Big Sky

click to enlarge!

Big Sky
acrylic on canvas

24" x 48" x 1.5"

Available for purchase directly through the artist (contact)

It's time to play catch-up with my blog...the past few months have been a whirlwind!  We've moved to a farm - I'm really excited to be in this beautiful rural setting.  It'll be very conducive to my painting routine. :)  I've also been working on several commissions (in addition to other paintings), one of which I finished up yesterday.  I've unfortunately been lagging behind on photographing everything.

"Big Sky" is a painting that was finished several months ago; I decided to make the sky the central focus and have the bison herd be secondary.  I toyed with the idea of continuing to tinker with it but finally decided to keep it simple.  This is always a struggle with me - i.e., knowing when to stop and just put the brush down.  

I'm now hanging some of my paintings at Carnation Corners Gifts & Fine Art in Carnation, WA!  It's a lovely space that is an extension of a real estate firm.

"Sure is big country.  The only thing bigger is the sky."

-A.B. Guthrie, The Big Sky

"Self-Reliance"







Left side

Right side





(click images to enlarge)

Self-Reliance
12" x 24" x 1.5"
acrylic on canvas
Available for purchase directly through the artist (contact Kristin)

I was inspired by Colorado artist Kate Dardine's recent quest to revive half-finished, forgotten paintings that have been sitting around the studio.  This buffalo painting was, for the most part, finished - but I wasn't happy with the final result, and it has since been collecting dust.  I decided to use some leftover paint from recent pieces and try to work as loosely as possible (I save all of my extra mixed paint in tupperware containers...once I spray them with some water and close the lid, they can last for weeks).

I've also been reading an anthology of literature by the American Transcendentalists.  It has a lot of classic pieces that I could re-read time and time again, as well as some really fascinating journal entries, etc. that I've never read before.  The Transcendentalists' writings have been a foundation in my life since I first delved into them...Ralph Waldo Emerson, in particular, really speaks to my soul. 

I decided to choose a quote by Emerson (his work is in the public domain) to write on the sides of the canvas...the image of the lone bison really seemed to call out for something from "Self-Reliance".  The left side of the canvas features the following text, handwritten in a Sharpie pen (which was surprisingly difficult):

"Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world." 

RALPH WALDO EMERSON: Self-Reliance

...and the right side features this text:



"Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind." - Self-Reliance

RALPH WALDO EMERSON


 When I feel like I need to loosen up between other paintings, I might continue this trend and try my hand at creating some similar Transcendentalist-themed paintings.

A Moment's Rest

A Moment's Rest
acrylic on canvas
24" x 36" x 1.5"
Available for purchase at Revolution Gallery, Issaquah, WA


I've been using a different method lately when I paint.  To build up the impasto layers, I would normally mix pigments into an acrylic matte gel.  I would then apply that wonderfully frosting-like paint to the canvas with palette knives, and, after letting the impasto layer of paint dry, I would add a bit of brushwork with thin glazes.  I've been using more and more brushwork on top of the impasto layers over the past several months, so I've been accordingly changing the process a bit.


For this painting, and for most of my other recent work, I've been starting off each piece by applying a thin layer of pigment to the canvas with a brush.  I then apply acrylic matte gel only (no pigment added); I move it around on the canvas with palette knives, and my intent in doing so has been to create more motion in the image.  Once the thick gel layer has dried, I apply thin washes of pigment.  These washes interact with the original background color, which has been softened and muted by the semi-transparent matte gel.  I don't go through pigment nearly as quickly as I used to, and playing with the matte gel in its non-colored state allows for a lot of creativity.


Joni Mitchell's "Night Ride Home" album has been my painting music of choice, lately.  I've been listening to it nonstop.


Nature, I would be thy child,
Sit and worship at thy feet;
Read the truth upon thy face,
Wait upon thine accent sweet:
I would put my hand in thine,
Bow my head upon thy knee,
Live upon thy love alone,
Fearless, trusting all to thee.
-Mary Morgan, "To Nature"

Falling Snow

Falling Snow

acrylic on canvas

24" x 24" x 1.5"

Available for purchase from Freshwater Studio & Gallery, Dillon, MT

I've been in a wintry mood lately - that is to say, I've been aching for peaceful, snowy days that make the world a lot quieter and hot chocolate all the more delicious.

