NYC Skyline from Liberty Island

I can only describe this as a "wow" skyline and marvel at the fact that we were just 3 blocks from the Empire State Building. Our group went Sunday evening, navigated our way thru lots of other people going thru circuitous lines and security checkpoints, taking the elevator up to the 80th floor; then walking up the last 6 floors. It was a crystal clear evening and we could see everything. The public transportation system - both above and below ground-is so nice as well as inexpensive. It is easy to see why New Yorkers opt to not own a car. One day we walked from Central Park, down 5th Avenue to Madison Square Gardens...across from our hotel. The store windows are a shopper's dream....and inside the stores....a bill payer's nightmare! Many thanks to Bruce and Tom of SCW for sharing their years of experience in NYC. We also did evening walks through Greenwich Village and Harlem.

Statue of Liberty

Everytime I've seen the Statue of Liberty it has been from an airplane window. Many of those times,she was still in the process of being refurbished and covered with scaffolding. This, my very first visit and stay in NYC, is the first time I have actually been on her island. We flew into Newark on 9/11 and had a fantastic rescheduled Elderhostel program to keep us active and educated. On this day, 9/14, we took the subway from Penn Station to Battery; the ferry to Liberty Island; the ferry to Ellis Island; then the return ferry to Battery, a beautiful walk along the shoreline to the Towers site; then back to Penn Station and the New Yorker Hotel. A really fab day!

Another "wet" illusion.....

I kept thinking it was coming our way....but it traveled Southeast instead. A bonus is the outline of some petals of the Fiddly Fig cactus at the side of our house. As you can see from the neighbors garage, this cactus is BIG and very tall!

A Little Spot of Rain in AZ

This is one of those photos that make you think you are actually going to experience a raindrop. Wrong! It never made it to our house. But isn't it dramatic?

How about this??

When I saw this view from my back patio, could not resist taking a photo. I thought it was just stunning.

Christmas Quail

Hopefully, this is the "fini" of this 11-month project. My photo is not the best in the world, but following the critique comments, advice, counsel, suggestions, and everything else, I have darkened the shadows both in and between the cactus petals and the underbody of the quail. I have darkened and textured and highlighted to emphasize the light source on all of the petals and pods. At this point, there are between 40 and 50 washes on the petals because everytime I looked at the cactus (which is in my back yard), the petals changed colors. When I decided to count the different greens this cactus has (I chose 3 PM as this was the time of day when I took the original photo) and decided to forget it when I hit 30. What struck me the most was the petal in lower right....it was decidedly a gray-green and the thorns just faded into the petal. As I mentioned previously, this was proposed to be my 2008 Holiday card; now it will be my 2009 card. If this doesn't pass muster at the next VG and AAG meeting, it may well be my 2010 card. This is 22"wx28"h and will be framed in a rustic oak frame which really gives it a finished presentation.

Grand Canyon view

We took our houseguest to see the Grand Canyon. The weather was absolute perfection...cool and crisp and clear with sunshine...which allowed us ample time to enjoy the famous views and gorgeous colors. I know two fellow artists that would take this photo and transform it into a vision on canvas thru oil or pastel on paper...Woodie Mackie and Susan Roper. This is truly outside the realms of my skillset, so I must only admire the talent of others in this arena.

Colorado River in Grand Canyon

This photo was taken from the Watchtower at Desert View Point in the East end of the Grand Canyon - April 2009.

Another Blossum

I've been challenged by one of my mentors to paint one of these blossums....petal by petal....so I have decided to make this one of my projects during an April getaway.

Flowering Cactus

Since I appear to be "in to" cactus for a bit, did an adjustment to this 2004 painting which was used as a seasonal greeting card for an international corporation. I tried to put a little more depth into the shadows and also bring out the petals of the blossum. I believe it makes for a more dramatic look.

Cactus in Bloom - March 2009

Well, these beauties are starting to bloom again....even though the rabbits think of the cactus as a piece of celery and continue to chew away. I understand they chew continuously in order to keep their teeth filed down, but how do they digest the thorns that they also eat. This one is in our back yard. The blooms open in daytime; close at night and always face the direction of the sun.

