At the Feet of the Watchman

Here is my second in the Zion National Park series.

"At the Feet of the Watchman."  11x14 watercolor. Unframed: $100. 

Hawaiian Drum

I just finished this drum this morning. My client wanted these three iconic Hawaiian flowers and three unfurling ferns. I am pleased with how it turned out! Thanks for trusting me with your drum, Corrinne!

Witchy Gourd

Here is "Witchy Gourd," a collage and watercolor painting that was shown at the Blue Line Gallery's New Beginnings show in February 2011.  It's 18x24, $200.  The little pumpkin-seed shapes are stamped using real squash seeds.

Oldies But Goodies

Here are some watercolors I did about four years ago. The oak tree has been sold recently.

Obviously the photos in this post are not the best quality...you can see the edges of the paper.  Funny what a big difference it makes, huh?

Afghan Man.  This one is hanging in downtown Roseville at the Turn the Page Press bookstore.

Oak Meadow.  Purchased by my friend Sherry---Thanks!

Birch Values.  This painting depicts a real tree in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in a bed of snow.  10.5x13.5, $75.

Yorkshire.  10x14.5.  $75

Under the Sea Series

In my art class a few years ago, I did a series of watercolors around the theme of underwater creatures and scenes.  Some were more successful than others, and some have been sold.  Here I've posted pics of just my favorite unsold items.

Whale Tart.  18x22 (?) watercolor, currently hanging at the Turn the Page Press bookstore in downtown Roseville. $200 with mat (gray, as shown).  This painting was inspired by a passage in Moby-Dick, describing the whaling boats as "tarts" for the angry sperm whales to smash and eat.

Kelp Dance.  13x23 watercolor.  $150.  This painting started as simply a painting of kelp attachments, but dancing figures emerged as I drew.

Octopus's Garden.  10x21 watercolor.  $100. 

Manzanita Summer

Here is today's favorite, Manzanita Summer.  16x22, watercolor, acrylic, and ink.

This painting has been sold!

More Favorites: Self-Portrait Prints

When I began experimenting with printmaking, I did a few self-portraits.  The self-portrait is my answer to the artist's perennial question: how can I make something totally original?  Oneself is already the original.  And yet we are all mirrors of each other, enough that an artist's self-portrait can speak to her audience of themselves.

This is "In the Moonlight", a 4x6 linotype print made with acrylic paints.  I have about 15 more, all in different colors on different papers, some of which are "found" papers.  This self-portrait is about my own motherhood and my child, not my own babyhood.  It is my left arm that wraps around the baby.

Because this is an unlimited print series, each one is a steal at $15.

 This one is titled, "What the Heck."  I think it speaks for itself!  8x10 ink linotype.  $50.

This is simply, "Self Portrait."  It's a watercolored print made from carved modeling paste.  With the white margins, it's 8x10.  $50.

My Recent Favorites

Here are some of my own favorite paintings and prints from the past year, not including the ones I've sold.  I'll post some more when I get the photos trimmed!

Succulent City! 18x24 watercolor. Price unframed: $200.

Elusive.  17x16 watercolor.  Price unframed: $150.

Hive. Limited edition woodblock print in ink (of 25). 8x10 inches. Price unframed: $35.

The Desert.  10x14 watercolor.  Price unframed: $85.

Conversation. 18x24 watercolor and collage.

Sugar Pine.  18x20 watercolor.  Price unframed: $150.

Drum and Clapper Stick Paintings

In 2010, my friend Janice approached me about painting her handmade drum; apparently, it is not uncommon to personalize drums this way, but drummers are not necessarily confident enough to put permanent acrylic paint on their cherished instruments.  I painted my own drum, the oak leaf pattern, first.  The elderberry clapper sticks, as well as the turtle and plant/moon drums, are Janice's, and the eagle drum (shown sideways for some reason) was for another client, Wendy.  Wendy wrote in an email: "your work on my drum far exceeded my expectations of how it would turn out.  I showed the picture of it that I took on my cell camera to all my workshop colleagues as if it were my new grandbaby!!  I have it in my yoga room and I look at it every day when I do my yoga.  It is so magical and beautiful it brings tears to my eyes." 

I hope to do more of this commission work. My current fee is a very affordable $15 per hour. Most of the labor happens in the sketch stage, when my client and I are working through what he or she wants.

At the Gateway to the Narrows

Watercolor 11x14. Completed 5/10/11. Price unframed: $100.