Since it's mostly just a rainy mess out here, I found a lot of my atmospheric inspiration from reading a poem by Joanna Klink called "Porch In Snow." It helped to put me in the right mindset for this painting. Originally featured in Klink's amazing book of poetry called Circadian, I first came upon "Porch In Snow" in an absolutely outstanding anthology called Montana Women Writers: A Geography of the Heart (seriously...this is an amazing book. I highly recommend it). Klink is a professor of graduate creative writing at the University of Montana-Missoula.

I just want to share a few lines here to give you an idea of how lovely it is...but you should read the full version via Google Books' preview of Montana Women Writers here. I hate to excerpt from poetry, since the poetry gets so mangled as a result...it's especially hard to share a brief excerpt of Klink's poetry, since every line is so darn good.

"There you are, snow filling the air,

in the midst of silence [...]

Winter, there is no prayer but this,

to hold fast in the time of few choices.

An animal moves through the backyards, its eyes

precise and lit, the premise of everything I believe"

-Joanna Klink, excerpted from "Porch In Snow", from Circadian (Penguin: 2007)

Isn't that just stunning? I hope you'll check out Klink's work and find as much inspiration in her poetry as I have.

Crossing the Yellowstone - RIP

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Crossing the Yellowstone
acrylic on canvas
24" x 36" x 1.5"
RIP - This painting was destroyed by its shipping carrier, UPS, en route to a gallery.


I tried loosening up a bit more for this painting...I wanted to focus on the colors and give a more surreal impression to the landscape.

FYI, Proctor Art Gallery (Tacoma, WA) will be having a lot of events throughout the month of October...it's "Arts Crush" month in Tacoma.


Fair river! in thy bright, clear flow
Of crystal, wandering water,
Thou art an emblem of the glow
Of beauty—the unhidden heart—
The playful maziness of art
In old Alberto's daughter
-Edgar Allen Poe, from "To the River"

Yellow-Headed Blackbird - SOLD

Yellow-Headed Blackbird
acrylic on canvas
12" x 6" x 1.5"
sold

I decided to try something different and paint a small bird rather than the usual four-legged creatures that I focus on.

The beautiful yellow-headed blackbird makes a surprisingly piercing squawk.

Silent Witness

Silent Witness
acrylic on canvas
24" x 12"
Available for purchase at Carnation Corners, Carnation, WA

I'm steadily catching up on my painting after a crazy couple of weeks. I'm working on a series of farm animals for an upcoming show at Jubilee Biodynamic Farm.

I'm still painting lots of wild fauna, of course. I just finished this particular painting, which was my first attempt at painting a cougar. It's amazing how much my own housecats resemble this impressive animal. Cougars are the largest cats that can purr (to the best of my knowledge...scientists are still debating, apparently).

He crouched low and long on the road,
Low and long and golden against
The leaves, watching pensively,
A damp sphinx of the woods.
-Keith Holyoak, from "The Cougar"

Where the Tall Grass Bends

Where the Tall Grass Bends

acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas

16" x 40" x 1.5"

Available for purchase from Freshwater Studio & Gallery, Dillon, MT

I decided to try my hand at a small herd of bison - you can click on the thumbnails to see the detail better. Iridescent gold paint is mixed in with the pigments.

Autumn leaves are fallingAbout her new-made graveWhere the tall grass bends to listenTo the murmur of the wave.Laden autumn, here I standWith my sheaves in either hand;Speak the word that sets me free,Naught but rest seems good to me.

-Elizabeth Siddal, Untitled Fragments

Little Bighorns

Little Bighorns
acrylic on canvas
18" x 14"
Available for purchase at Carnation Corners, Carnation, WA

I decided to experiment a bit with this one. I used isopropyl alcohol to dissolve droplets of paint on the canvas; I started by using the alcohol drops just on the rocks, then expanded them to the rest of the canvas.

