Lucy

I did this painting of my daughter, Beth's little pet, Lucy.. gave it to her for Christmas this year.   She was surprised, to say the least..    tee hee...

Holiday Show

I enjoyed exhibiting in the FMVA Holiday Show last weekend.  My daughter and son in law helped immensely with setting up and taking down... Could have used more art lover/customers on Sunday but Saturday was successful.   loved being there with  other artists..     

Seven Grandchildren Commission..

This is a commission I just did for a client that had commissioned me to paint her 5 grandchildren by the lake a few years ago..  However, she now has 7 beautiful grand-kids.  I loved the body language of one of the photos she supplied me.  Since they are "lake folks" I attempted that feeling in the back ground.   She liked it. 

Lil Pink Fish & Friends Gifted

This started out as a watercolor demo when I visited the Brush Bunch in Walhalla last week, I painted the Gold fishy to demo glazing, and on to the little one to demo "lifting"and blending, etc.  One of the members painted the yellowish fish while i was eating lunch.. I had to do a lot of repair work on it later..ha..  It is a playful painting, it seems.

Walhalla

From Park Rapids, Bobbie and I traveled to Langdon then on to Walhalla, where I gave a mini watercolor workshop/demo to the Brush Bunch, a delightful group of artists that meet every week to share ideas, lunch and DO art..

Art At The Lake #9 for me..it is SOLD, mostly..

This was the 10th year that RRWS sponsored the AATL in Park Rapids, MN, with Ann Kaese as coordinator. always fun to go to this wonderful facility and make art. I've only missed one year. My buddy, Bobbie, usually goes with me.  This year we did watercolor batik, a whole new concept for us.  many layers and many decisions as to color and value..  FUN... Instructor was Linda Renaud from Dickinson, ND, she was fantastic.
. i framed 1/2 of this and it sold at the Pekin  show.

the big apple 2-22 Donated to Pekin art auction

12-9-19   I just had to mess around some more on this fruity painting.  I used some gouache and some acrylic over the watercolor..  layer, layer, layer..  got rid of the sick red apple.. it may show up in a collage painting some day, cause i don't throw much away...   on 2nd thought, i framed it in a free 11x14 my friend, Diane, gave me... looks oK.

Pacific Sundown Sold at Holiday show

I started this at our Thursday group, as we were doing a class in Acrylic painting and my part of the class was to paint "sky"...  i used a photo i took in Oregon a long time ago..  Seems a little dark. I used a yellow undercoat color so of course there are some green hues.. but it is OK...

Found and saved in my art pile (Umbrella one SOLD @ FMVA show & Truck sold at Edgewood )

i actually am cleaning out my art studio, found these 2 small works in the throw away pile. Top one from Andy Evansen workshop earlier this summer. Other from Karen Knutson 2 summers ago. What the heck?  Also found smallish free frames to put them in.  They are probably called "studies" or "practice" pieces but you never know what may come of them..

workshop @ Cormorant donated one to Village

Friend, Bobbie and I attended a great workshop last week. We learned some new stuff: using gouache with watercolors, using gum arabic as a resist, toning w/c paper with acrylic, using a limited palette, using pastel with w/c, to name a few. We stayed over in Dunvilla, so we didn't have to travel so much, but getting lost in the "lake" country sure puts the miles on..  Also, we didn't read the full instructions as to bring subject matter to paint, so these are ' borrowed from the kitchen' items.. clothes line is from my favorite photos..
Instructor was Carl Oltvedt, art teacher at MSU for 35 years and now lives in Mpls.. he is SO knowledgeable about "the art world".. i listened with all my brain power..

Marla's rels

This is a commission I just did last week in Acrylic.  My cousin's cute wife asked me to paint her grandparents by their sod house with their oxen teams.  Photo wasn't very clear but i pulled it off. She was pleased. Reminded me of the oil paintings I did in the 70's of Carl's grandparents, only they had lots of youngsters surrounding them.
 I think about how hard those pioneers worked and how women bitch nowadays if they don't have granite counter tops...  Sorry, i just had to add that..

Show Off..

I'll be hanging 17 of my paintings at Edgewood Vista, here in Fargo, tomorrow afternoon..  they have a nice gallery area to feature creativity and enjoyment of the ARTS...  doesn't that sound appealing??  Stop by if you are in the area..

Little Wranglers 1 2 3

I painted on these all day yesterday, making them cuter with bigger eyes, adding more color, using a palette knife to add stuff to background and i even bought different frames for them.. Why do i keep doing this??  better than dusting, vacuuming and whatever folks do to keep busy................. OK, then.