Stunning Saguaro

This is a beautiful example of a mature saguaro. Keep in mind that a saguaro takes at least 50 and sometime up to 100 years before any arms start to grow. These beauties sometimes live up to 200 years old. So, in terms of "saguaro years"....I am still very young. I intend to revisit this piece of natural sculpture in about 3 weeks to take photos of blossums that will appear at the crown. Thanks to Ginny for sharing the day with me; thanks to Tony for buying the regional/state park pass; and thanks to Larry for taking us to lunch while we were still hot and sweaty. It was a great day!

Lingering Lizard....

This little guy must be a professional model for hikers trekking in his/her domain. He stayed on this rock while I took several photos...each time getting a little closer. He moved his head around so I could get most of the face. I'm surprised he didn't ask for a contribution to keep the park open.

What can I say...I love saguaros

I tried to get close to these two beauties without straying off the track, again using my camera lens. In reviewing this photo, I can just see the balancing rock in the far left of the photo.

Saguaro sillouettes

These were perched on the mountaintop and I used strongest lens to bring them close.

Colors of Mother Nature

This whole mountainside was a vision of yellow.

White Solitaire

Almost missed this treasure! It was the only white flower seen all day.

Flowers in the White Tanks

These are absolutely gorgeous colors against the rocks.

Spring in the White Tanks

I took a hike today in the White Tank Mountains and although many flowers were just getting started, the yellow Brittle Bush was astonishing.

Best Friends

We did have a Mexico Gekko on our front patio wall in an effort to keep the seasonal doves from using the wall as mating wall.....unfortunately, this dove fell in love with the gekko. Hmmmmm...must have been the colors.

Pueblo Pottery #2

This is the same painting but I have edited out my genius striping.

Pueblo Pottery

Another typical example of my photo skills. This is 22x30 on 200#paper and when I try to photo while it is still attached to my gatorboard, you can see that it ripples. 300# paper (my fav) wouldn't dare ripple. A friend shared this photo with me. Her friend actually designed and painted the pottery and because she had seen some of my earlier paintings with two views, wanted me to paint this pot the same way. I thought adding the two stripes of color would compliment and "finish" -- but that may end up being cut out. On top view, I used a blending technique (compliments of Arlen Madole) to phase the dark interior up and out on the lip of the pot. Open to comments.

The Turqouise Necklace

When taking Susan Roper's watercolor class, one of our last assignments was to paint a subject of our choice. I photographed this arrangement in my media wall. A sandalwood candle, a metallic copper, bronze and gold bowl, and my turqouise nugget necklace. Even though I used AJ metallic paints - copper, gold, and silver (for the silver chain and nugget base), it does not show up in this photo. I played around with my original photo using my Picasa program thinking I would get some of the metallic finishes to show but believe I only succeeded in messing up the photo. I am so pleased that I still feel challenged to learn new techniques both in painting and on the computer. There are times, however, when I would like to spear the monitor with my new brushes. Am open and soliciting comments.

Chihuly Perfection

Ahhh! The sun on another piece of perfection. This is just a small fragment of this particular exhibit which has approximately 150-200 pieces.

Chihuly's Blue Chandelier

Too bad I can't convey the size via the photo and again, the sun is behind the clouds. So although you can see the rich, deep blue, it lacks the sun-kissed sparkle. Fantastic piece

Another Chihuly Exhibit

This photo actually shows two of Chihuly's exhibit. The yellow in the distance is his Tree of Sunlight and the orange pieces in front (just a few pieces of approximately 75 similar shapes) are like bursts of flame. Unfortunately, these are in the shade and you miss the stunning impact of their color.

Chihuly Exhibit Entrance

If you can ever have the experience of attending a Dale Chihuly Exhibit, take it! This exhibit is at the Desert Botanical Gardens and goes thru May,2009. These 3 pieces are at the entrance of the Gardens and there are a total of 17 separate exhibits within the Gardens. As you can imagine, it is rather like going to Alaska and taking photos of the glaciers. No photos can do justice to the color, especially when the prisms of light travel thru each piece.

