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)

sky

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Loblolly Pine

Sunday, March 20th, 2022


 

Loblolly Pine, Knox Mountain Trail, Kelowna BC, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Loblolly Pine, Knox Mountain Trail, Kelowna BC, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 27H x 33W inches, white wood frame, crackle finish.

Dawn at Bell Rock 02

Tuesday, March 8th, 2022


 

Dawn at Bell Rock 02, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Dawn at Bell Rock 02, Sedona AZ, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper.

 Framed size 27H x 33W inches, white wood frame, crackle finish.

Magic Hour 02

Monday, February 28th, 2022


 

Magic Hour 02 - Gitxsan Totem - 24H x 18W inches soft pastels on paper
Magic Hour 02, the Gitxsan Totem, Thunderbird Park, Royal BC Museum, Victoria BC, Canada, 24H x 18W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 33H x 27W”.


 

I first painted ‘Magic Hour‘ in acrylics on canvas, started July 17th, 2008, with additional blog posts on July 24th, Aug 3rd, 6th, and 15th, 2008. The painting is 60H x 40W x 3D inches ($1,100).
Symbols/crests: The bird at the crown is a giant woodpecker (wee-get-welku). Legend reads that a female ancestor kept a pet woodpecker, feeding it so much it grew to be a giant monster that ate everything made of wood until it was killed. It sits atop 5 human figures who stand on the head of the Mountain Eagle (Skim-sim), who kidnapped and mated with a woman then devoured their offspring. The eleven small figures are humans fishing through holes in the ice. Under them and not pictured in the painting is Will-a-daugh, also known as “Person With a Large Nose”, holding her child who was conceived from a wood grub.

(more…)

Prairie Storm

Tuesday, January 4th, 2022


 

Prairie Storm, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Prairie Storm, July in Cochrane, Alberta, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 27H x 33W”.

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…

Summer Storm, Montana

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2021


 

Summer Storm, Montana, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Summer Storm, Montana, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Cumulonimbus: Montana Sunset

Friday, October 23rd, 2020


 

Cumulonimbus, Montana Sunset, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Cumulonimbus: Montana Sunset, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb watercolor paper. For many years I’ve wanted to try painting night skies. In July 2007, I was driving through Montana to Alberta as the setting sun bounced golden-pink hues through the already fantastic storm clouds. I pulled over and took some photos, thinking that even if they didn’t turn out, something is better than nothing. Reference photos don’t have to be perfect to bring back the awe of a particular moment; they are just a starting point. I intend to paint this with acrylics when I’m through with my soft pastel kick.

Abandoned

Saturday, September 26th, 2020


 

Abandoned, Taos NM, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Abandoned farm near Taos New Mexico, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Stormy Morning Travel

Sunday, September 20th, 2020


 

Stormy Morning Travel, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Stormy Morning Travel along Hwy 2W, North Dakota – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90lb watercolor paper

Storm at Dawn, Denman Island BC

Friday, August 28th, 2020


 

Storm at Dawn, Denman Island BC Canada - 18H x 24W inches soft pastel on paper

Stormy Skies at Dawn, Denman Island BC Canada – 18H x 24W inches soft pastel on paper. I’m using up the watercolor paper blocks that I ordered online. I didn’t like the paper quality enough for watercolors, but it has a nice tooth for soft pastels.

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