artworksts

Early Fall Cedars, Artistic Trekkers, Vinland, KS

2010-10-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

I loved looking up at this cedar field from the Nitcher's Farm in Vinland, Kansas. The early fall colors in the cedars were just beginning to show and the deep grasses were moving in the wind as a rainstorm was beginning across the field. The cedars were full and their beautiful colors mixed with all of the colors in the wonderful tall grsasses that had yet to be cut. I loved the way the clouds moved over the field.Vinland Kansas is one of my favorite places to work. I have been taking students to Vinland for five years and still feel we have not seen all there is to see in this very small, very rural collection of historic buildings which is fifty miles from Kansas City.

Available for Sale
Oil
18x24
$475.00

"Jeans and Mary Jane's"

2010-09-07T13:45:00.000-07:00

"Jeans and Maryjane's" is a work that was completed in Houston, TX. Houston is an interesting place full of images of the Modern West. This piece came to me as I contemplated the odd mix of Houston's western culture with a contemporary heartbeat. The old oak chair was one of several chairs I found in a garage while I lived with my husband in Wyoming. I had thrown my jeans across the chair and took off my Mary Jane's just under it. The light was an afternoon light that was just manifesting across the room and I loved the play of the light on the walls and in the deep creases in the jeans. It was very demonstrative of Houston's western culture seen in the wonderful mix of burnt sienna walls and the old oak chair with a pair of well worn jeans tossed across it. The Mary Jane's are also a bit nostalgic.

"Jean's and Mary Jane's"

Oil 16x20

$550.00

"Morning Flowers"

2010-08-30T10:48:00.000-07:00

Morning Flowers is a wonderful painting that the light hit just right. I love working with dynamic still life paintings that are full of color. The Mums were laying down next to my jeans and I felt they made a wonderful contrast against the deep blue of the jeans. The light was just coming in from the top left and the intricate folds of the fabric against the fullness of the flowers told a wonderful story of how light and color can create so much beauty in such a simple subject.

"Morning Flowers"
Oil
18x24
$450.00

2010-08-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

"Hunt Morgan Garden House". I loved this garden house and all of the color that came forward in flowers that laid against the old bricks. I painted this on site and the light moved into the garden house as I was painting it. The Hunt Morgan House is located in Lexington, Kentucky and is one of the many historic homes in the city. The day was very bright and hot and the light reflected all around the interior of the bricks. The flowers seem chaotic due to their wild growth and the explosion of color against the brick gave the whole scene over to just an expression of bright and brilliant color.

"Hunt Morgan Garden House"
Oil
18x24
Sold

"Early Fall at Keeneland" Lexington, KY

2010-08-30T10:29:00.000-07:00

I grabbed my oils one afternoon in the early fall when the weather was just perfect and went out to the Keeneland Race Track in Lexington, Kentucky. There are some wonderful friendly horses out there and I found this old stone wall surrounded by thick trees. The light was spectacular as it filtered through the trees and it was just perfect for working with oil. It was a fast and exciting piece to do. The light was chaotic and penetrating and the colors were rich and vibrant. I used a palette knife for most of the painting. This piece was later published for the cover of Nougat an arts magazine in Lexington, Ky.

"Early Fall at Keeneland" Lexington, KY

Oil

16x20

Available for Sale $450.00

"Draw at the Kaw Indian Reservation"

2010-08-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

I painted this piece on the Kaw Indian Reservation with a group of Plein Air students from Council Grove, KS. The Indian Reservation is vast and beautiful and full of color. Nothing interrupts the distances where the land meets the sky. The long views of unspoiled land brings the sky closer to you. You are not separated from the earth and it becomes a breathing living soul that you meet as if for the first time. This deep ravine was full of the colors of the earth. Water caused the erosion and exposed a crack that was full of beautiful lively color that told the story of how this beautiful place came into being. The wind moved the color onto the canvas for me.

