The Billy Boys

This may be the last painting that gets posted for a while. I just returned from a trip to Illinois to check on my father. He is in an assisted care home. Parkinson's disease is robbing him of his movement and I am seeing early signs of dementia. But he is still trying and his odd sense of humor still kicks in occasionally. It is going to be very hard for all of us in the time ahead.
My daughters are coming home for Christmas, the first time we will all be together in three years. I am busy cleaning up this huge cavernous house that has been neglected for painting and travelling (much better things to do). Cleaning, gift finding, then painting (for a limited time only).

Spiral

Spiral is an experiment in the technique of layering successive layers of color and then scraping or rubbing back with alcahol. I like the texture of the various layers peeking through and am planning some decorative works employing this technique.

Creston Grrl

This was my third and last entry for the "Red" show in Creston. This painting was based on a photograph of a fierce and punky young woman in one of my painting classes a couple of years ago. I think it takes a lot of courage and creativity to wear the outfits she chose in a small town the size of Creston. It is easier to be different in a city but in a small town, you are a decided target.

I am not happy with how the painting turned out. I wanted it to be much looser and fresher(and fiercer). But I still like the subject matter. The background started out light and splotchy and just looked anemic. The Painting seemed to demand the red for itself. I would like to do the painting again but the image was lost when my computer failed this summer. It took me over a year to get her photo from a fellow student. There must be some kind of kharma going on here.

Tribal Dancer

This is my second entry for the "Red" show. I love bellydance. I love the music and the costumes and they way it can change how women feel about themselves.

Red Hat

I took a photo of Charlene Evans as she was painting at the open air painting class we took together at Wilmer this last August. What a great week. Val MacPhee was our teacher and Sebastien Bell our organizer and host. We would go out and paint around the little village of Wilmer, return to the Delphine Lodge to eat a fabulous lunch prepared by Mrs. Bell and then go out and paint again until evening. The weather was beautiful, mild and sunny. I hope to go again next year. This painting is going in the "red" show at Creston this week.

Standing Trick

This is another painting based on an old photo. I love this girl's aplomb and fearlessness.

Nymph

I don't know why I like this painting so much but I do. It is inspired by an old photograph. I painted her in the summer of 2006. I enjoy her coy peek through the leaves.I thought she had to be a redhead. I just want to keep her around for a while.

The King of Rhubarb

This is a painting I made and SOLD this summer. My magnificent Jinx in a sunlit patch of Rhubarb. I actually miss the painting. It's funny how you can become attached to some of them. Although I find when I make a newer painting that I am happy with it is easier to let a previous favorite go.

Heavy Chevy

I am reaching a stage where if I'm in doubt, I paint a truck. It's suprising the number of old vehicles lying about. This one is right in Canal Flats.

Crazy little Ice Goddess

We are getting a fresh sprinkle of snow today. I thought I would drag out my image of my little ice goddess. She was fun to make. Maybe I will get busy and make some more collages.

Bouquet

I was trying for a real loose decorative interpretation. I'm not sure if I'm happy with this or not. I do like some of the texture.

Headwaters: storm from the south

I did this painting while I was taking the Svob course in Calgary. Mr. Svob actually had kind words for me about it, so I was thrilled. He also pointed out that warm paintings sell better than cool ones.

Oldtimer two

This is truck number two.

black elvis

I just returned from a workshop in Calgary with Mike Svob. One of the techniques he showed us was his "Black Elvis" technique, inspired by the black velvet paintings he saw in Florida in his teens.

He makes his thumbnail sketch, draws onto a black canvas and sets off putting in his light, dark, and midtones. He makes it look so easy, but he's been painting for 25 years.

This is my attempt. Inspired by Bernard Garcia's truck sketches and having met a very colorful character in Cimmarron N.M. who was thrilled when we stopped to survey his old trucks, this may be the start of the Cimmarron series.

Gomez Tortilla Factory

This is one of the paintings I worked on at the Mike Svob workshop in Calgary. Dark, light, midtone. It sounds so simple and yet it is so challenging to do.

Happy Halloween

I know it's mean but this photo always makes me laugh.

Leaving

One of my favorite lines from a movie (Two Moon Junction, I think)

"I don't know where I'm going but I can hardly wait to get there." I have felt like that at times. This girl is packed up and ready to leave town.

Pensive

This was a class mate in Creston, a very beautiful and extremely talented young women. She was kind enough to pose for a few photographs. I think I will do a figurative series.

white pumpkin and nasturtium bloom

I really could learn to hate pumpkins. I thinks I will tackle some bigger paintings for a while.

Happy Birthday to Me

Columbia Lake trees

This is an open air painting I did about 2 weeks ago when we last had a sunny day! Yesterday was beautiful. Bruce and I slaved in the garden and the woodpile getting ready for the snow. It is frosting really hard now and the snowline is almost to the valley bottom. I like to listen to the yellow leaves trickle off the trees but I am so sad at seeing them go.

