Dangerous Crossings -- Freight Train #2

Dangerous Crossings, oil and wax medium on canvas, 6" x 12".

This is another sketch for the possible restaurant commission, but I did it primarily because I wanted to. I love the energy and motion and potential menace of freight trains.

Barriers -- Freight Train #1

Barriers, 6" x 12" oil and wax medium on canvas.

This is a "thumbnail sketch" for what will be -- if I get the job, for which there's considerable competition -- a 6' x 12' painting. The prospective clients want "urban abstraction" and didn't guess I'd be interested, what with my portfolio full of wildlife and flowers and such. Truth is I don't confine myself. I love this kind of thing and really hope I get to do it on a large scale.

Whether or not I win out on the job, I really like the painting and am about to begin a companion piece.

Genuine old-fashioned, non-toxic paint

While stumbling around the internet today I found this site:

http://www.milkpaint.com/

Next time I have a painting project I'm going to try this stuff. Check out their Gallery page -- the results people get are just gorgeous.

Wax medium and salvaged wood

This little block of wood was lying beside the railroad tracks on Friday. I picked it up because I liked the holes that were cut in it. Yesterday, I decided to use it to experiment with Dorland's Wax Medium for the first time.



This is a work in progress, although I think all I'm going to add is a jewel for the heart-hole. I'm liking the simplicity of this one and don't think I'll add much more to it. Size is 3.5 x 5" and 7/8" thick.



This fellow has been sold already, and I am planning to create more of these wax-paint on wood things, as I enjoyed the process so much.

Oil sketch: the New! Improved! Version

Noon in the Pasture. 5 x 7" oil on canvas board.

Sketches from life at Chez Greyhound

"We named the dog Indiana," said Sean Connery to Harrison Ford in that wonderful movie -- and so Indiana the Greyhound got her name. She loves to lounge around on her back, and I love how she looks when she does.



This one, above, is my favorite. I did all these yesterday, enjoying the challenge of drawing live, moving animals. Because I know the pose will change at any moment, I have to work quickly and get bolder than I'd be if I were using a photo. I like the results a lot.



Above, Biscuit the Greyhound. She's a cute girl too, but not as inclined to strike lovely poses for me.







These drawings have all been sold, but click here for more Greyhound drawings!

Fresh flower drawings

Orchids at Wuollet's Bakery, ballpoint pen and colored pencil, 7 x 7"

Click these images to enlarge and see the delicate details. The orchid, above, I drew while enjoying a red velvet cupcake on a summer afternoon. Fleeting things, recorded for years to come simply because I could.

Lilies at Robbin Gallery, 8 x 10.5", carbon pencil and white Conte pencil

These two drawings were done while I was on volunteer shifts at Robbin Gallery in Robbinsdale, MN. At the time, I lived not far away, so I walked from home to gallery, along the railroad tracks, gathering wildflowers as I went, using a discarded beer bottle as a makeshift vase.

The lilies, above, were at the gallery when I arrived.

Beer Bottle Wildflowers, 10.5 x 7", carbon pencil and white Conte pencil

These one-of-a-kind drawings -- originals, not reproductions -- are available at $75 each, with discounts for more than one. They come in a soft-white archival mat, ready to fit your standard 11 x 14" frame.

Click here for more flower drawings.

Oil sketch (with Problems)

5 x 7" oil on canvas board, from the sketch I made on Sunday afternoon of Patty. However, in the clear light of day I can see that there's a definite proportion/perspective issue with her bck end, which looks kind of pinched and small. The drawing worked; the painting does not, and I am in the process of correcting it.

Finished Minnesota landscape mural

Today I added flowers and a Goldfinch, and finished the landscape. Below, a few detail shots of the animals. The blue glare and shadow on the right are from a set of sliding glass doors in the home.

Sketch

Patty at Rest, mixed media on paper, 7 x 7".

Dangerously close to finished! I've got a few more hours on Monday morning, some reeds and irises and a bird or two to add.

Mural in progress, Part Three

Today was really productive! I took my oil paints in and layered them over the entire sky (I had blocked it all in with acrylic) and then tackled the Russian olive tree on the left, and the landscape. I didn't touch any of the animals today, since I got so caught up in all the landscapiness, so those will go in tomorrow. Stay tuned ...

Mural in progress, Part Two

Day Two of the mural I'm working on. This is where I left off yesterday afternoon. Going back again today!

Mural in progress

Click photo to enlarge. This is about where I left off yesterday. Day one out of four. I'm heading back today and will continue to take photos as things progress.

This is fun, a very Minnesotan kind of scene. It's the wall for which I did the sketch a couple days ago.

New stuff!

Above, Cocoa Wants a Cookie, 6" x 8" pastel on paper.

Below, sketch for woodland mural with animals. This painting will be approx. 6.5' x 7'.