Orchids

Here's a colored pencil botanical illustration that I gave to my Mother-in-law for her 80th birthday. She loves orchids and I'm happy to say that she was thrilled that I did that for her. Being the procrasinator that I am, I finished this, matted, framed, and packed it just 5 hours before we got on a plane to visit her. I didn't even get a chance to scan it or to take some really good photos of it.

I really like the simplicity of this piece - just a beautiful flower in all it's glory. I like doing this kind of artwork - botanical and scientific illustration meets my need for fine detail. I do enjoy art that tells some kind of story too, but I think this kind of artwork just stands on it's own in a very powerful way.

This is colored pencil on Stonehenge paper - 11 x 14 inches.

Carousel Horse

A few people have asked me about the art that I used for my Bookmark Art post, (see Feb. 23) so I thought I would include the whole image here.
You can see now how the small sample for the bookmark gives the viewer just a glimpse of the original piece.
I donated the original to our local PBS station for their annual auction, but before I did, I made several reproductions from digital images. I usually make 11 x 14 inch matted prints available for sale as well as note cards - and of course, the bookmarks that I give away for free.
This was done with colored pencils on Stonehenge paper.

Boost Your Creativity

I don't know about you, but during my creative journey, I've had some experiences with 'artistic blocks' - and if you've had the unfortunate experience yourself, you know it really sucks. Recently, in my quest to overcome this horrible experience, I found artist Mary Gatling's web site. Mary not only creates wonderful art, she has also put together a workbook designed to help boost your creativity that I highly recommend.
Here is what Mary has to say .....
I am an artist with a background in advertising design and publishing. I love painting but also enjoy design, graphics and I am fascinated with the topic of “creativity”. This is why I have developed a workbook titled “Boost Your Creativity - A Four Week Workbook To Enhance Your Creativity”.
The purpose of this Workbook is to train you to think more creatively and get you in the habit of “doing”.
Creativity is broader than artistic expression. It is essential and required in many areas of life. Creativity is about problem solving. We are all creative and we all have ideas, but not everyone shares and executes their ideas. My hope is that you will get in the habit of bringing forth your ideas and executing them.
More information about Mary's workbook can be found on her web site http://www.marygatling.com.

Spring is in the air

This week I noticed the first signs of spring - the bulbs that I planted in my garden last fall are starting to appear. Here in Colorado, the beginning of March doesn't necessarily mean that there won't be any more snow this season, but I can't help feeling like spring is in the air.
These sunflowers seem to appear out of nowhere each year - I think a result of seeds falling out of my birdfeeders or squirrels attempting to store some food in the ground for the winter. I just let them grow wild in my backyard. I love the way they look and how birds, butterflies, and bees gather around them to feed - they are what inspired this painting.
This is the largest colored pencil painting that I've ever created - it's 24" x 36" - and it took me three months to finish. For the background, I used blue ink, which I applied with a sponge.
SOLD