Bob and our new baby, Lucy.

He's not thrilled, but he seems to think she's o.k.

Shane's truck, with blackbirds

40" x 60" oil on aluminum

We've had an eventful week. A wonderful visit with Shane started the week, begining my long recovery from the Rose Festival show. I also began this big painting for Heather. Shane's truck is a 52 Dodge, Job Rated, a wonderful beauty, champagne colored. She got a lot of attention in front of my house.

The end of the week has been difficult. We lost Dave's mother Joan after a terrible long illness. We are both so sad, and she will be missed, but still I couldn't help but feel glad that she has been released.

Shane calls this truck Zephyr. A zephyr is a (gentle) breeze from the west.

As I worked I thought of Joanie's fierce spirit, joining the spirit of her beloved sisters,

free,

flying like the zephyr.

I have a commission to paint some large paintings of cars from the 50's...Shane brought over her 52 Dodge pickup, and we have been having a wonderful time painting her. It's given me confidence that I can finish the other two! I'll post them as I finish.

It was chilly, so I was wearing many layers and look as big as the truck.

AN ILLUSION!

the moon is filled with unshed tears, still beautiful.

32" x 48" oil on aluminum

clear day ending

8" x 10" oil on recycled aluminum

en plein air...the vista house from chanticleer point, Corbett, OR.

I had run away from home and sat on the grass below the stone wall of the viewpoint. It was so quiet, a warm evening. Lot's of mosquitos but not biting. The people visiting the viewpoint couldn't see me unless they walked to the edge of the concrete retaining wall and looked down. Children always do this. One little girl said "What are you doing?" in a whisper, as though I were doing something magical. I felt like I was. One little girl said the same thing, louder, as if she thought I were doing something wrong. Some japanese people watched for quite a while, but I don't know what they were saying. ( There was some laughter.)

Once, after I heard a guy say "Are you coming?", I looked up into the eyes of a woman . "Beautiful", she whispered.

and it was.

I have been getting ready to be the featured artist at the Columbia Gorge Art Festival next weekend. There is a very nice article about me by Sharon Nesbitt in the Gresham Outlook this week. Check it out. article
I'm honored, and hope to do a good job for them.
I've been trying to get ready, but am having a bit of trouble settling down and deciding what to do next. I hope to spend some time in the gorge painting this next few days. Until then this painting pretty much says it all for me.


all at sea
16" x 20" oil on aluminum

Our trip to Washington D.C. was everything I'd always imagined it would be, and much more.

National museum of Native American Arts



Alexander Calder!
A very happy event was making a connection with Kristy's Uncle Don, who is living in D.C. right now. He showed us how to ride the metro, and took us to see some things we wouldn't have seen otherwise. It made us feel so connected. We had long visits, lingering over many delicious meals. We had such a good time catching up and making new memories.
He took us to the National Botanical Garden Wow!
Of course we had to see the Lincoln Memorial and from there we walked back to town, past the Vienam wall, the nurses memorial, the World War two memorial, (beautiful) and the Washington monument.

We were absolutely filled up with art, food, fellowship & fabulousness,

but as you all know

there's no place like home.

I've been away from the blogosphere for a bit, recovering from my last big painting binge...Here's some of the things I've been doing.

reading

helping build the largest tower in the world

playing hide and seek (Check out the galoshes)

painting woodwork

and my front door!

I even did this little painting. Chickadee moon, 18" x 24" oil on aluminum.