Babushka, Baby.. sold in Pekin 2023

Had a great weekend at the Cormorant Area Art Club's annual art show last weekend.  I once again did a "demo" in watercolor.  Folks are not real interested but it adds to the "atmosphere of the cultural event in the Lake Country".   I had sketched this gal using a photo out of  an old yellowed  magazine.  I love the clothes line and clothes pin bag..  but the scarf seems to be more important now that it is done.
4/2018 Worked on this some more and cropped it alot when i framed it.. (cheap mats and frames, don't ya know)  Tells a story, I think.

Lauren is 1

Was invited to her b'day party yesterday.  She and her parents and her grandparents are very special to me so i thought she should have an original painting in her room, beside the NDSU stuff.....

Parked by the Pastry Shoppe

I've been painting on this for a couple of years, trying to improve it. Reference is a photo I took in Carmel, CA. so long ago.  it has turned into a Mixed Media piece over time.  I may have posted it on this blog, i tried to find it, but failed.
As usual, i love it.  Refuse to title it "Reflections"..  tee hee.
5-28-18   This painting"bit the dust" this spring..  cut it in 1/2 and painted "Third Floor Rental" on the bottom half.. turned out rather neat, if i say so myself.. 

Work-shopping again.

Just finished a 5 day watercolor workshop with Andy Evansen, Minnesota artist, as our instructor.  It was a great time mostly because not only was the class really good, but my buddy, Bobbie, stayed with me all week and we painted, giggled, ate out and watched girly movies.  Can't get any better than that.

"Ain't Retirement Grand?"

My cousin, Dickie, sent this image to me, he had it on his computer. I Painted it back in '99, in watercolor, using a photo taken in Minneapolis area (not sure who took it).  My mom and Dad were apparently visiting the Mpls relatives.  the body language tells those of us in the family who they are.  My Dad, My Unk Walter, my Mom, Aunt Louise and Unk Bernard.  I'm sure the chairs were all transported to this spot in Bernard's trunk.  AH, memories..

Open Toed Sold at Gallery 4

Oh my, I had fun painting this one.  Been toying with the idea of "shoes"..  Have taken a lot of photos as I shop around.  These were found in The Classic, a wonderful shop in the Moorhead Center Mall.  Couldn't believe they were all open toed, altho the gray pair wasn't in the store, but is now... on my blog, on canvas, in acrylic, forever
.  6-19-20  Purchased by the owner of The Classic. wild story..  love it.

Really long stems- repainted and sold 7-18

Doing a few paintings for the July Cormorant Art Club show.  I have 3 white empty frames ( I know that is not a reason to paint) and folks like florals ( I know that is not a reason to paint) but ...  Anyway, i have painted these cone flowers a couple of times using my photos of Carl's flowers, this time i painted them in Acrylic.  Had a blast stamping and goofing around with the background, can you tell???

2 hats, coats and geraniums Gifted to a cuz..

I had painted this subject back in 2000 in watercolor. i loved the hats especially.  Redid it this week in Acrylic and had a great time, as i painted my canvas Hunter Green and the fun part is when color shows through in areas..  i know that isn't exciting to most people but I get off on it.   ha.

"Bring them in" Sold at Holiday show.

WOW, this looks so bright, maybe it is. This is my "other" square foot show entry.  The white might be too bright but i like the texture and all.  Oh, what to do, what to do..  I LOVE this subject, have painted it before with quilts, houses, sky, trees in background but i like the feeling of being way up in the air, for some reason.

Floating Floral

This was a stretch for me. It is for the square foot show in Bismark ..  I LOVE the background with its texture and funny markings.. Flowers, not so much. I worked so hard on that rose, it looked just like a cinnamon roll, no matter what I did.  I'd planned to have bubbles around the flowers, Change of plan, thank goodness.  Acrylic.
      I decided to add an interesting background but as i look at it now, it looks a little rigid.. oh dear.. looks better in person, i think..
 7-18  i covered up the red roses..  like it better.. what will i do next?/  who knows?

Willie SOLD, I can't believe i sold you, willie...

Love this guy.  His music, His voice, His attitude. His sensitivity.
Did this as a demo for our painting group last week,  Had just finished his book "It's a Long Story" ..so i sketched this from the cover photo but  added the braid and bandanna. Used white gouache and payne's gray for the whisker affect.    enjoyed it,

moonshining sold at gallery4

I am practicing painting barns, as i will be heading to my home town in a couple of weeks, to "do art" with the residents at the local nursing home.. I have 3 adorable aunties there, Carl has cousins and old neighbors there. i used to work there.  lots of connections.  ANYWAY, First, i painted this canvas bright blue then i painted the old barnyard. i got childhood memories flooding into my head of my brothers and I playing outside by the barn after dark.
 i hope the moon doesn't look too much like a golf ball..

