Novembre Studio Foresta

                                                           watercolor on Yupo 6x7.75
This was painted in November with many other more convincing rainforests. A fantasy wackiness came through early and I didn`t fight it. This was another. Sort of an Anime look where something is about to happen.


available work in the studio

Wetlands Studies

                                                         #2  oil on canvas paper 6x6

                                                                #1 oil on Yupo 5x5

 I`ve had some frustrating sessions lately with one large piece so irretrievably bad it had to be cut into pieces. After working for hours, it`s an unhappy sense of accomplishing nothing at the end of the day.
Such is life, with luck we wake up to new opportunity. To regroup and regain some confidence, I`ll do something tiny. These are my first successes of 2014!
 I`ve mentioned my infatuation with Pinterest before and my love only deepens. Never before has it been possible to see such a diversity of art so conveniently, and it`s easy to join if you have a Facebook account. The poster Kintsugi has an amazing, vast collection of paintings, crafts and natural phenomenon. His/her 'boards' on Aboriginal Art are encyclopedic in scope, and there is one on my work too!


available work in my studio

Yellowstone Geothermal

                                                          watermedia on Yupo 20x20

My final painting of 2013.
 One of the most striking aspects of the geothermal fields in Yellowstone, is the stark contrast between the jewel like beauty of the pools with the devastated landscapes they create. Scenes of 'natural' violence and death surround these gorgeous, seductive waters. I read that tremors underground shift the access of the scalding water and suddenly whole forests have roots that are boiled alive! We joked more than once that it`s tough to be a tree in Yellowstone. Yet in some places, grasses colonize the areas very close to the water. Life will find a way.
 I was asked to list the colors pictured on my new palette in the last post. Since it was a true shopping spree, I couldn`t remember them all and had to look at the receipt;
Titanium White [I use lots of this to create translucency and to add 'liftability' to other colors]
Ivory Black
Sepia
Payne`s Gray
Cobalt Blue
Ultramarine Blue
Compose Blue
Emerald Green Nova
Cobalt Green
Terre Verte
Cerulean Blue
Compose Green #2
Lavender
Cadmium Orange
Mars Violet
Cadmium Red Orange
Yellow Ochre
Shell Pink
Jaune Brillant #1
Permanent Yellow Lemon
Naples Yellow
Permanent Yellow Deep
Golden Earth
Cadmium Red Medium
Hansa Yellow Light

 Now I don`t think for a minute all of these are necessary, this purchase was therapy.
 In 1985, when I worked with Diebenkorn, I was painting tonalist abstractions; lots of murky grays and browns. He pointed to the edges of my palette where the fresh, vibrant tube colors were, then to the center where I was mixing my mud, and asked "which would you rather look at?"
That was effective teaching!


work in the studio

New Year Alders

                                                            watermedia on Yupo 9x6
Nature rewards the adaptable not necessarily the strong or even smart. I see this constantly when painting. If I can tolerate the feelings of uncertainty, even failure, and stay with the process, my hopelessness can turn to joy in an instant. Or really get mired down. But then, it`s easier to walk away having fought the good fight.
With all the blessings of the past year, I hope to be a lighter being in 2014. My anxiety is no longer protective. During the studio tour, someone asked me what my favorite watercolor brand was. Without hesitation, I said Holbein. Later I realized I only had two tubes of it. In colors I couldn`t get in a cheaper version. Now I`ve always used lightfast archival materials but a higher level of quality affects the experience. Makes it more sensual and satisfying. I can afford it now so I bought all new colors from Holbein and put them in a fancy new palette;

Since life does seem short, at least to us in the second half, I hope to notice that struggles can end too.


work in the studio

Over the Foothills

 This was begun during my residency at Brush Creek Ranch in May of 2012. It used to be bigger. During our rainy orientation tour of the ranch, I saw a huge stand of bare cottonwoods that I wanted to paint. Once I could, I pulled out a giant sheet of Yupo and began with watercolors. With a vista, I usually give the sky some intense attention early, knowing it will set the emotional tone of the painting. That went well but those trees resisted all my efforts. With just two weeks to paint in  Wyoming, I set it aside and did a lot of smaller pieces. So a year and a half later now, I cut the painting down saving my 'good' sky, sealed it with varnish, then made a new landscape beneath the clouds in oil paints. This does capture the no-nonsense austerity of the late winter environment I experienced there.
watercolor and oils on Yupo [plastic paper] 12x34


work in my studio

Warme Winterwald and cold Camas fog

                                                                  oil on Yupo 12x12

We waited for my nieces return home for Christmas to celebrate our wedding with my family. The window of opportunity was small so we chose Dec. 26.
Because we didn`t want to make the trip twice in two days we stayed at the Camas Hotel, something I`ve wanted to do for 20 years. It had once been a residential hotel down on it`s luck but recently had been renovated with all the historic character left intact. It was wonderful with terrific views of the paper mill. These northwest industrial complexes fascinate me and I hope to live long enough to paint them. In the morning we walked the dike along the Columbia River in gorgeous sunshine, but after lunch, a half mile north, we took another walk and entered a dense, icy fog! Then some shopping, picked up my Mom, and met everyone at Roots Restaurant for the party. What a great holiday!

available work in the studio

Christmas Rainforest

With the winter rains,  the mosses glow as if electric. In the dim, diffused light, each tree is radiant. Feathery, mint green lichens coat the branches and a few remaining leaves offer some rusty color. It`s downright festive especially with some fog.
This is a thoughtful time of year. The departed start speaking again but it`s hard to listen. Northern civilizations, for millennia, have known that the long dark nights call for companionship, light and celebration.
So, eat, drink and be merry, and peace to men of good will!
oil on Yupo 12x12


available work in the studio