I started out thinking fig leaf and got lost in the shapes. Now it's Swiss Chard or whatever green leafy thing you like.
I like them all!


Watercolor 7x11
Available $200

Rockabilly Rooster

As much as I have been obsessed with figs lately, I have not been ignoring our two chickens. Once in a while, a certain stance, a particular expression or simply the way the light hits the feathers makes me HAVE to paint one.





Oil on Canvas 11x14
Available $400.

Fig Leaf on a Fiery Red Ground

Speaking of color!


Oil 5x7
Available $200.

Hot Figs

Oil 5x7
Available $200.

Single Dangling Fig

What a perfect little shape to nestle between the curves of the fig leaves.


Oil 5x7
Available $200

Fig Leaves, Blue Sky

This is the third painting in the series of "Fig Leaves". And I haven't even explored the fruit...yet!




Oil 11x14

Available $300

Fig Leaves Against the Sun

Fig leaves are staying my mind and flowing out of the brush. What a great shape to work color around.


Oil 11x14
Available $300

Under a Fig Tree

I stood under a giant fig tree today. This is what happened.




Oil 11x14
Available $300.

Crazy Legs, White Chicken

Can you see how sweet she is?



Oil 5x7
Available $150.

Graphite Drawing of a Chicken Strutting

We have two chickens left. Lulu is all white. Grace is solid black. They stand out dramatically against the green foliage in the yard. I love to draw them and the great shapes and patterns they produce.


Graphite Drawing 5x8
Available $100.

Excited Chicken

The hens are a bit skittish since their sisters got eaten by a mysterious predator in the night. They come out in the day to explore the garden, scratch around for good bugs and best of all- fly. I would think it would feel great to fly. I have spent way too much time imagining what it would be like to be a chicken.


Oil 8x10
Available $300.

Birthday Poppies

It's my birthday so I allowed myself to do WHAT EVER I wanted to do.
Which was exactly what I do everyday. Paint!

Magnolia Watercolor on Fabriano

I've been working on this piece for a very long time. Fabriano is not the paper I usually use, so it was a little more challenging. More surprises with the flow of the paint and drying behavior. But it came together today!


Watercolor 16x22
Available $500.

Lucky Chicks

Shrill squeals in the night alerted us to a prowler in the woods. In the morning, I opened the coop door with great trepidation. Lulu, our solid white chicken came bounding out, and behind her, Grace, the all black hen. No Ella, no Jackie, and no Hatchet.
No holes in the chicken wire, no evidence of digging either. Whatever got them, ate them entirely and left only a few feathers strewn around the garden. Snake, Weasel, Mink, Raccoon, Opossum are our guesses. Supposedly, a raccoon can reach through the chicken wire and disassemble the bird to get it out. Ya think?

Lulu and Grace are now safe in the garage at night, until we get their Chicken Gazebo built.

Yellow Sunflower

Oil 8x10

Available $300.

Sunflowers for Karlyn

I painted sunflowers today with friends in Lynda's "attic". I like the energy of many people painting the same thing. Here is the fruit of my labor.

Oil 8x10

Available $300.

Sailboats

This little watercolor captures the peacefulness of floating on the water.



Watercolor 5x6
Available $150.

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea) and Swallowtail Butterfly

Watercolor 17x22
Available $800.

Echinaceae Study

Our Echinaceas are more bountiful than ever before. These flowers can be complicate to paint so I am doing some sketches and smaller pieces to work out simplifications for a large painting I am in the midst of.

White Magnolia Blossoms- Watercolor

The recent smaller paintings led to this! A large (22x30) Watercolor of Magnolias. I liked using the angular shapes created by the branches playing behind the rounded organic forms of the blossoms.


Watercolor 22x30
Available $2000.

Ivory Magnolia Watercolor

The classic Southern Magnolia, (grandiflora) stays dark green all year and grows to be 100 ft tall dramatically displaying giant white blossoms in the late spring. The flowers are fun to paint because of their simplicity and whiteness. The center intrigues me too.

Original Watercolor

Available $150.

Magnolia Blossom on Red

I am working on a large Magnolia painting. Watercolor requires drying time between layers so I always have a few smaller pieces going at the same time. I have painted many Magnolias but never against such a HOT background. I like it.

Watercolor 7x10
Available $200.

Regal Purple Iris

Watercolor 6x8
Available $150.

Waterlily in the Koi Pond

When the gardens needs to be tended, the pond need to be cleaned, and the studio needs to be swept - I pick up my paintbrush and all the chores disappear. For the time being.


Watercolor 6x9

Available $200.

Orange Triplets

After being out of town I need a few days before tackling a blank canvas. Today I put the finishing touches on these oranges I started last week.