"Draw at the Kaw Indian Reservation"
Oil
18x24
$475.00

"Cedar Fields" Vinland, KS

2009-12-28T12:09:00.000-08:00

"Cedar Fields" is an oil. I love this area of Kansas. It is only 50 miles from downtown Kansas City, but it is a very remote and rural area. It is just south of Lawrence, Kansas where I teach at the Lawrence Art Center and where Kansas University is located. The Lawrence Art Center is an artistic engine in the region and many artists working in a variety of different mediums have come to this area due to the growing arts culture. Vinland is a community and consists of one street that circles a small cluster of historic buildings. I love it here and always bring students here to work painting Plein Air. (You can view their work from Vinland at artistictrekkers.blogspot.com). It is unrestricted. Many of the beautiful farms and scenery are just there and don't require someone's permission to access the areas. In the fall when this was painted there were lovely colors and vibrant meadow grasses that reached up into this beautiful grove of cedars across the road from the 100 yr. old library. It was a windy day and the colors in the tall Kansas prarie grasses were vibrating with the changing light created by the wind. I believe I could paint in just this one area for the next five years and still not capture all there is to see.

"Cedar Fields", Vinland KS
Tricia Spencer
Oil 24x32
Available for Sale $550

"Outside Lone Tree Wyoming" Wyoming

2009-12-28T12:06:00.000-08:00

"Outside Lone Tree Wyoming" is one of my favorite places on earth. This is one of the last places in the continental United States that is not fenced. Traveling across Wyoming has been part of my life and this particular area just south and east of the Unita Mountains in southwest Wyoming is vast and wild. This is an area that has not been touched by mankind. The land moves from deep rock canyons to clusters of scrub cedars. There is a unique stillness and truth in the vast and beautiful emptiness that this land holds.

"Over by Lone Tree, Wyoming"

Watercolor

18x24

$450.00

"Chair, Blanket and Mexican Rug" Living Arts and Science Center, Lexington, KY

2009-12-28T12:02:00.000-08:00

"Chair, Blanket and Mexican Rug" is a recent work that I completed while teaching in Lexington at the Living Arts and Science Center. The Day of the Dead Festival had just been completed and my heart and mind were filled with memories of the light of Mexico. My husband and I spent fifteen years living, working and traveling throughout Mexico. Everyday was filled with the magic of discovery of this very ancient land. Color is everywhere in the handmade Contemporary Mexican Folk Art. I love this rug and we acquired it while working on developing a collection of Contemporary Mexican Folk Art for the Smithsonian Institutions. Mexico and her light will always be a very important part of my life and my experiences.

"Mexican Blanket and Rug" Tricia Spencer
Watercolor 18x24
Available for Sale $450.00

"Venice's Boots" Lawrence Art Center, Lawrence, KS

2009-12-28T11:58:00.000-08:00

I completed this work just after I returned from Wyoming and was teaching at the Lawrence Art Center. These boots belong to my neice Venice. She lives in Jelm, in rural southeastern Wyoming. Jelm is actually a town with a post office, gas station, small store, bar, cafe and eight log cabins that her parents rent out to tourists. The resort is called "Woods Landing". It is located on the Laramie River and is listed on the historic register. It is a beautiful place to live and grow up. I also lived in Jelm when I was in college at the University of Wyoming. I lived in one of the eight cabins that line the Laramie River long before Sue and Bill, my sister and brother in law purchased it. My heart always seems to be in Wyoming. The long harsh winters create a unique relationship between the land and the people who live there and I love the silence of the vast landscape. I was in Wyoming working on a mural project for Harmony School which is the school Venice attends. There are 26 students. The mural told the story of Wyoming from the time of the dinosaurs to modern times. I stayed at Woods Landing with Venice and at the end of the project, Sue, my sister in law asked me if I wanted to take Venice's boots. She had outgrown them. These are Venice's old boots that she wore while she barrel raced in Wyoming. I was deeply grateful. I carry them with me everywhere and students have painted them all across the United States where ever I teach and work. I am deeply grateful to Sue for giving them to me because I am able to carry a part of Wyoming with me where ever I go.

"Venice's Boots"
Watercolor 18x24
$425.00 Available for Sale

"Pots and Mexican Blanket"

2009-12-28T11:49:00.000-08:00

My husband created these pots while we were living in Oaxaca, Mexico studying Spanish at the Instituto Culturale. We went to school in the morning for language then in the afternoons we had the opportunity to take ceramics, cooking, or weaving. We loved visiting all of the indigenous villages and archaeological sites in the region. We returned to the States and life found us in returning to graduate school in southwest Virginia. We were surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains and we loved going to school, however, during those cold winters we often thought of our trip to Oaxaca, the warm sun and the wonderful adventures we had. I began to miss Mexico and during one of those cold December days, I gathered up his pots and one of our Mexican blankets and began this painting remembering the warm sun, welcoming people and the sounds of Mexico.

