Hello, I'm gnome Sold to Brita..

 I painted this yesterday after looking at the canvas board that i painted the background on using left over  paint on my palette.. I "SAID" i was not going to paint any gnomes but my sketches were so cute, i kinda combined them  After i painted him, i googled gnome paintings.. thousands of them..  none as cute and clever as mine..  i can brag on my blog, right???  

Cancelled because of Weather Ap

 Painted this shoe "again" for Christmas card exchange party that  was cancelled 1/2 hour later..  the Blizzard did not arrive as predicted by TV weather man..    

 Geez, as i look at it now, the treads on toe of shoe look like fangs..  looks wicked .. might have to change it. 

River Road

 Once again, i covered a 'free' canvas with left over acrylic paint.  it was 2/3 blue and 1/3 orange.  I planned to paint a painting for the Jan theme wall.."Off the Beaten Path" .. of course the blue part was going to be sky..  then i saw a painting of a road on PC and road was blue..  loved it.  outside my box.   Had to add the road sign to make it a road and not a river.. dah..  

   I just changed the title of this to River Road..  i don't change titles very often..  

Cabin Commission

 I just finished this commission for an unknown new friend, i hope...  she contacted me on FB and got my info at Gallery4. She "got me" when she said she wanted to have a "local artist" do this gift for her parents ..  Anyway, it was really fun but a lot of sketching b/4 the fun started.  She said "cabin"  but this is more than a cabin, in my mind. 

 i spent all morning trying to get a good photo and discovered that my phone service now charges $1.99 a month to use the enhancing app on photos i take.. WTF...  

Farm, in Winter 3-29-22 Sold at Gallery4 today..

 I seem to be back in my barn mode again.  I sketched this one last week off a photo of mine.  I sketched this house off the web (it was completely different with huge porch, etc.)  I loved my background color with the orange house.  Barn needed to be aqua. Path needed to be violet,  Snow needed to be white.  . 

Rusty Hinges Gifted to Sam, just because

 Love those square canvases..  i'm hooked on using only 3 pigment , i pick out primaries and stick with them.  this one is using white, of course, and Turner's Yellow, Prussian Blue and Pyrrole (when did i buy that???) Red.  and a little natural grey..  

Gnome, Sweet Gnome Sold at gallery4

This was fun, As i was looking at Amazon gift selection for drawing names and having Amazon do the work for you at Christmas time, i saw lots of lawn ornaments with Gnomes..  i sketched these guys (drew the noses first) right on the watercolor paper and went for them with primary colors..

   i accidently dropped my brush on the paper and that is why there are those lines decorating the background.  Painted it in about an hour.. Had a red frame already, so there ya go...   
 

Doris's Barn

 This is a commission i just did for an old nursing friend.  Her daughter emailed me and requested it as a gift for Doris.  She and her hubby have lived on the same farm forever and had to tear this weathered wonderful building down.  It was so fun to paint.  Hope she likes it.  

Waterfalldown sold to family member....

 Painted this watercolor this week.  It was from a photo taken by member of my family (not sure who) and i loved the pattern of the water..  Seems folks like "outdoorsy" paintings so i plan to do more. I have a plethora of photos from trips west..  will check them out.    

Tart 6/2/22 sold at Gallery4 today.

 

I've painted these daisies a few times from a photo of mine.   This was fun cause the tart started out as a plate and turned into a pie or tart as i dabbled.  

Ground Drifting 10-25-21 Sold at Gallery4 today

 Once again I fell in love with the background before i decided what to paint..  Since i had just finished a commission with an old barn, i had to do another old barn.  Always liked to see white barns for some reason.  It turned into winter as i painted..  geez.  

Iridescent paint added donated

 Here's one of my 6x6 paintings reworked..  It was quite dull so it needed help.  I added some acrylic paint that was in my pile 'o paints, called Iridescent Rich Copper and it is now shiny, which doesn't photograph well...   also redid the background.  What fun.