Oil 7x10
Available $300

Drawing from 1943

I just returned from a wonderful week in Minneapolis visiting my huge family. I helped my mom organize her studio and sort through 60 years of paintings and drawings. In a way it was like going through a diary as she recalled the time and place when each piece was created. Here's one of the drawings she did when studying at The Art Institute of Chicago in the early forties.










no dp

Jumpy Chicken

Our new batch of chicks are now 6 weeks old and their Top Hats have grown quite dramatically. They scare each other when they whip their wild heads around.





Oil 8x10
$300.

Polish Chicken Coming of Age

I'm not alone in my love of chickens.
Last weekend Raleigh, NC had its annual Tour d'Coop. Raleigh city chicken owners showed us how they keep their hens in an urban environment. The coops were creative and the people interesting. We all like the fresh eggs and the rich compost, but best of all- chickens are excellent entertainment! They are cute, hassle free pets!






Oil 8x10

Available $300.

Memorial Day Watermelon

As a child, Memorial Day meant cousins and watermelon in grandma's backyard.





Oil 8x10
Available $300

Clam Shell & Driftwood

Oil 5x8
$200

Clam Shell & Seaweed

Oil 5x7
$200.

Purple Mussel Shell

A shell could be a rock, or could be just a neat shape.


Oil 5x7
Available $200.

Nestling Shells

Oil 5x7
Available $200.

Clam Shell on the Beach, Oil Painting

I brought a handful of shells home from the beach for visual reference AND the wonderful salty smell of the ocean.




Oil 5x7
Available $200.

Opening Up, Shells on the Beach, Watercolor

I am usually a private painter most comfortable working in my own little studio world. But, for something new, I just spent a few days at the beach with a great group of artists and felt inspired by the whirl of creative energy. Now I can sit down with all my sketches and spontaneous watercolors and see what happens here at home.



7x10 Watercolor
Available $200

Interplay, Rocks on the Beach

This is interesting taking the same painted shapes I have been calling "rocks", lifting them out of the desert and putting them with sand and water. Hum. A whole new feel.
It will be fun for me to see how this evolves.



8x10 Oil
Available $300.

Calm Waters

I have found a calm place again after a few weeks of disarray. My computer is up and doing what it is supposed to do so now I can show you what has been happening at the easel.



Oil 8x10
Available $300.

Little Red Place

This is one of those magical little places that exists only in my mind.

Oil 8x10
Available $300

Desert Rocks 6, Oil

Oil 8x10

Baby Chicks Have Arrived

Watercolor 9x12
Available $150.

Orchid in the Attic

Watercolor 8x11
Available $200.

Royal Chick

One more.









Oil 5x7
available $150.

Baby Golden Chick

Oil 5x7
Available $150

New Baby Chick

We have new chicks born just 9 days ago. All five are different "Top Hats". Here is one.





Oil 5x7
$150.

Wide Open Tulip, Watercolor

Hallowed Ground, Watercolor Landscape

Some of these desolate places are so surreal. I had to keep checking myself for a connection to what I know.



Watercolor 7x10

Available $200.

Entrance, Watercolor Landscape

These images from the desert are stirring in me again. I am moved by the dramatic teepee shapes, heavy solid stones holding one another up, the deep dark places way down inside.




Watercolor 7x8

Available $200.

Blue Hills, Watercolor Landscape

I started this piece in the desert months ago, but it just came to completion tonight. It was inspired by desert hills but moved beyond the obvious to include what is below, above and beyond.

Watercolor does a good job of conveying underground.

Watercolor 11x15
Available $300

Yellow Umbrella

I'm not sure why I am painting doorways lately, but to me they signify change- new paths- fresh approaches.

I like Joseph Campbell's comment, "follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you
didn't know there were doors."


Watercolor 5x7
Available $200

Golden Doorway Framed in Wisteria

Our barren twisted vines of Wisteria are suddenly draped in beautiful clusters of dangling lavendar blossoms. Gorgeous and fragrant too.



Watercolor 5x7
Available $150.

Sunday Feathered Chicken

26 artists held a local Studio Tour this weekend. It was fun and exciting but a bit hectic in my usually serene studio. This chicken is feeling the stress, or the energy, depending on how you look at it.



Watercolor 5x7
Available $125.

Orange Tulips

Watercolor 5x8
Available $100.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

I learned about paints from little dried Prang pans. My first introduction to "real" watercolor came as wet and velvety intense Prussian Blue squeezed from a tube in 1972. To this day, it is one of my favorite colors. Thanks Bob Pulsifer. This has nothing to do with chickens but lots to do with why I paint.



Watercolor 6x8
Available $150.

Quince Blossoms

This is one of the first dramatic bursts of spring here in the Carolinas. I had to stop and paint it before all the other glorious color drowns out the delicate quince blossom. Like many other bushes, the flowers appear on bare stems before the leaves.


Watercolor 3x7
Available $100.

