Colored Pencil
428 - Red Hat, $450 (Colored Pencil, 17" x 8")
This colored pencil piece was done from a drawing I did from life. The model had a large, floppy hat on. To me, it there is a touch of sly humor having a quiet, serious nude model with a big, floppy red hat. I couldn't resist making a colored pencil piece.
194 - Golden Dragonfly, $185 (Colored Pencil, 8" x 9")
Sometimes, I just enjoy playing with simplified forms. Such is the case of the "Golden Dragonfly". The swirls allude to water below the dragonflies. The swirls also serve to connect the dragonflies.
180 - Red Canyon, $250 (Colored Pencil, 11" x 15")
"Red Canyon" was inspired by the spectacular geological formations of Red Canyon and Bryce Canyon in Utah. I did several on-location drawings and studies during a three month visit to the area in 2006. I also did an abstracted study of the canyons which became the basis of this work. I was thinking about the steep walls and the powerful impact of ice and wind on the rock.
179 - Field of Flowers, $250 (Colored Pencil, 11" x 15")
"Field of Flowers" started out as a study of shape, blue against orange. Slowly, floral shapes began to reveal themselves. I like to paint around the shape, emphasizing the negative space. Soon, I had a complete field of flower shapes, flowing as if blown by a meandering breeze.
158 - Moon Goddess, $180 (Colored Pencil, 8" x 8.5")
"Moon Goddess" is inspired by the long nosed bat, queen of the night in the southwest. She is a pollinator of flowers from saguaro and other cacti. To me, bats are delicate and beautiful mammals of the night.
152 - Toy Rocking Horse with Big Shadow, $225 (Colored Pencil, 11" x 10")
I collected this toy horse when I was on a trip to Belgium. I had a story book, Old World quality to it. It reminds me of long lost childhood stories. The big shadow perhaps refers to the giant the little horse is to me.
151 - Beach Shells, Pebbles and Crab in Blue, $230 (Colored Pencil, 10" x 14")
"Beach Shells, Pebbles and Crab in Blue" is one of an on-going series of still life paintings depicting some of my favorite beach treasures. I enjoy arranging the items on what I consider my mini-stage. As usual, I apply my own color schemes. The blue of the background alludes to the blues of water.
113 - Night Flight, $250 (Colored Pencil, 11" x 15")
"Night Flight" is another painting of one of my favorite local subjects: birds, in particular pelicans. I enjoy watching the long formations of brown pelicans as they fly down the coast of the Pacific Northwest.
112 - Warf, $250 (Colored Pencil, 11" x 15")
"Warf" is about contrasting curves with lines, swirls and checkerboards. I like the other-worldly feel of the swirls and spheres. I purposely added the contrasting checkerboard-like pattern to the background to enhance the surreal, science fiction mood. The painting is named after a favorite famous sci-fi character. See if you can see "Warf".
101 - Butterfly Duet, $250 (Colored Pencil, 11" x 15")
In "Butterfly Duet" I wanted to the movement of the butterflies to be upward, as if the butterflies were emerging and flying up into the spring air. I intended line and abstracted shapes to dominate. The movement of line and shape was done to suggest the pair dancing with each other as they flew skyward.
100 - Pears, $250 (Colored Pencil, 11" x 15")
"Pears" is a study of the simple shape of a pear. I wanted to accentuate the lusciousness of pears by using warm colors and repeating the curves. My intent was to paint the shapes and rhythms in and around the pears, not the pears themselves.
99 - Sanderling in Red, $150 (Watercolor Pencil and Colored Pencil, 7" x 5")
I was thinking about my favorite things about the Pacific Northwest when I thought of the sanderling. By painting in red, I wanted to suggest sunset on the Pacific Ocean. In the painting, the main contrast is the curved lines of the bird contrasted with the linear bands of waves. I enjoy watching the sanderlings scurry about on the beach, seemly in constant movement. I like the contrast of the quick movement of the bird with the rolling, gentle movement of the wave.
98 - Leaves Along the Path, $185 (Colored Pencil, 8" x 10")
"Leaves Along the Path" is the second in a series of paintings depicting leaves found along a bike path. In this painting, I focused on the lines created by the veins of the leaves along with the leaf shapes.
97 - Still Life with Green Apple and Tropical Plants, $250 (Colored Pencil, 11" x 15")
"Still Life with Green Apple and Tropical Plants was inspired by one of the still life set-ups of the Wednesday drawing group I work with. One of the plant pots was labeled "tropical plant", which I found humorous, hence the title. I liked the greens of the apple and plants against the copper color of the picture.
96 - Chameleon, $250 (Colored Pencil, 11" x 15")
Triangles and curves form the core shape for the painting of "The Chameleon". The painting started out as a pure abstract study of overlapping triangle shapes contrasted with curves. Then, the idea of the chameleon super-imposed on the triangles came to me while out running. The chameleon both links and divides the triangular shapes. The curves suggested the chameleon's spiral tail.