This piece, a 24" x 36" pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord, is part of the 48th Annual Exhibition of the Society of animal Artists at The Neville Public Museum, Green Bay, WI, August 30 through November 2, 2008. "Palmetto Contemplation" will be part of the Society of Animal Artists' National Tour in 2009. See Tour Schedule at http://www.societyofanimalartists.com/exhibits.html
This piece was included in Art of the Animal XIII, The Bennington Center for the Arts, Bennington, VT, June - July 2008.
The painting is based on my photography of the Silverbacks at the Jacksonville Zoo, Jacksonville, FL, in January 2006. These guys just captivate me with their oh-so-humanlike gestures and behaviors. When one looks directly at you, you can't help but sense a high degree of intelligence and a certain distant kinship with these magnificent creatures. I already have plans to do another piece featuring one of these Silverbacks. | | | "Pondering Diminishing Options" | 36"H x 24"W Pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord.<BR My personal experience with silverbacks has been limited to zoos, primarily the Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens in Florida which has three. I`ve been fascinated by them since the first time one looked me right in the eye while I was photographing him, as if he understood what I was doing and didn`t think much of it! The Western lowland gorilla has no known enemies except for humans, who have caused them to become endangered through the degradation of the tropical rainforest and illegal predation for profit. Their last chance for survival may well be a handful gorilla sanctuaries in Africa, zoos like the one in Jacksonville, and other protective captive environments. This silverback, head down and "back to the wall," symbolizes the shrinking options for the survival of the species. The world will be a "diminished" place if we fail to conserve them. 24" H x 18" W Pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord<>The snow leopard is an elegant and elusive creature. Unfortunately, its magnificent ability to blend with its native environment has failed to protect it from its greatest enemy – man. I have had the good fortune to view the snow leopard up close and personal here in the US at a special place that brings animals together with artists & photographers. I had a chance to look into this cat`s eyes and just lose myself in that icy bluish green. I was captivated! This painting is my attempt to capture the angst that I feel on behalf of these animals whose future is seriously in question, as well as the angst I feel that the world could lose these stunningly gorgeous cats. | | | "Bear Walk @ Avalanche Lake" | 16"H x 24"W Pastel on Pastelbord.
During our 2007 trip to Glacier National Park, we spent a few days camping by Avalanche Lake. My husband had concluded his fishing efforts for the day suggested we work our way around the far side of the lake from the trail back to camp - just to explore. About the time we decided we should head back to camp for the night, we spotted a black bear and her cubs coming down to the edge of the lake. I photographed them, continuing to walk towards the trio as they worked their way along the shore towards me. This occasion is one of two times I can recall Ray telling me "enough already." I fired off just a few more shots before heading his warning and heading off.
I relish the challenge of depicting reflections in water, and this scene provided plenty to work with. As interesting as the reflections are, the repeating "V" paintings are even more intriguing. The vertically oriented stone on the left forms a "V" with the leaning stump to its right, then the much larger "V's" formed by this leaning stump and the one to its right on the shoreline and their reflections in the water, followed by the bear's hind legs which are repeated in her reflection in the wawter, and leaving the painting on the right side with the "V" formed by the bear's neck and front right leg. Even her head, as she looks ahead to scope out a path, takes on a soft and subtle "V" shape. 17.5"H x 24"W Pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord.
This painting is my second piece based on the mountain lions of Triple D Game Farm, Kalispell, MT. Our Florida panthers are the last surviving members of this magnificent breed of large cats now primarily limited to ranges in the far western states of the U.S.
Triple D affords photographers and artists a unique opportunity to experience these animals up close and personal. I could watch these cats for hours as they move up and around a rock group that catches the early morning sun. Muscles ripple just below their smooth coats, and their eyes (viewed safely through a long telephoto lens!) are just mesmerizing. What captivated me about this particular pose is the sense of imminent movement, the tension in his shoulder as he steps forward to explore what lies on the rock just ahead of him, and the bright light striking the side of his massive ovoid head.