She's Golden

One can study color wheels all they like. There are formulas for artists and even computer programs that will tell you what colors "work" together. But it's amazing how much we "know" about color intuitively. This coloring surprised me. And, I liked it.





Watercolor 5x5
Available $125.

White Tulips in a Row

When I was a child, we had a section of white tulips, a section of pink and a section of purple. The purple ones were called "Black" Beauties which didn't make any sense to us kids. I've wanted to paint that memory, but it makes a lopsided color composition, so here's a more balanced version of the idea.






Watercolor 3x11
Available $125.

Citrus Colored Tulips, Watercolor

I have a dream of painting a row of tulips that stretches the length of my studio. Maybe it will be painted directly on a wall somewhere. Hmmmm.

Quin Gold Chicken

I have a perfect Watercolor palette, tweaked over many years to provide me with any hue I want. So I was delightfully surprised today when my friend turned me on to a new color! Quinacridone Deep Gold- a new release from Daniel Smith. This luscious transparent watercolor pigment glows of Amber. I had planned to paint a flower but upon seeing the first stroke of this rich yellow cross my paper- I just had to paint a golden crowned chicken. What else?

Watercolor 9x12

Red Tulip

Sometimes a painting stands alone. No words needed.











Watercolor 5x12

Available $150

Orange Poppies Posing

Watercolor 6x9
Available $200

Lynda's Lilies

I began this painting in Lynda's studio with a gathering of other artists. It is interesting and enlightening to see how different painters translate a dramatic bouquet of fresh lilies.




Watercolor 10x14

Available $450.

Swan Lake

The reflection is my favorite part of this painting. I like putting the paint on loose and free.








Oil 8x10
Available $300.

Little Orange Pot

Reflections is the Daily Painters theme today so I tried something completely different. This little orange ceramic pot is hard and shiny and ... yes, reflective!

Iris Shadow Play

When painting I think about making nice shapes to create some movement and interest. I think about color, mood and light.
Realism is not my goal. Capturing the essence of the flower is what makes a painting work for me.





Watercolor 15x21
Available $400.

Cabernet Orchid

I like the composition of this little piece so much, I think I may enlarge the concept and make a flower you can walk right into!








Watercolor 4x5
Available $100.

Ruby Red Irises

10x24 Watercolor
Available $600.

Pristine White Iris in Bloom

I've been working on a series of Irises for a week or so. This is the best of the season... so far. How many Irises have a painted in my life? A hundred, at least. They have unique personalities with their sumptuous drapes and folds. The lightness and delicacy lends itself to watercolor beautifully.




Watercolor 13x15
Available $500.

A Long Drink of Water

Watercolor 4x11

Available $200

Ruby Iris Watercolor

In watercolor, letting the paint go free is where the best stuff happens. The blossoms, the drips, the swooshes give a painting it's freshness. My flowers can be very realistic but I am not going for "realism". I want to define the flower, but take it beyond that and bring in something new and fresh and lively. It is comfortable to be precise, but too much tightness can make a painting static. I want it to open and grow.




Watercolor 13x17
Available $500.

Forget Me Not

Watercolor 4x9
Available $100

Great Pink Heron

I grew up in Minnesota where Great Blue Herons are a familiar sight. When my brother Jimmy was a little kid and saw his first flamingo he declared "A Great Pink Heron"! I always thought that was very funny (and a good guess for a Minnesota kid).
Here is a picture of a Great Blue Heron.








Oil 8x10
Available $300.

Wigged Out

February Daffodil

I lifted leaves off the garden today so the first spring flowers could reach for the sun. Narcissi are displaying the first dramatic show of color. I call this a Daffodil because it sounds fun, light and springy while Narcissus reminds me of a teenagers psychological condition. I think it can be called either.




Oil 8x10
Available $300.

Callas in Watercolor

After slaving over the Oil Calla Lily earlier in the week, I had to break out the watercolors. White is my favorite "color" to paint in watercolor, or I should say NOT paint, since it requires preserving the white of the paper.






Watercolor 4x8
Available $100.

Calla Lily

February...hearts...love... callas. I went through the entire palette with this background before hitting on this warm chocolate which was rich, warm and just right.






Oil 5x7
Available $150.

February's Flower

Bleeding Heart is the perfect flower to paint in honor of the month of St. Valentine. I used watercolor for this piece because the medium fits the sweet,delicate blossom.




Watercolor 6x7
Available $150

Mother Thinks I'm Perfect

I visit my "canvases in progress" first thing each morning. The hours of painting I do in my dreams plus the fresh eye of a new day set me up for my best work. Nothing gets shown to you until it's made it past a few morning evaluations. This one was deserving yesterday, but I wanted one more day to make sure it was ... perfect.


Oil 8x10
Available $300.

Big Rocks Resting in the Desert

Fabulous rocks laid around in the desert like Henri Moore sculptures. So simple, yet dramatic.






