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)

trees

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Queenstown Peaks, New Zealand

Sunday, July 12th, 2020


 

Queenstown Peaks, New Zealand - 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Queenstown Peaks, New Zealand – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 27H x 33W inches, white wood frame, crackle finish.

Sacred Sunrise: Uluru, Australia

Monday, June 29th, 2020


 

Sacred Sunrise: Uluru, Australia - 16H x 20W inches soft pastels on paper
Sacred Sunrise: Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock, aboriginal peoples’ sacred ancestral grounds in Northern Territory, Australia. 16H x 20W inches soft pastels on 140 lb cold pressed premium watercolor paper. Framed size approximately 21H x 25W inches, white wood frame with crackle finish.

Cedar Silhouettes

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2020


 

Cedar Silhouettes,16H x 20W inches soft pastels on paper

Cedar Silhouettes, 16H x 20W inches soft pastels on paper… practicing sky.

Keel-billed Toucans rejuvenated

Saturday, May 16th, 2020


 

Keel-billed Toucans, 29H x 20W x 2D inches acrylics on canvas


Keel-billed Toucans, detailMain Keel-billed Toucan detailKeel-billed Toucans, seen at the Dallas World Aquarium, when they used to fly around freely there, in front of the waterfall. 29H x 20W x 2D inches acrylics on canvas. This is an older piece not listed back then because I was never happy with it. Using crackle medium to help create a bit of texture, it has been touched up, rejuvenated, and is now for sale.

Dutch Creek Hoodoos

Sunday, March 8th, 2020


 

Dutch Creek Hoodoos, BC Canada- 18H x 24W inches soft pastel on 140 lb cold pressed

Dutch Creek Hoodoos, BC Canada – 18H x 24W inches graphite, soft pastel and markers on 140 lb cold pressed watercolor paper

Renewal: Mt. St. Helens, WA

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020


 

Renewal: Mt. St. Helens, 18H x 24W inches soft pastel on 140 lb cold pressed
Renewal: Mt. St. Helens, work in progress. Painters tape keeps the edges white, allowing room for framing.Renewal: Mt. St. Helens, WA with Indian Paintbrush wildflowers. 18H x 24W inches soft pastel on 140 lb cold pressed.

Left image shows work as it began. Painter’s tape is used on every work on paper to keep edges clean and allow room for mat and framing. Workable fixative sprayed at various phases really brings out colors, deters unwanted blur of colors while working, plus renews the surface to fix up or brighten areas that have become dark or slippery from too much buildup.

Foxglove

Sunday, February 9th, 2020


 
Foxglove, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper - NA
Foxglove, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper – not available – not happy with this so I ripped it up, but will try again in the future.

Pacific NW Sunset

Thursday, January 30th, 2020


 

Pacific NW Sunset, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 140 lb cold pressed
Pacific NW Sunset, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

I’ve never really been successful with soft pastels. They are ultra-fussy, ultra-messy, particularly once you start adding dark colors, which leaves you feeling ultra-discouraged at the end of the day.

I’m up for the challenge though, with the additional provocation to use black, which I never use, preferring usually to use purple or blue or other color combos instead. Using black is an offense that will be fun to defy, at least that’s the intention. Black will help the other colors sing with contrast, assuming I’m able to prevent too much accidental blending. Workable fixative is very helpful.

The 18 x 24 inch pad of 140 lb cold pressed no-name watercolor paper that I ordered online does not have the tooth or qualities I like as a painting surface, but is working nicely for soft pastels. There are 6 more pages left in the pad for this pastel series.

Lake Louise

Thursday, January 2nd, 2020


 

Lake Louise, 16 x 20 inches acrylics on canvas, frame unnecessary

Lake Louise, 16 x 20 inches acrylics on canvas

Goldenrod

Tuesday, June 25th, 2019


 

Goldenrod, 12 x 12 inches acrylics on canvas
Goldenrod, 12 x 12 inches acrylics on canvas, frame unnecessary.

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