Farm Themed Commissions....

I recently went to the open house for a local Farm Credit Services where two of my artworks were newly framed and hanging.  One near the front lobby area and another at the end of a hallway.  It was rather fun to be in a business where my artwork was on display.  I was commissioned for these two fun farm inspired pieces....

"CR Barn and Silo"; Watercolor and Ink on 22" x 28" Paper.
Commissioned Piece

Photo of framed CR Barn and Silo.

"Old McDonald's Pig"; Watercolor and Ink on 20" x 20" Paper
Commissioned Piece

Photo of Framed Old McDonald's Pig

Blue Country Cyclist

This was a commissioned piece that I just finished yesterday.  I'm currently working on another couple of pieces trying to get done before Christmas.  Oh, the stress of painting deadlines. This painting had 5 preliminary drawings that it went through before it became this finished piece.  I'm glad to say that Tim was very pleased with the finished painting.  He wanted something to remind him of cycling on RAGBRAI but in blues/grays with less riders.  LOL!

Photo:"Blue Country Cyclist"; watercolor on 12" x 16" paper
Commissioned Piece

You may notice in the sky of the finished piece a subtle cloud face.  That was added in the final painting and was an idea that we (Tim & myself) and thrown back and forth.  It's loosely based on Tim's face.

The last Prelim drawing for this piece.

Thanks for stopping by and I welcome any comment you may have!

Now Available as a Postcard!!

Back in May of last year, I finished a painting called "Cedar Rapids: A Bloom Among the Cornfields".  It's a painting I painted about my hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  Now I have produced a postcard from the painting.  I have them with me at the Cedar Rapids Visitor's Center Monday through Friday; and in the close future at my art booth in the Fairfax USA Days on Saturday June 28th.  So if you are interested or know of anyone that's interested in a Cedar Rapid's postcard, send them my way! Here's what they look like...

 You can read more about the story behind the painting in my blog post called "Cedar Rapids: A Bloom Among the Cornfields".  Enjoy and thanks for stopping by!

The Cougar!

Yes, here's another painting based on a photo I took at a car show in Vinton, Iowa.  I saw my boyfriend admiring the car, and thought he would like a painting of it.  Come to find out that the car is not a "Mopar" and will not qualify a spot on his wall.  Talk about snobs of another breed! LOL!  I guess I still have a GREAT deal to learn about cars.  AND here, I always thought of them as something to get me from Point A to Point B.  Well, it looks like I may need a bit of an attitude adjustment. But here's the painting that I titled: "The Cougar" which I find even a more ironic title when I myself am the "cougar" dating a younger man.

"The Cougar"; Watercolor on 9" x 11" Cold Pressed Paper.

Yes, it is in fact a Mercury Cougar.  Please don't ask me what year but maybe someone out there can let me know.  Or I could break down and ask my boyfriend but where's the challenge in that.  Here's the photo that I based it off of, and I tell you I struggled with how to paint this car. 

It's a very unique shade of "gold" and I'm still not quite happy with it.  But I guess that an artist is always their own worst critic.  But I welcome any feedback you may have and thanks for visiting.

Old Blue & White Buick...

It has been awhile since I have posted any paintings on here.  Yes, in general Summer is a busier time of year with me cycling. But, also, I have acquired a boyfriend and haven't had the time to paint like I normally would have either.  Still that shouldn't be an excuse. 

I recently went to car show with him in Vinton, Iowa.  I should clarify and say that it was actually a car drag.  I rode with my boyfriend in his "Green Machine" and it was like a parade of sorts through the small Iowa town.  A new experience for me and no I did not get the "Miss America Wave" down during the drive.  Though, I did manage a few waves as we drove along. 

Afterwards I went through my photos and I rather got inspired to attempt to paint a car.  I've done one before but it was a background to a duo of my nephews in front of a car.  But this car really kind of drew me to it.  But I always was partial to the color blue. 

This is the first time that I have just focused on the car.  So here is a old blue and white Buick that I'm guessing is a 1955 or 1956.  I still have a lot to learn about cars and my new boyfriend is very much into them.  He's a MOPAR man, and I can rightly say that I'm not exactly sure what that means.  Let's hope I have a fairly good learning curve at my age. LOL!  But anyway, here is the attempt to do this old Buick...


"Old Blue and White Buick"; Watercolor on 9" x 12" paper.

I would love to hear you input on it, and please realize that this is really a first attempt at actually just painting a car rather than something else with a car in the background.  Thanks for visiting!

Barn Through the Poplars...

I've been driving by this barn for almost 4 months on my way into work.  The barn lies behind a row of poplar trees.  It's rather a common scene here in Iowa to have a row of poplar trees on one side of the large buildings on a property.  The trees grow fast and serve as a wind break; especially during the cold snowy times of year. 

The sight of the hidden barn rather reminds me of a Bev Dolittle painting.  I love Dolittle's paintings with the horses and Indians in amongst the winter landscape and birch trees.  You really have to hunt to see the horses and Indians through all of the trees.  Seeing this barn day after day made me think and roll the thought around in my head of challenging myself to paint something like that only with my own touch and my level of experience in that style of art. I will admit that I am not as detail orientated as she is and it would take me years to get to that level.  But I thought it might be fun to play on the concept of the Bev Dolittle style. And so here it is, a painting that I call "A Barn Through the Poplars"...