I think that I must have been fixated on "v" patterns for a while, too. "Panther on the Prowl," like Bear Walk @ Avalanche," is filled with powerful "v" patterns. These "v's" augment the sense of motion and tension in the scene. | | | "At One with the Environment" | 24"H x 17"W Pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord.
What a rush it is to experience these elegant creatures up close in their environment. On several occasions during our September 2008 trip to Yellowstone National Park we had the fortune to view groups of these swift and graceful antelope pounding across wide open spaces. But on one of the last evenings in the park, headed back to camp at the conclusion of a long day of exploration, we stopped to visit with this individual as he grazed alone near the road. I slogged down through some boggy grasses to reach the solid plain where he was grazing. He kept a close eye on me, but did not seem terribly concerned to have me close by. Those eyes, with their long lush lashes are just incredible. These eyes serve the pronghorn well, allowing him to pick up movement as far as three miles away. Located far back on the head, the eyes enable the pronhorn to keep watch even while the head is down during feeding. Since the prairie offers little cover in which to hide, it needs to be able to outrun any predators that manage to sneak within striking range.
I did not realize, however, until I was back home in the studio laying out my painting, how the pronghorn's coat and coloring afford it a type of protection out on the open plain, especially where the grasses are dry. With late afternoon sun enhancing the golden tones of his coat, as well as the open field, this pronghorn seems to be of a piece with the vegetation he was feeding on - at one with the environment. Latest addition to my series of "Big Cats." 36" x 24" pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord.
"Leopard on Alert" will be on exhibit in Gainesville, FL, at the President's Exhibition Hall, Santa Fe College, January 13 - March 5, 2009.
This piece was exhibited extensively in 2008, including the 23rd Annual Bosque Conservatory Art Classic, Bosque Conservatory, Clifton, TX; the 31st Annual Juried Painting and Sculpture Exhibition for Non-
Members at the Salmagundi Club, New York, NY; and the 17th Annual National Pastel Painting Exhibition, Hispanic Arts Center EXPO New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM.
This cat is the same as featured in "Leopard Look."
The reference for this piece was photographed at the Jacksonville Zoo in 2006. He was particularly cooperative that day, in that he would actually cease his incessant pacing of his habitat for several minutes at a time, long enough for me to capture some incredible close-up images of him. I find this distinct "on alert" pose particularly compelling. He was checking out some zoo visitors passing behind me while I stood literally just the other side of his enclosure to photograph him. At 36" high, this piece approximates life-size. "Tern Talk" was created with watercolor pencils and water soluble wax pastels on an 16" x 24" Ampersand Pastelbord. This piece has been selected one of the Top 100 Winners in the 2008 PaintAmerica competition.
"Tern Talk" is based on a group of terns I photographed extensively at the beach at Sebastian Inlet, FL, over the Thanksgiving holiday 2007. I lay on the beach for some half an hour watching these birds interact with other. A select few of these birds engaged in a kind of squawking behavior, always directed at one individual bird. For me, it looked like "she" was giving "him" a piece of her mind, saying "if you would only. . . and if you had just . . ." while he just gazed out over the ocean as if he didn't hear a word of it!
This piece was selected to be part of the 16th Annual Colored Pencil Society of America International Exhibition, which will be held at the Gallery, Washington State Convention and Trade Center, Seattle, WA, July 2 - September 29, 2008.
"Tern Talk" was also part of the Art Splash on the Trail, Graham, TX, May 17 - June 6, 2008. | | Click Image For Related Information | | | "You Can Lead a Horse to Water" | "You Can Lead a Horse to Water," an 18" x 24" pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord, is my first foray into equine painting. I was captivated by the backlighting of this group of horses photographed near Kalispell, MT. I pushed the contrast of darks and lights in the piece, as well as the colors reflected off the water and rocks to the foreground. "Glacier Blues," an 18" x 24" pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord, has been selected one of the Top 100 Winners in the 2008 PaintAmerica competition.
The piece is based on a photo I took in Glacier National Park in September 2008. Driving along with a photographer friend from Colorado and my husband, I looked out to my left across this eerily blue and misty scene. I called out "stop, stop, stop, I've got to capture this"! I knew while taking pictures that I would paint this scene, it made such a profound impression on me.