Oil 8x10
Available $300.

Adobe Cabin, Arizona Desert

Many, many paintings were created in this little adobe cabin at Petrified Forest National Park where I did an Artist's Residency last fall. This was like a temple for me. Peaceful, quiet, warm.

Prickly Pear Cactus in Oil

Don't know why I am painting cactus in January. I guess, as an artist, I can enjoy being able to transport myself to warmer climes.


Oil 5x7
Available $200.


If I put little beaks on these poofy cacti pads..... oh never mind.

Ripe Papaya

We were sitting at the kitchen counter enjoying our slices of papaya and looking at the beautiful colors and shape of the fruit. When a clump of the black seeds tumbled out of the center- I stopped the feast and wisked the subject away to my studio. This just HAD to be painted.




Oil 8x10
Available $300

Chicken Wire

Oil5x7
Available $150.

Chicken Dinner

What a nice group of shapes. The are all different and yet the same.






Oil 7x8
Available $250

First & Probably Last Snow of 2009, Raleigh, NC

What a treat to paint snow! I wanted to capture the quietude of the earth gently covered with a fresh blanket of white snow.

Oil 8x10
Available $300.




If you miss seeing chickens, this painting could be turned upside down and called "Chicken Feet".

Are You Chicken?

Using Liquin liberally, I am able to get some nice transparency with oils. Painting the bright comb was especially fun.






Oil 8x10
Available $300.

Silver Laced Polish Chicken

I really want to get some Polish chickens - just to watch.
And to paint of course. But my husband doesn't think I give enough attention to the 3 chickens we already have.

I do pay attention- I know them well enough to paint them inside out and backwards. I guess visual attention isn't the same as replenishing their kibbles.



Oil 8x10
Available $300.

Scribbling Chickens

If I were going off to the moon and could only bring one drawing tool it would have to be a soft graphite pencil.

But- I would try to smuggle a black Sharpie in my shoe. This pen puts down a confident line and there is no going back!

One Little Chickie

Here is a small piece. This little baby chick would get lost on a bigger canvas. This size felt ... just right.








Oil 6x8
Available $200.

No One Takes Me Seriously

You may be surprised to know I take the painting process quite seriously, even when the subject is funny.






Oil 8x10

Studio Wall with Framed Chickens

Here is a wall in my studio showing finished paintings in their frames. Dodie thought it was interesting, so here it is.








nodp

She Doesn't Know She's Not Pretty

Guinea Hens can be homely with their wrinkly skin and wild hairs. It was fun figuring out what makes them sometimes interesting and even... beautiful?





Oil 8x10
Available $300

Chickens & Chick Watercolor

Three Chickens

Good shapes.









Oil 8x10
Available $300.

Black & White Line Drawings of Chickens

I haven't been posting much because I have no finished paintings. I have been busy working on line drawings. It is a fun way to study the shapes and expressions of the chickens. Without the use of color, lines are an effective way to express energy.

Choir Bird

Oil 8x10
Available $300.

Final Reds of Fall

These shapes began as Japanese Maple leaves but got painted into something quite different as the piece evolved. In the last few days they are changing from bright red to deep cranberry.






Oil 8x10
Available $300.

A Walk in the Woods

It is the last few days of these toasty colors.








Oil 8x10
Available $300.

Autumn Woods

This painting is about capturing the vibrant energy of the woods in the final days of Autumn. It snowed briefly yesterday (a rare thing in Raleigh, NC.). I ran outside, looked to the sky and let the flakes hit my face. I got to be a child again!






Oil 8x10
Available $300.

Barn Dance

Oil 8x10
Available $300.

Chicken on the Run

Autumn is at it's peak. Every window in my studio is suddenly filled with gold and orange. I started painting the woods, but Lucy ran by so I had to include her.



8x10 Oil

Slippered Chicken

It may be hard to believe but there really are chickens that look like the last couple of paintings. I take great liberties with their expressions but the general shapes are quite realistic.

Magnolia Grandiflora

Watercolor 15x22

Available $500

White Orchid on Crimson

I originally posted this last August as an unfinished piece. When someone asked to see the final painting I was reminded of it's abandonment and brought it back out.
Glad I did, because today it came together well!

Watercolor, Oil & Gouache
(I can hear the purists gasp)

20x30

Doors Will Open

This unfolded like a story as I painted it. Many evenings I worked deep into the night and then woke up early and rushed to my studio to see what had happened the night before.




20x30 Watercolor

Available $1500

Red Tiara Chicken

Oil 8x10

Guinea Hens

Oil 8x10

Ivory Chicken

Oil 8x10

Available $300.

Sally

She's loud, but quite lovable at the same time.




Oil 5x7

Available $200.

Raven Portrait

The best paintings are the ones that surprise me as they are coming off the brush. Sometimes I even freak myself out.


