Small World

Thanksgiving Week

Quiet and Carefree

Quiet, watercolor and pen on 140lb. paper, 2011

There is a long story behind why I chose to paint this scene, but the story is too personal to post publicly. Maybe someday.... Short version: I love window seats, yellow and blue is a favorite color combination, and hydrangea is a favorite flower. But, more than all these things, I love quiet. I want everything in this picture...except the sloping floor. I'm an artist, not a builder. As is often the case with watercolor, the most interesting things happen by accident. The flower vase on the right is a good example of this. Having the green flower color bleed into the vase was unintentional. It's my favorite part of the picture. Ah! Blessed quiet serendipity!

Only Today

We Have Only Today, watercolor and pen on 140lb. paper, 2011

This was a study to refresh my color mixing ability and get comfortable holding a brush again. It's been years since I last worked with watercolor. Too long. But, as the saying implies, it's never too late to begin. My signature is reduced to initials, which I prefer.

Intro to Watercolor

Sit a Horse, watercolor on illustration board, 1996

This is my first attempt at watercolor, and I really had no idea what I was doing. I was learning every time I put the brush to the paper. I learned all the tricks for "picking up" paint that didn't go down the way I wanted it to. The colors are rather uninspiring, but I was especially pleased with how the hair turned out. I like the simplicity of it that takes full advantage of the paper color. Her hair really was that color--like spun gold. In this picture, my daughter is four and is learning to sit on a horse. She was immediately hooked, just like I was with watercolor.

The Necklace

Girl with Necklace, mechanical pen on illustration board, 1987

I did this shortly after we moved to New Mexico. I thought the necklace would be difficult to get right, but I was very pleased with how it turned out. It's the focus of the picture, which is unfortunate. The focus should be on the girl's face.

Wrinkles and Folds

Guillermo, mechanical pen on illustration board, 1989

Fast-forward to 1989. We're in New Mexico now, so I needed to draw a rancher. I drew him from a picture in National Geographic. It's weird that I still remember his name. The fascination with folds in fabric continues...and folds in skin, too, apparently. I was always on the hunt for good, wrinkly subject matter. Notice, I'm still afraid of color. I obviously thought it was important to have an artsy signature by this time.