Back in the studio, I sought to recreate the sense of straining to see distant mountains through hazy mist that I felt that day. The temperature was cool, the air was damp, and there was a pervasive blue cast to the entire landscape. My other objective with this piece was to portray a sense of depth and vista. Despite the mist, it was still possible to sight a considerable distance through this gap in the mountains, and when I looked upwards, despite the mountains crowding my view, the gi-normous vista ahead gave me a sense of vast, unobstructed skies.
"Cub at Rest" is a 16.75" H x 25.75" W colored pencil with water soluble wax pastel piece on Ampersand Pastelbord. <BR
My model for this work is Atticus, one of the animal models at Triple D Game Farm, when he was just a charming tiger cub. He had romped and splashed in and out of a small pond for some 20 minutes or so when he decided to self-impose a time out. I snapped off a couple of quick shots as he sat there resting amidst the tall grass.
With my painting, I wanted to capture that sense of Attitus' head "popping" amidst those tall grasses. His striping was so vivid, but the portions of his body somewhat hidden in the grasses lost their definition.
It's interesting that cat afficiandos who have seen this piece immediately identify Atticus as a "cub." "Snowy Stampede" is a 20" H x 36" W pastel painting on Ampersand Pastelbord.
I wanted to recreate in this piece the kind of subtle gloom of a day of heavy snow. I wanted to convey the heft and thundering motion of this small herd of horses as they stampeded around the edge of the mountains towards us. Artist grade Montana Gold was used to spray paint the falling snow when the pastel painting was complete. "Listening for Master's Cue" is a commissioned portrait completed December 2008. This 18" H x 24" W work was executed with colored pencil and water soluble wax pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord. The water soluble capacity of the pencils and pastels was used extensively to create large areas of color.
Missy is a captivating shelter adoption who is dearly loved by her family. Half an hour of photography seemed like five minutes. As is so typical, one of the last photos I took of her because the basis for the portrait. She was clearly comfortable playing the game with the stuffed ball, and the lighting pouring into the family room onto this brightly colored carpet, with the white cabinetry behind her is just lovely. All manner of local color bounced off the white wood and Missy's white coat. I pushed that local color in all the reflected light to the limit to create energy in the painting. The energy of the colors and the lighting, together with the alert posture of Missy's head, give the entire piece vitality. "Hunting for Sharks' Teeth" is an 18" x 24" pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord.
My husband and I camped at Hunting Island State Park in South Carolina in November 2007. We were there so that I could attend a pastel portraiture workshop with Wende Caporale on Hilton Head Island. We stayed at the park when the workshop ended so that I could have a chance to explore the beach and the rest of the park.
Ray had been hunting sharks' teeth all week, while I was attending the workshop, and he couldn't resist one more search. I was more interested in photographing the birds and dogs on the beach, so I walked on while Ray moved slowly down the beach, focused on the ground at his feet. I turned back to see where he was and snapped a shot of him retrieving one of his treasures from the sand.
I remember how the blue water in the foreground seemed to merge into the blue sky in the background as I looked back at Ray. I am strongly attracted to the color blue, so I jumped on the opportunity to develop a piece that is so predominantly "blue." I was also attracted to the challenge of depicting Ray's reflection in the water, as well as depicting the transparency of the foreground water. | | | "Sandhills on the Stroll" | "Sandhills on the Stroll," 20" x 36" pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord,is the first piece in which I have included multiple wildlife subjects. My original focus was on the sandhills, but I just could not bring myself to exclude the spoonbill and ibis who shared the pond with them. It is based on a composite of three different photos of sandhills taken at the Homossassa Springs State Park in 2007.
I am fascinated with sandhills. I find them to be strangely elegant. While their predominantly beige and grey plumage is certainly not striking in color, their tail feathers look just like a Victorian bustle to me.
Reflections in water have been a theme in many of my works. Depicting them effectively is a kind of puzzle for me.