Oil 8x10

Available $300

Halves

I do not have a story for this, although I can imagine you might. I am just creating a quiet sensation with beautiful shapes leaning against one another.




Oil 5x7

Available $200

Ravenna

Some people associate the Raven with omens and spooky stuff but in Native American culture, the Raven is a wise guide, symbolizing change and transformation.

They say "The Raven is a harbinger of messages from the cosmos. These messages are nestled in the midnight wings of the Raven and come to only those who are ready for the knowledge".

Oil 8x10
Available $300

Raven Maniac

After six weeks of limiting myself to watercolors, yesterday I broke out the oils. Ooooooh. It felt good.





Oil 8x10

Available $300.

Datura In Full

Finally I got a chance to paint the dramatic white Datura on a full sheet of paper. After thirty years of painting flowers it is rare to discover a new kind of bloom that is fun to paint.




Watercolor 20x30

Available $1000.

Cactus Flower

I have several big paintings in the works and finished this Prickly Pear Cactus in bloom, last night. The warmer color palette must be Arizona influence.


Watercolor 20x30

Available $1500

Prickly Pear Cactus

Great subject. Like the rocks I have been painting, these cactus pads make perfect surfaces for shadows to lay. The plump ripe fruit and the pokey spines contrast nicely too.






Watercolor

Indian Paintbrush

I painted a painting of an Indian Paintbrush in the Painted Desert.



Watercolor 11x15

Available $300

Jimson Weed

I stalked Daturas for days trying to catch one open. They were either just ready to open or shriveled up. This made it especially exciting when I was led to a fully blooming cluster and got the show.

The Navajo say, 'Eat a little, and go to sleep. Eat some more, and have a dream. Eat some more, and don't wake up.'


Watercolor 11x15

Available $300

Tipping Point

Don't know if I should call this a landscape or a still life. These majestic piles of rocks facinated me.
The elements are heavy because they are rock, but light in their delicate balance.


Watercolor 14x17

Available $400.

Teepees

Upon first seeing these land formations I felt like I should spread out a prayer rug. They are... awesome. I am using that word for the first time- the Teepees deserve it.

This painting has many more layers than a watercolor usually allows but it worked for achieving the ethereal mood of this place. I like the soft undulating sage and how it dances with the sky. It is a rare moment when I finish a painting and say "That's it!"


Watercolor 11x15

Available $300.

Datura

This is only the first of many paintings of the glorious Datura with her pearly blossoms, perky buds, prickly fruit, pokey leaves and purplish stems.

Desert Wildflowers

Flowers are kind of "my thing", but I was so blown away by the dramatic vistas, that these little wildflowers barely spoke. This painting plays with the scale to give this delicate little dogweed a chance.


Watercolor 7x11


Available $200.

Underneath

I did several small pieces on sight and then brought them home to complete. This one conveys the mystery of what lies beneath the ground.

It was strange to walk on 225 million year old dinosaur bones which are exposed as the rain washes away the sand. I felt a certain reverence with every step.

Watercolor 7x7

Petrified Wood

Growing up, my dad seemed generally preoccupied, but if a kid brought home a beautiful agate, he paid attention. Naturally, this created a house full of eager little rock hunters.

So as an adult, imagine how magical it was for me to walk on a carpet of beautiful gems! The Petrified Forest is strewn with ancient trees turned to stone. The silica which replaced the cells of the original tree was colored by minerals like iron, carbon and cobalt creating a kaleidoscopes of yellows, reds, oranges, blues and blacks.

Any one little chunk of quartz would have satisfied me, but here there were millions of dazzling rocks every where I looked. It was incredible. My dad was there in spirit, and he was so pleased.

Watercolor 7x11

Available $200

Amy and Agates- Photo

Petrified Wood Photo

Hoodoo

There are fascinating land formations in this area called hoodoos*, columns of rock sculpted by water and wind erosion. Different kinds of rock erode at different rates so hard forms can appear to be left teetering or floating on top of a pillar of less stable material. These piles of unusual shapes make perfect subjects because I can manipulate them to make the composition work.

*Upon first hearing “See the hoodoo?” I didn’t know if I was looking for a plant, a lizard, dinosaur or a Martian. Does “hoodoo” sound like a rock to you?

11x15 Watercolor

Simplify

In painting, as in life, SIMPLIFING is very good. I went on this trip because I wanted to do some serious painting. I did not expect to get that and a personal transformation as well. Here is a watercolor that captures the quietude of the desert on the cusp of a storm.


Watercolor 11x15

Solitude in the Desert

I have returned from a two week Artist's Residency at the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. This piece best describes the quiet solitude of the place. I will keep this by my desk to remind me of this peacefulness.

Watercolor 7x7

Painted Desert Inn

Capturing the FEEL of the Painted Desert Inn.

