Watercolors!

                                                      Toro watermedia on Yupo 12x12


 I needed to goof off, I`ve been working on large Important paintings for months. Ideally art making is always play. Ideally. I`ve known for years some of my best ideas come from puttering with paint. No serious intentions just whims. Among my urges this week was to explore pure abstraction some;

                                                                    Lift watercolor 10x8

                                                    May Abstraction watercolor 9x12


Also did a couple of landscapes from memory;

                                                    Marine Air watercolor on mineral paper 10x8

                                                             Colony acrylic on Yupo 14x11


 And I even got out into the landscape with my pal Mitch for some plein air work!

                                                            Luscher Field watercolor on paper 12x9

                                            Luscher View watercolor on mineral paper 11x7.5


 We were at the city owned beehive of activity known as Luscher Farm. This place is fascinating! It contains sprawling community gardens, barns and outbuildings, some with classes in progress, chicken coops, birthday parties, curious tourists wandering around, a humongous farm house and acres and acres of fields with sweeping views. Everyone is completely focused on their tasks and assumes you are too. I could jump up on a tractor and take it for a spin and I don`t think anyone would notice.
 When the humidity is low in western Oregon, it feels like a personal gift. Painting up on a hill, in shade, with this desert breeze traveling through was like a dream. We`ve already had a couple of periods of high heat, but if it`s dry, who cares? Every time it happens I`m transported back to New Mexico. It can even smell like the Southwest and that, of course, brings back the memories. I try to enjoy them realistically, I don`t trust nostalgia.


 Laura Foster`s comprehensive guide to the Columbia Gorge is here at last!
As with her other books, this is packed with helpful maps, drive times, insider tips on food and lodging, historical photos, anecdotes, hiking suggestions, fishing advice, water sports information, tons of cool little things to do you would never know about, lots of history and a cultural perspective on the native residents and through it all, Laura`s intelligence and humor make it a super fun read! Twelve weekend getaways are featured to give you delightful experiences without much decision. I`m all for that!

She will give a presentation in downtown Lake Oswego at the museum 510 in the evening of June 18. Contact janrimerman@gmail.com to reserve a seat.


Take a look at this short video on addiction, it`s quite provocative. I`m not sure what to think but it`s an issue I`m more than familiar with. Everyone finally is in agreement that the war on drugs was a disaster. Especially for African Americans.
Now there is widespread opioid addiction and skyrocketing deaths from overdose. This is a field ripe for some innovation.


work for sale in my studio

Small Abstractions-tattoos-monthly demonstration

 These are visual daydreams I make between projects or when I can`t face another tree.

In 2004, the day after the election, I awoke with true despair. How could George Bush be returned to office? The insanity was crushing. To pull myself together, I went for a run in the cold along the Springwater Corridor.  As I crossed the bridge over Johnson Creek, I looked down to see a young man in a tiny kayak paddling from bank to bank gathering up trash. He was deliberate and thorough. He was making his corner of the world better.
I don`t follow any religious tradition, I choose like Iris Dement 'to let the mystery be'. Yet I`m not an atheist either. The sight of that citizen cleaning up the creek was meant for me. To give me hope, and it did.

Speaking of spiritual matters, the Huffington Post ran an essay on Christian credibility recently that gave me insights and even gratitude for my own religious upbringing. It`s a good read with compelling ideas.

Now that the Supreme Court has decided money is speech, consider this; if individuals made contributions to the poor and disadvantaged rather than to political candidates, wouldn`t our voices be better heard? By someone who cares? Rather than purchasing a nanosecond of an offensive television commercial? The late David Kuo made this point after resigning as the director of President Bush`s Faith Based Initiative in disappointment. Makes sense to me and I became a supporter of the Oregon Food Bank.

My beautiful niece Mackenzie asked me if I would design a tattoo for her of a tulip. She wants to wear my art on her forearm and I am honored. Years ago, for just a moment, I thought I should become a tattoo artist and cash in on the wave of interest which was clearly visible. Then I thought 'do you have a tattoo?' no 'do you want a tattoo?' no, OK then. Not my culture! However I`ve sure come to appreciate the good ones and the colors available now are delicious. She chose #4 with the leaf of #2 but on the right side of the stem. Done. She`s going to be looking at it a long time.

I had recently discovered the work of Lucie Bray, an intrepid plein air painter in England, when I learned of her death.  She had a fresh take on landscape painting that was both thoughtful and spontaneous. Take a look, her seascapes are especially spirited. She would pitch a tent on the beach and paint in all weather. Until the sea took her. Her life deserves to be remembered.

The first of what I hope to be monthly demonstrations, begins this Sat. at 10 am in my studio. If the conversation is stimulating and the experience fun, I will be doing this on the second Saturday of every month. Anyone is welcome!
5373 Lakeview Blvd
Lake Oswego OR 97035
parking in my big driveway or next door at the clinic

work for sale in my studio