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

A Franklin on a Patriotic Day

Photo:"A Franklin on a Patriotic Day"; Watercolor and Ink on 11" x 16" Paper
Available for purchase.

Here's the latest I finished last night.  It's a little off in a new direction.  I took several photos of this 1926 Franklin that I saw on the 3rd Avenue bridge in downtown during a 4th of July car show.  I was just fascinated with listening about the guy who owned it talk about the engine and how because of the specialty of the steam-powered engine he had to go up to Minneapolis area to have it serviced.Then he talked about the restoration that he had to do in the interior.  I found myself taking photos from several angles with my phone.  Later as I got to looking at this particular photo of the back.  I liked the Cedar Rapids skyline that was showing in the background.  It simmered for a few days and this was what came about.  I put extra flags into the piece with a couple of them on the car itself.  I still may do others of this Franklin car.  It's a very unique car.

A Bit of Catching Up...

I've taken a vacation to Vegas and am a little behind on posting some of my recent artwork here on my blog.  So here goes...
This first painting was done as a Wedding Anniversary present for a friend who grew up in my same hometown (Cedar Rapids).  He now lives in Las Vegas with his wife and I thought it would be nice to bring a bit of hometown to him in a painting.  I call the piece- "Cedar Rapids Tour".  He loved it!

"Cedar Rapids Tour"; Watercolor and Ink on 11" x 14" paper.

Then, just before I left for Las Vegas I finished this fun one that I call "Purple Coupe".  

This painting was based on a photo that I took at work one day.  There was this cute coupe that was parked across the street from where I was working in Czech Village in Cedar Rapids.  I snapped a shot and thought it would make a good painting.  Go figure! :)  Thanks for stopping by and I welcome any comments you may have.

Winter Wonderland Window...

Just before Thanksgiving I put up a Winter Wonderland Window at the Visitor's Center in Czech Village in Cedar Rapids.  If you get the chance swing by and see all of the Christmas windows in Czech Village and vote for your favorite one!  Here's a photo of the window I created...





Featured in the "CR is a Winter Wonderland" are some well know places of Cedar Rapids like: the Paramount, Theatre Cedar Rapids, and Brucemore.  Here's some prelim drawing of the stencils that I used...

The Paramount Theatre with Nutcracker Ballet...

Theatre Cedar Rapids with Shrek, a snowman, and a gingerbread man,

Thanks for stopping by!

Red Chevy at Duffy's...

Here's a quick little painting that I did a couple of nights ago.  It's a 1950's red Chevy that I saw when I was at one of the Thursday night car cruise nights at Duffy's in Cedar Rapids.  I thought that the Duffy's building in the back gave it a vintage feel to the painting.  Duffy's is a local place that specializes in selling collectible cars.  They usually have the business open so you can go in and view the cars inside during the car cruise nights; otherwise the hours are just during the days.  These are the type of cars that you wouldn't leave out on a car lot.  They are more of the pampered type.:)  Course, don't let Mr. Motorhead, my boyfriend, hear me say he pampers his car.  That's not very man-ly! LOL!  Here's my latest painting... Enjoy!

"Red Chevy at Duffy's"; Watercolor and Ink on 8" x 8" paper.

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

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!

Encaustic: My First Experience ...

I had always been curious to try encaustic art.  It has a very long history and I always liked all of the possibilities of layering/collage aspects that are available with this form of art.  So when I saw a local art workshop that was offered on-line, I jumped at the chance.  Even better, it was a low cost art workshop where I would take home 3 finished pieces; or so it advertised on-line.

Photo: The Indian Creek Nature Center, which is situated in southwest Cedar Rapids, IA.

The workshop was held out the local Indian Creek Nature Center; which is near a Sac & Fox Trail that I enjoy frequenting with Mr. Motorhead’s dog.  It’s a wonderful place to go out and enjoy nature.  I arrived last sunny Saturday afternoon, paid for workshop fee in the main barn and then walked a short distance to the “Sugar Hut”.   I went in to find several people huddling around the wood burning stove that was the heat source for the hut.

There was hot wax warming in a couple of places.  One place was a griddle with several small tuna cans filled with colored wax.  Another place was a large electric frying pan where the teacher for the workshop was stirring the wax with a resin.  It looked terribly sticky like hardened caramelized sugar.  She scraped the bottom of the frying pan and would mix and stir it around with a metal paint scraper. 

Photo: Colored wax, implements to apply, carving tools, resin in a bag, paper towels,
vegetable oil and a block of beeswax too.

As everyone, arrived she started to explain some things about the wax.  She explained that it was Darmar Resin that she was mixing with the beeswax and that it is used to make the wax more of a solid form when it cooled at room temperature.  She said that the electric frying pan needed to stay below 200 degrees.  At the 200 degree mark the wax would start to boil and give off noxious fumes.  Not a good thing; she explained. 

The beeswax she used was from a local bee keeper and she ordered it by the 3lb. brick from them.  She showed us how the brick looked.  It has a natural yellowish color she said that you learn to design your artwork around.  She then explained that she used oil paints to pigment her wax.  You can buy wax that is already colored but she liked to have more control over her colors.  She also said that you can generally get all of the colors from the three primary colors; yellow, red, and blue.  But she made a batch of green for us too; to make mixing a little simpler. 