"Mexican Pots and Blanket", Blacksburg, Va

Watercolor 22x30

$475.00

"Morning Strawberries"

2009-07-20T10:18:00.000-07:00

"Morning Strawberry's" is a piece I worked on while I was teaching a Still Life class in Watercolor at Baker University with the Community Art Students. The sun was coming through the clouds warming the strawberries. The beautiful reds in the strawberries contrasted beautifully with the colors of the window sill, sky and bowl. I loved the brightness of the yellow bowl against the depth of the strawberries. This painting is a simple expression of an early morning bowl of fresh strawberries.

"Morning Strawberries"
Watercolor
18x24
Available for Sale $425.00

"Amy's Laundry"

2009-07-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

Amy was my neighbor in Blacksburg, Virginia. She was against using a dryer because of the energy it wasted and she loved the way the fresh air permeated the clothes. She had this wonderful clothes line in her backyard and one day she was drying all the jeans and they were so full of personality. All sorts of adventures were revealed in those jeans. Hiking trips to the Appalachain Trail, bike rides through town, hours spent in university classes, long nights out and walks through town. I loved the colors and the way the light hit the basket and the shadows the jeans cast on the walls.

"Amy's Laundry"
Watercolor
16x20
Available for Sale $450.00

"Italian Geraniums", Monte San Martin, Italy

2009-07-20T09:41:00.000-07:00

My husband's entire family went to Italy and it was
one of the best family vacations we ever had. My Mother-in-law had just been diagnosed with cancer and this was her dream for all of us. There were fifteen people who went with her to Italy and we stayed in a lovely villa in a very small town called Monte San Martin. The stone work in town was lovely and centuries old. The steps of our villa led out to a patio that overlooked the distant hills and the swimming pool. The entire vista reminded me of scenes from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The entire town was set on a hilltop and steps were everywhere. I had just purchased a small travel set of watercolors before we left and was able to complete a few small works amongst the daily trips to see some of the greatest artwork of the western world. The steps to the paito where we ate our meals were lined with lovely ceramic pots filled with bright red geraniums. They seemed like carefully placed bright colors in a dream. I loved their color against the old stone in the lovely light of Italy.

"Italian Geraniums"
Watercolor 12x14
Available for Sale
$175.00

"Pots and Stone Wall at the Kentucky Horse Park

2009-06-17T09:05:00.000-07:00

Kentucky is full of lovely old stone walls. I was working with students at the Kentucky Horse Park and fell in love with this collection of pots that were clustered against this stone wall. I loved the colors of the bright lemon yellow flowers that contrasted so well against the colors in the pots. There was a lot of joy in the brilliance of the flowers. The sky was a cerulean blue and the light filtered through the flowers casting wonderful color against the stone.

"Pots and Stone Wall at the Kentucky Horse Park"
Watercolor 18x24
Sold

"Red Canna Lilly"

2009-06-17T08:41:00.000-07:00

My husband and I spent fifteen years living and working in Mexico and we will always love the adventure of being in Mexico. I saw this lilly in a garden on the campus of the University of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg where we were living at the time. The Lilly reminded me of a garden we visited in San Miguel. It was full of Canna Lillies of all shades and colors and suddenly I felt as if I was standing in that same garden listening to the sounds of Mexico. This image was painted from life and all the rich colors of Mexico are represented in the bold elegance of the Lilly.

"Red Canna Lilly"
Watercolor 16x20
$175.00

"Red Scarf at the Arboretum"

2009-06-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

"Red Scarf at the Arboretum" was painted during the evening hours when the sun was just disappearing into the evening sky. The architectural elements in the bright white fence gave structure to this work. I loved the confusion of the white flowers against the very defined borders of the high fence. I added the red scarf at the last moment because it represents just a memory of this magical evening.

"Red Scarf at the Arboretum at the University of Kentucky" Lexington, KY
Oil 16x20
Sold

"Backyard at Chinoe"

2009-06-16T12:34:00.000-07:00

Spring came early to Kentucky and the backyard was full of delicate spring flowers in soft vibrant colors. The colors were grouped in broad swatches against the deep greens of the pines and bushes. Mowers were on their way and I was able to complete the work before we lost all of that lovely soft color.

