Tiny little salvage art!

Hawk House, 2.25" high x 1.75" wide. Oil paint and wax medium on salvaged wood and metal. This piece is sold.












In my hand, you can see just how small this piece really is. Below, the back view with the hole I drilled to allow the option of hanging it on the wall.

Artichoke: The Sequel!

This thing is really maddening to draw, which is probably why I keep doing it. I enjoy the challenge of getting the big shape and all those little shapes to work together the way they should.

Same size and media as yesterday's Artichoke. Same artichoke, too. No, I haven't cooked it yet. Maybe tomorrow.

Today's drawing: artichoke

I did this while tending the Robbin Gallery this afternoon.

The artichoke is one I bought last night, specifically for art purposes, and now that I have it I realize I have no idea how to cook the thing. Never done it before.

Anyone got any relatively-easy suggestions for what to do with this thing?

Railroad Flowers

Railroad Flowers, 36" x 48" oil paint and wax medium on canvas.

This was created specifically to go on display and for sale at Riehl Designs in Wayzata, MN. While the colors and size of the piece were tailored for Shelly Riehl's studio interior, the inspiration is personal; I enjoy walking along the tracks, where the rhythm of ties and rails comes together with the turn of the seasons and the fascinating variety of plants and flowers. There's an energy about the place that draws me to it.

Technical notes: I'm using Dorland's Wax Medium, and I love the stuff. It allows me to create layer upon layer of translucent color, giving a depth and life that are difficult to achieve with anything else other than traditional encaustic. And while I'd love to do encaustic, I haven't got the space I'd need for that. Dorland's is a much simpler, cleaner alternative.

Railroad walking

For starters, I'm not supposed to do this. It's dangerous, and I keep a careful watch for oncoming trains -- but so far I've never encountered one while out walking. The tracks are in daily use, though.



It's also the source of a fair amount of the materials I've been using for art lately. People toss things along the railroad right-of-way and I pick some of those things off the ground, take them home, and make other things. The Ladybug, the Green Gecko, the Crow King, all used wood I found along the tracks.

This evening I found a tiny chunk of wood that will become something new. I know exactly what I want to do with it, and that makes me happy. Walking the tracks rarely fails to improve my mood and give me new ideas. Dangerous or not, trespassing or not, I'm not going to stop.

Just out of curiosity ...

Does anyone other than me actually read this?

Gecko! New salvage art.

Green Gecko, oil paint and wax medium on salvaged wood, approx. 13" x 5". This piece is a commission for a collector in Florida.

A Day at the Greyhound Rescue Picnic

Biscuit the Greyhound. Painted from a snapshot I took back in July; this is 12" x 9," oil on canvas. I did it on the spot today at the Northern Lights Greyhound Association's annual fundraiser picnic.




Here's the silent auction table with the three drawings I donated. :-)




This dog was part of the Dancing Greyhounds show, which was great fun but which I mostly missed because I was painting. I just love how this photo catches the dog moving in at least four different directions at once.




This lovely lady is a therapy dog; regretfully I can't recall her name. Her handler was kind enough to stop and let me snap a few photos of her in the sun.