Memorial Day
On Memorial Day we honor those of our armed services who have died in service to their country. As we enjoy what we often consider the “first day of summer” take time to pause and remember them.Read more
A Moment in Time
While we were in Korea last month, the pear trees in my daughter’s neighborhood were in bloom. I was delighted by the contrast of the white flowers against the dark branches and the new leaves, which had a lot of red in them but were turning greener every day. The trees had been trimmed back…Read more
A Recurring Theme
It’s spring in the northern hemisphere, the time of year when I find myself watching the plants spring up and the flowers start to bloom. As the flowers come on in a rush of colors, shapes and textures, so also I am in a rush to paint them. As I drive down the road, I’m…Read more
Homecoming
Our boat came home this week, after being “on the hard” for the winter. We usually put it in the water earlier in the spring but this year the boat was stored behind several other boats that weren’t ready to be launched that early. We asked the yard to delay launching until we got back…Read more
A House By the Water
I have the amazing privilege of living a mile away from my parents. We live on a creek that empties into the Chesapeake Bay, and they live across a little peninsula on the shore of the Bay itself. Each house has its own special view of the water. This is the view out the kitchen…Read more
Fly Me Away
Where do you dream of going? How would you get there? Why do you want to go? There are so many stories about men wanting to fly and their attempts, failures, and successes. We read about Icarus, the boy who flew too close to the sun; about the Wright brothers and their flight at Kitty…Read more
Cherry Blossom Walk
The ornamental cherry trees around the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C., have been in full bloom this past week. Each year I like to take a pilgrimage to the area and enjoy their beauty for a couple of hours. Here’s a slideshow showing how I developed this watercolor painting: from photo to black and white…Read more
Mountains and Trees
I’ve recently been following another artist who is trying out watercolor and finding it difficult. I tried to explain how he might do an initial picture and then realized that words just didn’t explain it fully. I needed a video. I haven’t done many videos, just a couple for my students when we couldn’t have…Read more
Gargoyle
A Gargoyle is a spout in the form of a grotesque human or animal figure projecting from a roof gutter to throw rainwater clear of a building (definition courtesy of Merriam-Webster online dictionary). This one lives on the cathedral in Ulm, Germany. I was showing my students the concept that the value of a color…Read more
Wetlands
Here is another picture that is the result of watercolor “playtime” or a loose warm-up before getting “to work” in my studio. I meant to scan the first layer before I started adding the second layer, but wandered into the studio, saw the painting with my idea sketched on treated acetate, and I started working,…Read more
