Some Sparkle for the Holidays

Red Rider
24" x 12" oil on canvas 

 

Experiments in Moku Hanga

 I have had a few Japanese Shina wood blocks in the studio for a while and finally decided to give the Moku Hanga printmaking adventures another shot.  This print is of a great blue heron that hangs out fishing the upper part of the Egan's Creek greenway here on the island.  

The print is for a print exchange so a limited edition of 11 were made for that, and there are a couple of artist proofs that will be available for sale at the IAA gallery.  Some of the progress shots are below. 

Fishing
9" x 7" handprinted, 13 color
2 block Moku Hanga reduction

Cafe Karibo

 Another work from morning walks around town with Marlowe.  Great food and good people at this wonderful local cafe.  

Karibo
20" x 20" oil on canvas 

Walking the waterfront

A recent morning walk on front street here in Fernandina brought another view of the working waterfront still in use by the local shrimpers.  

Cook & Cook
12" x 24" oil on canvvas 

 

Hazy Summer Afternoon

 This summer has brought some incredible clouds with its afternoon storms.  This is from a hazy afternoon at the beach.

Afternoon Storm Boiling Up
20" x 16" Oil on Canvas 

Bromeliad in the Window

Thinking of family and friends in Newfoundland today as they deal with the smoke and evacuations from the wildfires.  We hope it is under control soon for all those living in the area and battling the blazes.  This is from a photo taken at the MUN botannical garden glasshouse a few years ago.  

Untitled (Bromeliad in the Window)
24" x 18" Oil on canvas 

 

In Cooler Times

This painting is from photos taken on the greenway during a late misty morning walk in the fall.  As we hit 115 today in our "feels like" temperatures, it is nice to revisit a cooler moment.

Misty Morning Walk
24" x 36" oil on gallery wrap canvas 

Something Different

I don't think I have ever painted or made a print of any kind of bird before but there's always a time to try something new.  This print was from a group project where we each brought a poem to our meeting then everyone drew one out of the hat and had to create something from that poem.  I drew the Red Wheelbarrow:

The Red Wheelbarrow
William Carlos Williams

so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens

Not a lot of leeway on this one so... chickens happened.  

The Conversation
20 color linocut reduction 
7.5" x 9.5"

 

The Birds!

 The bird of paradise in my garden this year was amazingly prolific and I took a lot of photos of the blooms at different stages.  The plants had gotten quite a lot of freeze damage and I cut them back severely but they seem to have thrived in spite of the pruning.  There may be more in this series as I never tire of painting the birds in all their exuberance.

Nested
15" x 15" Oil on canvas panel 

Ochre Pit Cove

 Thinking of past hikes in Newfoundland as we swelter here in the US.  This was from Ochre Pit Cove on Conception Bay North.  It was a crystal clear, sunny day that left the cliffs and rock formation  a brilliant white in the light. 

Ochre Pit Cove
12" x 12" handprinted 19 color
reduction linocut 

Playing around

Suspended
15 x 21 mixed media on handmade cotton paper 

 

Storm Over the Marsh

In the arts group I belong to we have done an excercise where you draw art cards from a deck and they have instructions on things you need to incorporate in a piece.  One of the cards someone drew was to make a painting using only 100 brushstrokes.  That seemed like a good excersise to me so I gave it a try and failed miserably (I will continue trying though).  This painting is what came of that effort and is definitely more than 100 brushstrokes.  It is from a very blurry photo I took one day as a storm was coming over the marsh and we were driving past.

Storm Over the Marsh
12 x 12 Oil on canvas