Peruvian Maiden II

Another version, but my photo is less than desirable on this...too fuzzy and I cropped top portion of hat. I believe I'm getting into the eyes better and the nose is better formed just by using the undiluted Burnt Sienna. Can hardly wait for my next "portrait".

Art Chix Show Dec 13-14,2008

Susan Roper took photos of all of the Art Chix and their display at our show last weekend. All involved did well, but the star of the show was Diane Eason and her fabulous art.

Peruvian Maiden

This is a little painting I did during Saturday at the Art Chix show. It was done very tiny (4x6) on a Kilimanjaro Baby Block. In an attempt to paint faces of ethnic intrigue, this was particularly appealing to me. In addition to the facial structure, the blanket and hat details satisfied my desire for small, intricate detail. The background was dropped in by "wet on wet" and then some dry brush at the finish. It was a neat exercise!

Christmas Quail

When I first started this piece last August, it was going to be my 2008 Season's Greeting card. However, even thought it is almost finished....it's not there yet. The male quail needs a bit more fine tuning and I need to deepen values more on the cactus, as well as add a thorn or two. The feathers on the female quail were an exercise in patience. The various background shades were dropped in by a wet on wet process taught to me by S.Roper and then each feather is done by a flick of the wrist with a small fan brush that is almost dry. It is watercolor on 300# and is 22"x30". Should reduce very well to a beautiful 2009 greeting card. Must admit that doing the birds was sorta fun for the first 100 strokes; after that I seriously considered naked quail....then stuffed quail....then baked....well, you can guess the rest. Will post the final when I am finished.

AZ Sunset

This was the beginning and it got more fabulous as the evening went on.

AZ Sunset

This was early in the sunset.

AZ Sunset

I took a series of photos as the evening progressed of the beautiful sunset. This is about midway thru the setting process.

Pueblo - Razor and Indio Ink

This painting was done using razor blades/black indio ink and watercolor washes. Susan Roper saw the technique used in an AAG demo and was so excited about it that she encouraged a whole group to try it in the workshop group. Using a Roper reference photo, the lines, doors, windows, etc., are all done with the razor blade and ink. Using gloves to work with the permanent ink, you dip the blade in ink and place the lines on the page. Mine was the least attractive of those completed during the workshop, but it was truly exciting to work "free hand" on blank paper. After ink was dried, the w/c wash was done. I'm quite pleased with the results and the adventure!

"Horned Owl" Gourd

Peter Quinn, a gourd artisan who is rapidly establishing a reputation for excellence, carved a replica of one of my paintings into this gourd and asked me to "fill in the blanks" with the colors used in the original painting. His burned-in sketch was so perfect, that I only wanted to tint his masterpiece. Peter and Jim Greenwald have formed an alliance - Peter's gourds have Jim's painted cartoons on them - talk about a "marriage" of talents. I understand that a selection of these one-of-a-kind craftsman masterpieces will be available for purchase at the SCG Oktoberfest.

European Street

Wanted to show my progress in the challenging stonework of this street scene. I worked on the tile roof this afternoon. Had already done some underpainting, but needed a photo of an older tile roof. My fellow artist, Barb Lang, and her photographer spouse, Charlie, sent me photos of the tile roofs in Italy. Barb took some lessons in Italy last May and Charlie took lots of photos. Still work to be done, but am rather pleased so far with the results.

City Flowers

This is a painting in the process -- with a long way to go -- lots of new challenges for me, including angles of lines, old stonework, values for shadows, and European cars. Am pleased with the building stonework on right side of painting. There is darker stonework on the center building that turned out nice (but doesn't really show in the photo), the blocked stonework on the left building is still "building" and needs to be adjusted as it is out of sync. I didn't notice that it was out of sync until I did the photo. Also, there needs to be some depth perception adjustments. My reference painting is from Arlen Madole, so I am anxious to do credible work even though this is waaaay outside of my comfort zone. Comments are welcome.

