11-21-09 "Grandson's Leaves"

I gathered some leaves for the grandsons to jump and play in and it turned ou to be a great afternoon. When the fun time was over I brought into the house three of the best leaves for me to begin some drawings. The contrast betwen the large yellow leaf and the purplish background work well together.

work in progress

I can't avoid leaves! They are everywhere in our yard and I must mulch them and put them on the garden.

11-7-09 "Country Beauty"

We took our grandson to a local pumpkin patch and there I discovered this lovely home and all these flowers. The flower beds had taken over everthing and were bursting from their bounderies and spilling out into the walks.

work in progress

I've been concentrating on barns for quite a while so I figured it was time for a white house.

10-14-09 "December Evening"

Cold evenings are part of my childhood memories. Walking from the barn to the house on a well worn path. Walking up from the woods after checking all my muskrat traps. All the time keeping an eye on the setting sun to make it in before it got really cold after the sun finally set over the horizen.

10-6-09 "The Old Red Tractor"

The next time you drive from Indianola to Des Moines on Hwy 65 you might see this farm on the west side of the road. It was a clear, crisp morning when I got this shot and I feel I caught the moment pretty good.

Painting with Grandpa

As I was working on my latest painting little Sammy wanted to "help out". He sat on my lap for about four minutes but lost interest when he realized there was nothing in front of him he could touch.

work in progress

This painting is about half finished and coming along just fine.

9-26-09 "An Iowa Sunset"

This time of year the sunsets on the western horizon are an absolute blaze of orange, reds, and yellows. To try capture them is a challenge.

This painting I started and finished within two and one half hours.

Watercolor, guache, acrylic

8x10 matted

$25.00 free shipping

There are times in the winter when there is a sense of warmth and this painting conveys that feeling. There is no wind to bring cutting breezes and the tempurature has actually gotten above 32 degrees so many-a-times we can make it to the barn in just a flannel shirt.

For Sale

8X10 water color painting

$50.00 matted, free shipping

8-28-09 Heavy Snowfall

I started this little painting before the art show...but...wasn't able to get back to it because of the Iowa State Fair and a family vacation. Oh well, I have a dozen excuses.

This barn is just a typical barn set 150 feet off the road that I've overlooked a dozen times. But I start to play with the drawing and change the seasons and it comes together.

Getting Ready for the Art Show

This first image is to demonstrate how messy things can get when I start to matte and frame for the show coming up on Satrday.

This is a long and narrow landscape that I've had around for a while but no frame to put it in. I finally got a frame and matted it as you can see above and now its ready. I usually matte my paintings for shows in a white over black just to keep it simple and uniform.

work in progress

Once in a while I attempt to do two at one time to save a few minutes.

7-10-09 "Oakley Barns"

Near the almost non-existant town of Oakley, IA sits this farm on the east side of the road. We stopped the car to get several photos and off we went before the owners could begin to wonder what we where doing. Soon I will be attending an art show; that means matting, framing, packing up everything, and setting up the tent. A lot of preperation.

Watercolor, 16x20

$150, free shipping in US.