Japanese Maple

My front yard looks like this for about 3 days in the fall - honest .  Small Japanese maple - large sycamore - in intense technicolor !

watercolor on yupo   10" x 13"

Poison Oak Vine

This vine grows against the neighbor's shed, and at this time of the year, it catches the light and is lovely. The leaves turn luminous . Fortunately it isn't in the way.
watercolor on yupo
26" x 20"

Oak Leaves

Walking down by the river the other damp morning, I looked down at the pavement and saw these oak leaves flattened and strewn everywhere.

watercolor on yupo

7 Leaves

The leaves on the witch hazel shrub are very showy for a few short days in the fall. They exhibit their extraordinary variety of color and then promptly drop , as if embarrassed by this sudden showiness .
The rest of the year the leaves are modestly uniform .

watercolor 10 " x 13 "

Version 2.0 Hydrangeas

Yes,  these hydrangeas again , so much to see and endlessly challenging to paint.

watercolor/ yupo 13" x 20"

Faded Hydrangeas

Always lovely, whatever the season

Watercolor 15" 10 "

Across The Valley

A view looking across the river to the hills on the other side, painted last month,  before the oaks turned color,
watercolor/yupo  15" x 13"

Out The Window

The kitchen in Briceland is large and sunny. a very appealing place to have a meal, or just a cup of coffee. If you were to be standing at the sink and washing the dishes , this is what you would see out the window.
watercolor /yupo  10" x 13"

On The Trail

This painting is of my granddaughter Iona, on the trail of her first backpacking trip , holding her beloved stuffed lion .  And he enjoyed the hike very much !

Watercolor on yupo  8" x 10"
 

Cleaning Up

My cat, Pippi, is always scrupulous about her appearance , and she gleams !

watercolor/yupo  9 3/4" x 9"

Midsummer Roses

A painting is about summer's dense tangle of rampant growth - this is the rose's second blooming

watercolor on Yupo   13" x 10"

Cliff Climb

Another view of the climb up the cliff at Joshua Tree.

Climbing The Cliff

Skill and Strength !  Rock climbing in Joshua Tree earlier this year.

watercolor on Yupo 12" x 9"

Mille Fleur

The  allover painting of blossoms, stems and foliage reminds me of the mille fleur tapestries that were popular wall coverings in cold, drafty castles during the middle ages.

watercolor / yupo  10" x 13 "

Floral Paintings

Top : " Rosebush " watercolor on Yupo  10" x 13"

Lower:  " Sally Holmes " watercolor on Yupo 20" x 26"

 An exploration of color and form , still in pursuit of beauty

I recently posted these painting on facebook, which makes me wonder if this blog is redundant.

Joshua Tree View # 2

This is another view of the rocks behind our campsite. This jumble of improbable boulders didn't stop children and grownups from scrambling to the top.  Sometimes the rocks were a bland neutral color, sometimes they were charged with rich earth tones, changing with the time of day and the orientation of the sun. In any case, painter's heaven !

watercolor/yupo 10" x 12 1/2"

Joshua Tree #1

 Joshua Tree National Park : an amazing place !  Five days of family camping and we only began to explore this unique environment of vast high desert and jumbled rocks tossed around by careless giants.

This is the first plein air sketch of the area behind our campsite - watercolor 10" x 12 1/2"

Lilacs In Bloom

One length of my backyard fence are lilac bushes that were probably first planted in the late '40's. When I come down the stairs on April mornings, I see a wave of soft violet and magenta blooms. I appreciate this kind of wake up.

watercolor/yupo  25 1/2" x 20 "

Houseplant on Windowsill

This plant sits on the sill of a north facing window and provides a visual diversion even on overcast days.
watercolor / yupo  12 1/2" x 10"

Red Tulips

This clump of amazingly red tulips just appeared in one corner of my yard. They are like royalty appearing amongst humble folks - you can't ignore them !
watercolor on yupo  10" x 12 1/2"

Tulips

Continuing the musical metaphor, these budding tulips are the chorus of the spring concert.

watercolor on yupo  20" x 25"

Magnolia Minuet

Every spring these stately old fashioned blossoms open and I love seeing them.

watercolor on yupo  10" x 12 1/2"

Flowering Quince II

This quince shrub continues to inspire- I had to paint it again !
This is a larger watercolor than the previous painting....25" x 19"

Flowering Quince

Spring begins !  Blossoms emerge from the grays and browns and violets of winter.

watercolor/yupo  10" x 12 1/2"  (posted earlier on facebook )

Dishrack

This sketch is directly and loosely painted using a restricted palette of 3 primaries plus black. I'm amazed by the range of color and value capable with this approach. This is one of the series, which I've named "Almost Honest"  and is about basic discoveries, and is a hoot !
watercolor/ Yupo  10" x 12 1/2"

In The Mirror....

I had planned to sketch some objects on my bathroom counter, when I looked up and saw my image in the mirror and changed the plan.  It still fits  into the Almost Honest category , so I painted it.
watercolor/ Yupo  12 1/2" x 10"

3 Eggs

One of the domestic sketches in the series I'm calling Almost Honest.  Decide for yourself.....

watercolor   10" x 12 1/2"

Scissors and Pens

I am working on a series in which I paint just what I see before me, not arranging the objects as in a traditional still life. These small works are almost drawings, using restricted color which emphases the basic "bones" of the painting.

10 1/2" x 12"

Kitchen Still Life

As I was making coffee one afternoon.....

12 1/2" x 10" watercolor and charcoal on yupo

Still Life

Saturated color  and the tools of my trade....

watercolor/ yupo  9 3/4" x 13 3/4"

Backyard Apple Tree

I continue to be absorbed by the energy of growing things - one of our basic everyday miracles..
This sketch is another stab at getting that in paint.
watercolor/ yupo   10 3/4" x 9"

Big Sur View

This painting tells a story by the use of strong diagonals and 2 primary colors. I need to remember how effective simplicity can be !
watercolor on Yupo  16" x 20"