. My goal was to capture the gracefulness and delicacy of this plant. more »
Between serious competition pieces, I enjoy doing some fun little collages. Humorous animals always tickle my fancy. And because pets are so loved, I chose a yellow lab for this design. I also got a chance to utilize my collage paper scraps. I added a piece of map and was surprised that there is actually […] 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 »
In October, I had the itch to paint some chairs again, but to add a twist to the composition. Previously, most of my designs were with jungle plants, but I decided enough of the greenery! Although I do find myself doing plant life frequently, it is good to do something totally different. In this case, I […] more »
This miniature watercolor was done specifically for the Montana Watercolor Society’s fund-raising program. All the award winners this year were asked to complete a piece seven by nine-and-a-half inches. For me, that is a big challenge. I am more comfortable painting full-sheet paintings of twenty-two by thirty and larger. So painting in a restricted size […] more »
This is my last bouquet from our garden this year with our bright sunflowers and gladioli. It was painted wet-in-wet and completed in two days, which is quick for me. My main concern was to capture the freshness and bold colors of the flowers. The indigo bowl was a gift from my parents and the […] more »
Now that the weather is cooler and changed into fall, I have been thinking about my summer flowers — the wonderful luscious yellow and mahogany sunflowers among the delicate fuchsia cosmos. These were picked and arranged in my artistic vase, filling it thick with blossoms. I am particularly fond of the red-violet color. It really […] 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 »