Hello, everyone.  It has been a LONG time since I posted, and I've had some "static" about it, so am going to play a little catch up here.  I have been painting some, and have some finished I'll show you.  Sold the two watercolors below last month to a new home in Houston.  Thank you, Beth.

Floral Frensey

Three Poppies

I've been playing with a new medium, alcohol inks, and am trying out what its potential and possibilities are.  I love the bright, pure colors, but it is not always manageable.  It has its own properties, and I'm still learning how to handle it.  Here is a small one below.

Hill Country Morning is framed and ready to hang.

Here are three watercolors just finished and not yet framed:

Floral Flair

Static in the Stratisphere

Tipsey Tulips

And one last piece, small collage, just finished:

Fall Flair

If you are interested in any of the ones above, let me know and I'll send you sizes and prices.  I have several others in the works.  The wildflowers here are just gorgeous this year, full fields of them.  I've taken lots of pictures, and hope to use some of them for paintings.  Also I have been taking pictures of Sun City, which is drop dead gorgeous this time of the year, and will work on some of those soon.  

Several of us set up a still life in the studio last week and took lots of pictures so I hope to get some still lifes working before long.  We had all taken a still life class from Marci Boone the week before and it was such fun we are trying to keep it going.  Have fun painting and do a better job than me in getting them posted!!!

Well, hello.  I know you are surprised to hear from me after a year.  I have really been lazy, but a friend pointed out subtley to me that I had not been very diligent about this, so will try to do better.  Some of you saw the recent art challenge where I posted 3 paintings a day for 5 days on Facebook when challenged by Joan Hartenstein.  Each day I had the job of also challenging another artist, so I chose old artist friends, workshop friends, and new artist friends.  An assortment.  It has been fun.  And made me also realize it is time to do more on my blog.  Had lots of comments, and I appreciated all the kind words.  

I spent about six months last year painting six panels for my bedroom.  I wanted a poppy patch wall, and I succeeded.  I painted six diptychs of poppies.  However, when I got ready to hang them, I only needed two diptychs and one other painting, so I have one spare that I did not hang, and am going to sell it.  I am posting it here, as it is on the market.  It is currently hanging at the Activity Center in Sun City, and if it is still available after the show, it will be $125. At the show it is $150, as I have to pay a percentage to the club.  It is acrylic on canvas, 24"x24", and I call it Poppy Patch.  Let me know if you are interested.

I promise to do better.  Will get information about the other paintings I posted on Facebook on here soon.  I confess, I've been lazy and I am behind on posting.  

Sweet dreams.  Poppy Season soon.......

Chamisa in Moreno Valley

Chamisa in Moreno Valley

Finally got a painting finished!  I've been having fun, and putting out fires, and doing Christmas, and so on and so on, so I must confess, I've painted very little the past 2-3 months.  Have several things started, and must get myself motivated to finish.  This one was a trial that I wanted to see if I could do a style that I noticed in Taos in August (and a couple of years before as well) that uses ink on the outlines of shapes.  I used it a little, but decided to stop so as not to over do the effect.  It is subtle, but liked the colors, and thought it did remind me of the beautiful setting in Angel Fire we saw in August/September last year.  This is one of my favorite places for the scenic beauty, and I never get tired of painting it.  Once again I took lots of photos, and this is a composite of several.  Hope you enjoy.

Doing Wheelies

This is a mixed media piece done on Ampersand Clayboard 2 inch cradle.  It is bright and multidimensional, which does not show in this picture.  The wheels and the "bow tie" shapes all are raised.  It was just "going with the flow" as I added acrylic paste, paint, etc. and kept going, revising, etc. till it felt finished.  Then the name just arrived.  Fun piece to do.  It is not framed, and does not need framing; is free standing.  $95.  I'm going to do more of these, as they are fun to do.  Golden has some fabulous pastes to use as bases, and I'll do several more of them.

Rocky Creek

"Rocky Creek"
Just completed this watercolor last week and have it hanging the next 2 months at the display locally at the Cowan Creek Activity Center.  I did it and the painting below to work on painting water, getting the darks and lights in water to look realistic.  I was pretty pleased with the result.  Guess I did  okay, as I entered the "Waterfall" picture below in the local Visual Arts Club annual show, and received a second place ribbon on it in Waterscapes Category.  It was the best show we've had, with over 150 entries and an attendance today at the open house of around 500 people.  Wow!  What a great place to live.

WATERFALL:
This is a painting I started two years ago, and kept going back to.  I finally decided it was finished, and now have it framed to display in the Sun City Visual Arts Show beginning September 21.  I think it pretty much says "Waterfall."  I have pictures of several other waterfalls that I took in Jasper and Banff National Parks, so you may see more.  Hope they don't take 2 years.  I just had a hard time getting the darks dark enough in this one.  Framed it is $150, unframed it is $75.  The painting itself is 9"x14".

Fire and Ice

Am enjoying doing abstracts.  They are such fun, and I'm finally (?) understanding how to do abstracts.  Not that all turn out perfect, but design is the key.  I know I should know this, since I taught design in a University setting, but how easy it is to forget the basics when you are in the heat of painting.  This is one of my failings, is that I love to sling and play with paint, but need to step back and remember the basics.  Maybe next I'll show you how I get too focused on details and have to step back and remember the whole picture.  Depends on how it turns out.  But I did like how the contrasts in this turned out.