Peach Tree Paradise #2
Peach Tree Paridise #1
Sometimes it's hard to sell paintings when you really like them. This one is one of those. I love the colors, the birds, the positive images of the peaches and flowers, and the imagery of the birds flying off into the distance. I did sell this at the last Horseshoe Market and hope the owners like it as much as I do.
Sketches on wood
I'm so excited about these little mini paintings. They are about 5 x 5 and they have given me a place to try new things or expand on the good things that have happened in some of my larger works. I've been trying florals and trees as well as experimenting with water and cloud designs. I have some larger pieces of wood cut out in squares that are just waiting to be painted. I feel free to make mistakes on these little pieces and it has been fun to have no pressure because it's just a little piece wood anyway, so who cares!
I don't ever want to meet rattle snakes out on a hike, but I don't mind the snakes that don't bite. I think this picture of a rattlesnake is pretty.
Rattle Snake close up
Southwest Animals
This painting was inspired by a bright yellow trailer that we stayed in near Taos NM. We saw a jackrabbit out the window and we wondered about rattlesnakes while the red tailed hawks soared overhead.
These tree houses just took on a life of their own. I'm not sure what I was trying to say with this painting. It looks as though the houses are precariously balanced in the trees but that's ok. The people in the houses have everything they need, a garden, some water, ladders, chairs and laundry. They also have each other because they have little walkways to each other's house.
Tree Houses
High School Musical
Being a high school art teacher is never easy, especially when the administration asks you to paint the scenes for the musical. Never having been part of a big production, I had no idea how much work was involved. The crowning achievement was painting the facade of a two story sorority house for the OMG you guys scene in "Legally Blonde".
I painted this at the Firefly Handmade market in my booth. I painted the spray paint stencil background before the market and then just stood there and painted fireflies for a couple of hours. It was nice to get some feedback and suggestions from the vendors and the public - it was almost like a collaborative piece.
Live Painting
The winter break is such a nice time to slow down, sleep, and recuperate. I wanted to have a chance to think about the art I was making, the colors and most importantly... why? Does my art have the integrity that I want and how can I use what I have learned so far to make things that I really like?
I was happy to have the gift shop at the CU Museum of Natural History contact me for cards. You can find my cards and illustrations there, at the Artisan Center in Denver, at the Carousel of Happiness in Nederland, CO, and occasionally at the Firehouse Art Center in Longmont, CO.
Slowing down and re-evaluating
My booth at the Horseshoe Holiday Market. This market was truly amazing!
Horseshoe Holiday Market - Denver
The crowds that were at the Horseshoe Holiday Market. I was so happy to be at this market, there were great people, and the crew that runs the market was top notch!
This was my little booth at the Firefly holiday market in Boulder, Colorado. It was a nice fair and I had great sales. I sold the Queen Bee, the purple hump back whale, the cranes, the western tanagers and I traded a potter my calico cat for an awesome mug (which I broke a week later, oh well...). I love going to Boulder to these shows.
Firefly Holiday Market
Black Lives Matter Catrina
This is a 6 foot Day of the Dead Catrina on paper for the Firehouse Art Gallery in Longmont, Colorado. They have a Catrina painting exhibit every October. I don't usually do political art, and I don't plan to start doing it, but I couldn't help putting in Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Sandra Bland and Tamir Rice into this Day of the Dead painting. It's so good to see people finally talking openly about police killing black people. It has been happening for so long without anyone doing anything about it and it is time for a change. I am really glad that we are at least talking about it openly now and that is what this painting is about.
Flying Elephants and Lotus Garden ?
Sometimes things work out, and sometimes they don't ... you can be the judge.
Here's an experimental painting of some buddhas having a celestial meeting on some lotus flowers. It was fun to paint Ganesh, Green tara, and Shiva all in one painting. My favorite part is the flying elephants with lanterns.
Sunday at the Boulder Firefly Handmade Market
It was so much fun to be out at the Fall Firefly Handmade Market this past weekend. You never know who you might meet, and everyone I met was so nice! This was my first experience doing live painting at a show. The painting wasn't stellar, but I learned a lot and maybe next time I will be able to paint and talk to people at the same time a little better. Thank you so much for coming out and supporting local artists and craftspeople.
So, when I find myself in the mountains of Colorado on vacation, I always bring my oil paints and paint outside. This is Sheep Mountain right outside of Telluride. These paintings are finished in about an hour and a half.
Plein Air Vacation
This one is from Redstone, Colorado.
Children's Book Project
I had the pleasure to work on a charming children's story proposal about a mouse who needs a home.
When I first start a painting, sometimes it just takes one thing to inspire me. In this case, it was two things. I got the idea from some great wallpaper that I saw in a magazine. Then, because it was early spring, I picked a branch from a beautiful blooming tree.
Making a Painting
After I painted the background, I added the mockingbirds. I did some heavy outlining on this painting and I don't normally do that but I thought the tree branches looked nice with outlining. Then, I'm ready to start my next painting.
“Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.”
― Andy Warhol
Astronomy Day
This weekend, I took my children to Astronomy Day at CU in Boulder. It was really nice to visit Fiske Planetarium. We watched a show about constellations and then walked up to look at the telescopes. The next morning, when I woke up - in my first few seconds of consciousness I thought about how huge the universe is and how small my own life is. Instead of being upset by this thought, it was actually very relaxing and put everything into perspective.
Eggs & Chickens
This weekend was filled with lots of egg decorating. Evelyn and Kiran enjoyed seeing all the eggs turning different colors. There are many more colors than when I was a kid. I think we had about 9 different cups and all the vinegar in my house is gone now. We had lots and lots of fun. Later on in the weekend I made deviled eggs out of all of those beautifully colored eggs and they were delicious!