We used cut up matte board that she had pre-cut into 4” x 6” squares.  She took a natural bristled brush, dipped it in the frying pan wax, and brushed it evenly across the matte board.  Then, she used a heat gun lightly over the waxed matte board to make it shine but not too close to make it run off the matte board.  This is how to make it seal and adhere to the matte board.  She repeated the process of using the natural bristled brush to put another thin layer of wax over the matte board.  “This is how you form your strata base”, she explained as she lightly ran an iron across the surface.

The iron had no holes in its surface; and either it or the heat gun could be used to seal the surface.  She explained that this sealing needed to take place each time between layers or the whole of the wax surface could slide off or crack.  Also, the layers needed to be done fairly thinly too.

Photo: "Encaustic #1"; 4" x 6"

Then, we were invited to make our own strata base.  It was not as easy as she made it look, but I managed through.  Next, she took us through all of the different possible ways of applying the colored wax.  She had quite a few brushes and other implements to choose from.  She also explained that if we did not like what we made that it was easy to just scrape off the wax and start again.  For most of the 12 in the workshop, this was our first time ever doing encaustic art.  Also, there was only handfuls that were artists in the group.

Next she took us through the process of transferring and also explained how to carve and apply oil paint into the carved out areas of the wax.  We played for a bit more and some of the participants started a second piece of matte board to form the strata base.  About half way through the workshop she invited us to take a break, go outside and perhaps, take a small piece of nature to use in our piece of artwork.

Photo: "Encaustic #2; 4" x 6"-- An attempt at a girl on a bicycle.

I went for a short hike and then came back to the hut.  I started applying color wax to my second piece and just playing with the different ways in which to apply the wax.  I also carved out a girl on a bicycle and applied oil paint into the carved out crevices.  The detail was lost when I applied the last layer of sealing wax.  Darn it!  I guess there's some learning curve with this new stuff.

Photo; "Encaustic #3"; 4" x 6" -- I'm framing it!

Next, I started the third piece and decided after a layer of colored wax that I would try a transfer of a barn scene.  I placed the ink side down of the black and white copy against the top of the wax surface; then, rubbed with a large metal spoon, over the surface while applying pressure.  Next, I poured a little water over the paper and started to rub lightly with my fingers.  Eventually, the paper came away but the black ink from the copy stayed on the waxed surface.  Ooooo, cool I thought as the last bit of paper washed away.  I think I'm going to frame this one!

I had a little more time yet, and decided to go back to my first encaustic piece and apply a transfer to the top of that one too.  Overall, it was a fun workshop and it was nice top broaden out into a new form of art.  I may decide to dabble in this new form in the future but I definitely would need an area where I would not be concerned about getting hot wax mess on the floor, walls, and etc.  This is when a heated garage would come in handy…. Hmmmm, maybe I could see if Mr. Motorhead has a bit of garage space available?

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.



 

A Commission for Mom...

My mom recently decided to remove a shelf in the kitchen-dining room area.  She asked for me to do an oil painting of flowers that was large enough to cover the place where the shelf had been.  She gave the measurements and requested a wrapped canvas.  She didn't want to worry about framing and I think she liked the idea of a more modern unframed painting to update the area.  From there, she gave me ideas on what she would like but always mentioned that she was sure that whatever I came up with she would be happy with.  Thanks mom!  No pressure what-so-ever.

First she sent me a few magazine pages of ideas... A Van Gogh of flowers which she explained, she didn't like the actual flowers.  She considered them too child-like but she did like the green wispy strokes in it.  Then, there was a photo of yellow tulips taken in her dining room.  She wanted tulips.  Then, she included a couple of other pages with flowers that she would like to have in the painting. 

Then, she included a diagram of a certain degree...

She wanted to keep to yellows, greens, and purples with a bit of pinks in there too.  She kept an emphasis on keeping it nice light and airy.  Now, I will put a disclaimer here.  I'm not really a flower type of painting gal.  Buildings and bicycles are more my type of thing that I like to paint.  Flowers are a different territory altogether.  I will say I struggled with this for awhile.  I took a bit more time than usual on the under painting.  I did several layers with an iridescent gold and two different yellows.  Then before I started to lay in the actual flowers of the painting.  I painted in the green wispy things.  Here's what I had...

Next, I did some sketches of flowers on paper and played with arranging them on the canvas.

There was a selection of different flowers that I threw in that I thought might look nice with the other flowers she requested; irises, primrose and lavender.  I layed out the drawings on the canvas to get a feel for what looked good together and what would fit and still be light and airy too.  Then I sketched the general format onto the canvas with the same green paint as the wispy things.

I talked with Mom this last Sunday morning on the phone and explained the general format that I had come up with.  She thought it sounded pretty good.  So I proceeded to paint on Sunday evening and Monday night and this is the finished painting that was produced...

AND I hope that Mom is happy enough to hang it on her wall when I bring it home to her in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in July while I'm there for RAGBRAI.

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.