"Oranges on Marimekko"

I'm a fan of Marimekko designs. The fabric's color palette of warm and cool reds with purple was the starting point for this painting. I also like the way the orange wedges repeat the leaf pattern.

"Oranges on Marimekko", 6"x8", oil on linen, SOLD

"Cute Couple"

Before packing them away after Christmas, I decided to paint these cute Danish Nisse dolls.  I wanted to capture their characters and ended up painting "mini portraits". Remind you of anyone?

"Cute Couple", 6"x6", oil on canvas, SOLD

"Electric Blue"

Inspiration comes from surprising places. I was trying to compose a still life of blue objects for the "Very Cool Blue Show" at Art Beat, but nothing seemed to be working. The bulb in my stand light burned out. I went to the cupboard for a new bulb and there it was — a blue extension cord. Inspiration struck. The show runs from February 12th through March 5th at Art Beat in Hayward.

"Electric Blue", 16"x20", oil on linen, Sold 

"Birch and Juncos"

This pastel painting is a little different for me. Instead of working from life, I painted from memory and my imagination. I often see this white, gray and black composition when I look out my window in the winter. This piece is part of the exhibit "All Things Birch and Beautiful" at Firefly Trading Company in Cable, WI.


"Birch and Juncos", 16" x 20", pastel on board, SOLD

"Holiday Cheer"

I painted this for our holiday card. It was fun — strong colors and lots of reflections. We're wishing you holiday cheer and all the best in the new year.

"Holiday Cheer", 8"x 6", oil on linen panel, SOLD

Recent Small Paintings

As with most artists, I'm always on a quest to make better paintings. I've discovered I can learn as much from painting a small work in a couple of days as I do from creating a large work that might take a couple of weeks to complete. During the last few months, I've focused on these smaller works.

"Orange Glow"

"Orange Glow" was an opportunity to capture that intense color at the center of the orange. I put it in first and built the painting around it. The values are very important — the white pulp is the lightest part. I'm happy with this one. It has the direct loose brushwork I like.

"Orange Glow", 8"x 6", oil on linen panel, SOLD

"White and Silver"

"White and Silver" was an exploration of the colors and color temperatures (warms and cools) in white. That's my silver baby cup.

"White and Silver", 8"x 10", oil on linen panel, SOLD

"Primary Peppers"

"Primary Peppers" was my demonstration painting during the Blue Moon Art Tour last Labor Day weekend. I wanted to show how I begin a painting by working first with the general shapes and then progressing to more and more detail. The painting features the primary colors as well as the peppers.

"Primary Peppers", 6"x 8", oil on board, SOLD

"Tiny Pumpkins"

Who can resist those little pumpkins that show up in the grocery store in the fall? "Tiny Pumpkins" is about circles. Sometimes in a still life I put in a reference object to give a sense of scale. Without the plate, it would be hard to tell if the pumpkins were little or big.

"Tiny Pumpkins", 6"x 8", oil on canvas panel, $240 (unframed)

"Broken Pomegranate"

I try to paint pomegranates during the holidays every year. They are such an interesting fruit. It's always a challenge for me to keep the shapes simple with detail in just a few of the seeds.

"Broken Pomegranate", 8"x 6", oil on board, SOLD

"Corn and Tomatoes"

We had a bountiful season of veggies in our North Star Homestead Farms CSA share last summer — tasty subjects for painting! This work is part of The Art of Food exhibit at the Lanesboro Arts Center in Lanesboro, MN. The show ends December 23, 2010.

"Corn and Tomatoes", 16"x 16", oil on board, SOLD

"Cans #1"

This painting was accepted into the 2010 Arrowhead Biennial at the Duluth Art Institute. Tin cans are a challenging subject, but I love painting reflections. Notice I titled it "Cans #1". I plan to do more variations on this theme. The exhibit is full of interesting work and will be on display until February 6, 2011.


"Cans #1", 12"x 22", oil on board