New Work

Illumined

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wildflower watercolor

   My emotions turn a little bittersweet at this time of the year. Autumn is an exuberant time of color and temperatures cooling down. However, it means the growing season is closing and gray skies will figure in our future. Wanting to hang on to this waning season, I painted the piece I titled Illumined. It’s a celebration of the annual bloom of Balsamroot and Lupine wildflowers we experience in the Columbia River Gorge. It will be available to the public in the future, but I’m currently enjoying this exclamation of life in my home.

Illumined, original watercolor, 28″ x 31″

Red Poppies

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Mornings are still quite chilly in The Dalles, Oregon, but I definitely have springtime on my mind. Pruning roses and fruit trees, cleaning up the perennial flowers, and replenishing the raised beds occupy my time as weather allows. When I can’t dig in the dirt, I head back to my painting table. Red Poppies, watercolor, speaks to the coming explosion of floral color. This painting will be part of my collection for the Gorge Artists Open Studios Tour on April 20-22.

Cattle on My Horizon

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Nothing brightens a winter day like finishing a painting of a flashy Longhorn heifer. The added bonus is how well her name, Chex My Girl, works as the title.

This handsome animal dwells at the Fey Longhorn Ranch, in the Willamette Valley.

Chex My Girl is an original watercolor, 29″ x 31″, and it will be included with my body of work for the Gorge Artist Open Studios Tour on April 20-22.

I plan to paint more cattle as the year progresses. Watch for future posts!

Gorge Artists Open Studios Tour in April

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January finds me focusing on a new body of work to present to the public this spring.

I will be a participating artist in the Gorge Artists Open Studios Tour, which involves 41 artists from Cascade Locks to The Dalles.

Mark your calendar for April 20-23, 10am-5pm each day. This event is free to the public!

Morning Mist, (watercolor, 29″ x 37″) is a view of beautiful Badger Creek, which flows through the Mt. Hood National Forest.

This piece and many others will be available for sale the weekend of my studio tour.

Late Summer Splendor

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One of my favorite recent watercolors has been Late Summer Splendor, in which I celebrate the exuberance of sunflowers.

This time lapse video shows my approach to a floral subject: drawing the subject on 300 lb. watercolor paper, select use of a masking agent, and painting a wet-into-wet background. From there, I painted lots of petals employing colors from light to dark, in both temperature and values. It sometimes feels like I’m constructing my own personal jigsaw puzzle. The finished piece has qualities of radiant light and summer heat…exactly what I was hoping to capture.

Local Color

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It’s always fun when inspiration occurs close to home. I live on a street ending at a pasture. It’s not like living out in the country, but I do get to listen to the evening lowing of cattle.  This cow and her youngster are part of the neighboring herd. I chose paint with these colors because they broadcast the freshness of that day, and my abiding love for bovines. Local Color, watercolor, 21″ x 21″.

A Western Love of Color

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This Friday, July 7 (5-7 pm), I will have an opening reception for my solo show, A Western Love of Color. The show is presented by Pendleton Art & Frame, located at 36 SW Court Ave., Pendleton, Oregon. I’ve had fun painting cattle and horses for this exhibit, and I’ve also included many river pieces…another favorite subject of mine. Please join me for this opening. I’d love to share the stories behind each watercolor. (This show will continue through August 31.)