Half way down on the lift

Our free ride down was stunning - cool breezes, so silent with just the wind whistling thru the pine trees. I took this photo when we were about 2/3rds of the way down. I was so busy enjoying the elements, I forgot I had my camera. 3 more days of hiking and then we started back to Arizona. Back to the desert - back to oven-baked bottoms on leather seats - back to drops of prespiration rolling down your cheeks - but, also back to my wonderful friends at the Art Club!!

Park City, UT

After spending a few day's with Lar's daughter, Sarah, we went on to Park City, UT to spend time with friends. We arrived Monday night, and Tuesday morning we climbed this mountain - a 2.5 mile hike with 1,400 elevation gain. Our incentive - we got a FREE lift ride down the mountain. Guess they figured anyone able to make a climb like that deserved a free ride. Please note there are 3 people sitting and I am the one still standing to take the photo.

Sarah and her "Equipment"

After arriving in Vancouver, our next stop was Boise, Idaho to watch Sarah in advanced equestrian cross country event jumping, then on to Hailey, ID for a few days to visit with her. Sarah and her husband own/operate an equestrian facility south of Bellevue, ID. Sarah trains and competes -- can hardly wait until she is ready for the next Olympics. This is one of her horse trailers and trucks. And, that is her picture-perfect barn in back. They have a huge indoor arena and an even larger outdoor arena for training and practice. Pretty snazzy, huh?

Kodiak, AK

This was our typical view of the landscape, so now you know why I have such limited photos of a beautiful state. My friends, Susan and Tom Roper, took a cruise up here in May, 2008, and Susan took over 4,000 photos - all fantastic! Her paintings from some of those photos are equally fantastic!

Seward, Alaska

We were on a Resurrection Bay Wildlife Cruise out of Seward, AK. The little white dot is the Tahitian Princess. Notice how low the clouds are and it was only when we were out in the bay that you could see blue sky above the clouds. We saw lots of Orca whales, seals, birds, etc. - captain was a researcher of Orca whales, so it was fascinating to follow a family around as they played with our boat.

Totem Lodge, Ketchikan, AK

Who says whitening strips don't work on your teeth?? Clarity-wise, this is the best of the totem poles photos in Heritage Park. From Ketchikan, we went to Skagway, cruised Glacier Bay, Valdez, Seward, Kodiak, Juneau, Sitka, Victoria, and back to Vancouver.

Man of Honor, Ketchikan, AK

The Ketchikan guide advised that this was a Man of Honor, he was responsible for saving a village and the villagers honored him by carving this totem pole. There is no one above him and no one below - he was solely responsible. This is a rare event. Please note that I took this photo just before the deluge of rain. By the way, did you know that if your digital camera gets wet, you can put it in a bag of rice, close the bag, and in the morning, your camera will work again? It seems that the rice absorbs all of the moisture and condensation overnight. And you thought I didn't learn anything in Alaska....

Totem Pole - Ketchikan, Alaska

Lar and I just returned from a month of traveling. We drove from Arizona to board the Tahitian Princess in Vancouver, BC for a 14-day Alaskan cruise. I took this photo at the Heritage Totem Pole Park just outside of Ketchikan, AK. I wanted to concentrate on totem poles because my next watercolor series will focus on the figures in the poles. The weather was cold, wet, foggy, and lots of rain, so photography inexperience really comes out of the woodwork here. Not being able to use flash on interior shots really blew my opportunity to get great images that were stored inside. Please don't feel sorry for me because the weather was so cold, wet, foggy and rainy...I live in Arizona. I loved dressing in seven layers and wearing a coat and gloves. After living/working as an ex-pat in Mayfair, London, England, I enjoyed being in a maritime climate again. "Dry heat" is for the cactus wrens!!

Historial Treasures Series #115 - Tohono O'odam Pueblo Pottery, c 1800s

When I saw these two pieces of art I was taken with their stark simplicity of pattern and color. This is the first of many paintings where the background is unadorned and dark. It is black....it is American Journey Brown Derby....numerous washes give it a rich, dark, appearance with depth. It is simply framed, with no mat.

