"Cedar Fields" Vinland, KS

                                                                  

                                                              "Cedar Fields", Vinland KS

                                                                           Oil 24" x "32 $550

I love the Vinland Hills of Kansas. It is only 50 miles from downtown Kansas City. It is a very remote,  rural area. It is just south of Lawrence, Kansas. I taught at the Lawrence Art Center where Kansas University is located for many years. 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.

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

                                                 

                                                                              "Venice's Boots"

                                                                              Watercolor 18"x 24" $425.00 

I completed this painting just after I returned from Wyoming and was teaching at the Lawrence Art Center. These boots belong to my niece, 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.

"Midway" Midway, Kentucky

 "Midway" Midway, KY

Oil 11"x 14"$450.00

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.

"4516 W.Seminary" Richmond, Va

"4516 W.Seminary"

Watercolor  22" x 30" (Sold)

As I sat in the front of my friend's 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!