Allies for a Season

(click to enlarge photos)

Allies for a Season
acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas
24" x 36" x 1.5"
Available for purchase at Carnation Corners, Carnation, WA

I came down with a head cold this week and fell behind on my painting. Nonetheless, I managed to produce this wintry painting, which definitely fit my under-the-weather mood. :)

The pigments have been mixed with incandescent pearl paint, and I laid the colors on layer by layer. A soft purple/magenta shows through the blue layers, but this unfortunately doesn't show up so well in the photographs.

The snow whispers about me,And my wooden clogsLeave holes behind me in the snow.But no one will pass this waySeeking my footsteps,And when the temple bell rings againThey will be covered and gone. -Amy Lowell, "Falling Snow"

Grazing - SOLD

Grazing I & Grazing II

acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas

8" x 8" x 1.5"

sold

I bought some crackle paste awhile ago and finally decided to try it out. I combined it with a light molding paste so that the centers of the canvases wouldn't be as crackly.

These two can be hung individually or as a pair. Grazing I has more of a reddish tint to it, and Grazing II has a lighter tan tint.

I will leave in the hills a bit of myself--
The heat of my eyes which saw them bloom;
And cicadas, nesting on thorny branches,
Will sing out the shrill cry of my desire.
-Anna de Noailles, from "The Imprint"

Shy Elk Calf

Shy Elk Calf
acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas
11" x 14"
$365 framed
Available for purchase from Freshwater Studio & Gallery, Dillon, MT

I still had wet paint leftover from some recent paintings, so I decided to keep rolling with the elk theme and produced this little guy. I never realized how knobby an elk calf's knees were until I painted them...

I'm also prepping several larger canvases and waiting for paint to dry, so stay tuned!


April had covered the hills
With flickering yellows and reds,
The sparkle and coolness of snow
Was blown from the mountain beds.
-Amy Lowell, "Azure and Gold"

Awakening

(click to enlarge)

Awakening
acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas
18" x 24" x 1.5"
$775 unframed
Available for purchase from Freshwater Studio & Gallery, Dillon, MT


Here's another elk in dawn light with an entirely different color scheme & mood (as compared to Morning's Call). Iridescent copper paint is mixed in with the pigments to give the piece a more subdued glow.

I've been having a lot of fun trying new directions lately - it's far too easy to box oneself in, so I'm working on experimenting more and forcing myself to let go of the attention to composition in my reference photos. Over the past few months, I've been focusing more on the portraying the form of a subject (I waxed philosophical on that in July) - I'm trying to convey the "elk-iness" of an elk, the "morning-ness" of morning, etc. I have a lot of work to do, but it's an exciting journey:)


How fair it comes, the wonderful hour
When nature from sleep awakes,
And over the face of the earth at last
A newborn gladness breaks!
The stars grow pale in the shadowy sky,
And over the mountains creep
The mists that are part of the waking world,
And part of the earth's sweet sleep.
The restless birds in the tree-tops high
Are shaking their wings at last,
And chirp, and twitter their songs of praise,
As the dawn comes on so fast.
But who can tell of the wondrous charm,
When over the distant hills
The day's bright king in his glory comes
And the earth with radiance fills?
Now scatter, ye mists, from the mountain-side,
And die in the sky's soft blue;
For the dawn has passed, and the day is here,
With its light and joy so true.

-Mary Dowe Brine, "The Awakening"

Freshwater Studio & Gallery

I was able to make a quick trip to Dillon, MT to visit Freshwater Studio & Gallery and deliver these four paintings. It's a beautiful space that's full of eclectic artwork by some of the most talented artists I've ever seen (LeAnn Boyd's frescoes and AM Stockhill's paintings blew me away). I'm thrilled to have my work hanging there! The owners were kind enough to email me a photo of the temporary hanging arrangement - frames will be arriving for these pieces shortly.

I've also managed to re-design and update my web site (finally!), and my web-editing software fought me every step of the way....but at least it's done.