Historical Treasures Series #114 - Zia Pottery, c1890s

Sometimes pottery speaks to you...the blanket cradles the pottery on a table and the lighting was so soft and comforting. My paintbrush had a life of its own. It is a small painting (11x15) and framed in a large silver frame with no matting. It is striking in the home of a private collector.

Historical Treasures Series #80 - Santa Ana Pueblo Pottery

This is a collection of old Santa Ana Pottery and this is actually the second painting that I did of these fab pots! I loved the colors and the old designs and this was really a wonderful learning tools to create values and contours. Thanks to the guidance of Susan Roper and Barb Lang, I am really proud of this piece. It was sold to a private collector shortly after completion.

Desert Ornaments Series #70 - 3 Gourds

I wanted to do a review of my early work and my progression -- for better or worse. I started doing paintings in series and, in an effort, to keep track of how many paintings I was doing, I numbered them. So, #70 is my 70th painting. These are gourds that had faint facial features painted on them and they reminded me a group of disgruntled old men.

Yellowstone Bison

Awesome example of how a "wannabe" artist can mess up "loose, flowing, colors imitating a shape". Stay tuned for future efforts!

Clay Lady in Blue

Clay Lady in Blue in still in the works. It needs deeper values around the face, neck and leg. This is watercolor on 400# rough Windsor Newton paper, which really soaks up color. The shadow on the forehead (created by her robe) doesn't seem to fit -- so am open to suggestions. The seed pottery texturing was accomplished by floating raw sugar in pools of water; the texturing on the blue robe was created by sprinkling Kosher salt, letting it dry, brushing it off and then lightly sanding.

Clash of Pottery and Blankets

This is an experimental painting done on 400# rough press paper. The paper absorbs color quickly and bleeds into dry area....a very challenging situation if you are a control freak! I combined 4 photos and it appears that there are competing patterns that don't "gel well" as well as a monotony of color. So, I am keeping the painting attached to the "gatorboard"; reviewing periodically; using my transparency sheet to add color or more intense values; and then will photo again for decision purposes. If anyone has comments and/or suggestions, I would welcome any input.

Historical Treasures #157 - 3 Generations of Pueblo Pottery

This watercolor represents 3 generations of pottery from the Zia Pueblo - 1800s - 1920s - 1980s. It was a study for me to view how much (or little) the designs changed on using birds. This is painted on 300# cold press paper, which did not absorb colors to give a soft, sueded effect. When I tried sanding the paper to age the appearance of the pottery, it lifted all of the color and the finish on the paper. When attempting to soften the edges of the 1980s pot, the colors turned into mud. Although I am not particularly pleased with the results of this piece, I like the subject and patterns enough that I am going to try painting on 300# hot press paper. Wish me luck!

Alaskan Mask

Sometimes, one needs to venture outside their comfort zone. This is my departure from the comfort of pots and clay ladies. It is colorful and bright, full sheet on 300# paper and float matted on a full sheet of dark bisque matboard. Cheap Joe's American Journey watercolors, which I use exclusively, are such rich colors and delightful to play around with. I was able to use full strength, then sand, then use diluted strength to bring out definition. It was critiqued by one of my art groups, Vanguard Artists, and I was pleased with the response and how I was able to further define values using their critique suggestions.

Art Chix Show

My "art sister" and wonderful friend, Susan Roper, took this photo as one of the Art Chix shows in Sun City Grand. Art Chix consists of 10 artists, all presently domiciled in Sun City Grand - a fantastic resort style community in Arizona, and we have approximately 8 shows a year.

Clay Lady I
Watercolor

This is by far one of my favourite pieces. I drew it from a very contemporary piece of sculpture. It is the first human form I attempted to draw and when my fellow artist, Don Knight, saw me struggling - drawing - erasing - drawing - erasing, he told me to turn it around and draw it upside down. Which I did - with the end result being Clay Woman I. It is also painted upside down.

Clay Lady II

A very contemporary sculpt piece 22x30 on 300# paper. Lots of experimenting with curves and shadows.

