Wednesday, November 7, 2012



The flower is the poetry of reproduction.  It is the example of the eternal seductiveness of life.

                                                      Jean Giraudoux

      This painting has taken a long time to evolve.  I have a wonderful new teacher who suggested the shadow in the upper right hand corner.  What a nice dramatic touch!  I had a difficult time deciding on the value for the purple flowers in the front.  The photograph I was working from didn't have much depth at all and I really wanted the smaller flowers to really come out of the picture.  This may need a little more tweeking but for now I am setting it aside.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012






Courage is doing what you're afraid to do.  There can be no courage unless you're scared.

                    Eddie Rickenbacker


     Well, I finally got this bike on the ground.  Although it was my intent to have her be the main focus, the drawing just didn't look finished until she had some ground under her.  It was tempting to keep going and add some landscape but I think any more background would just detract from her.  I love her look of determination!  As far as technique within this drawing, smudging was a huge problem.  At a recent art show I saw a charcoal artist using some sort of contraption that allowed his arms and hands to rest on it yet allowed him to work easily.  I am on a hunt!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012


 As an artist grows older, he has to fight disillusionment and learn to establish the same relation to nature as an adult as he had when a child.

Charles Burchfield

Well, it is finally time on this one to add the flowers.  It is amazing to me to just contemplate one leaf ~ so intricate and so many different colors.  This is the fun part where I get to focus on the beauty of nature. 

Tuesday, October 16, 2012


                                              The Calm Before The Storm


The days come and go like muffled and veiled figures sent from a distant friendly party, but they say nothing, and if we do not use the gifts they bring, they carry them as silently away.

                            Ralph Waldo Emerson 

 Although this painting needs a little more fine tuning it is already one of my favorites.  I love how the little church stands so proudly and so securely in spite of the terrible storm brewing behind it.  The trees and the wheat field also stand so serenely in the church's presence.  I will try to add a little more drama by putting some more shadows in the landscape but will try to hang on to that feeling of calmness.

Monday, October 15, 2012






                                                                       Morning Windowsill



No architecture can be truly noble which is not imperfect.

                                                                  John Ruskin


I have been working on this window and windowsill for quite awhile and haven't been happy with it.  This morning it was either do it or put it in the pile of "to be gessoed over" ~ maybe it was the art show I went to this weekend that inspired me but I am much happier with things now.  After letting this rest for awhile I will come back and put in the real focus of the painting ~ flowers!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012


 The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.

                                         Ralph Waldo Emerson


This is my latest drawing ~ although it needs some tweeking I have decided to leave her to ride her bike for awhile without me.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Optimism





In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.

Albert Camus

I have been trying to finish up some of my old paintings and have gotten completely stuck on one in particular ~ the colors aren't working. Unfortunately, I am working from a black and white drawing and it has been extremely difficult for me to find exactly the color combinations that I think the painting needs. Color mixing not being my strong point I see now where I need to spend some time practicing with my paints. I have also been going a little crazy trying to find some ideas for future paintings. There are countless photos on the web to choose from and yet I couldn't seem to settle on any of them. It was all getting rather depressing. Yesterday, however, my daughter sent me a wonderful article on optimism. I decided to put my challenging painting aside for a few days, look through some of my old work that I was pleased with, and just pick three photos that seemed to provide a different bit of a challenge and dive in with my oils. The flower above is a watercolor I did quite a while ago ~ I love the color combination in this one. The purple sky and yellow wheat field are the beginning of a small landscape in oil that I started this morning. The old rule of being an artist is true ~ just get in the studio and start. I feel better already!

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Starting Over


If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavours to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

Ralph Waldo Emerson


After a long and tedious relocation and an unsatisfactory attempt at moving into a shared studio I have finally set up shop at home again. My first day back at the easel after way too long was spent putting some final touches on this painting which I had already posted on my web site. It is amazing how things can look so different after a long absence. I am much happier with this painting now and plan to set it aside for six months and then give it a coat of varnish. It was oh so lovely to be back with my brushes and paints!