Flowers & Field

This is a new piece painted on handmade rough press paper. The paint has settled beautifully into the uneven surface. It reminded me of a field so I added the flowers in gouache. I added the geese for more interest. Because the paper is handmade, the edges all have a deckle and the piece isn't perfectly straight.

"Flowers & Field" • Original watercolor and gouache on handmade paper • 11.5" x 17.75

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Country View

This was kind of an intuitive piece on 1/2" cradled wood. I started out with colors in an experimental wash without a clear idea of what I was going to paint. After the wash dried I really loved the peachy color and decided it would make a great spring tree.  There's a bit of contrast in the way the paint is applied; it's very thick in some places and very thin in other places where you can see the brushstrokes in the undercoating which add subtle texture. I've been trying to pay more attention to values and color notes and while this piece is small, (6" x 6") it does make a big impact on the wall.

"Country View" • Original acrylic on 1/2" cradled wood, sides painted brown • 6" x 6" • Ready to hang

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

King of the Marsh

I love painting marsh areas and revisit painting the a lot. I pretty much finished this piece and decided that it needed something else so I added the bird. Working on another project with iridescent paints, I added some to this piece. There's a little iridescent blue in the black of the bird and some interference paint in the water.

"King of the Marsh" Original acrylic on 3/4" wrap around canvas, painting continues on sides ready to hang • 6" x 6"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Kingfisher in the Marsh

I've been working on this piece for a few days making adjustments.
The idea for this piece came to me when I was going through my photos and came across a kingfisher photo that I really liked. So I decided to place the bird into a landscape that a kingfisher would love! Lots of water, grasses and little fish (you can't see those) for tasty snacks! I made use of adding red to my greens in the background to set them back and worked with the different blues and purples in the water to make it interesting.

"Kingfisher in the Marsh" • Original acrylic on 1.5" gallery wrap canvas, painting continues on sides, ready to hang
12" x 12"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Warm Light—Heron Peeking Through the Grasses

This piece is painted in acrylic on canvas. The shape is challenging and really makes for interesting compositions. I've been wanting to work a lot in greens lately which I think can be a difficult color to work with. I've discovered if I add tan colors as well as yellow and peach accents it makes the greens look better. The gray of the bird really stands out against the greens. In the water I used a glaze of lighter paint to make the ripples in the water. I think this is a really strong piece.
Thanks to my brother for the photo!

Warm Light—Heron Peeking Through the Grasses • Original acrylic on 3/4" wrap around canvas, painting continues on sides, ready to hang • 24" x 12"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

A Magical Time

We've been having snow lately and I've been painting. Using a softer brush and more medium with my acrylics is creating some softer effects with the paint. This piece, A Magical Time, is based on some marsh photos that I took last spring which seemed too complicated to paint. You know, a photo looks great until you try to make it into a painting! These photos have some really great values so composing this piece worked out pretty smoothly. I added quite a bit of red to the greens in the background to set them in the distance. Glazing some lights over the water really add to the quality of the reflection and the grasses and weeds create a wonderful atmosphere.

"A Magical Time" • Original Acrylic on 3/4" wrap around canvas, painting continues on sides, ready to hang • 20" x 20"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.

Musical Sunflowers

I started this piece as a class demo and I've been working on it. I added the flowers above the largest flower and worked on the leaves. My eye kept going to the orange on the right so I adjusted the saturation of that flower peeking behind the leaf. When I added the little touches of gouache with the spatter and the flat brush strokes I think it really started to sing.

"Musical Sunflowers" • Original watercolor on 100% cotton paper • 11" x 15"

If interested in purchasing this piece click HERE.