Three Boats at Rest

One of my favorite pastimes has been to wander down the rows of boats at our local marina with my antique Minolta film camera poised and ready, hoping to spot yet another magical nautical composition, usually a small dingy with oars. If the light is bright, I can get great shadows. If the light is overcast, I'll have to make up my own shadows, but can capture great detail. With the weather such as it is in the Pacific Northwest, by the time I come back to my subject in the opposite direction, the light will very likely be the opposite of what I recorded initially. Cool! The image above is from a series of dinghies I have recently completed, done in acrylic on hardboard (Masonite) and framed in a black metal floating frame. This one measures 10" x 10". It is not currently for sale, but will be displayed in June for our Bellingham downtown gallery walk. Stay tuned for a preview of the remainder of the series.

Lemon Souffle

Have I mentioned that I love painting still lifes? I don't know what it is about dragging dishes out of the cupboard, raiding the refrigerator for any possible subject matter, finding a patch of sunshine in the backyard, and photographing various compositions for painting at a later time. This painting is a transparent watercolor on 140-pound Arches watercolor paper. It measures 9-1/2" x 13-1/2", but has been creatively cropped for this post. You can contact me directly for pricing information.

Two Bartletts Plus One

This is another experiment with an acrylic underpainting and pastel. Pears are a wonderful subject for exploring colors, shapes and values. They always seem to look like pears regardless of their various lumps and bumps, freeing me up to concentrate on other elements of design. This painting measures 9" x 13". For purchasing information, please contact me directly.

Playing with Shadows

This painting entitled "Pear with Mini-Blinds" is a recent attempt to think like a pastel artist. With the technique of an acrylic underpainting in a complementary color, it is a bit of a mind bender for me to try to visualize what it will look like with pastel laying over top... which is actually kind of fun... the not knowing and being pleasantly surprised. I think that is why I paint... to constantly be amazed at the results I sometimes get. It is never dull.

This pastel painting measures 9" x 13" and is painted on illustration board. If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please contact me for pricing information.

Still Tweeking - Take 2

Day 3 of my blog experience. I'm still figuring out all the "bells and whistles" on this new toy. If I seem to have repeated myself from my previous blog post, it's because I've re-entered my day 2 post and will try to delete the first one... wish me luck.

This image is from a new series of pastel paintings I'm venturing into. Because I'm so deeply entrenched in the painting-with-a-brush process, I've started these paintings with an acrylic underpainting of wild and crazy colors on illustration board. I've layered pastel ground over the acrylic underpainting and topped with the pastel. I've also applied a liberal coat of workable fixative, which seems to intensify the colors. Stay tuned. If you do something long enough (that includes blogging), you're bound to get better at it.

Giclee prints on canvas are available for this print measuring 15.25" x 15.75 " or smaller. Please contact me for pricing information.

My second post

While this image is not new, it still successfully transports me to a place of tranquility, which I desperately need after tweeking this blog for the last two hours.

Giclee prints on canvas (16" x 20") are available of this image. Please contact me for pricing information.

My first post

I can't believe I'm actually doing this! I am the poster child for the technically challenged.