Lastly, I debated initially whether all the rocks in this scene were too overwhelming, even boring. I believe the final result is a success. The piece was juried into the 2008 Spring/Summer American Juried Art Salon show with the commentary that the piece is "visually stunning," and "compositionally strong." "Sarah's Smile" is a commissioned pastel painting executed in December 2008.
I was asked to paint a "black & white" portrait from a small color snapshot Sarah's father had recently taken of her. I jumped at the chance to paint Sarah, as I found her smile to be absolutely delightful and the unusual overhead partial lighting was quite striking. Originally, I was going to omit that "highlighting" from the portrait, but as I worked I decided that the light actually works in the painting.
Sarah's smile seems to emanate from within her. I told her Dad that she looked as if she were absolutely pleased to be who she is. I've never met Sarah personally, but her Dad told me that was an apt analysis. That smile just glows. . . Sarah glows. It's almost as if she were emitting a light of her own, as light from above shines down on her.
Working in "black and white" could provide a dramatic strategy for focusing on this play of light, but I decided that a more subtle approach, using a monochromatic pastel palette of greys, would yield a more compelling and more natural portrait of Sarah. | | | "On a Need to Know Basis" | | | | "Considering Coach's Advice" | | | | "On the Trail of In Light enment" | | | | "Grand Canyon - Navajo Bridge View" | | | | "St Augustine Streetscape 2" | | | | "St Augustine Streetscape 1" | This piece was completed in August 2007 based on photography from my 2006 trip to Glacier National Park. This guy allowed me to photograph him from a close range. Frankly, he did not seem terribly interested in what I was doing at all. We found this group of Big Horns late in the afternoon just below Haystack Butte on the High Line trail. The sunlight seemed to be almost horizontal from us, and I love the way it backlit this "gentleman."
"Backlit Bighorn" was included in the Emerald Spring Exhibition 2008, at the Emerald Art Center, Springfield, OR, May 2008. | | | "A Bright Moment on a Dreary Winter Day" | "A Bright Moment on a Dreary Winter Day", 15.5" x 21", Pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord.
This piece was exhibited at the Visual Arts Center, Punta Gorda, FL, February 10 through March 14, 2008 as part of the 6th Biennial National Art Exhibition. "Bright Moment" was also part of the Montana Interpretations Show 2008, held at The Clark Chateau, Butte, MT
My reference for this piece was photographed on December 30, 2006, at Brazos Bend State Park, TX. I received a phone call on the way out to the park that my father had been admitted to the hospital in Jacksonville, FL. I spent the entire day in a quandry about whether to cut our trip short to return home. What started out as a gorgeous, sunny Texas winter day transformed into an almost totally dreary winter day for me. But when we came across this brilliant cardinal while hiking through the woods, my day was made. I knew as I photographed him that I would feature him in a painting. Meet Deanna - newly completed 12" x 24" pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord.
The portrait was commissioned as a Christmas gift. The recipient emailed shortly after receiving her gift: "She has been by my side for almost 15 years and I've wanted one of your pieces since I first saw your labs [drawings] at Starbucks . . . . You have captured her essence perfectly -- and I will treasure this forever. She means so much to me and to have this hanging in my home will be beyond special."
| | | "Flair for Fashion - Dru @ 4" | Well, she's not exactly "wild life," although her mom swears that she is from time to time!
This 15" x 24" pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord is the second portrait I've completed of Druanna, a family friend. She has incredible sense of self and presence for a 4-year-old.
I had the pleasure of being present when her grandparents opened their Christmas gift - a framed print. "Mi Mi" knew immediately where she was going to hang the portrait when she returned home. I hope it brings her years of joy. I'm already planning my next piece for the Dru series. 36" x 24" Pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord.
Flamingo Inspection is currently on exhibit in Lake Worth, FL, in the Fourth Annual National Drawing, Painting and Printmaking Competition at Palm Beach Community College.
Based on a photograph I took at the Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park. This facility is truly a hidden gem! We spent a few hours in the park on a Sunday afternoon on the way home from an art workshop in the Tarpon Springs, FL area. What I particularly like about the park is that it primarily features Florida wildlife, and visitors are able to view the creatures at a fairly close range.
