The view I will never tire of . . .

I have painted this scene across the road from us a dozen or more times.

Each time, it will sell at the next art show. Go figure.

It's the view outside my shop window and it changes weekly.

This week the dried blonde distant field is slowly greening while the rusty Bluestem is remaining red. Last Spring this field was burned to clear out the weeds and it came back beautifully.

Waiting for the grass to lie down and the green grass to overtake it again.

I cannot get enough of this view.

 And time to start on a few flower watercolors - out of my element kind of.

I tend to stick with landscapes and buildings that allow me more looseness.

The flowers seem to tighten my hand and it will be good to make myself loosen up and let the water do the work.

Mums in a vase. Reference photo from the new Pottery Barn catalogue.

Below - iris stems. I'll try this one again in more iris colors. These are a little too rose-y.

Too critical?

Twigs and leaves . . .

Why oh why does this remind me of the phrase:

Eats shoots and leaves?

These are quick little studies done after a trip to the yard to see 

what's dropped overnight.

Actually, lots.

I hate to see the leaves go but excited to see what they reveal.

It's hard to see through all of that greenery sometimes

and I'm one who enjoys grey days and leafless trees.

Not always. Only in the late fall.

The droppings for today:

Mulberry Tree

Pin Oak 

Sumac

Elm Tree

Inktober . . .

October = Inktober

New month, new challenge. 

A pen and ink drawing every day for 30 days (yeah, right) 

and a list of prompts to help spur me on.

Still, once in a while something like this comes along that artists like me are inspired to participate in just to get creative juices flowing.

 Day 1 : Fields here in the Great Plains are being harvested. The cut corn looks sheared like carpet. Little piles of corn that missed the grain trucks are on the sides of the gravel roads. Grain trucks lined up at the elevators in queues a mile long. Here on the prairie is where the work of providing food for the world is done.

Day 2 : The prompt word is 'noise' and leaves constantly dropping all around is the inspiration. On a dry patch of what used to be mud but is now cracked earth is a single leaf from an old mulberry tree. Leaves crackle as they blow across the rough dirt. In short order, the trees will be nearly bare and the ground covered with mulberry, maple, oak, and leaves from all of the shrubs and plum thickets.

Day 3 : The prompt word is 'collect' so I arranged three of my little collection of lustreware bird toothpick holders. I can't resist buying one of these guys whenever I find one (rarely) and I do think they're pretty cute.

Each of these three drawings has reminded me of the lessons in composition, value, and sensitivity in line. Lots more to learn but these challenges are so valuable in the process of art.

The little green bungalow . . .

Such a sweet little house.

I shouldn't call it 'small' since I've never been inside and it isn't mine,

but I know the neighborhood and the homes are darling.

Quaint, cozy, perfect.

This bungalow belongs to a friend who asked me to paint it in watercolor when I had time.

I finally had time.

I have two photos of it - one winter and one summer.

The summer house has 4th of July bunting and is beautiful and lush.

But there was something still about the home after a snowfall.

Tight and grounded. Clean and composed.

I love this setting with the pretty green against the grey skies, the hinted-at shapes 

of the trees and foliage.

She loves it and I can't wait to see it framed and in her home.

Love.

Lazy . . .

So.

Tell the truth.

Is it lazy to spend a summer morning indoors deep in watercolor?

Love, the Locals Show . . .

 This little show was a sweet surprise!

Organized by a group of four crafty friends and carefully curated to include

the freshest, hippest work out there,

it attracted young modern people who appreciate

well done work and things that they would love to have in their homes.

I was beyond impressed that Lincoln was home to any of these folks!

Lots of young families

(I've never seen so many little ones and pregnant moms!)

and it was just exciting to see.

The venue? Gorgeous!
It was held in the restored Wyuka Cemetery Stables. Brick courtyard with inward-facing stable doors (garage doors now) so you had an open center breezeway with huge stable doors opening into the courtyard. There were two big rooms on either side that held 23 artist spaces.

Beautiful. I want to move in.












I'll bet that next year they find bigger digs. 


There were over 1000 people in attendance and with the popularity of this show, they'll need it!

My work fit in (altho' I think I was the oldest artist there - freaky) and keeping it fresh and light will be key


Exactly my style.

Sandhills . . .

Where does this yellow tint come from anyway? Frustrating. 

Anyway, this is another quick painting that took all of an hour so maybe 'quick' isn't the best way to describe it. Measures about 3"x3" and is from a photo I took on our road trip to the Nebraska Sandhills last Spring. Gorgeous warm day with rolling hills and fields just starting to bloom. The clouds were intensely white against the deep blue of the sky. I do like the way the cloud shapes worked in this painting. By flooding the paper and gently guiding the blue pigment to the edges of the wet, the defined edges of the shapes were left as the paper absorbed the water and dried. Some watercolorists - instructors especially - will insist on softening the hard edges and write pages about how to avoid the edge by sucking up paint and water but I like them. I guess it's what makes all of us different and our styles unique.

Dundee Gallery and the Gift of Unique . . .

 My favorite little gallery in Omaha - the Dundee Gallery - is officially closing its doors at the end of December and I am crying huge crocodile tears. My work has been there since shortly after opening and I have come to love this place.  Beautifully curated by gallery owner Jean Imray, the Dundee Gallery is chock full of artists' work that is colorful, unique, artfully made and always inspiring. I could not be sadder that the gallery is going dark.

I have placed a large amount of my inventory with Jean for the holiday shopping season and know that her last two months will have tremendous sales. Come January, anything not sold will be online but don't wait!

 

If you live in Omaha, Shop Small and please visit the gallery a few times before Christmas and Hanukkah and pick up your special gifts, your big gifts, and your small gifts. Support your local artists and makers and give the gift of unique.

Gerbera : a Sunday hour . . .

Gerbera

Simple gesture-style painting.
One hour allotted makes me eliminate all of the unnecessary bits of background and detail allows me to give just a sense of the subject.

Watercolor #4 . . .

#4

I am having an absolute blast with this new (new to me!) medium.  What I thought would loosen my hand and let me create work in a less detailed manner has so far not done that.  Instead, it has taken my attention to detail and blended it with more watery and fluid techniques.  I thought my work would look more 'splashy' but clearly not.  Oh well, I'm trying to not change where it wants me to go and just enjoy the ride.  Lovin' it.