"Backyard at Chinoe" Lexington, KY
Oil 12x14
$225.00

"November"

2009-05-20T10:09:00.000-07:00

"November". I was out driving and saw this wonderful Zen looking barn out in a field with nothing around it except the clouds on a November afternoon. The sun was just barely visible through the clouds, but it reflected of the meadow and soft blue roof of the barn. The old stone foundation was a joy to paint and the roll of the earth seemed like an ocean underneath it.
"November" Lexington, KY
Tricia Spencer
Oil
11x14
Sold

"Hurlin's Vastu" Fairfield, IA

2009-05-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

This is a wonderful house that is an architectural gem and belongs to some friends of mine. The home is built according to the principles of Maharishi Stapathya Veda or Vastu Shastra. The home is constructed according to the cardinal directions providing a life in accord with the laws of nature. The entrance to these homes always face to the East so the rising light of the sun enters the home first thing in the morning. The home is located in a green communtiy which is off the grid. They even have their own wind turbine!

I loved working on this small painting. The painting was completed in the soft light of the western sun. Beautiful color is everywhere in this small intimate painting and I love the odd fence and the way the light fell across the fields behind the house.

"Hurlin's Vastu" Fairfield, IA

Tricia Spencer

Oil 11x14

sold

"Midway" Midway, Kentucky

2009-05-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

This is a wonderful town located in the Kentucky Bluegrass. All of the buildings have tremedous character and life. I fell under the spell of the bright yellow building with the purple window trim. The red brick building with its colorful bright blue trim continued the wonderful colors on this street. This was also an oil that was painted after "Early Fall at Keeneland". This was a slower painting but I never got tired of the fun, bright colors.

"Midway" Midway, KY
Oil 11x14
Sold

"Pots at the Kansas City Art Institute

2009-05-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

I love working with pots. They have great color and tell an important story for me. I always wonder where they came from and who made them. I wonder if they came from Mexico or Morocco. I was teaching at the Art Institute and I loved how these pots reacted against the brick building. The deep green window trim was profound against the smooth stone sill and the light on the pots told the whole story for me in this painting.

"Pots at the Kansas City Art Institute"
Tricia Spencer
Watercolor
22x30
$475.00

"Plaza Tower" Plaza Kansas City, MO

2009-05-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

The Plaza is one of the most exciting places to work in Kansas City. It is full of Spanish architecture with beautiful domed buildings reminiscent of Islamic culture. The class was "Architectural Elements in Painting" and was offerred through the Kemper Museum of Art in Kansas City. I loved working with the Kemper. The Plaza is an exciting place to work because the structures are so challenging. In this work the large blue dome contrasts with the delicate and intricate work in the columns. I loved the bit of red tile roof that "

"Plaza Tower" Plaza, Kansas City, MO
Watercolor
16x20

$425.00

"Roselle Court" Nelson Atkins Museum of Art

2009-05-19T12:25:00.000-07:00

I had been working with students and just finished an exhibition with the Kansas City Art Institute. I wanted to encourage my students to continue working on location. The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art is deeply loved in Kansas City and there is a wonderful cafe that is full of stunning marble. I thought it would be fun to meet and work in the cafe. Great work came out of this location and the colors just kept on coming throughout the painting. It was a great experience and I was excited to complete it. Color was everywhere!

"Cafe at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art"
Watercolo
16x20
$425.00

"Mexico Bench" Playa Del Carmen

2009-05-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

Mexico is my second home. My husband and I have spent many years living and working in Mexico. We love adventuring in Mexico. It's a wonderful country. This bench was molded into the stucco building on one of the side streets in Playa Del Carmen. The beautiful tile work on the bench gave bright color to the work. Wonderful light created dramatic shadows on the curved wall that formed a break between this house and the house next door. Mexico is full of beautiful light and color.

"Mexico Bench"
Watercolor
11x14

$150.00

"Baldwin Lumberyard" Baldwin, KS

2009-05-19T12:06:00.001-07:00

Baldwin, Kansas is a very small town just south of Lawrence, Kansas. This building had been the home of the Baldwin Lumberyard for many, many years. However it eventually closed its doors. The community banded together and rather than see it torn down, they came together and are renovating it for the Lumberyard Art Center. I have taught several classes in this building. Recently there has been a great deal of renovations going on in town and I received a commission to paint the building as it stood before renovations took place. My Dad used to purchase supplies from this Lumberyard.