The Raven

Ravens have something goin' on beyond the usual bird brain.
I felt guilty for not giving this one my lunch, so I decided to honor him with a portrait instead. No black was used in this painting.


Watercolor 21x21

Petrified Forest National Park Museum Collection

Agate Landscape

Watercolor paint lends itself beautifully to painting petrified wood.

petroglyph

Painting of Anasazi rock carving circa 1250.

Watercolor 11x15

Chicken Comin' Atcha

This is the last painting I have here.

White Plumed Chicken

There really are chickens that look like this!

Golden Crowned Chicken

Amy finished this chicken just before leaving. I am going to post a few pieces from here while she gets settled in AZ.
Rog

Oil 8x10

Leaving NC for AZ- Photo of Our Chickens

Note the contrast between yesterday's and today's photos.

This is the scenery I am accustomed to. Shall I leave my green paint tube behind?

Adobe Cabin Photograph

I didn't finish a painting today because I am busy packing. I am going to stay in the place pictured here in the middle of the desert to paint for two weeks. I will have my paints, brushes and paper but no computer (which is a trip in itself).

I might take photos via phone and email them to Rog who will post them here.

If you notice gaps in my blog activity, you know why.

Photograph: NPS/ T.Scott Williams

Taking It In Stride

Oil 8x10


Available $300.

Golden Chicken Portrait

This little portrait was painted rather loosely except the eye and beak. I am always amused at how the slightest smidgen of color around the eye can complete change the expression.


Oil 5x7

Available $200.

Chicken Head, Oil & Water

This began as a watercolor. I jumped in with oil and kind of liked the unfinished look of the completed piece.

6x6 Oil on Paper

Available $200.

Chicken Head

I kept this one clean and simple. The best kind.


Oil on Canvas 6x8

Available $200

Rooster on a Fence

August Rooster

People sometimes ask how an artist can paint the same thing over and over again. The more I get to know the shape and form of a thing, the more I can think about the paint.

Orchid on Red in progress

I am going back and forth between oils and watercolors and decided to do a piece on paper using both. I have used the white of the paper for the orchid and watercolor for the subtle shadows, and a strong saturated oil red for the background. This is half way finished. We will see where it goes.

Reformed Rooster Face

I went back into yesterday's rooster to make a minor change to the beak. Well, one thing let to another, and now it is a different painting.

Rooster Face

I cannot explain where some of this stuff comes from.

Grape Clusters

My dad was a vintner so he built a a grape arbor along the side of our house. As kids, we liked to climb on top of it, sit in the sun and eat grapes. I often feel the power of childhood images in my paintings.


Watercolor 15x22

Available $500.

Dangling Grapes on the Vine

I finally finished this watercolor of grapes which I've been working on for a month. I have many pieces in progress waiting for solutions. This came together today!


Watercolor 7x22

Available $400.

Lucy, the Most Chicken Chicken

Lucy is always the last at everything. Her timidness comes across in this painting and the ethereal background fits her.


Oil 6x8


Available $150.

Daisy Rooster

I'm having fun with the purely abstract backgrounds but elaborated on the setting in this piece.

Oil 8x10

Available $250

Rockin' Rooster

This is working for me. It captures movement and life and radiates energy.

Oil 8x10

Available $300

Moe the Chicken

Of the four baby chicks, Moe was the strongest, fastest and piggiest of all. We were sure he was a rooster who didn't know how to crow... until he laid an egg. We still refer our transgender chicken as "he". He always eats first, leads the pack and lays a pink* egg everyday.

Oil 8x10

Available $200

*Rog says they are brown.

Proud Rooster

I have been so engrossed in painting lately, I have not been paying attention to our chickens. This beautiful sunny morning I sat outside and talked to them for a while, you know, just to catch up.

The rest of the day, I painted roosters. Started several but only finished this one.


8x10 Oil
Available $250.

A Gentler Nest

Garnet Ladyslipper

It's fun to paint something I know well enough to not have to think about what it looks like. Then I can focus on color, form and line, paying attention to the feel rather than the details.


Oil 8x10

Available $300

Orchid Shadows

When a song has no lyrics it can still be complete. Words not needed here.

Oil 8x10

Orchid in Motion

The fresh, wild and free strokes here gives this one some extra life. I want to work loose but with precision.


Oil 6x8

Nest on Fire

Why am I doing nests in the heat of Orchid painting? My daughter, Britt, leaves for college in two weeks. It seems too obvious a metaphor but I really wasn't thinking about "empty nesting" when painting. Yesterday I painted this one and today, after just making the nest connection, I titled it "Nest on Fire" although I had no conscious thought of that at all when I was doing it.

