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)

Paper Places series

« Previous Entries Next Entries »

Moon Over Myrtle, stages

Sunday, September 24th, 2006


 
Moon Over Myrtle, detail

Work in progress online with other artist’s comment exchanges.. While trying to change the look of water where sky was intended, at one point it looked like there was a shark shape, so with the computer I added it for fun. Continually scraping away areas then rebuilding and trying ways to give it more depth, then for some reason Cezanne came to mind so I looked him up to learn more about life and work. I learned more about Cubist ideas by applying them than reading about them years ago.

 
Moon Over Myrtle, stages

Wild Canada: Stony Swamp Trail

Tuesday, August 1st, 2006


 

Stony Swamp Trail, Ottawa, Ontario Canada - 14 x 11 inches oil pastels on paper

Stony Swamp Trail, Ottawa, Ontario Canada, Paper Places series, 14 x 11 inches oil pastels on paper with 3-inch-wide white double mat and 26H x 22W inch white custom-built white wood frame with crackle finish. The series inspired the accompanying poem:

It remains
when things are gone
and people passed
and roads
and paths
and places
we belong
to the essence.

Intuitive response to subject matter impart individual character to each piece, so styles are deliberately different.
Post-dated note: Stony Swamp Trail was accepted for The Artist Showplace Gallery’s Annual Juried Exhibition, February – March 2007.

Coconut Palm, Costa Rica

Sunday, July 23rd, 2006


 

Coconut Palm, Costa Rica, 14H x 11W inches oil pastels, white double mat, brass title plate, 22H x 26W inches wide white frame with white crackle finish
Coconut Palm, Costa Rica, 14 x 11 inches oil pastels on paper with 3-inch-wide white double mat and 26H x 22W inch white custom-built white wood frame with crackle finish.

January Thaw

Thursday, June 15th, 2006


 

January Thaw - Willow saplings, Fallowfield, Ontario, Canada

January Thaw, 14H x 11W inches oil pastels, white double mat, brass title plate, 22H x 26W inches wide white frame with white crackle finish.
Willow branches, welcome bits of color during the January thaw, a seasonal expectation in eastern Ontario, when temperatures hover around 0*C. After a period of 1-2 weeks temperatures can dip to -40*C, and the most intense, unpredictable part of winter begins.

The Evolution of January Thaw

The Evolution of January Thaw – a painting is more than the sum of its parts. It transformed dramatically while conversing with other Artists and their critiques on a popular online Artists’ website.

“When I am painting I have no knowledge of what I am doing. Only after a moment of ‘returning consciousness’ do I become aware of what I have been doing. Then, however, I have no hesitation about making changes, or destroying images, because the painting has a life of its own. My mission is to bring forth this life”. Jackson Pollock

At The Alamo

Tuesday, May 30th, 2006


 
At The Alamo, San Antonio, Texas 11H x 14W inches graphite on paper, 3 inch wide white double mat, 22H x 26W inch white frame with white crackle finish
At The Alamo, carved stone detail on a window of the main building at The Alamo, San Antonio, Texas – 11H x 14W inches oil pastels, 3-inch-wide white double mat and 26H x 22W inch white custom-built white wood frame with crackle finish.

Lake Cote Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica

Sunday, May 21st, 2006


 

Lake Cote Forest Reserve, Costa Rica, 14H x 11W inches oil pastels on paper
Lake Cote Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica, 3-inch-wide white double mat and 26H x 22W inch white custom-built white wood frame with crackle finish.
This is a perfect example of how each piece in the Paper Places series for unique style. I follow intuitively responding to what happens on the page as the work unfolds.

Calgary in September

Thursday, May 18th, 2006


 

Calgary In September 14 x 11 inches oil pastels on paper, framed size 26 x 22 inches
Calgary in September, 14H x 11W inches oil pastels on paper, 3-inch-wide white double mat and 26H x 22W inch white custom-built white wood frame with crackle finish. Part of the Paper Places series.

Post-dated note: Won Second Place in the Paintings category in Plano Art Association’s annual One-Two-Five Show Exhibition in Plano, Texas April 11 – May 8, 2007. I think of pastels to be drawings because no brush is involved, but they are commonly categorized in competitions as paintings…heck, if it wins a prize, does it really matter?

Texas Paintbrush

Saturday, May 6th, 2006


 
Texas Paintbrush, Fort Worth, Texas 14H x 11W inches oil pastels on paper
Texas Paintbrush, Fort Worth, Texas, 14H x 11W inches oil pastels on paper, framed with 3 inch white double mat and white wood frame with crackle finish, total size 26H x 22W inches. Impressionistic style using soft, blended technique with the pastels, portrays the feeling of walking in a dry sandy field on a warm Spring day in northern Texas. Sold.

Southern Spring – Scurvy Pea

Friday, May 5th, 2006


 
Southern Spring - Scurvy Peas, Grapevine, Texas USA, 14 x 11 inch oil pastels on paper
Southern Spring – Scurvy Peas, Grapevine, Texas USA. During April, chubby spikes of deep red and red-brown clover-like herbs called Scurvy Pea sweep across dry fallow fields and roadsides in the southern United States (Genus Psoralia cuspidata), 14H x 11W inches oil pastels on paper, framed with 3 inch white double mat and white wood frame with crackle finish, total size 26H x 22W inches. 3 days of sculpting; oil pastels were applied, removed, reapplied and reworked. Sold.

Southern Utah

Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006


 

Red Rocks in Southern Utah, 14 x 11 inches oil pastels on paper
Red Rocks in Southern Utah, 14H x 11W inches oil pastels on paper, 3-inch-wide white double mat and 26H x 22W inch white custom-built white wood frame with crackle finish.
Part of the Paper Places series. I find driving anywhere preferable to flying because of scenery like the landscape in Southern Utah. The colors and patterns are stunning!

« Previous Entries Next Entries »