Dear and Fawn - SOLD

On our way to the Grand Canyon North Rim in September, Rich and I drove through Pagosa Springs, CO where I spotted some deer in a farmer's field and yelled, Stop! Rich is used to this and doesn't freak out when I say it. He knows what's going on. So we turned around. By the time we got to the deer they were walking into the woods just as the sun was going down. I started taking pictures and they kept looking at this strange person following them. Not camera shy at all. This is a 6 x 6 oil on canvas panel available in my Etsy shop. Click here to view my shop.

Fawns in Shadow

Rich and I took a trip to the north rim of the Grand Canyon in September. We drove through Pagosa Springs, CO and saw some deer grazing in a farmer's field. We did a U-turn and drove down a road to get closer. At that point the deer were heading for the woods because the sun was going down. I followed a deer and two fawns with my camera in hand. The light was almost horizontal at that point — just beautiful. I'm entering this painting in a local juried show so it's not for sale. The grass was the hardest for me to figure out. I'm not even sure I'm done. Sometimes it's best to stop and stare for a while.

Vase Full of Color

I just got back from a 4 day workshop with artist Carlo Russo on Whidbey Island near Seattle. The workshop was on painting flowers. I love Carlo's work and wanted to learn his oil painting process. He asked us to buy a set of round pointed sable brushes which are never used by most of the artists I've taken classes and workshops from. Turns out Carlo is a true renegade. He was told by an art teacher in the university he attended that he would end up painting in antique shops if he continued using those brushes. He's now in some top galleries and making a good living selling his art. He also paints on very smooth double primed linen canvas to get the look he wants. He starts by using very thin paint to block in the picture. Then he lets that dry and next uses thicker paint not mixed with medium. The most important thing I learned was that I shouldn't clean my brush by swishing it around in solvent when I'm painting. Too much solvent makes the brush more likely to pick up the paint I'm trying to cover. He wipes off most of the paint on a paper towel after one dip in the solvent. I painted the above painting in the workshop. It's a 9 x 12 inch oil on a linen panel available in my Etsy shop. Below are some photos of the workshop demos done by Carlo. To see his work, check out his website. 

Hiding

I have developed a fascination with jackrabbits since living on the prairie. This painting isn't finished yet but I'm happy with the progress. I decided to start with the eye — the most important part of this painting — and move on from there. Jackrabbits flatten their ears and hold very still when they see you approaching trying to hide even though they are in plain sight. I have a great camera lens that lets me stay far enough away so they don't bolt. This is an 8 x 8 inch oil.

Sunset Drama - SOLD

This is a 5 x 10 inch painting inspired by the views I see from our front porch at sunset. It's available framed or unframed. You can see this and my other paintings/prints available on my Etsy site

Bison Bull - SOLD

I tried something different with this painting. I used red acrylic paint as an underpainting and let it dry. That made the colors I used tend to be brighter and shift to the primaries (red, yellow and blue). Just experimenting. This is a 12 x 16 gallery wrapped canvas available on my website.

Cat Bliss - SOLD

This is a larger version of a painting I did last year. It's 14 x 14 inches on gallery wrap canvas which means it doesn't need to be framed. I fell in love with this cat’s face. I smile whenever I look at this painting. Thanks to Ariane Kraemer at pmp-art.com for allowing me to use her photo to paint from. You can see this painting and others I have available in my Etsy shop.