Old kettle and nasturium

I found this little old cast iron kettle when I was about 10 years old and have been packing it around ever since. I don't know why I am so taken with it. I think the handle hooks me. I have always had a fascination with the hinged doors on potbellied stove and the funny old hinge hook ups on wellington style rubber boots. The handle reminds me of those. It's one of those weird artist things.

pumpkin with chesnuts

We went to check out our new grandson over the Thanksgiving weekend. He seems to be a very strong independent little man for 5 weeks old. I brought home a cold, and I'm feeling very miserable and sorry for my self. But I am painting!

Mama pear

Our pear tree stuggles to produce these squinty little pears. They are not good for eating and just entice the bears and deer to misbehave so Bruce and I gather them up. But they're kinda cute. So this is a big pear Mama and some little ones.

Yesterday was one of those days that I felt like I was painting with a boat oar. So I am taking to heart... the best way to improve is to paint, paint, paint.


My second pumpkin doesn't feel near as successful as my first. It was sitting on one of my sunflower plates. It appears to just be floatng. And I learned that hansa yellow and quinicadrone red do not make a good orange. Cadmium yellow and red work much better.

A pumpkin a Day

I love October. It is my birth month and my favorite month. I love clear blue skies and Halloween and turning trees and of course pumpkins.

Bright Pepper

I had to go to Cranbrook yesterday to help hang the work for the Cranbrook Critique Club show. That pretty much ate up the day. I'm posting one of the small works I did in Santa Fe and then I am going downstairs to paint!

Spat

I love the color of the red pears. Plus, they are delicious, juicy, tender and sweet.

tete a tete

I'm painting most days, I'm just not getting a painting done a day.

another atc

Went painting outside with my friend and fellow painter, Jennifer Woodburn. Will try to post something tomorrow.

Harvest Moon

The full harvest moon will be showing tonight so I hope people get out and enjoy it. This is a little artist trading card. I like to play around with collage. I am hoping to work on an altered book with my friend, Judy Walker.

Time for something different

I took a course with Meira Mathison this summer at Red Deer Alberta. It was the first time I had touched clay in about ten years. She was a great teacher and a wonderful potter. I learned a lot. Now I have a number of things to fire. Hmm...

Break the Rules

"Madonna of the Rockies"


"Rules"
Do not tie knots
in unsuspecting snakes.
Do not hop on hippos' heads
to get across the lake.
Do not cheat when playing chess
with cheetahs late at night.
It may not be illegal
but that doesn't make it right.
Do not connect a leopard's spots
or toot a rhino's horn.
Laugh at a hyena
and you'll wish that you weren't born.
Do not subtract with adders.
Do not pinch a chimpanzee.
Do not, do not, do not, do NOT
times ninety-nine
times three

Tiffany Stone
"Baaaaad Animals"

Equinox is Today

Yes, fall is officially here. The clouds were so low I couldn't see the mountains. The wind was blowing straight out of the north, cold and rainy as Kira and I made our way on our daily walk. Here is my "White Grape Goddess" to commemorate the day.

Fall is here

I'm busy processing the last box of summer peaches and harvesting my garden. I have plenty of beautiful veggies to make borscht. The last few days have been very cool and grey. I can't even see our close mountains for the clouds. I'm afraid when I will be able to see them, they will be frosted with snow.

Her is my little dark grape goddess. I thought goddess collages would be very appropriate for Mabon, the harvest of prosperity.

Equinox is coming

Until I start cranking out new paintings on a regular basis, I will keep posting older ones.

This is the painting "Chums" based on Kira and Jinx. Besides being useful (watchdog and vermin killer) they are a constant source of entertainment to us.

Ghost Ranch

We visited Ghost Ranch a few years ago. It has become the place that I think heaven would look like. This painting is called "Dreaming of Ghost Ranch. I want to stay and paint there someday.

Wilmer Workshop

This is my take on the Delphine Lodge. It is run by Sebastien and Jill Bell and is a wonderful funky, rather British little laid back place. They hosted the open air painting workshop Val MacPhee put on. It was such fun.

The painting on the right was near a small lake just outside of town. I don't think I like green. Some people do like the painting, but I'm not keen on it.

long gone

Oops, I sort of overlooked blogging for a while. It has been a busy summer. Here is one of my open air paintings.

Yard Elk

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These are a few of the elk that come to graze in my back yard in the evenings. It's one of the reasons I like to live here. There are also the white-tail deer. And there is a mule deer herd that resides in town. Plus we have a couple of bighorn sheep herds between here and the lake. It's like a northern Serengeti

Busy

I am busy struggling with a painting. I need to get 2 paintings done for Artsaround, 3 for Bloomin Art, and some western pictures for Ft. Steele Days. Plus, I am hoping to paint and make shrines for my show in August. Argh!!

I am also trying to bully my sweet husband into tilling the garden where the weeds are now a foot high so that I can plant. The locals say not to plant until the snow is off of Mt. Greenwood. Well, the snow is gone and the lilacs are in bloom. I am about 3 weeks behind schedule and if stuff doesn't get planted soon it will be frost time!





This is my little goddess shrine hanging in my yard. I am also trying to hang a windchime in every tree, to deter bad spirits and just because I love the sound of them tinkling in the wind.

This is my little collage called "Night Nurse". If I were sick, I would want someone with this sweet face to take care of me.