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)

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Male Cardinal

Saturday, October 6th, 2007


 

Cardinal - pthalos blue wash added

Male Cardinal at the Dallas Arboretum, Dallas TX, 24H x 24W inches acrylics and masking medium on canvas, trim frame. Sold.

Cardinals are one of my favorite subjects. On walks I see them in the open, but good photos of them are elusive, as they hide just beyond the branches so perfect shots are next to impossible. Branches here are partially in front, placed around the bird in the abstract shape of a nest. The cardinal in the painting really is that chubby. He is well fed at the Dallas Arboretum.
There were two separate applications of masking medium, used traditionally in watercolor paintings. Second phase: trying to highlight the bird’s interaction with its environment and hoping to find a way to do more than provide the expected sort of cardinal portrait. Adding Pthalos Blue wash changes the mood and the season, maybe even the time of day…interesting what one or two brushes of color can do.

Cardinal eggs, Spring 2007, in one of our back yard bushes One male Cardinal returns regularly to our yard with his mate who chirps quick, sharp notes. I discovered this when thinking that our air conditioner needed servicing, and going out to see what the consistent squeaking was. The pair laid eggs in one of our back yard bushes during May this year. I half-hoped the eggs would be red! The nest was made to perfection with a tightly woven bowl of dry grass, leaves, twigs, and pieces of plastic garbage, so artfully crafted.

Tennessee Poppies

Thursday, September 28th, 2006


 
Tennessee Poppies, Hwy 40 Tennessee 11H x 14W inches oil pastels on paper

Tennessee Poppies along Hwy 40 Tennessee, 11H x 14W inches oil pastels on paper, 3 inch white double mat and 26H x 22W inch white wood frame with crackle finish. Sold.

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.

Dawn

Monday, April 3rd, 2006


Dawn, 13H x 37W x 1D inches acrylics on canvas
Dawn, 13H x 37W  x 2D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted, scene continues onto narrow frame. Inspired by sparrows on the fence in our back yard, singing during dawn every morning as if to create the day with their song! Sold.

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