"The Violin"

This drawing was inspired by my Father who played the violin throughout his life. His music never left my consciousness. I can still see and hear him practicing every night before I went to bed. I still hear him playing.

Black and White

Student Mural

5 ft x 12 ft

Students created the mural to demonstrate the function and value of line, dimension, pattern and contrast. Work displayed in the Library of Mesa University, Grand Junction, Colroado

 

 

"International Women's Day"

I was teaching Color Theory at the University of Kentucky. We created a large exhibition for the International Student Center at the University to celebrate "International Day of Women". Students explored the principles of Color Theory in their jeans. Women make up between 60-80 percent of garment workers. These jeans represent color, texture, and make a statement letting students know where their jeans come from and the conditions they experience in the factories. 

 "Ladies and their Pots"

This is one in a series of 3 watercolors representing the beautiful ceramic work of the Nahuatl women in Mexico. Their work in ceramics is famous throughout Mexico. I felt their contribution to the arts should be recognized and celebrated.

 

"Endangered Birds of Mexico"

8ft x 10ft

This mural was completed at "La Ofrenda" a cafe located in the  historic district of Torreon, Mexico. Mexico has a longstanding tradition of mural works which date back to the ancient Aztec, Mayan and other ancient cultures of Mexico. The mural was completed with the help of students, local Artists and community members who shared a common interest in preserving the endangered birds of Mexico. 

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                                                                           "Jeans on Red Chair"

This image captured the feeling I have when life is simple. You come home, toss your work clothes on a chair and move on with your life. No folding, no organizing, no looking for something to wear the next day. The next day, there they are and you are out the door. I love the everyday feeling this image presented for me. 

"Blue Ranch House and Poppies"

"Blue Ranch House, Jelm Wyoming"

Oil 18"x24"

I walked past this old ranch house on a dirt road along the Laramie River in a remote, small community of 5 houses.The bright blue color of the abandoned ranch.house contrasted with the bright orange poppies and the worn green door that I couldn't resist painting. 

 

 

  Hibiscus

16"x 20"

"Poinsetta" is a dynamic, loose expression of the magic of Watercolor. The deep, dynamic, exotic reds of the Poinsetta were emphasized by the light and deep color that moved through the individual floral form that draped over the vase. 

                                                                     "Buzzard's Peak"

                                                             Watercolor

                                                        18 x 24 $485.00

Buzzard's Peak was my first exploration into the Plein Air landscape when I first moved to the high desert plateau in southwestern Colorado. I was astounded by the formations and the rocky slopes, colors and scale of the area. I was mesmerized by the perspective of the peak against the muted tones of the sky. 

                                                          "Grand Mesa and Rigs Hill"

                                               Redlands, Grand Junction, Colorado

                                                      Watercolor, 18 x 24

                                                                 $485.00

This view is just behind my house. Riggs Hill was "discovered" by Elmer Riggs, a famous dinosaur hunter and explorer in the 1900's. It is a unique formation in the high Colorado Plateau. The Grand Mesa frames the "hill". I love the contrasting colors of the deep red in the rock with the soft hazy blue of the Grand Mesa that frames it. It was a gorgeous day.

                                              Distant View Colorado Escalante Canyon 

                                                    Watercolor 18 x 24

                                                                            $450.00

This is what I see as I am driving to teach students at the Cedaredge Art Center at the base of the Grand Mesa in Southwest Colorado. The rising sun was glowing over the break in the canyon. The colors were stunning. I shared this view with my students as a demonstration of how light, shape, color and texture create the beautiful, expansive distance in the views we see everyday in the high Colorado Plateau.  

                                                           "Pitcher and Yellow Pear" 

                                                            Watercolor 18x24 $475.00

                                                                

 The complexity of the subject matter made this whole painting exciting and challenging. The folds of the fabric gave the whole painting a lively, melodic rhythmic expression. Everything was moving. The colors and the florals in fabric all moved together to forming depth and light at the same time. The pitcher and pear gave stability to the image and created a stationary focal point. 

