3: Ocean City Harbor scene

"View from The Shark" - 5"x7", acrylic and china marker on canvas panel, 2015.



One of my high school teachers asked me if I had any beach or boat paintings. When I told him that I'm mainly into farms and trees, he said I needed to expand my repertoire. Thanks for the challenge, Fred Husman! Using a picture he took of Ocean City Harbor looking toward Assateague Island for inspiration, I made a series of sketches. The painting above is my first stab at it. And I'm working on a looser, larger version as well.

Imaginary Creatures

In June I took an e-course called Imaginary Creatures taught by Carla Sonheim. The drawing exercises were really fun, and the painting exercises took me out of my comfort zone in the best possible way. The class was great! Here are a few of my homework assignments.

Quick draw warmup

I borrowed Drawing Lab from the library and have been enjoying the exercises. Here are the results of about 5 minutes with a chiseled marker, a stack of index cards held in my hand, and a restless dog. She started off staring at the back door and giving me meaningful looks over her shoulder, so I let her outside. She lay down for a minute, but then my model ducked behind the barbecue grill. I think she knew she was being watched. Nice little warm-up though. I'm going to play around with the blind contour drawing challenges next.

Expressions e-course sketchbook

In April I started taking an online course called Expressions - Mixed Media Portrait Painting taught by Regina Lord. Here are some pages from "week one" of my sketchbook.




This sketch was made with Stabillo marks-all pencil and water. I used Man Ray's photograph of Lee Miller for reference (seen here).



For this last drawing I photographed my work in stages. 1. Sketch with Stabillo marks-all pencil. 2. Pencil sketch manipulated with water and paint brush. A little bit of white watercolor pencil. 3. Oil pastels worked over the sketch. 4. Further refining with oil pastels.

Sharpee ladies

I was pleasantly surprised when sorting through old boxes. I found these Sharpee ladies from 2006 in a sketchbook.

Gallery of sold paintings 2010

Dented old horns, charcoal on paper, approximately 25" x 20" framed, 2001 - gift to my brother Joe.



Paint the Town, acrylic and china marker on panel, 11" x 14", 2009.



February 12, watercolor and Sharpee on paper, 5" x 7" matted, 2010.



February 11, watercolor and Sharpee on paper, 5" x 7" matted, 2010.



February 7, watercolor and Sharpee on paper, 7" x 5" matted, 2010.



February 20, watercolor and Sharpee on paper, 5" x 7" matted, 2010.



Mt. Wesley Road, acrylic and china marker on panel, 7" x 5", 2010 - housewarming gift to Jessie Lingebach.



Furrows, acrylic and china marker on panel, 5" x 7", 2010.



Middle Passage, acrylic on panel, 14" x 11", 2010.



Sigma, acrylic and china marker on panel, 7" x 5", 2010 - graduation gift to Vitad Pradith.



Sunshine, acrylic on paper monoprint, 7" x 5" matted, 2010.



Sunset, acrylic on paper monoprint, 7" x 5" matted, 2010.



Swanky, acrylic on canvas, 10" x 8", 2005.



Various birdhouses constructed by my husband Robb and decorated like cuckoo clock chalets by me for the craft fair, 2010.

Into the way-back machine

This week I cleaned out my art attic. I've taken a lot of art classes over the years and saved almost everything I made in those classes. Every sketch, every draft, every unframeable painting of plastic fruit. "You know, not every mark that I have made on paper or canvas is a precious treasure," I told Robb as I began. And he was all, "YESSSSS!" I was tempted to call him a jerkwad but didn't because, well, it was my idea. And it's about dang time that I sort through all this nonsense. Not everything landed in the trash but probably a good 85%-90% of the stash. As a final tribute to all those backbreaking hours hunched in front of easels and sketchbooks, I took some photos while I was sorting.



I made this drawing of a candle in fifth grade. It was the first time I really tried to draw something from observation, and I noticed that my teacher and classmates were impressed with the results. There's something to this art thing, eh? (Saved.)







Fast forward to 2001 and Saturdays at the community college with the drawing nazi. These three drawings were huge and were made in chalk on black paper. (Trashed.)



I used to spend hours creating maps of fantasy lands--most of those hours spent naming the places. This is the only one I have found. (Saved.) And here are a few things from high school.













Ah, high school. I saved the scratchboard Robin Hood dude and trashed the rest. I vividly remember that watercolor painting of a funeral. Because. Evidently if you are artist who tries to include your own name and the date of the painting in place of a death date on one of the gravestones, your parents might freak out. Correction: they will DEFINITELY freak out.



Can anyone name this former roommate of mine whose painted eyes I smudged out with my thumbs?









This last oil painting is my biggest art regret from college. This was to be a double portrait of Nate and Tiffany (who have now been married for umpteen years). But I was so intimidated by painting their faces, that what was on track to be a completely awesome painting is trapped forever in a state of incompletion. I didn't have a heart to throw it away. I love this painting. I love what it could have been. If only I had been braver.



At least I was brave enough to throw out 3 garbage bags of old dusty art junk this week. Photos of the soon-to-be organized office/studio will be posted soon. Just as soon as I get it organized. And I know several people who have been waiting for me to post a preggo picture. So here I am, 24 weeks pregnant, sorting through old art junk wearing my totally excellent Idiot's T-shirt. It says "DRAW!" with a pencil popping out of a gun barrel. Get it? :)

Doodles in Washington, DC

In the spring and summer, I worked part time at The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC. And I was never without my sketchbook.





Some generous soul left a bag of crayons in the kitchen, so I made use of those, too.