Church Ladies

 I found this painting, while looking for watercolor paper in my "studio".  i had painted it in the 1990's during a workshop in Perham, MN.  I just added the tiny crosses on it, for fun.   i may frame it.

 I took it for show and tell at the Hjemkomst and it was suggested that i add a tuna casserole on the table.  

Rain Drops

9-27-23   I unframed this w/c and tried to color in the white "raindrops" . as usual i enjoy messing with older works. it seems better. I so love the background on this (better than the florals).  weird!

A bit different subject matter for me.  Used a photo i took a long time ago when Carl was here to attend to the lovely irises in our yard.  I have failed them miserably but can paint them beautifully.  Everyone has a mission in this life.  

"Wait in the Truck"

I painted this in 1980, yes, in 1980, during my "oil" phase.  I had actually won an award at our local show so i kept it "all" these years.  Gallery's theme this month was Escape and i thought this was fitting.  It always made me think of the days when the farmers would stop at the bar for a "pint or quart or maybe even a gallon" of brew and kids would wait in the truck.  Sad but true..   
 

Where has your Aspen?? 5-23 SOLD at Gallery4

 It is very difficult to photo glossy acrylic paintings.  I had painted this white stretched canvas with Sap Green and Cad Yellow, using long strokes.  As i looked at it I could see the pine trees on a mountain side.  I added some cobalt blue to the Sap green and used only those 3 pigments until i added the Aspen..  what fun.   

Kick Stand 8-22 Sold at Gallery4

 Oh yes, another Bike painting, and  on a "free" wrapped canvas.  What more could i ask for?  Made most of this up after i painted the canvas with Burnt Sienna, which is kinda transparent and it looked messy.. I LIKED that look and tried to save it.  Titles i thought of were trite, like Green Door or Blue Bike.  so I went for Kick Stand..  i know, Weird..  

After i looked at it for a couple of days. i decided the window panes were too big.. i added a frame and also a couple of needed braces on the bike to make it believable. 

  Just found out that this painting sold at Gallery4.  A note was left by the person who purchased it saying that my prices were TOO LOW.. oops 

Italian Window 1973 Gifted to Becky

 This is an oil painting i did in 1976, i think. Carl and i were lucky to be able to go to Germany and spend time with my bro Jack and visit some of Carl's relatives (that i am still in touch with).  We went to Italy one weekend with Jack and i took a photo out the window of our hotel and used it to create this piece.  I have always  had it NFS when i put it in shows.  I put it on FB and got "lots of likes"...  you know what that means!!!!  

Mailed it to niece Becky 

Truck of Color

5-24   I messed with this abit today. think i'll get it reframed with some colorful matts or something. 

 This was a fun watercolor project.  I had sketched it from a photo i took of a pickup with different colored fenders.  i meant to paint the door red but was on my phone (a birthday call) while i was painting and forgot.  But it turned out OK.  

Fresh? or Canned? Sold at Gallery4

 

Once again, our HAGs are doing a theme show.  Since the Farmers Market downtown Fargo has been such a big hit, we are doing paintings to depict the weekly events.  I was manning the Gallery while it was going on just a block away, so i ran over and took some photos.  it was hot, crowded, noisy and there were a lot of dogs.{and when it is so bright out, it is impossible to see what you are taking a photo of}.  i ran back to the calm tranquil gallery of art... then I used one of my weird photos and did this.    

  ANYWAY, I really enjoyed painting the onions.........     

One Flower 7-5-'22 SOLD at Gallery4

 

Our Thursday group have a project for our display window.  Donna brought some still life items for us to draw last week.  We are all to paint a picture using our drawings..   i drew all the things but painted only one  and i love how it turned out...    It is painted on an 8x8 stretched canvas from my "free stuff" pile.  

Cruisin' in the 50's / donated to Sam's benefit event

Since grandson, Sam liked the Fun in the Ford painting so much, i decided to paint more old auto paintings to be auctioned at his fund raising event in Oct. This was fun to do. 

When i was "young" there was always competition between the Chevie people and the Ford owners.   Can you imagine???   