Photo: "A Barn Through the Poplars"; a watercolor on 13" x 21" paper.

Right away I decided to place the barn scene that I painted to be among the colorings of a sunset.  I thought that it was more in fitting with a Bev Dolittle sense of style.  The red color of the barn would be more lost in among the skies of a colorful sunset.  I also chose to keep the cornfield in front of the populars and barn in a loose feel and not be tied down to more of the details that  should exist in a foreground of a painting.  I wanted the whole focus to be the trees and the slight glimpse of the barn peeking out behind them. 

Photo: A Barn Through the Poplars in progress.

I would love to hear any feedback you may have and thanks for stopping by.

Cedar Rapids: A Bloom Among the Cornfields...

It has been awhile since I've finished another painting.  But I did managed to put the finishing touches on this painting this last week amid working 70+ hours between two jobs.  But soon hopefully, I will have more time to afford doing some more painting.  But anyway, here's my latest painting that I call:

" Cedar Rapids: A Bloom Among the Cornfields".

Photo: "CR: A Bloom Among the Cornfields"; Watercolor and Ink on 16" x 20" cold press paper.

I wanted to try to capture the essence of my hometown.  Coming back to the area made me think about what is really unique to this city; call it a bit of nostalgia for my lost childhood or pride about the city of my birth rite.  But outside of a tall cement tree down by the Cedar River that's called the Five Seasons Tree, there was not a symbol or painting that said Cedar Rapids to me .  So I embarked onto an idea of painting something that says Cedar Rapids to me.

The painting rather evolved as I thought about it.  Cedar Rapids is the 2nd largest metropolitan area of Iowa.  It was a given that the background area would be corn.  Iowa is the corn state after all.  I ended up choosing a simplified Easter lily with 5 petals to stand for the 5 seasons.  It also rather stood for the city rising out of the cornfields to arrive at its present state of bloom; a risen metropolis.  I placed the City of the Five Seasons Tree at the center of it all.  The Five Season Tree stands near the center of Cedar Rapids along the bank of the Cedar River; a river that runs through the heart of the city.

I then thought about what makes Cedar Rapids unique.  First and foremost what came to mind was the American Gothic painting.  Yes, the famous iconic painting of the farmer standing with pitchfork, next to a woman with the steeped roof house in the background.  It was painted here in Cedar Rapids by Grant Wood in his art studio located in a carriage house that's tucked in along an alley way only about a block from 1st Ave.  The house in the background is located in Eldon, Iowa.  The man in the painting was actually Wood's dentist and the woman was Wood's sister Nan.  The original painting hangs in Chicago at the Art Institute.

Cedar Rapids buildings came to mind like the Veterans Memorial building that stands at the heart of the city and contains the only commissioned stain glass done by Grant Wood. Then there's the large red roofed National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library that is located down by Czech Village.  Then there's the  world's largest cereal mill in Quaker Oats.

Photo- Close up of Brucemore and the Paramount in "CR:A Bloom Among the Cornfields"

The Brucemore Mansion had to be in there too.  At one time the Victorian Mansion was know as "the grandest house west of Chicago".  It's become a landmark of the area and is setting back amid 26 acres of sculpted garden and lawn just off of 1st Ave.  Quite often there are different cultural and art events that occur on the lawns of the famous house.

I also wanted to acknowledge the wonderful history of cultural arts within the city too. I added the iconic marquee of the Paramount Theatre which is a restored example of a 1920's movie/vaudeville palace.  It first opened in 1928 as the Capital Theatre but in 1929 it was purchased by Paramount Pictures and given its current name.  The Paramount serves as the home to the Orchestra Iowa, the Cedar Rapids Area Theater Organ Society, and a series of Community Concerts.  You can also catch an Opera there too.  The Theatre Cedar Rapids is another cultural jewel of the area and live theater can be enjoyed there.  In fact, I remember years and years ago watching movies as a kid among its seats.  It has been restored to its former glory since the 2008 flood. 

AND that is another item that I want to share about Cedar Rapids.  I think it gives even more significance to the city and its rising out of the flood to still continue to bloom as the metropolis that it is.  It says a lot about the community and its people.  All of those citizens of Cedar Rapids should be proud for what has happened since the flood.  When the 2008 flood hit, there was a HUGE impact on the area but the city has made an amazing rebound from that flood.

Photo: A close up of the Newbo Market, the Czech Museum, and Czech Village
in "CR: A Bloom Among the Cornfields" Painting.

Newbo Market is a dynamic new addition to the city; it contains fresh food vendors and handmade goods with a mix of activities and music thrown in.  It's just a place full of activities and fun on Thursday nights and the weekends in Cedar Rapids. 

Lastly, I had to of course acknowledge the sport teams that are in Cedar Rapids.  The Kernels baseball club, the Titans Indoor football, and the Rough Rider's hockey.  All of these things and more sum up to equal what Cedar Rapids is.  Who knows I might even see about some postcards and  t-shirts? :)

On My Way Back ...

