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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Flood Zone

Thursday, February 3rd, 2022


 

Flood Zone, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Flood Zone, Rood Bridge Park, Hillsboro OR, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 27H x 33W” It’s always a careful decision to place my signature in a place that doesn’t impose on the artwork. Here it’s on the tree trunk near the bottom, hardly visible in this photo.

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”.

Cape Meares Cliff

Sunday, January 2nd, 2022


 

Cape Meares Cliff, OR - 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Cape Meares Cliff, Oregon Coast, 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…

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.

English Ivy

Saturday, November 27th, 2021


 

English Ivy, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
English Ivy drooped in oak tree branches, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 27H x 33W”.

Pretty? Pretty invasive! Probably escaped from a nearby garden, English Ivy is beautiful draped in the branches of this Oak tree, but the plant, left unchecked as a ground cover, will choke out any growth of native or desirable flowers or plants. An aggressive perennial, it attaches easily with roots that exude an adhesive substance, destroying rooves and siding, climbing on branches that break under its weight. Once established, it will kill trees by blocking sunlight and thereby, photosynthesis. Because of the labor and enormous expense it takes to eradicate it from public lands and parks, people are encouraged to not plant this in your garden, even though it’s still for sale in nurseries.

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

Bigleaf Maple

Friday, November 5th, 2021


 

Bigleaf Maple, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Bigleaf Maple, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 27H x 33W inches, white wood frame, crackle finish.

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.

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