"Desert Hike" Finds Home in Scottsdale

Since moving to Arizona this past January for Celebration of Fine Art, I have developed a fondness for desert landscape.  I especially love the desert in Spring when all the colorful wild flowers burst in bloom.  There is such an array of bold color--oranges, yellows, purples, blues.  It really should never be portrayed in drab browns and greens, like I see so often painted.  I've done about 5 desert scenes, and each one find a home within a couple of days.  I think I'm on to a new series!  Just this past week, Suzanne and Rick from Calgary Canada added my 48 x 48 "Desert Hike" to their art collection.  It fit beautifully in their Scottsdale home over a dark brown credenza.  I was thrilled!  Here's a pic!

Cactus Paintings -- 6 x 6 Minis!

Elly and Steve Hammerman are avid art collectors. They've been coming to the Celebration of Fine Art show for 17 years! Last month, they purchased my "Out of Bounds" a 48 x 48 aspen painting with lots of colorful wildflowers. Steve saw my two 6" x 6" cactus paintings (my first desert scenes ever!) and had to add them to his collection!

I stopped by their home to deliver the two paintings, and to get a chance to see where the Hammermans had hung my "Out of Bounds" painting. It's such a treat for me to see where client's hang my work in their homes! It looked fantastic in one of the guest bedrooms. Everything in their home is Western, so it was unusual for them to collect something that wasn't of that genre. But I'm glad they made an exception with my work! :)
The funny thing is...the Hammermans didn't know I had painted a tiny golf flag in the background. They bought this piece because they liked the flowers. It was after they got it home and hung it up that a relative mentioned the "golf" motif. I guess they're not avid golfers! Steve joked with me later that had he seen the flag, he would have thought twice about that piece! I think he was kidding. :)

"Heavenly Spring" 48 x 60

I have a web cam in my booth that takes a still shot of my easel every couple of minutes. It captured me working on my latest Spring painting. The paintings I do with flowers are my quickest sellers! I can't keep them in stock for long. This is an especially strong piece. I actually mixed iridescent silver and pearl into the paint to make the white trunks of the birches/aspens glow. It looks like sunlight is refracting off of the white bark! It turned out pretty neat!
(close-up of the highly textured flowers!)

"Evening Romance" -- 72" x 24"

I love these tall verticals! It's been a very popular size lately. They're great because the width is only 2' so they can fit just about anywhere! People laugh when they see me painting a piece taller than myself. I think nothing of it--most of my pieces are bigger than me...but it must look strange to an outside observer. I have to stand on a chair to paint the top!
I took some close-up shots of the thick, impasto texture. I use palette knives to build out layers of heavy acrylic paint. I want my paintings to come to life with texture that can be felt!

Paintings in Sedona!

Yesterday, I sent over three brand new pieces to the James Ratliff Gallery in Sedona...and Linda Timberlake (my Art Manager) just sent me pics of the paintings hanging up in the Gallery! Looks great! I was pleased to see they gave me a very prominent wall. They want 6 more before the end of March.

Painting for new Hospital Lobby

"Autumn Jewel II"

[close-up of thickly textured knobs of aspen tree, and autumn leaves]

I was recently contacted by a Designer who had seen my work in a Gallery in Yountville, CA. She was looking for a big statement piece for a lobby of a new hospital in Simi Valley, CA, and thought my work would be perfect. I just finished up the new piece, and will be shipping it out today. I'm really interested in seeing what this hospital looks like! Apparantely it is quite beautiful; not your typical boring white-walls--but more like a spa retreat!

A Meadow of Flowers--painted 8 ways!

This particular scene is one of my favorite ones, and apparently it is to my collectors as well! I've painted it as small as a 6" x 6" to as big as 84" x 60". See which version is your favorite!

The first meadow painting, "Joyful Spring" 48" x 48" (above)

The second version of the same meadow of wild flowers. "Evening Promise" 48" x 60"(above)

A third painting of the same scene, commissioned by clients who asked for a "blue" sky rather than "yellow". "Evening Promise II", 48" x 60" (above)

The fourth painting taken from the same subject matter--but in a very large 60" x 85" vertical (above)

This is the tiniest version of the meadow--a 6" x 6" painting titled, "Spring" (above)

The Joy of Spring" commissioned in a 48 x 60 by a couple from Chicago (above)

"Lovely Spring" in a Seasons series. 24 x 36. This was the first of the four seasons to sell at the Royal Street Gallery in Colorado. (above)

And this is the latest painting, just finished yesterday! The clients plan to place this painting above their mantel. It is a huge 84" x 60" horizontal, titled: "Evening Meadow". We're still trying to figure out how to ship this thing to Florida!

This is a perfect example of how an artist can paint the same scene over and over--but have each painting turn out differently. An original painting is always unique! I alway tell my clients when they wish to commision a painting they've seen me do before--that it will not be a "copy" of the one before. It will be similar yes, but never exact. That is what makes an 'original' so special.