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.