When life gives you lemons, draw them, 11 x 14 inches dry pastels, graphite on paper

"When life gives you lemons, draw them." (Nikki)

"Color! What a deep and mysterious language." (Paul Gauguin)

sunsets

« Previous Entries

Signs and Symbols

Wednesday, January 10th, 2024


 

Magic Hour, 60H x 40W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas

Showing in Gallerium Art’s Signs and Symbols January 10 – March 10, 2024: Magic Hour (Gitxsan Totem Pole, Thunderbird Park, Victoria, BC Canada), 60H x 40W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas. Wrapped sides painted, sturdy home-built stretcher frame, navy blue narrow wood trim finishes the sides.

 

Just Sky

Thursday, June 15th, 2023


 

Just Sky, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Just Sky, Summer sunset study – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper.

Colorium 2023

Tuesday, April 11th, 2023


 
Beach Sunset, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Exhibizone's Colorium Exhibition badgeBeach Sunset, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper is showcased in the Gallerium-Bafarin online exhibition, entitled Colorium April 10 – May 10, 2023.

Beach Sunset

Sunday, February 12th, 2023


 

Beach Sunset, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Beach Sunset, Oceanside, OR – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

This piece will be showcased at Gallerium’s Exhibition, “Colorium 2023” from April 10-May 10 (no link yet).

Magic Hour 02

Monday, February 28th, 2022


 

Magic Hour 02 - Gitxsan Totem - 24H x 18W inches soft pastels on paper
Magic Hour 02, the Gitxsan Totem, Thunderbird Park, Royal BC Museum, Victoria BC, Canada, 24H x 18W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 33H x 27W”.


 

I first painted ‘Magic Hour‘ in acrylics on canvas, started July 17th, 2008, with additional blog posts on July 24th, Aug 3rd, 6th, and 15th, 2008. The painting is 60H x 40W x 3D inches ($1,100).
Symbols/crests: The bird at the crown is a giant woodpecker (wee-get-welku). Legend reads that a female ancestor kept a pet woodpecker, feeding it so much it grew to be a giant monster that ate everything made of wood until it was killed. It sits atop 5 human figures who stand on the head of the Mountain Eagle (Skim-sim), who kidnapped and mated with a woman then devoured their offspring. The eleven small figures are humans fishing through holes in the ice. Under them and not pictured in the painting is Will-a-daugh, also known as “Person With a Large Nose”, holding her child who was conceived from a wood grub.

(more…)

Elements of Nature

Saturday, January 1st, 2022


 

Paint Arson, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas


 
Cumulonimbus, Montana sunset, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paperPaint Arson, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas (2009), wrapped sides painted, frame unnecessary. Set on shelf or hang on wall. This and Cumulonimbus: Montana Sunset (2020) are in J. Mane Gallery’s ‘Elements of Nature’ online juried exhibition, showing through January 2022.

I don’t always have clear intentions behind my work, other than to make it interesting of course, because I wonder if too much explanation muddies a fresh impression of it. However, the writing connected to “Paint Arson” is worth the read. Fire is a destructive force, and positive associations with it are not immediate. For example, the pinecones of Sequoia, the largest trees on Earth, only open under the extreme conditions presented by fire. Read on…

Sunset, Yosemite

Thursday, March 4th, 2021


 

Sunset, Yosemite National Forest CA, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Sunset, Yosemite National Forest CA, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb WC paper

Cumulonimbus: Montana Sunset

Friday, October 23rd, 2020


 

Cumulonimbus, Montana Sunset, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper

Cumulonimbus: Montana Sunset, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on 90 lb watercolor paper. For many years I’ve wanted to try painting night skies. In July 2007, I was driving through Montana to Alberta as the setting sun bounced golden-pink hues through the already fantastic storm clouds. I pulled over and took some photos, thinking that even if they didn’t turn out, something is better than nothing. Reference photos don’t have to be perfect to bring back the awe of a particular moment; they are just a starting point. I intend to paint this with acrylics when I’m through with my soft pastel kick.

Port Angeles, Washington

Saturday, August 22nd, 2020


 

Port Angeles, Washington - 16H x 20W inches soft pastels on paper

Port Angeles, Washington, 16H x 20W inches soft pastels on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper. 32H x 26W inches framed size.

Queenstown Peaks, New Zealand

Sunday, July 12th, 2020


 

Queenstown Peaks, New Zealand - 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper
Queenstown Peaks, New Zealand – 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 27H x 33W inches, white wood frame, crackle finish.

« Previous Entries