Oil 6x8

Three Eggs in a Nest

Last night I read about how fewer and fewer people are learning to write cursive and I was reminded of this piece I have been working on for months. My favorite part is the spontaneous calligraphic scribbles in the nest. It seems the motor control needed for painting is developed when learning cursive writing. If we don't have time to teach art and we don't have time to teach cursive, what will the creative people be doing in the future? What will painting look like?

I finished it in acrylic paint because that is what I started it in. The fast dying time is nice 11x14

Cattleya Orchid from Above

Here is a much better picture of this Cattleya I posted earlier this month. And since it is my favorite, I thought I'd show it again more clearly. Click on the image for bigger view.


Oil 8x10
Available $300

Deep Inside an Orchid

My friend Penny asked recently what I think about when I paint. I said “Nothing. I just paint.” She said “You must be thinking about something!” Ever since, I have been thinking about what I think about.

The painting process is more about sensations than ideas. So much of it happens automatically. When the brush is touching the canvas, it is best to not think. To get into the flow of painting, one must abandon judgment to keep the heart and mind open. That’s where the good subconscious stuff comes from. When painting is going well, it is almost as if I am hyper-focused, attentively watching the painting happen. If I am distracted by “thinking” a painting can become contrived, stiff or just plain boring.

It is important to step back and evaluate what is working, what is not and why. I figure out where the painting has energy and where it is dead. The critique phase is vitally important. But then I return to painting with these ideas in the background of my mind as I move back into “the flow”.

Oil 6x8

Elaine's Painting

I am away from my studio for a few days so I can't paint. Thought I'd show you a few of my mom's paintings. This tells of her love of art and flowers.

Elaine's study of Gauguin's horses

This is a painting I grew up with. It is my mom's copy of a famous Gauguin. The pink ground always intrigued me and I like the story that it tells as well. Like anything, copying the pros is a great way to learn technique.

White Rose Mallow, Hibiscus

This Rose Mallow blooms profusely in July, but each blossom only lasts a day so I have to pay attention.


Oil 6x8
Available $250

Roots of an Orchid

Wild orchids grow nestled in trees with their wormlike roots wandering all over the place. I spent more time working with the roots and the moss than the rest of the painting. The hardest part of good painting is making it look like it happened spontaneously and wasn't labored over.


Oil 8x10
Available $300

Terra Cotta Potted Orchid

Shadows make such beautiful shapes but my first attempts were overpowering. I softened the light repainting the shadows many times to get the right mood. The colors are very muted but it still has a bright feel.

White Cattleya From Above

I captured some energy here. I am in a painting frenzy lately where I pick up the brush first thing in the morning and lay it down as my last thing at night.


Oil 8x10
Available $300.

Miltonia Orchid

If I were just a little bit crazier than I am, I would think orchids have personalities. I loved laying in those final reds with a spontaneous touch. Completely lost my day to this painting but it was worth it. I am happy.


Oil 8x10

Orchid Bustin' Loose

It's not really the orchid, it's me busting loose.
I used a more gestural brush here and it just flowed. This unfolded in that nice place between making something happen and letting something happen.
Oil 8x10

Red Hibiscus

This began with slow drying acrylics which proved not slow enough after having that luxury with oils. So I switched over and finished it up with oils. I worked with different shadows, finally settling on a soft ethereal light. How fun to put them in, take them out and put them in again- Can't do that with watercolors!

p.s. I'm still reworking yesterday's missing orange post.

Closing In on a Cattleya Orchid

Orchids are intriguing subjects, but once I start painting, I think less and less about the object and more about the paint. My attention goes to color, the way the shapes move and the overall feel of the piece.

Oil 6x8
Available $200

Cattleya Wedding Flower

Painting the background first gave me this rich topaz glow. I started with a slow drying acrylic for the base and then worked into oils for the finish.

Pink Lady Slipper

I like seeing the brushstrokes of paint, evidence of the painting process. Painting in oils lets me work and rework white spaces which is a luxury I have not experience in watercolors.



Oil on canvas board
6x8

Single Solitary White Orchid

I had the backgroung nearly completed and fully dry before putting in the flower. I kind of like that method even though it is unorthodox. The flowing ground sets the whole mood.

Orchid #3

The hidden pouches, the smooth and simple leaves, the rich colors are keeping me fixed on orchids. I am working with oil as a watercolorist. I keeping wanting to put on layers of color but can't because the paint is wet. This feels good to be working out of my usual element.

Luscious Red Orchid

I visited the U.S. Botanic Garden in D.C. this weekend and saw a spectacular display of Orchids. That experience combined with viewing some of the finest paintings in the world at the National Gallery of Art gave me inspiration to last years.
Oil 6x8

Magnolia Shadows

I have studied Magnolias at the arboretum and had a clear image in my mind. But the other day, on Plein- Air trip, I walked among a stand of mature trees towering 50 feet high and got a whole new perspective. The blossoms felt heavy and waxy with lots of warm shadows. It is interesting how the same flower in a different environment can feel so completely new.