"Baldwin Lumberyard"
Watercolor
22x30
Commission Sold

"Baldwin Train Station" Baldwin, KS

2009-05-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

"Baldwin Train Station" is a watercolor that I worked on with students during a winter "Plein Air" class. It was way too cold to go outside, so I received permission from the historical society to work in the restored train station. It's a beautiful building with lovely woodowork that has a rich red tone. The railroad crossing sign lets everyone know they are in a train station. The images outside the building added a wonderful perspecive to the interior that we worked on.

"Baldwin Train Station" Baldwin, KS
Watercolor
16x20
$425.00

"Ashland Cottage"Lexington, KY

2009-05-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

Fall is one of my favorite times to work. I love the contrasting colors and the way light is reflected in the world during this time of year. The cottage is part of the historic Henry Clay estate located in Lexington, KY. The cottage has great color and a great tile roof. Light fell on the cottage through the the trees and made wonderful shadows on the cottage.
"Ashland Cottage" Lexington, KY
Watercolor
22x30
Sold Museum at Henry Clay Estate

"Woods Landing, Wyoming"

2009-05-19T11:32:00.000-07:00

Woods Landing is one of my favorite places on earth. It is located on the Laramie River, south of Laramie, Wyoming. Eight small cabins line the river. Stone bridges cross an active stream that runs through the property. There is a store, gas station post office, dance hall, bar and cafe. This is a painting of the cafe, dance hall and bar. Many of the logs used to build this structure were floated down the Laramie River while the railroad was being constructed. This is an historic building and still services the distant surrounding ranches.

"Woods Landing Wyoming"
Watercolor
22x30
Commission Sold

"Parkin's Farm" Baldwin, KS

2009-05-15T10:44:00.000-07:00

Early fall is beautiful in the eastern hills south of Lawrence, Kansas where I teach and work. This painting was completed over several afternoons working on a hillside just above the farm. Being outside allows me to see all the colors in the hills surrounding this farm. Parkin's farm is just down the road from my Mother's' house. Wonderful animals live on his farm and they are good friends to share an afternoon with.

"Parkin's Farm"
Watercolor
22x30 Sold

"Colonel's Barn" Lexington, KY

2009-05-15T10:34:00.000-07:00

"Colonel's Barn" was painted during the fall. Colonel raised race horses. Large maples lined the roads on the farm and reflect beautiful gold light. Colonel raised race horses and in the afternoons they got drowsy and their foals would lay down in the fields and sleep. It was a lovely time to paint. The gold trees offerred great shade.

"Colonel's Barn"

Watercolor

22x16

$425.00

"Training Barn", Lexington, KY

2009-05-15T10:25:00.000-07:00

"Training Barn" was completed at Colonel's farm. A wonderful place with lots of beautiful horses, chickens roosters, and a great dog. I used to go to Colonel's all the time to work because the farm had so many things going on. I returned from a project teaching and working in Kansas City and sadly the farm had been sold. But I have wonderful memories of being here. I love the colors and light that is reflected in the hay bales.

"Training Barn" Lexington, KY
22x30
Watercolor $425.00

"Shadow Mountain"

2009-05-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

"Shadow Mountain"
This was a beautiful cabin my husband and I stayed located in the gorgeous Shenandoah Mountains in Virginia. The cabin had a lovely lookout tower where you could see the surrounding grounds. Magenta is one of my favorite colors and I see magenta in the shadows of many of my architectural paintings. We loved it here.

" Shadow Mountain"
22x30
Watercolor
Commission Sold

"4516 W.Seminary" Richmond, Va

2009-05-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

"4516 W. Seminary" As I sat in the front yard working on the painting of "Husny's Bungalow" the neighbors stopped by and commissioned me to do a painting of their house. They were a little concerned because their house was all white and I assured them that I was a watercolorist and saw many beautiful colors in the dramatic shadows and details. When the painting was finished, they redecorated their living room according to the colors in the painting. Fun!

"4516 W.Seminary"
Watercolor
22x30
Commission Sold

"Husny's"

2009-05-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

"Husny's 4512 W. Seminary" Richmond, VA

This was my first architecture painting that I completed. My husband and I were staying with Husny in Richmond VA. I sat in the front yard on a cloudy day and completed this work while they worked on the plumbing. We had fun in this house.
"Husny's Bungalow"
Watercolor
11x14 Sold