Morning's Call

Morning's Call

acrylic on canvas

24" x 12"

$625 framed

Available for purchase from Freshwater Studio & Gallery, Dillon, MT

This was my first attempt at painting an elk, and surprisingly enough, I found that the antlers were my favorite part of the process...I had assumed that they'd drive me batty. I mixed more of that lovely iridescent gold paint in with my pigments. I dripped paint from the bottom of the canvas toward the top to vaguely suggest the appearance of a field.

Have you ever heard an elk's bugle, by the way? It's a really surprising sound for such a massive creature to make: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYzWmKlZtrU

into the world of elk...

I just finished this one and snapped a quick photo of it drying on the easel. Freshwater would like some elk paintings, so I thought I'd try my hand at painting an elk giving its famous bugle. I'll have more information on this piece soon - it'll be on its way to the gallery in Dillon shortly.

I'm also revamping my web site, which should be updated sometime next week.

More to come...

I have several paintings in progress that should be posted soon, so keep an eye out for those. I also finally have my web-editing software back on track, which means I can update my neglected web site again.

I'm thrilled to now be featured at the Freshwater Studio & Gallery in Dillon, MT. It's truly an honor - Freshwater has an impressive collection of artists, including one of my favorite contemporary painters: A M Stockhill. I'm so excited to be a part of this amazing group of artists! It will be an inspiring experience.

Freshwater will soon be featuring three of my paintings: Uphill, Summer Relief, and Running Before Time Took Our Dreams Away. Please contact Freshwater if you're interested in purchasing any of these pieces.

Morning Mist

Morning Mist
acrylic on canvas
16" x 20"
$575 unframed
Available for purchase from Freshwater Studio & Gallery, Dillon, MT


I finished this painting up at an Art-a-Thon at the Proctor Farmers Market in Tacoma, WA. We were painting all day at the market to raise money for the food bank. It was a great experience, but the weather was so cold, windy, and drizzly - strange weather for July! Alexis St. John, another artist painting at the market that day, said the buffalo had a very meditative look to him, so I decided to keep going in that direction with the painting.

In other news, I'm temporarily unable to update my web site...I'm having some technical difficulties with my web editing software, but hopefully things will be fixed soon. In the meantime, new work will continue to be posted here.

Running Before Time Took Our Dreams Away

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(detail - click to enlarge)

Running Before Time Took Our Dreams Away
acrylic on canvas
24" x 36"
$1175 framed
Available for purchase through Freshwater Studio & Gallery, Dillon, MT (contact)

I was listening to Pink Floyd's album "The Division Bell" while painting this one. The painting's title comes from a line in that album's last track, "High Hopes" - it really stuck out to me as I was working on the buffalo.

The photo has some light reflection on the left side, which helps to reveal the texture a bit in the photo. I've been working on practicing patience lately with my art, and I feel like that's permitting me to produce richer colors on the canvas (that effect isn't translated as well when photographed). The immediate gratification of using palette knives to mix colors on the canvas is wonderful, but I wanted to achieve more depth without using more texture. Texture is still an integral part of a painting like this, but I've been layering textured paint with light color washes to make the effect more subtle. I've also been scraping with the knives more; once several layers of texture and color have dried, I literally scrape more color onto the canvas to achieve softer highlights and to make the paint break in a natural-looking way. The layers of colors interact with each other to produce a bit of a glow.

Where vast and far the rustling grass burns with its russet stain,
O'er prairies lone, beyond the throne, of Rocky Mountain chain,
The lowing herds, the league-long herds, of bisons roam the wild,
By streams serene, by meadows green, and where great cliffs are pil'd
-Isaac McLellan, from "The Flight of the Buffalo"

Still Standing

Still Standing

acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas

18" x 24"

$530 + $28 shipping (contact)

I'm trying out some different things with texture in an effort to loosen up a bit. For some reason, it's easier for me to be more abstract when I'm painting animals...I find it harder to apply that ability to landscapes. I still have a lot of experimenting and learning to do, and it's way too much fun. :)

I bought some Golden iridescent pearl paint yesterday and am going to start experimenting with that, as well as Golden's crackle paste, which I'm very excited to try out.