I love the flamingos. Singularly and in groups, they present all manner of abstract shapes as they rest, groom, and confront each other. This individual is just the first of a planned series of flamingos that will all be based on my Homosassa photography. | | | "Palm Perch - Little Green Heron" | | | | "Cara Cara - Considering the Options" | 24" x 36" Pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord. This piece is currently part of the 57th Annual All Florida juried Competition and Exhibition, Boca Raton Museum of Art, Boca Raton, FL - July 1 through September 7, 2008.
My reference for this piece is from a photo shoot I did at one of my favorite Florida birding spots -- Viera Wetlands. I wanted to portray a "bird's eye" view of this bird "on point" as it searches for food.
This piece was exhibited at the Visual Arts Center, Punta Gorda, FL, February 10 through March 14, 2008 as part of the 6th Biennial National Art Exhibition.
Finalist, Animal/Wildlife Art Category The Artist's Magazine 24th Annual Art Competition 2007 Winner, Faber Castell Award, UKCPS 6th Annual Open International Exhibition 2007
4th Place Winner in the 14th Annual North Light Cover Competition (featured in June 2007 issue.)
Accepted into CPSA's 15th Annual International Exhibition 2007, Bethesda, MD, and
Accepted to Favorite Things, 1st Annual National Juried Exhibition, 2007, Atlanta Fine Arts League, Atlanta, GA
I photographed this wood stork at the Jacksonville Zoo (Florida) on January 15, 2006. I find the unique angle of view intriguing. The stork's pose provided me an opportunity to portray his "featheriness" while also conveying his sense of "bulk."
Juried into the Art of the Animal XII Exhibition at the Bennington Center for the Arts. Third Place, It's Colored Pencil!2007, Statewide (Florida) Exhibition of Artwork in Colored Pencil
Finalist, Favorite Things Challenge #40, International Artist Magazine, published in August/September 2007 issue.
This piece is based on reference material I shot at the Houston Zoo in March 2006. I had to wait patiently for the breeze to die down that day so that the water was still enough that I could capture this powerful tiger's reflection. Just when I was ready to snap the image, he leaned back over his shoulder, extending his tongue - as if he were "tasting the breeze." | | | "Great Blue - Through the Grasses" | Just completed, this piece will be first shown at the Thornebrook Art Festival, Gainesville, FL, October 2007. It is a life-size pastel work, 36" x 24".
"Through the Grasses" is based on a photo taken Spring 2007 at the Viera Wetlands near Melbourne, FL. I particularly like the tension created by the abstract-looking tall grasses behind the realistic heron. I find the coloration, stature, self-imposed isolation, and grace in flight of the Great Blue Heron infinitely fascinating. I never tire of photographing these gorgeous birds.
This regal, watchful heron, created in almost life size, took Best of Show at the Gainesville Fine Arts Festival at Oak Hall School in May 2007, just days after I completed it. Chasing after predators turns me into a kind of predator. Getting close enough to raptors to capture good reference images can be a real challenge. This red-tailed hawk, however, was so involved in his own vigilance that he really wasn't paying any attention to me . . . for a few minutes anyway! He was photographed high in tree near the entrance to the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge near Anahuac, TX, in March 2006. The sky was truly this clear and blue on that gorgeous Spring day. "Watching" the hawk, as he surveilled his territory, lent me a sense of serenity and security!
This new pastel piece, 14.75" x 24", is based on a photo of meerkats taken at the zoo in Houston, TX. Who can resist these adorable little creatures? This large (33.5 x 22) pastel piece is one of my new figurative pieces.
"Woodland Nymph" is based on a photo I took at the Gaineville Fine Arts Festival at Oak Hall School, May 2007, of a young dancer who participated in the festival as one of the entertainers. Several of the exhibiting artists whipped out cameras the second this lithesome dancer performed to capture her fairy-like appearance. I like the ethereal sense of movement in this piece so much I'm contemplating developing a series from my photography of this young woman.
|