 April 11, 2019, i repainted the sky on this painting today.  Altho the other photo is better  and brighter,.it is better in real life.  The April blizzard was today, i forgot to mention. 

Carl's Tulips, someone else's jugs..SOLD at edgewood vista...

I had cut a photo of these cute jugs out of an old magazine to paint and  Wah La, Carl's tulips started to bloom so I could add them. (We did have ONE warm day last week, so they falsely thought it was spring here. )  I painted most of this watercolor in the wet-in-wet technique, except for the window area, where I stamped, stenciled and gouached . That was really fun for me to do, as you can well imagine.

What was i thinking??

This oil painting appeared a couple of years ago.. it was hiding in one of my brothers houses and for some reason was offered to the family .. My daughter grabbed it and has it hanging in her home.  I am amazed how good it is, personally..  i'm sure i "copied" it from somewhere, maybe a calendar??  this was painted in the 70's, I think....
  At my birthday party this summer, at my daughter's house, my cousin Bob saw this and immediately remembered it hanging in their apartment when he and my brothers were attending NDSU.. Flashback in a bad way.. ha... 

funky back barn (commission)

Son, Mike, commissioned me to do this using his photo..  he is giving it to his buddy, John, in Salt Lake City.  Apparently Mike hangs out at John's place during his ski time in Utah.  Does look inviting,  doesn't it?.

Lovin' the Parade, revisited

Painted this using a photo i took in Munich ND about 20 years ago..  i painted it about 5 years ago.  Well, i gooped up the background with everloving purple, added an old building and some folks. Probably a little better, but i just love those gals, their hats, chairs and shirts,   what can i say?
 3-19,  Well, i fiddled with the Parade Watchers again, cropped it and put it in a bright red frame...

Cacti Circle

I painted this watercolor after watching Diana's demo at our painting day.. Using saran wrap and other items to make texture.  each color i added, i put saran wrap or waxed paper on and went and watched TV..  that's how i roll....

Barn, Truck, Trees SOLD in Pekin 6-21

WOW, is this ever bright.  I painted the whole canvas alizarin crimson, not thinking it was so bright. But i love the primary colors in this.  I only used 3 colors plus white and a little Van Dyke Brown.  WOW .. I find it hard to sign my name with acrylic paint.. maybe i need new brushes..  i actually used a pencil, dipped in the paint.. Geez...

Yellow-Orange Chair Sold in Langdon

I bought some stretched canvases and thought i'd better get out the Acrylic paints and do some paintin'....I have painted these flowers from our yard b/4 and i've painted our lawn chairs before, but for some reason, it took me many days to get this done.  Changed colors often but do like the results.

"Left out in the Cold" won 1st place in Pekin Show SOLD, as well.

Call it a coincidence, but I painted these ladies yesterday ( International Women's Day??).  I had them sketched in my trusty sketch book for awhile.  I felt for them, for some reason,  mostly because yesterday was a really cold windy day and also, there was news in paper and radio about women (and others) being kinda left behind.
I love my title.  I often have titles b/4 I have paintings..

struttin my stuff

For March and April,  I will be exhibiting 25 of my paintings at the Trinity Lutheran Church on 8th St in Moorhead, MN.  and i still have about 10 paintings lying and hanging around this home of mine. I sure miss my sweet hubby when it comes to putting wires on those buggers.. ( that's not the only time) ..

"I Need A Yellow Dress" Donated to FM Opera Co.

I found this sketch in my sketch book, not sure when or where i got the idea..  I enjoy doing the window reflect thing.  I wanted the shoppers to look rather drab and the dresses to shine.  I, of course, love painting brick for some odd reason.  T'is watercolor.

More leaves Sold

Leaves i picked up in Tualatin, Oregon, as i walked about the neighborhood and didn't take the dog (Sophie) with me.  Does that make me a bad person?????

They made me walk...

When I got to Oregon in Nov, the leaves were so beautiful and colorful.. i picked them up, brought them to Wade's house, then painted them, sort of. Wow

"Come along home now" Sold

I was lucky to be able to spend 3 winter months in Oregon again this year.  I did take some art supplies along.  I added watercolor to this pencil drawing i had done before.. It was in my sketch book.. I dearly love it.  signed it yesterday and of course  the signature is crooked.. geez.

Edna and Edwin's Chickens

My dear 100 year old Aunt moved into the nursing home and returned this painting to me. I painted it in 1990.. and gave it to them for their anniversary..  i must have just learned to use "salt" for texture.  Not sure why i had the rooster and chick cuddling so close together..    it was the 90's after all...