So Totally Pumped! These two pieces accepted in Randy Higbee's 6 Squared Show!!!

Soooo...off to Costa Mesa CA for these two little 6x6 inch oil pieces. They will be shown in some amazing company for sure! (http://www.randyhigbeegallery.com/Home.html) Opening night December 4th...show hangs till December 23rd...be there and get squared!!!

Pewaukee Classic Boat Show and Plein Air Competition Day 1

I had a good painting day today... got these two done. It was hot, sticky and windy with some scary storms coming through about 5pm...I got out of there first! Tomorrow the Cris Craft Boats come about 40 of them...I can't wait!

                                   The Other Side of the Tracks 16x12 oil

Pewaukee Island 20x10 oil

The space between two mediums: How big is it really???

As predominantly an oil painter, I switched to a new medium for the entire winter...pastel. I greatly enjoyed this and have learned a great deal (mostly about optical color) from doing it. However, I have not been able to get comfortable with doing pastels plein air which is my big passion....soooooo I have gone back to my oils and just feel like I need to say ahhhhhhhhhhhhgh!

Ok...so I'm a little frustrated! Here is a work in progress which I wiped off my canvas 3 times yesterday. That is not normally a good sign. After the 3rd time I finally got to where I felt things were going in a direction I liked but oh man....Anyone else experienced this? Any suggestions?

I won an award!! Brush with the Wind" WIPAPA's first juried show!

"A Place in the Shade" 8x10 oil on panel

available $225

This piece took one of 3 first place awards at the Brush with the Wind show!! I feel so honored!!

I painted this at Old World Wisconsin http://oldworldwisconsin.wisconsinhistory.org/) which is an outdoor museum of sorts. It is a beautiful place where they have moved old barns from all over the state and created small ethnic villages denoting the varies ethnic groups who settled the state. The day I was there was a free day right after the kids got out of school...it was crowded! I had a hard time keeping the kids from putting their hands in my paints!! Just look at these munchkins!!

Check out this video! http://www.youtube.com/user/OldWorldWisconsin

A finished Tonal Portrait and a Memory painting!!

Top photo oil, bottom photo pastel
"Monches Farm, Spring" both 8x10

Last night I did a quick oil from complete memory. I had done a pastel plein air piece about two weeks ago but didn't have it with me so I just closed my eyes and remembered...how'd I do??



Last night I also put the finishing touches on the portrait of my son and Grandson.: "Father and Son" 16x20 oil. It was my first tonal painting so I learned bunches and while I loved the result I struggled some with the necessary patience...What do you think??

She shoots...She Scores!!!

She wins second place in the Raven Juried show called "Renewal"!

So... yesterday I got in my car and drove the hour and a half to Beloit to paint in and support the Beloit Plein Competition. The weather was wonderful! This is one of the pieces I produced. The second needs more work and I may go back and make some changes to this one as well. I never painted a fountain before and I really struggled with it. What do you think?