When life gives you lemons, draw them, 11 x 14 inches dry pastels, graphite on paper

"When life gives you lemons, draw them." (Nikki)

"Color! What a deep and mysterious language." (Paul Gauguin)

landscapes

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Elements of Nature

Saturday, January 1st, 2022


 

Paint Arson, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas


 
Cumulonimbus, Montana sunset, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paperPaint Arson, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas (2009), wrapped sides painted, frame unnecessary. Set on shelf or hang on wall. This and Cumulonimbus: Montana Sunset (2020) are in J. Mane Gallery’s ‘Elements of Nature’ online juried exhibition, showing through January 2022.

I don’t always have clear intentions behind my work, other than to make it interesting of course, because I wonder if too much explanation muddies a fresh impression of it. However, the writing connected to “Paint Arson” is worth the read. Fire is a destructive force, and positive associations with it are not immediate. For example, the pinecones of Sequoia, the largest trees on Earth, only open under the extreme conditions presented by fire. Read on…

Petrified Forest

Friday, December 24th, 2021


 

Petrified Forest, Crystal Forest Trail, AZ - 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Art Room Gallery merit award for Trees and Fields - Petrified Forest and Kananaskis Valley Petrified Forest, Crystal Forest Trail, AZ – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb. cold pressed watercolor paper. Framed size 27H x 33W”, white wood frame, crackle finish.

In addition to Kananaskis Valley (mentioned earlier in Grey Cube Gallery Forests and Meadows), this piece won a merit award in Contemporary Art Room’s exhibition, “Trees and Fields”, showing online through December, 2021.

Sarsaparilla Trail

Saturday, November 20th, 2021


 

Sarsaparilla Trail, Ottawa, ON, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Sarsaparilla Trail, Ottawa, ON Canada, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Honorable Mention

Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021


 

                 

  Honorable Mention, Landscapes 2021, Grey Cube Gallery   Kananaskis Valley, Alberta Canada - 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper   Kanisku National Forest, Idaho - 14 x 20 inches watercolors

Kananaskis Valley (Alberta Canada) and Kaniksu National Forest (Idaho USA) both received Honorable Mention, Forests and Meadows Grey Cube Gallery’s online competition and exhibition, Nov. 2021

Rock Creek

Monday, November 1st, 2021


 

Rock Creek, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Rock Creek, Hillsboro OR, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 27H x 33W inches.

Weathered Trees, Netarts Bay OR

Sunday, October 24th, 2021


 

Weathered Trees, Netarts Bay OR, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Weathered Trees, Netarts Bay OR, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper.
Framed size 27H x 33W inches, white wood frame, crackle finish.

Crescent City Shoreline, CA

Thursday, September 30th, 2021


 

Crescent City shoreline, CA, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Crescent City Shoreline, CA – view from Preston Island parking area, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 27H x 33W inches, white wood frame, crackle finish.

Viper’s Bugloss

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2021


 

Vipers Bugloss, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Viper’s Bugloss – Echium vulgare – beside Highway 15 near Franktown, ON  – this is the second version, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. The earlier version done in 2010 was probably my first success with soft pastels. I didn’t try them again until last year.

So cheerful and beautiful with pink buds and blue-violet flowers along tall stems, it’s tempting to pick them for wildflower bouquets, but the plant has tiny spines along the stem and leaves that are very irritating to the skin, so are best enjoyed left where they are, growing en masse in summer fields beside the highways in eastern Ontario.

I was curious about the name… according to the Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism edited by Michael Stuart (c. 1979, 1987 ISBN 0-9999-48911), they were formerly one of the most respected plants used for the treatment of viper’s snake bite venom.

Rock Creek

Sunday, July 25th, 2021


 

Rock Creek, Rood Bridge Park, Hillsboro OR, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Rock Creek, Rood Bridge Park. Hillsboro OR, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper.

Stony Swamp

Sunday, June 27th, 2021


 

Stony Swamp, Ottawa ON, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Stony Swamp, Ottawa ON, Canada – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb WC paper. Framed size 27H x 33W inches, white wood frame, crackle finish.

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