Coconut Palm, Costa Rica, 14 x 11 inches oil pastels on paper with 3-inch-wide white double mat and 26H x 22W inch white custom-built white wood frame with crackle finish.

January Thaw, 14H x 11W inches oil pastels, white double mat, brass title plate, 22H x 26W inches wide white frame with white crackle finish.
Willow branches, welcome bits of color during the January thaw, a seasonal expectation in eastern Ontario, when temperatures hover around 0*C. After a period of 1-2 weeks temperatures can dip to -40*C, and the most intense, unpredictable part of winter begins.

The Evolution of January Thaw – a painting is more than the sum of its parts. It transformed dramatically while conversing with other Artists and their critiques on a popular online Artists’ website.

“When I am painting I have no knowledge of what I am doing. Only after a moment of ‘returning consciousness’ do I become aware of what I have been doing. Then, however, I have no hesitation about making changes, or destroying images, because the painting has a life of its own. My mission is to bring forth this life”. Jackson Pollock

 

At The Alamo, carved stone detail on a window of the main building at The Alamo, San Antonio, Texas – 11H x 14W inches oil pastels, 3-inch-wide white double mat and 26H x 22W inch white custom-built white wood frame with crackle finish.

Lake Cote Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica, 3-inch-wide white double mat and 26H x 22W inch white custom-built white wood frame with crackle finish.
This is a perfect example of how each piece in the Paper Places series for unique style. I follow intuitively responding to what happens on the page as the work unfolds.

Calgary in September, 14H x 11W inches oil pastels on paper, 3-inch-wide white double mat and 26H x 22W inch white custom-built white wood frame with crackle finish. Part of the Paper Places series.

Post-dated note: Won Second Place in the Paintings category in Plano Art Association’s annual One-Two-Five Show Exhibition in Plano, Texas April 11 – May 8, 2007. I think of pastels to be drawings because no brush is involved, but they are commonly categorized in competitions as paintings…heck, if it wins a prize, does it really matter?

 

Texas Paintbrush, Fort Worth, Texas, 14H x 11W inches oil pastels on paper, framed with 3 inch white double mat and white wood frame with crackle finish, total size 26H x 22W inches. Impressionistic style using soft, blended technique with the pastels, portrays the feeling of walking in a dry sandy field on a warm Spring day in northern Texas. Sold.

 

Southern Spring – Scurvy Peas, Grapevine, Texas USA. During April, chubby spikes of deep red and red-brown clover-like herbs called Scurvy Pea sweep across dry fallow fields and roadsides in the southern United States (Genus Psoralia cuspidata), 14H x 11W inches oil pastels on paper, framed with 3 inch white double mat and white wood frame with crackle finish, total size 26H x 22W inches. 3 days of sculpting; oil pastels were applied, removed, reapplied and reworked. Sold.

Red Rocks in Southern Utah, 14H x 11W inches oil pastels on paper, 3-inch-wide white double mat and 26H x 22W inch white custom-built white wood frame with crackle finish.
Part of the Paper Places series. I find driving anywhere preferable to flying because of scenery like the landscape in Southern Utah. The colors and patterns are stunning!

Goldenrod, late Summer in Southern Alberta, 14H x 11W inches oil pastels on paper, 3-inch-wide white double mat and 26H x 22W inch white custom-built white wood frame with crackle finish.

This piece exemplifies the individuality of each in the Paper Places series; not attempting depth or realism so much here as playing with design, contrasting colors and texture.

Silent Witness, Juniper at Grand Canyon, Arizona USA, 14H x 11W inches oil pastels on paper, Paper Places series, 3-inch-wide white double mat and 26H x 22W inch white custom-built white wood frame with crackle finish.