Tonight, I'm writing this as I sit in my hotel room in Cheyenne, WY.  I'm on my way back to Utah and have had a week of ups and downs.  I first left for my hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; last Thursday evening.  The plan was to do a bit of visiting with family and then do RAGBRAI. 

Well, even the best laid plans seem to change.  I did some visiting and started RAGBRAI.  I managed the first three days of RAGBRAI.  The worst three days as far as heat and humidity that RAGBRAI has ever seen in its 40 years (go figure!).  All three days were 99 or above with one day climbing up to 104 degrees with 80% humidity.  Oh and did I mention there were winds that were up to 20 mph too?  These were some tough days and I really found that the humidity was getting to me. 

But I will say that those three days of RAGBRAI were amazing!  It was a sea of bicycles as far as the eye could see along the wonderful hilly landscape of Iowa's corn and soybean fields.  There were people all along the Iowa roads that were cheering you on; some were selling water, cookies, or almost everything.  Some were not selling but giving water out for free, or offering to douse you with their hose, or even others were handing out frozen pops.  Main streets in small Iowa towns were closed down just to bicycle traffic and filled up with vendors offer to sell food or wares to the cyclists that came through the town.  It was just AMAZING!  I don't know how else to describe it.

Photo: Boys-N-Cars watercolor I did of my nephews for a Father's Day present. 
The youngest one here is the one with dark hair.

My second day was the worst.  I had received a phone call from my little brother the night before that my youngest nephew had passed away due to complications after a surgery.  He was only 13 years old.  I was rather a bit of a basket case that day and only managed to ride 47 miles of the 85 miles that I should have rode.  My head and heart just were not in it.  I found I could not keep food down and when you are riding that is NEVER a good sign to have.  I ended up getting SAG'd in that day.  I did manage the next day's ride but then had to call for help when I was brain dead trying to find the host house.  The combo of riding 84 miles with 104 degree humid heat just left me STUPID.

Wednesday night I managed to get a ride back to my mom's.  I had opted not to ride on Thursday to give my body a bit of a break but I also needed to be back for a viewing(Friday) and funeral(Saturday).  That basically meant that RAGBRAI was over for me.  But I needed to be else where.



 

Happy Father's Day!!

Here's wishing all of you Fathers out there a Happy Father's Day!  I've been waiting before I posted this painting until it arrived at my little brother's home in Iowa.  I did it as a present for him for Father's Day.  I was trying to make it a surprise.  It features my two nephews standing in front of a car at a car show.  Here it is... 

"Boys-N-Cars"; Watercolor on 9" x 11" Paper

I rather got a kick out of how both of them are standing with arms folded; kind of like--"Yeah, we are tough!"  I did this painting in the puddle style of water coloring; mixing all of the colors on the paper.  I also used a limited color pallet-- phthalo blue, phthalo green, and permanent rose with just a bit of meduim yellow to do the skin tones.  I hope you like it little bro!  Happy Father's Day!

Repairing Grant Wood...

Recently, my mom sent me an article from the hometown paper about repairs to a Grant Wood stained glass window. The stained glass was cracked during the Floods of 2008 in Eastern Iowa. The window has a huge rising angel of peace in the center who is welcoming all the veterans home. Along the bottom there are soldiers from the nation’s six major wars through to World War I. It’s an amazing piece that has left me standing mesmerized each time I beheld it as a child.

Most of you may know the artist Grant Wood for his famous piece American Gothic, or maybe a parody of this work which is one of the most popular parodied pieces outside of Mona Lisa, and Whistler’s Mother. The original painting of American Gothic done in 1930 now hangs permanently in the Art Institute of Chicago. I luckily grew up looking quite often on his works some of my favorites which you may not have seen or heard of. There’s the, Woman with Plants(pictured below), where Grant lovingly painted his mother with a snake plant. It’s a real favorite of mine.

Another favorite is his Young Corn(pictured below), where he rounds the hills and trees making them ever so friendly and simple. He helped create an all-American style of art. If you ever happen to be driving through the Stone City, Iowa area; you’ll see where he got the idea of rounding of hills and the trees. It looks like much of the scenery in that area, with patches of different colored fields depending on the crop. It brings back fond memories of weekend drives through the area. I also remember a Young Corn-like landscape being on cover of the Cedar Rapids phone book one year.


The towering stained glass window (pictured at top), measuring 21 feet wide by 25 feet tall, was commissioned by my hometown, Cedar Rapids Iowa, in 1927 for a mere $9000; a bargain at that time. Grant Wood was quoted two years later that it was “…at least a $12,000 window”. Now the bids to repair the 58 paneled window is anywhere from $111,000 to $170,000. The piece has an estimated $300,000 insurance policy, according to the newspaper article from the Cedar Rapids Gazette. It's amazing how art appreciates. I can only hope one day when I'm six feet under some of my work will be worth something. The stained glass window will be removed from the Veterans Memorial Building/City Hall for a year at least for the repairs.