Prickly

oil 10x10 inches on gallery wrap canvas ready to hang click here to bid My photo reference for this piece was taken on a Spring trip to Joshua Tree National Park. I've done some watercolors from the same reference, and it was a good challenge to work it in oil. I'm working on a portrait that's taking me a while, then on my way to Idaho for a few days. Don't know when I'll post next, but I'll be back.

Oasis

watercolor and gouache 12x13.5 inches
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The rainy weekend got me working in watercolor. I have a big picture window in my watercolor studio over our garage where I can paint and watch the rain fall. The photo reference for this piece was taken on a visit to Joshua Tree National Park. It was late afternoon when we found this oasis. If you dig down a bit you hit water. So cool!!! The only oasies I had ever seen were in cowboy movies, or "shoot'em ups" as my dad called them. Oh yeah, back to the painting. I used some tinted gouache at the end for the man's shirt and blue sky holes (more subtle in the painting than here.) Lots of fun on a rainy day.

Cactus Monster

watercolor on Arches paper 10x14 inches
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Every Tuesday night I get to paint with some artist friends. Yay! It's a good opportunity for me to play with watercolor...nothing serious, just mess around. I get a kick out of making cactus needles with masking fluid and have done a few prickley paintings this way. Some pretty pink pricklies are previously posted. (Couldn't resist.) This one appeared as a monster.

Prickly In Pink

watercolor on paper 8 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches

Working again from the Joshua Tree NP photo reference, I wanted to try more layers of maskit and paint, and also pure colors as opposed to the muted hues in the previous "prickly". The dimensions make it suitable for a ready made frame.

Pretty Prickly -sold

watercolor on Arches watercolor paper 8 1/2 x 9 1/4 inches

A photo taken at Joshua Tree National Park was my reference for this painting. The needles were painted using alternating layers of mask and washes, a technique I had been wanting to try with cactus for quite some time. Just finally got around to it! It turned out beautiful...and as always, is more vibrant in person. I may do some more of these--just too much fun!