 

Fun in a Ford Donated to Sam's benefit event

 The HAGs (Hjemkomst Art Group) usually put a mini show in a glass case area at the center each month.  Since Covid, we haven't kept it up but in August we are all going to paint monochromatic works. 

 Since my brothers drove a '49 Ford and I'm sure they necked in it.. wa laa..    

Parrot's Place SOLD 8-24 @ G4

 My grandson, Jonathan, had taken a photo at the L.A. zoo and i loved the composition (he is so talented).  I asked his permission to paint this, using his photo.. How can he say no to his granny???  anyway, it is done in watercolor and i painted it to keep my mind busy after his little brother, Sam, was in a tragic construction accident a week ago today.   I imagine this work will always remind my of the accident and our worrisome hours afterward.     

Mrs amd Mr Tree

 Another month, another theme wall....   July will be window frame art.  I found this at an antique shop.  (couldn't find a free one)  The interesting part was the glass in the frame, as it had ripples in it.  I had planned to paint the back of the glass and have it show thru but the trees looked very crude.  I turned it over and put a black cardboard behind and wa lah..   

  The Mrs tree has put down roots and the Mr Tree is living the easy life.  Message there?    

Milton in the 60's or 70's, but not now..

 A commission requested by neighbors we had in the 60's.  reference photo was a bit sad as the buildings had fallen into disrepair but i had fun recreating what they may have been like when they were in their prime in Milton ND..   Hope they are loved by Marvin and Dale.    

"Elvis has left the building" 5-'22 SOLD

There will be a monochromatic theme show at Gallery4 this summer..  I picked BLUE..  

  Yep, this painting is blue.  

Dec 20 '21..  i added some laces to this painting.  I didn't change anything else, can't believe the difference in the photos..  Elvis would have had laces ...   

mystery moon Sold at Gallery4

 March's theme at Gallery4 is going to be "mystery" .. i immediately thought of my infamous barn painting.  So I added eyes to the original moon, (not good)  i made them winking  (not good), i added a patch over one eye (not good), so i just kept making moon larger and larger and added a couple of ghosts and spooked  up the windows a little..  I so love this painting.  

Spool Samples.... Sold by Matt.. @ Gallery4

 Found these old wooden spools o thread in Mom's sewing machine.  Piled them up on my painting table and painted what i saw..  It was cool but quite pale so added the blue drape and it helped.   kinda fun.  

Title is probably inappropriate.   tee hee..

   

Son, Matt, posted a photo of my Gallery4 display and has sold 2 and had 2 more inquires about my art.  He seems to be my agent.. whee..  

Come and Sit #1 and Kitchen Art.. Chairs sold after the Cormorant Show

   

I love how much color I used even in these paintings.. ..is it trenting den, i wonder??  

Beaching

 This painting was a result of a workshop i took a long time ago and i really loved.  My daughter-in-law regifted back to me.  They moved to a new home here in ND and have limited wall space.   so there ya go.  

"Carrie Bradshaw & Mr. Big"... won People's Choice award at Bonanzaville.. got it back from BV and sold at Gallery4 11-25-22

 A friend clued me in on an upcoming show to be held at Bonanzaville in West Fargo, this summer.  They provided the 11"x14"canvas  and hinted at a farm-ish theme ..  so here ya' go.  It was really fun to paint. 

 I have painted these goats b/4, kinda, and am always afraid they will look like dogs.  I painted the canvas red then used limited palette (again).

I changed the title..  i can do that..   at the show it will be titled..  "Goats and the City"  maybe.

10-22  got this painting back..  whew.  Bonanzaville did not ever have the auction or donation event that they said they were going to do.   happy me!!   

The Sunday Paper sold to Marla

 My cousin, Marla Rose, sent a photo of her grandfather, in a very 40's setting.  I absolutely loved the tea kettle, the phone, the dog dish, the tie and "jumper" he is wearing.  What's not to draw and paint ... This photo is a little pale . ..   People Matter.