Phoenix, AZ
This painting pulled together several factors, first being that I have wanted to incorporate the lovely Wedgwood pitcher from my mother's treasures into a painting and have finally done so. I also did a complete preliminary painting of the tulips, a good practice that I need to do more often. I also experimented with a little bit different style of strokes and background. I credit my daughter Ginger for helping with the background by teaching me how to use Procreate. And, this painting is larger than most of my others at 19 x 24".
Phoenix, AZ
The cat is antsy about being held and the sad, wistful expression on the woman told me that she grabbed the cat but was too late to save his victim. Songbirds in the background are a gentle statement to remind us that cats are instinctive killers. It's our responsibility as pet owners to keep cats indoors, away from potential prey.
Phoenix, AZ
My neighbor was leaving on a trip and she was sad that the amaryllis would be in full bloom while she was gone, so she suggested that I paint them. It's quite a loose style, another aspect that I am trying to incorporate more.
Phoenix, AZ
I am rarely happy with the backgrounds in my paintings. I have learned that I really have to plan the whole picture out in advance or the background will haunt me. So in this painting I made the background the subject and planned a foreground image to go with it. It's kind of goofy but I like the effect and will experiment with more like that.
Phoenix, AZ (Oct. 2021)
We had a wonderful week with our friends from NC and our breakfast out at O.H.S.O. brewery gave Steve a chance to get a great shot which resulted in this portrait.
Phoenix, AZ (2020)
Optimism personified. Glorious in The Battle. You are an inspiration every day.
Phoenix, AZ (2020)
Native wedding headdress. Thanks to our friends who shared this image of their daughter.
Phoenix, AZ (2019)
The inspiration for this painting came from Modigliani's painting, "Madame Georges Van Muyden" and a photo of a young woman with earrings.
Phoenix, AZ (2019)
Interactive art exhibit allowed visitors to paint a wall with colors.
Phoenix, AZ (2018)
People’s Choice Award, Arizona Pastel Artists Association, Fall 2018. Soft pastel on gessoed masonite with acrylic underpainting.
(2017)
Retired mechanical engineer, favorite uncle, talented watercolorist. Soft pastel on Canson Mi-Tientes paper.
Moab, UT (May 17, 2022)
Travel journal entry, Colorado River rafting trip in Moab, UT. Felt-tip pens on paper, 6" x 9". Copying an oil painting by Lucie Cousturier, in a pointillist style.
Phoenix, AZ (Mar. 2022)
Watercolor on paper, 9" x 12". Experiment with iridescent colors. I used a reference drawing from a coloring book.
Phoenix, AZ (Mar. 2022)
Copying an oil painting by Lucie Cousturier, in a pointillist style.
Phoenix, AZ (Jan. 2022)
Pastel on pastelmat, 9" x 12". The reference photo was one Steve took about 20 years ago. I was experimenting with a style similar to pointillist, but with broader marks. I like the effect.
Phoenix, AZ (Dec. 2021)
Pastel on paper, 9" x 12". (See a mid-point painting.)
Phoenix, AZ (Oct. 2021)
Van Gogh copied the works of several famous artists, including Millet, Holbein, Bernard, Hiroshige, Delacroix, Dore, Rembrandt, and others.
Knowing this gave me the emotional freedom to copy some of Van Gogh's paintings. The reproductions vary widely in color so it is difficult to know how closely mine match but that doesn't matter if the paintings turn out well.
Van Gogh's painting of Butterflies and Poppies was done in oil on canvas and mine is pastel on paper. This "translation" led me to experiment with a technique to make parts of my painting look like Van Gogh's sections of unpainted canvas. I liked the effect.
Phoenix, AZ (Sept. 2021)
This painting is a combination of memories. The house in the background is on the beach in Hull, MA. I lived there during my high school years and part of college. Seeing it in my painting helps to keep those memories alive. The tea jar does the same for a much different phase of my life. I bought it to hold the ashes of our dear son, Eric, with the connection being that “elephants never forget.”
Phoenix, AZ (Oct. 2021)
This is the first of Van Gogh’s paintings
that I chose to copy. I recently watched an excellent lecture on
YouTube (which, if I could find it again, I would include here)
wherein the speaker showed many examples of how Van Gogh’s work
copied or derived from the work of others and then also included
examples of how later artists derived their work from Van Gogh’s.
It’s just themes in movies and musical riffs and beats—-we express
ourselves by building on the creativity of others.
Van Gogh painted mainly in oils and my painting is in pastel but I am
pleased with the end result. Pastels can be wonderfully bright.
Phoenix, AZ (2021)
Original still life of ceramic ox and little boy flute player.
Phoenix, AZ (2021)
Fresh bouquets are very inspiring. Love them. (See my build process.)