Windmill Dreams....

 Yes, another bird house.  I call it "Windmill Dreams".  And I'm sure you can see why.  Another roof on the bird house that is re-purposed gutters from my house.  I managed to get new gutters on the house recently and now have over 40feet of gutters I can repurpose...lol  Not sure if I'll use all of the gutters but time will tell.

Oh and did I mention these are all usable art?  There's removable roof parts, and air vents, and drainage holes.  There's also 4 layers of clear coat on them too.  Can you tell I am having fun with these?  Enjoy!

Expanding into Bird Houses- Ode to Corn

I've expanded into bird houses....

Photo: "Ode to Corn" Bird house

 

It's been a long while since I have updated this blog.  Between everyday life and then COVID, this blog kind of fell through the cracks.  After a Derecho storm (An Inland Hurricane) the
first I had ever experienced the almost 140mph winds took out trees, power, part of the roof and almost anything that wasn't bolted into the ground.  It was an eye opener what the weather can do.  

My tree lined street in shambles after a Derecho storm with 140mph winds.

 

I was lucky enough to be home at the time and took shelter but 3 large trees were lost and gutters were ripped from the house as well as shingles.  

It was after this one day while I was cleaning up the yard that I noticed the local birds nesting in my former mangled gutters.  It was then that it hit me! Those poor birds and thus I changed up my artwork and did a bit of "usuable" art but I decided to repupose the mangled gutters and a bit of wood that ended up in my yard mixed with new wood.  And bird houses started to take shape.

This is my first one that I did.  Loosely based on Grant Wood's Ode to Corn...

Enjoy!

Photo- Back of Ode to Corn Bird house.

Ceralean Chevrolet and a Dog Called Henry....

I'm trying to prep up for my Summer  with new paintings. I'm  also exploring new subjects. Dogs with clothing. Here's  a couple of examples from my studio...

" Ceurlean Cheverolet-9"x12"-watercolor and ink on paper.

"A Dog Called Henry"-11"x14" watercolor and ink on paper.

Butterfly & Flowers...

Recently, a co-worker passed away.  It was a shocking thing where they went in for a surgery that is considered by some as an everyday procedure.  Unfortunately, complications occurred and there was preparations for a life flight to another medical facility but the co-worker passed before that could occur.  It's been a sad week at work.  This co-worker loved purple and butterflies.  So I did this painting at the request of another co-worker that thought it might be a nice gift for the family.  I'm not sure if my artwork is worthy of something like that but here it is....

"Purple Butterfly and Flowers in Remembrance"- 11" x 14" Watercolor and Ink on Paper.

A Little Eye Fun....

I did these as a Christmas presents for my bosses at an eye care office clinic where I work part time.  They are now being enjoyed on the walls at the clinic....

Fat Tire and Lab Scruff

Here's my most recent pieces finished.

"Schlick Fat Tire"; Watercolor and Ink on 12" x 12" Paper

"Lab Scruff"; Watercolor and Ink on 8" x 10" Paper

I've got other pieces of art in the works and hope to share them with you soon.  I welcome any feedback or comments!  Thank you for stopping by.

The Lab Blues

I had a bit of fun the other day in my studio and did a Lab in shades of blue.  Here's the result...

"Lab Blues"; watercolor and ink on 8" x 10" paper.
Available for purchase.

I welcome any comment and thanks for stopping by!

Fresh Green Bike and Not All Who Wander

Photo: "Fresh Green Bike"; Poured Watercolor and Ink, 11" x 14"

It's been awhile since I've updated this site.  I had a life change that hit me sideways.  I went into work one day earlier this month and was told that "we were parting ways", and just like that I found myself unemployed.  It was a complete surprise because I LOVED doing the job and thought I was doing it very well.  I'm still trying to get back up and have found that I've had more time to do a little painting now between job searching.

Photo: "Not All Who Wonder...."; Watercolor and Ink, 12" x 12"

"Not All Who Wander..." is one of my favorite sayings.  This I added my one one line at the end to have a bit of fun with it.  I even had a 12" x 12" white frame on hand to finish it off.

Photo: Framed and ready to go... this is available for purchase.

Thank you for stopping by and I welcome any comments you may have!

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

Survived the Flood and Gone to the Dogs....

Sandbags a common sight in Cedar Rapids some have become inventive in their uses.

The Cedar River got to it's 2nd highest level ever and I was evacuated out of my home for about 3 days.  I ended up moving most of my belongings to the 2nd floor of my home.  Then, I moved most of my studio and a few larger items to a friend's garage.  It also affected my work which was almost directly across the river from my house.  I must say sometimes it's not a good idea to be within walking distance of your work.  In this case it was like having all my eggs in one basket.  But temporary barriers and a whole lot of sandbagging managed to save most of the city and I was lucky.

But with all of that moving and what not I got a little behind on some of my commissioned pieces.  But thankfully people were understanding.  Here's some dog commissions that I recently finished...

"Jack #1", an 8"x 10" Ink with Watercolor.

"Zephyr #1", 8" x 10" Ink with Watercolor

"Zephyr in Reflection", 11" x 14" Ink with Watercolor.

Sorry to say that these are memorial paintings, but I hope they will provide good memories for my friend Polly.  Thank you for stopping by and please feel free to leave a comment.