                                     Mexican Rug, Apples and Blue Bowl

                                                   Watercolor, 18x24

                                                               $850.00

The rich colors of the rug and colors of the apples and bowl worked beautifully together in this intimate still life image. My Still Life images are an expression of the intimate and inner expression of how I perceive light and color. It was fall and the reflection of the light hit the apples in just the right way.

                                                         "Blue Bowl, Pitcher and Lemons"                                                                                                    Watercolor 18"x24" $850

I loved painting this image. The colors of the objects all compliment each other and portray a deep study of the juxtaposition of how light moves around everything we see. The lemons brought so much light into the image. The structure of the rustic wood table gave me the feeling of being in an old Italian villa as the inhabitants were preparing lemons for baking a Lemon Delight from the Amalfi coast. 

 

Lemonade Pitcher, Table Linens and Pears

Watercolor 18"x24" $950.00

Honorable Mention, Circle Arts, Lyon, France

This ceramic lemonade pitcher has been in my family for over 100 years. It was always used to make lemonade. The piece always had a lemonade destiny. I love the rich, warm colors the artist used in the rustic pitcher. The pitcher brought back memories of the joy of many summers drinking homemade lemonade and the light of a hot summer after running around chasing bugs and climbing the apple tree in our backyard. The pitcher always reminded me of mystical mountains from a far off magical place. The green pears were a must and I found the perfect green fabric to extend the mountains right off the pitcher into my world. 

 

"Art in the Pandemic"

Watercolor18"x24" $1,500

Award of Excellence, Circle Arts, Lyon France

I was contacted by Circle Arts and asked to submit a piece for their online Exhibition that exemplified

how the pandemic was affecting our world. The expression is complete and utter exhaustion. The lifeless jeans have no energy and weariness is expressed in every fold and drape of the fabric. 

                                                                       "Morning Coffee"

                                                                      Watercolor 18"x24" $850.00

    This was the second painting in a series of still life watercolors from the long year 2020. I love the silent activity in this piece and the range of colors. Soft amber light penetrates the scene. Color is brightly announced in the hand woven Oaxacan blanket that brings comfort in winter months. The shirt brings a casual attitude to the piece which represents the beginning of the day. 

Chair and Oaxacan Rug
Watercolor 18"x24" $1,500
Award of Excellence, Circle Arts, Lyon, France

 This image was composed in the winter at the beginning of 2020. I have lived and worked in Mexico for 30 years and have always loved the rich, vibrant colors the indigenous women of Mexico use in their weavings. I was  in total isolation and working on this piece connected me to the women who weave these beautiful works of art in the open air markets of Oaxaca, Mexico. Working on this piece brought back my connection to a world full of light and color. I sent the piece to a friend who suggested I enter the piece with Circle Arts, an arts organization in Lyon, France. I knew nothing about them and submitted the piece to the on line catalog exhibition. Then, I forgot about and continued to work on other images creating a series of Still Life paintings. A month later I  received notice that the piece has been accepted and was very, very pleased. I continued to work. Then I received another notice that the piece received an Award of Excellence. Again I was very, very pleased and excited. I  later learned from my niece, who actually looked at their site that there were 863 Artists who submitted 5-6 pieces each. I submitted this one piece. I am continually humbled and grateful for the award and the joy painting this piece gave to me during a very, very dark winter.

The Figure Pastels

The Figure Pastels

 I owe these works to Ania. She is an Artist who has been living in the US for thirty years. I met her at a party in Lexington, Kentucky and invited her to come to open figure drawing sessions at the University of Kentucky. She grew up in Poland during the Russain occupation and in order to escape the harsh political environment her Mother would take her to the countryside to paint Plein Air with other Polish Artists. She was accomplished and every time we went to the studio we experienced the joy of sharing this intense creative experience together.We were always late and struggled to get there. We both worked and it was really hard to get up early and get to the studio by 9:00am on  Saturday. Ania introduced me to pastels. We were late as usual and by chance she had grabbed pastels and threw them into her art box. We were flustered and were trying to get set up and I couldn't find my charcoal and she just handed me the pastels and said, "Here, we can use these". I had never worked with pastels, never thought about pastels or knew how to use them. The timer went off and they emerged. These works are 4ft by 3ft and the use of color was instinctive. I miss being in the studio with her and sharing the amazing creative experience we shared.   

Illustrations