A Little More of Mom

This is only about a third of a full sheet of paper (22x30). I'm not sure where it is going but I know it is not finished. Oddly, I have drawn my mom much younger than her 85 years. Maybe mother images are strongest when they are most influential. Or maybe this this my mom at 50, the age I am now. Click on the image if you want to see detail.

Nikko Blue Hydrangeas

Finally, a painting I like. I have been struggling lately - painting against the grain. Finally today, the paint flowed off the brush easily. My best paintings are the ones that just come and I feel like I am in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing.



Watercolor 5x7

Available $100

Little Red Doorway

I am always intrigued by doorways. Not just for their architecture, but for their mystery and metaphors. For example, when Joseph Campbell advises us to follow our bliss, he says, "You follow that, and doors will open where there were no doors before, where you would not have thought there were going to be doors, and where there wouldn't be a door for anybody else." -- The Hero's Journey

Watercolor 4x6

Available for $100.

A Dozen Paintings in progress

One of the benefits of "Painting a Day" is that it nudges me to take paintings to completion. It is easier to grab a new sheet of paper than deal with an obstacle so I sit with a collection of almost done pieces and feel overwhelmed.
This is my work table strewn with incomplete paintings.

They include, flowers, rocks, doorways, a dog and my mother.

Endangered Ghost Orchid

This rare Ghost Orchid has no leaves. It wraps its grayish, green roots around a Cypress tree and waits years to bloom. Then for ten days it will open, emit a nocturnal fragrance and hope to attract a Sphinx Moth for pollination. If I were a moth, I would definitely check this thing out.

Banana Tree Behind Veggie Garden

Here is a photo of the banana leaf unfurling behind the heirloom tomatoes. Click on the picture for a close up.

Sketch of Mom. The eyes stopped me.

As I was sketching this portrait of my mom I had this urge to fill in the eyes with color. Whoa. I think I will leave this like this and start a new one.

Trillium on Kidney Bean

Original Watercolor 8x10
available $100

The Last of the Lilacs

Original Watercolor 5x7
Available $100.

Lilacs in the Wind

I'm working on several lilacs right now. This is the freshest one. I kept myself from over working it with detail so it still has some lilt.

Original Watercolor 5x6
Available $100.

Memories of May, Lilacs in Minnesota

North Carolina is too hot for lilacs, so I have not experienced the fragrance in many years, but the memory of growing up with them is etched in my mind. In 7th grade I brought a huge bouquet of lavender lilacs to my art teacher. When she climbed up on a stool to get a vase I saw her lacy red and white underwear! I was shocked! "Teachers wear underwear like THAT?" So when I think of lilacs I do get a sweet, fresh spring air breeze, but then, I think of the underwear. Is this completely inappropriate to be revealing this on a painting blog? Probably.

I want to tell you about how I splashed paint and used quick gestural strokes to make this piece come to life, but will you take me seriously now?

Original Watercolor 15x21

Orchid?

This flower came entirely out of my head. I'm calling it an orchid. What if I starting painting fictional flowers. Hmmmm.

White Orchid on Cranberry Red

Aaaaah. I got the paper I have been waiting for. The paint went on like velvet.

Original Watercolor 5x8
Available for $100.

White Orchid on Orange

Perinone Orange is one of my favorite pigments. It is bold, opaque and great for a fine line or tiny dab of detail. I just had to try a wide area and see if I could pull it off. It screams but I kind of like it.



Original Watercolor 7x11

Phalaenopsis Orchid on Crimson

I ran out of heavy Arches watercolor paper so the last few paintings have been on Fabriano which has a much different feel. The paint sits on the surface. I am going to kiss the Fed ex man when he gets here with my paper order.


Original Watercolor 7x11
Available $150.

Blue Hydrangeas Coming Out

The Hydrangeas are just starting to open up. I had fun playing with negative shapes here.

Watercolor 4x5
Available for $100.

White Orchid for the Piano

I'm working on another piano piece that will have an orchid in the foreground. This orchid is in preparation for that.


Original Watercolor 7x11
Available $150.

Sunny Windowbox

Original Watercolor (as they all are)
8x11

Available $100.

Red Doorway With Geraniums

I thought I was done painting geraniums for a while, but I guess not. Look what happened today! Sometimes it feels very good to paint some hard solid lines.
Watercolor 6x8

White Lily of Many Colors

My palette was so filled with red from the week of painting geraniums. I had to paint something white, something clean and simple. Ahh.

Airy Geraniums

Watercolor doing what it is best at- flowing freely.

Geraniums & Wrought Iron Railing

I like the contrast of the hard, solid shapes behind the soft flowing foliage.

Geraniums

Geraniums were probably the first bright red flower I ever laid eyes on. I remember geraniums on the steps of fancy houses with wrought iron railings. Oh, there's an idea!