Golden Strands

The first of hopefully many golden girls because I have a huge tube of gold acrylic paint to use up. I hope I can make myself make the next one even golder.

Golden Strands; collage, acrylic & marker in art journal

Mama Called It

Mama called it my beauty mark, which was really sweet of her. This is a self-portrait, and other than the odd colors, it's a pretty good likeness. For the record, I'm deep into middle-age, but I have not actually succumbed to blue hair yet. :)

This is acrylic on gessoed paper, which is new for me and very much out of my comfort zone, and it was saved by an odd assortment of markers and pens, which I'm quite comfortable with.

Self-portrait in acrylic on gessoed paper

Lake Erie Captain

Lake Erie Captain, mechanical pen on illustration board, 1992

This was another gift for my dad. I drew it from a National Geographic picture of a boat captain whose port was Put-In-Bay, located on the north side of South Bass Island in Lake Erie. I grew up in northwestern Ohio, and we frequently went on day trips in our small power boat. Put-In-Bay was about the farthest we ever ventured across the always-choppy waters of Lake Erie. I think all artists must have a favorite piece or two from their body of work, and this is definitely one of mine. It's been almost 20 years since I drew this, and I'm still pretty pleased with how it turned out. I was always very comfortable with this technique. It was strangely relaxing to lay down all those short, little lines. After an hour or two, the image just begins to appear, almost magically.

Katie

Katie, mechanical pen on illustration board, 1988

Here's another "blast from the past." I presented this drawing of my niece to her mom, my sister, as a Christmas present in 1988. I drew it from a photograph. I knew I wanted to draw the simple, ruffled dress and the adorable bonnet, sitting off-kilter on her head. The adorable face was also a huge attraction! She was a wonderfully pleasant baby. As I recall, the picture was taken in bright sunlight, which is why Katie is squinting slightly. This sweet, baby girl is all grown up now and beginning her career as a financial analyst near Washington, D.C. How time flies!

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.

From Art School Days

Girl in Scarf, mechanical pen on illustration board, 1985

Another art-school-era piece, hastily done for a grade. I had an early fascination with the folds in fabric. They practically drew themselves, which was good, because it was likely 2:00 in the morning when I did this. I was enrolled in four art classes at a time and was completing two to three projects a day. It was creativity overload.

Lots of Lines

Ozark Farmer, mechanical pen on illustration board, 1985

This is a very early piece, done while I was in art school. In fact, it was a project for my Life Drawing class. I was experimenting with mechanical pens and working almost entirely in black and white, convinced that I could never master color. I was offered a job because of this piece. It's a long story.