This blog started with small daily paintings then changed to a more personal sharing of projects, events and photos. Enjoy!

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Birthday Self Portrait

Today I'm 53!
Watercolor 7"x 7"
$120 matted / $160 matted & framed


For international or expedited shipping, please contact me prior to purchase.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Funnels II

Another side of the funnels.
Watercolor, 7" x 7"
SOLD

Monday, April 28, 2008

Funnels

Fun with funnels, or as my granddaughter would view this, Mommy and baby funnel.
Watercolor 7"x 7"
$120 matted / $160 matted & framed


For international or expedited shipping, please contact me prior to purchase.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

BATS!

I have to share these videos of the bats flying out of my garage roof. someday I'll get out early enough to film them going back in!--which is pretty exciting! Both of these videos were taken same evening back to back, so we have a lot of bats--even more came out after this. My husband was trying to take a picture and you can see his flash going off, which is interesting because it lit up for just a split second the bats as they were flying past.


And more...

Friday, April 25, 2008

Shell Fragments and Shadow

Nice day, sunny, windy--I saw a macho bobbing lizard trying to woo a reluctant female and then two ladybugs, one larger and a deeper red than the other. Both were traveling along the rims of an open clam shell. The larger more colorful one was spreading its wings for the other, or so it seemed. Then the winds came and blew me and probably the lady bugs back away from the shore to find a warm spot in the sun---where I tried to finish this. Had to break for an eye appointment--then sort of floundered the rest of the afternoon with googly eyes.
Watercolor 7"x 7"
$120 matted / $160 matted & framed


For international or expedited shipping, please contact me prior to purchase.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Camery Car Engine


This car blew a head gasket, so needs a new engine! It would be nice if instead of painting the engine, I could fix it, but replacing an engine isn't a thing I could tackle.
Watercolor 7"x 7"
$120 matted / $160 matted & framed


For international or expedited shipping, please contact me prior to purchase.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Car Engine with Dip Stick

I started this one yesterday, but because of obligations wasn't able to finish till today. I think the invention of the hose was just as important as the invention of the wheel!
Watercolor 7"x 7"
$120 matted / $160 matted & framed


For international or expedited shipping, please contact me prior to purchase.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Car Engine

Car troubles. One car is out of commission--the other needs a new radiator. We're borrowing a car while my husband puts in the radiator.
Watercolor, 7"x 7"
SOLD

Friday, April 18, 2008

Winged Insect

I was on my way to set up for a painting outside, when I saw this guy resting on the wall of my house. I'll do that other outside painting another day. Enjoy your weekend!
Watercolor 7"x 7"
$120 matted / $160 matted & framed


For international or expedited shipping, please contact me prior to purchase.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Sticky Monkey Flower II

I wanted to show the back side of the flower--the trumpet.
Watercolor, 7"x 7"
SOLD

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Sticky Monkey Flower

It's the season for all Sticky Monkey Flower shrubs to bloom. These grow wild amongst the chaparral out here. The little trumpet like flowers bloom in pairs. The leaves are sticky. The Latin name is Mimulus aurantiacus. Mimulus in Latin means little mime or comic actor. Does the flower look like a comic actor or a monkey's face?
Watercolor, 7"x 7"
SOLD

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Old Cloth Doll

This doll is very old. I made it BK, before kids. I believe it was inspired by the costume designer that I was working for at the time. She would wear white during the summer, white skirts, white tops, white layers, white on white, all tints of white. For the winter, black. I worked for her during the summer. I wonder what she did for the spring and fall?
Watercolor 7"x 7"
$120 matted / $160 matted & framed


For international or expedited shipping, please contact me prior to purchase.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Sock Puppet

This is an old played with and worn out sock puppet I made more than twenty years ago. Yikes! I started with a gray institution issued sock (I think from my husband working the grounds of an institution). I turned it inside out then sewed it up using old bits and pieces of fabric, felt and string. I might have made this before I even had my children.
Watercolor 7"x 7"
$120 matted / $160 matted & framed


For international or expedited shipping, please contact me prior to purchase.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

My Little Pet, or The Shy Beasts

Here's yet another collaboration. It took awhile for these images to emerge, hence the shy beasts. Have a good weekend!
Watercolor and color pencils 7"x 7"
$120 matted / $160 matted & framed


For international or expedited shipping, please contact me prior to purchase.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Jerusalem Cricket

Taking my granddaughter to preschool, we found this Jerusalem Cricket lumbering across the parking lot. We ran to the school for a cup, because I thought, ah ha! Here's my painting for today. We showed all the kids. The teacher took a picture. These bugs are not found back east where I grew up, so seeing one of these for the first time out here in CA was frightening! They are BIG, about 2" long with a huge head. This one is kind of streamlined compared to others I've seen. The very first time I saw this bug it was in the night, my husband awoke with one of these crawling across his neck. He threw it off, we turned the lights on and there it was! They're nocturnal crickets without wings. The formal name is stenopelmatus fuscus. Some other names are: "nino de la tierra" or child of the earth, "cara de nino" or earth baby, "wo' see ts' inii" or skull insect in Navajo, "old bald-headed man", and "potato bug". They feed on dead organic material in the night. They aren't poisonous, but can bite. I've got to say this one had quite a personality--very feisty--did not want to be pushed into a cup and tried all morning to get out--twisting and turning and stopping to look and listen. If he was touched on his back all his legs went up tightly to cover his back. His movements were somewhat human! I kept him captive just long enough to draw him, but let him go as soon as I could--he needed to get under ground!
Watercolor, 7"x 7"
SOLD

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

My Carefree Shirt

I need to put on my carefree shirt and sail off in the breeze!
Watercolor 7"x 7"
$120 matted / $160 matted & framed


For international or expedited shipping, please contact me prior to purchase.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

My Loyal Pants

One night, not too long ago, I stumbled off to bed extremely tired. I read bedtime stories and nod off to sleep before my granddaughter does, then wake myself up and head for bed. This one night I didn't even drape my clothes over my sewing machine like I usually do. I got into bed leaving my clothes behind on the floor, stepping from my pants to the bed. I got up the next morning to find my pants waiting for me, sitting up at attention like a loyal dog! I tried to recreate the attitude of my pants for this painting.
Watercolor, 7"x 7"
SOLD

Monday, April 7, 2008

The Dancer

My granddaughter gave me the title for this collaboration. My parents used to square dance. The skirt and petticoat remind me of my mom's square dancing outfits. My sister Martha also wrote about my mom's square dancing skirts in her blog. Those square dancing skirts and those BIG petticoats certainly left their mark on us both!
Watercolor 7"x 7"
$120 matted / $160 matted & framed


For international or expedited shipping, please contact me prior to purchase.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Self Portrait Against the Wall




Time for another self portrait. I felt the need to do one today. Something about painting Dad's old cameras led me to a self portrait. I also took two pictures in the process, the sketch and after rubbing off the masking fluid.
Watercolor, 7"x 7"
SOLD

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

My 35mm

My dad gave me this 35mm camera years ago. I still use it, even though I now own a digital--you can't beat the 35mm for picture quality.
Watercolor, 7"x 7"
SOLD

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Mamiya and my Dad

This is the camera my dad would use to create his double, triple, or quadruple exposures. Here's a picture of him posing with his friends, (on the right) when he was a young man. He probably set this up and took the picture with whatever camera he owned at that time. The following pictures are a series of his multiple exposures. Yes, he was a little nutty. I don't have a scanner, so took a picture of these, but they really are much clearer than this.
Watercolor, 7"x 7"
SOLD