Humdinger Christmas!

Here it is! Congratulations to Jane Freeman for quickly guessing the mystery element before everyone else! She wins the pack of cards!

Mystery Card

Well the holidays are right around the corner. And, though I am always the first to be disgusted by the Christmas decor around Halloween, as an artist I only have a small window of time to prepare my holiday cards and get them ready for printing. This year I thought I'd involve you to participate. I have this lovely banner but the card is deinitely lacking. Be the first to guess the proper prop that's missing and I will send you a free packet of printed cards! Good luck!

Birch Haven

I was hungry to do some simple drawing so I worked this piece up yesterday. I just love birch trees and felt I needed to honor them in a drawing. I had so much fun I think I may have to do more!

Canyon Spring

Well...here is the last painting of the fall miniature season. After this I'm going to rest my eyes on larger canvasses! (I've already ordered 300lb paper for winter). This spring canyon is 2.5 x 2.5" and was a BEAR to paint! I had no idea landscapes could be so complex! But painting it was fun for it reminded me of the lovely trip we took out the to the Grand Canyon years ago. This was a photo not of the G.C. itself but of some lovely foothills beside it. The spring rains had prompted the grass to grow and accent that lovely orangey stone. I'm ready for another trip out west!

Say Cheese

What can I say. Did this character not BEG to be painted? I was snapping reference photos of him at the Shedd Aquarium when all of a sudden he stuck his tongue out at me! I suppose I would do the same. How would you like it if your personal space was violated by snap-happy tourists every single day?! This guy measures 1.875 x 1.875"

Who Goes There?!

Who Goes There?! 2.5 x 2.5" When I photographed this owl he looked so perturbed! What an invasion of privacy! How could I not paint him? I can relate to his grumpyness. After all, winter is a bear to get through!

Weathering the Storms

Here is a tribute to our country. It's sad that we have become so stubbornly bipartisan in our ways but I can't imagine that it was any easier for our forefathers. This is a watercolor miniature on illustration board. It measures 2.25 x 3.75"

Maggie's Nirvana

This is my darling little girl whom I lost one year ago this July. She was old but she never ignored a band of sunshine coming through the window. This is a watercolor miniature on watercolor board. It measures 2.375 x 4.25".

Guarded Submission

Guarded Submission 4.25 x 2.5" This is the last of my spring collection. Now I must frame and send all miniatures off to shows. It's a little sad for I won't have time to let this one sit in my home for a bit. I feel like I've just said hello and now I'm casting it off. Oh well. There will be more! Guarded Submission was inspired by the wolves I watched in Yellowstone. It was particularly interesting to see how the members of the pack interacted with one another. There was definitely a hierarchy!

Serenity

Serenity 4 x 2.75" When I shot this reference photo of this sweet tiger I thought, "Wow. If this isn't the very picture of a zen moment!" He seemed so content. Naturally, I couldn't place him in the zoo setting but built a peaceful glen for him to rest in. I think this is what he was dreaming of...at least, it's calming for me! I have one more miniature to complete for this spring and then it's off to the shows!

Ugly Adolescence

Ugly Adolescence 4.75 x 2.5" I know...it's not a pretty painting. But, I have to tell you, after surgery it was good to get a laugh and this perky adolescent Guinea Hen gave me the giggles every time I layed down the brush. She is a resident at the Brookfield Zoo and boy is she EVER noisy! I think she felt compelled to compete with the strutting peacocks. Either that or she felt it necessary to complain about those itchy pin feathers of hers. I don't know...I don't speak Guinea Fowl. Fiesty little thing!

Afternoon Watch

Afternoon Watch 2.5 x 4.5" I've posted my miniature appropriately now...with a penny for relational purposes. I don't know if this is the title I'm sticking with. I have to sit on it for a while and let it "marinate" in my head before declaring it finished. I had more fun with this wolf! I had taken his photo last year in Yellowstone but placed him beside a stream in Yosemite. My challenge for this was to hybridize the Yosemite granite with Yellowstone's yellowish Rhyolite to create a believable landscape. It took forever but my energy is no less depleted! I'm ready to venture on to the next one...an adolescent guinea hen perhaps? We'll see...

Here's the latest. I have one more to go to complete this set. After this perhaps some stained glass birds. This method is too much fun to let go after a few tries!

Faux Stained Glass

These are the first of two in a series of stained glass windows I've created. Well...they aren't actually REAL windows. I transformed my designs into windows using my line drawings and photos from real stained glass windows. This way requires fewer band-aids from glass cuts. Now...back to miniatures!

Who Cooks for YOU?

Who Cooks for YOU? 2.125 x 2.125" I did a quicky miniature this week to honor my old owl buddies in Iowa. We used to love to sit out on the back deck and listen to the Barred Owl conventions in the woods. They would call out "Who Cooks For YOU!" and then laugh. They sound like nerds laughing!

Rook on the Rocks This is my latest miniature, (4.125 x 2.375") finished today. It has been a while since I've posted. The holidays rob me of a lot of creative energy but January is a great way to kindle that fire up again. I've got so many great new compositions in the works for 2012! I just need more time in the day...