My art past and present.
Seems like I could always sketch, but never got around to getting serious about making art of any kind until I decided to try ceramics in the 1980s. And that was fun.
I made some nice pots in all sizes from cups to large planters before I lost interest. But it wasn’t until 1992 that I even thought about painting. My 3 daughters and I were on a weekend outing to Catalina Island and I birded in the mornings while they all sketched and watercolored. But when I was finished birding they were still at it and I watched, felt a bit envious and definitely out of things. So decided to see if I had some latent talent in this direction. I was in my 70s but Grandma Moses had long ago shown that 70 is the new 40, so I started with a rudimentary course in watercolor at Long Beach Recreation Department. It was not the right approach. I’m not good at dabbling, having always put my heart into new projects, so I decided to sign up for a drawing course at Long Beach City College and get serious. And I loved it and took courses for 2 years – drawing, life drawing, perspective, painting – and ultimately chose watercolor. It led to a great new life, introducing me to people and projects that have enriched my old age. I have had a few local shows but found I really prefer to paint for myself and family, and that’s what I’ve done for the past decade. Here are some selections photographed by Jim Chamberlain, a very good friend who is an artist with the camera.
Latest work
River study
In September 2013 I joined Jane Hargrove’s Wednesday afternoon class, a combination class/workshop/exploration/get-together attended weekly be 3-5 watercolorists. It is held at Elizabeth Aitken’s wonderful studio in the hills of Ashland and has become a high point in my week. We started with the series shown here; first selecting a picture from a large group of Rogue River photos as the basis for the series. We did a fast one-color version to begin with (1), then a 2-color,I cheated a bit and used 3 (2), two abstracts (3,4), and a vertical (4). It was great watching it evolve. I tried to insert the original photo and after 3 crashes I gave up. Gallery >>
Rogue Valley paintings
When we moved to Ashland 14 years ago I was transported to a whole new landscape with 4 seasons and green everywhere. Plein air was challenging in winter cold and summer heat but the terrain was irresistible. Many were done at Pat Holton’s studio a few miles out of Ashland in the foothills of the Cascades. Pat is a good friend and a printmaker who is also a fine encaustic creator and watercolorist, and I have a creation in each of these media on my walls. Gallery >>
Antarctica
In 2003 I went to Antarctica, and its awesome beauty inspired a series of paintings. Gallery >>
Fall colors
Autumn along the Upper Rogue River can rival New England, thanks to vine maples and dogwood. Gallery >>
Mountains
For me, they cry out to be painted. And Mt. Shasta is undeniably the most compelling, and close to home. Gallery >>
Southwest watercolors
The rich reds, tawny beiges and burnt sienna in the landscapes of the southwest are much more amenable to me than the greens in the northwest. Here I tend to heighten colors, but in Arches National Park, for example, it is the reverse – one often has to tone them down. And Plein air in Arizona or Utah pushes me to do bigger canvases. Canyonlands, Arches and O’Keefe country really feed my imagination. Gallery >>
Ink drawing
In winter the local colors are green, black, and gray and more fitted to ink than watercolor. Also an old-car collection (called a museum but really an auto junkyard) in the Anza-Borrego Desert near our winter hideaway is perfect for sketching. Sketching is always lying in wait when watercolor does not seem right. Gallery >>