This is a portrait of Michael’s and Frances’ son, daughter and horse. They wanted a country lane, so I made one up and set the kids and their horse on their way. They also wanted a certain type of cart, rather than the one in their photo, so I did a bit of imagining there, …
Oscar
2003 - 17.5" x 12.625" - Watercolor, Arches Aquarelle watercolor paper
Light, shadow, subtle color variations, and pattern play significant roles in this particular painting. In case you’d like to know, this fellow’s name was Oscar, and he was a very cool cat. This watercolor painting was exhibited in the Watercolor ’04 show at the Norris Gallery, Dellora A. Norris Cultural Arts Center in St. Charles, …
Magnolia grandiflora Fruit
2011 - 12" x 9" - Mixed Media (Acrylic Colored Ink, Watercolor), Arches Aquarelle watercolor paper
Hairy seed pods like this grow on the southern Magnolia tree. The Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta has many of these trees, and that’s where this Magnolia grandiflora fruit was seen. It has a visitor, which the Atlanta Audubon Society tells me is a leaf-footed bug known as Leptoglossus spp. This is a sucking bug …
Foliage 2
2002 - 18" x 12" - Watercolor, Arches Aquarelle watercolor paper
This painting plays with soft and sharp focus, much like that achieved in photography. I liked the combination of spiky and soft, round shapes that appear in this grouping of plants. The spray of pinks in the background adds to the energy of the piece. Shown at the Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL; with the Northwest …
Foliage 1
2002 - 18" x 12" - Watercolor, Arches Aquarelle watercolor paper
In photography, you can set the camera at a fast shutter speed to keep the point of focus (usually but not always the foreground) in crisp focus, while blurring out the background. I wanted to create that effect with watercolor. I used masking fluid to preserve the parts of the plant that would be in …
Nerthus and the Dragon
1979 - 9" x 12" - India Ink, Arches paper
After college, I went on an archeological dig through Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. It was a work/study program at the Koster Site in Kampsville, IL. During the work portion, one of my jobs was in their bookstore. Their collection of books was wonderful, and I purchased quite a few, some of them on the Bronze …
Out of the Iron Age I
1978 - 11" x 14" - India Ink, Bristol Board
While studying the art of the European Bronze and Iron Ages, I noticed how my books praised the workmanship of certain pieces, and I could see that the detail and ornamentation had taken great skill. I wondered at the superstition that must have been a part of life to these peoples as they tried to …
The King’s Torc
1979 - 12" x 10" - India Ink, Arches paper
While studying art at Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, I became interested in the art of the European Bronze and Iron Ages. I was very curious about what the artists had been trying to express; what they were thinking; what their lives were like, obviously so different from my own. After school, I went on an …
The Phoenix in Egypt
1996 - 27.625" x 20.125" - Mixed Media (Colored Pencil, Watercolor), Arches Aquarelle watercolor paper
When we named our reddish golden retriever pup Phoenix, I decided that I wanted to know more about the myth of the phoenix bird, after which she was named. The fantastic bird was described as having feathers of gold, red and purple. It was sometimes described as a heron-like bird. Herons live along the Nile …
Phoenix and the Egg of Myrrh
1997 - 28.75" x 21.5" - Watercolor, Arches Aquarelle watercolor paper
Some ancient accounts of the phoenix bird said that the new bird encased the ashes of its predecessor in an egg of myrrh, and then flew with it to Heliopolis in Egypt. Some accounts said that the funereal nest was built in a persea tree, and woven with fragrant herbs. The fantastic bird was described …