Clay Woman III

This one of a series of 4 clay ladies that I have done thus far. While touring the ceramics club in Sun City West, there was a member doing these marvelous little clay women sculptures. When I asked if I could photograph for future paintings, she was very gracious and gave me permission to do so. The little pots that accompany these clay ladies are actually Maria Ortez pottery that she purchased on a tour to Mexico. The interesting and challenging part of doing these paintings is that they are not painted, they are thrown on a wheel and then shaped with the hair, facial features, hands, feet, and folds of the fabric. The sculptor is pleased with the results, and the artist feels challenged enough to continue more attempts with using values to define shapes.

Animal Illusions - The End

Again, 11x15 on 200# paper -- this painting convinces me that I should probably stick to painting pottery. This more closely resembles the actual photograph and while it was fun, it was also frustrating. I still cannot do the feet and the tails were not swishing the was I envisioned. The 3 young students, however, were winners!!

Animal Illusions - Equus Finis

An experiment in "camp" painting. 11x15 on 200# paper. 3 students just finishing their successful dressage event and waiting for the scores. I painted another of this group from photo provided, but wanted to have a different take on this one. I believe it would really look great in a greeting card.

Starry Night

Nightscape Series #170 -This is a 22x30 watercolor on 300# paper - one of the first I have done where I have a landscape background. From the top down, I used several washes (the stars are where I lifted my Frisket coating) and did some additional lifting with my brush as the sky meets the mountain ridges. I originally intended to submit the finished product for a corporate international holiday card, but could not satisfy my vision of how the horses feet should be shown. As you can see, I opted not to show the feet at all. This is also my first attempts to show facial features and body contours. I thought it would also be my last, but the challenge of "trying to get it right" is too much.

Kachina Collection #168

"Badger" of my Kachina Collection - watercolor 22x30 on 300# paper and float matted on 30x40 expresso brown matboard. This is my best version of dry brush over numerous dried washes, as well as the sanding to give a sueded leather look on the footware. It also gave me an excellent opportunity to experiment with the wood pedestal on which Badger is standing. Many observers felt that I should have included a background in the collection to avoid making it look like illustration art, but my intent was to have total focus on the kachina.

Kachina Collection #169

"Horned Owl" of my Kachina Collection of watercolors. Painted on 22x30 300# paper, it is float matted on 30x40 dark brown matboard and framed in black frame. This watercolor has numerous washes and is sanded between dried washes to give the effect of sueded leather around the shoulders and ankles. Although it doesn't show up well in the photo, the necklace and armband are painted in
American Journey Turquoise and just glows like a real turquoise stone.

Kachina Collection #162

"Speckled Corn" is a juried piece from my Kachina Collection of watercolors. 22x30 on 300# paper, this is interesting because of the dry brush process that I used over numerous dried washes. It is float matted on a 32x40 dark brown mattboard and then framed in a small black wooden frame. When several of these are exhibited together, they are quite striking.

Tuscan Tribute #128

"Ellie's Pots - Part I" - These pots are done on Unyru paper, a silk-thredded paper that is fascinating -- if unpredictable -- to work on. The silk threads pick up the watercolor and pull it into the paper thus giving the background a cracked stucco look. Inasmuch as my palette colors are somewhat limited, I was enthralled to see the effect Cad Red and Copper had on my golds and browns. What a fun piece to do.

Historical Treasures #131

"Historic and Contemporary Pueblo Pottery"
This watercolor shows 7 different time frames in the design and shape. Size is 22x30 and won an Honorable Mention in an Arizona juried show. In reviewing and doing a self-critique, I believe I could have intensified the shadows - making the individual pottery designs stand out.

Native American Pottery

This was an unusual painting for me to do. I combined three photos to make this watercolor on 300# paper. Because I wanted an unusual texture on the big pot, I painted it in a series of some 30 washes and used sandpaper inbetween the dried washes. I was pleased with the results, but later thought I should have applied the same technique to the small pot and the blanket. This painting (22x30) is now in a private collection, but I am just starting a similar watercolor using 400# paper. Will keep you posted on my results.

Gallery Slideshow

To view a slideshow of my paintings, please click on the link in the right sidebar.

Test

Test to see how this is ultimately done.