I'm leaving in the morning to go see my Wyoming grandbabies, then my daughter and I are going on our grand adventure to WashingtonD.C. to see the Smithsonion and national galleries. I'm so excited I can't stand it. I'll be home May 6th.

wild rice moon

16" x 28" oil on aluminum

maple syrup moon

16" x 28" oil on aluminum

This is my final set of companion opposites. I delivered all sixteen last Monday. It was a relief to be done, and a little bit of a wrench to let them go. I cheated a bit on this last set, my spring colors on wild rice moon are a bit darker value than the other seven, but the painting required it, and I figured it could be the exception that proves the rule. or something.:)

David has been out of town this week with his sick mama, and I've had a houseguest, so not a very productive week. I'm itching to get back to work.

cheese and flowers

16" x 28" oil on aluminum

cheese and crackers

16" x 28" oil on aluminum

I'm showing my friend Evelyne how to blog, so I thought I'd put in this orchid painting!

three moon red

16" x 28" oil on aluminum

are the stars out tonight

16" x 28" oil on aluminum

companion opposites #6... wine booth.

baby bok choy moon

16" x 28" oil on aluminum

this is my favorite one so far in this series. this painting is smiling.

thirteen stars veggies

16" x 28" oil on aluminum

The egg is for you, Sigrid.

This is companion opposites # 5 ...Veggie booth.

seven stars

16" x 28" oil on aluminum

calla crab

16" x 28" oil on aluminum

companion opposites, crab booth. These were fun to do, putting the hard spiky crab with the soft round flowers, and the alarmingly huge alaskan crab legs with the delicate blue willow saucer. I wish I could keep these.

everlasting in progress

24" x 24" oil on aluminum

ok dears I can tell by the quiet you're not sure (or you're sure you don't like it,) but don't fret, we don't have to go to judge judy or anything:)

I really am loving it, but don't mind toning it down a bit if it's shouting too loud for you, and honestly, I don't mind returning your payment either, if you can't like the border at all, really, I don't mind a bit. I just feel bad for taking so long, and would like to get it sent off to you.

I'm painting crabs today, and hoping to get them posted later this afternoon so I can move on to vegetables. I found a wonderful sunburst squash that I'm looking forward to painting.

new everlasting
here is a not very good photo of everlasting in it's current incarnation. my dear friends Danielle http://encausticopolis.blogspot.com/ and Kim athttp://hersecretgarden.blogspot.com/ are buying this painting, and I made some changes recently that I hope they like. I was not satisfied with just making the border darker, but now that I've added the patterning I really like it again. I do think it forces the eye to the inside images better than it did before...I'll photograph it again in the next day or two and try to get a better image of it.

companion opposites #3

fruit booth

kiwi moon with butterflies

16" x 28" oil on aluminum

These are Karner blue butterflies, an endangered species indigineous to Minnesota.

watermelon moon

16" x 28" oil on aluminum

this watermelon was so fun to paint, and I kept thinking I could smell the pineapple. Of course I really could smell the pineapple, it was sitting 3 feet in front of me, but I kept thinking it was the painting I could smell...:)

carayfish & oysters

16" x 28" oil on aluminum

shrimp & scallops

16" x 28" oil on aluminum

Here is another set of companion opposites, for a shellfish booth. It's a challenge to celebrate a creatures life while presenting it as food. I approached it with the realization that it's also important to honor and celebrate their sacrifice. The daffodils stand as symbols for spring, life and how quickly it passes, the stars for everlasting spirit. The fruit is both sweet and sour, like life. egg for birth, and waves for the sea. The red circles in the oyster shells are cocktail sauce, but I like the way they could also read as abstract red circles.

I have a new challenge I'm very excited about. My excellent patrons McCormick and Schmick have commissioned sixteen more paintings for their new Minnesota restaurant. These paintings will hang in pairs, above high back booths. As I understand it, eight will be visible as you enter the room, and as you turn to go out the other eight will be seen. We've decided on a theme of opposites, so that there will be a very different visual statement depending on which way you are facing in the room, so what is needed is eight pairs of companion opposites. each pair will be a different subject... a fish booth, a crab booth, a vegetable booth etc...

Here is my first pair.

seven egg salmon

16" x 28" oil on aluminum

thirteen stars salmon

16" x 28" oil on aluminum

This set of companion opposites is for the salmon booth. My idea is that when you face one way you will see a spring morning, and when you face the other way, there will be a starry starry night.

wish me luck, friends :)

oyster moon

22" x 28" oil on aluminum

This was fun to paint. Oyster shells in an easter egg sky.