Sold! Small Paintings for Friends

Rainstorm. Acrylic and ink on paper. 4x6 inches.

An artist has to begin somewhere, and it always feels good to have friends who support my creative endeavors. My friends Jason, Sarah, and Lisa bought these recent paintings! Thanks guys!

A Thought. Acrylic and ink on paper. 4x6 inches.

Wish. Acrylic and ink on paper. 4x6 inches.

Mojo Bouncing Around Seiber Canyon

We went for a hike in Seiber Canyon in McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area last weekend and had a great time. Mojo had fun playing in the grass — in some places it was taller than he is! This canyon is rarely visited and, as expected, we didn’t see anyone else nearby.


We did find evidence of a black bear nearby, though! His paw track was about six inches wide. I bet someone with more experience than me could take an educated guess about how big this bear was; I have no idea. It did look like his visit to the area had been recent though!

New Paintings: I’m on a Roll!

Moments of Clarity 02 / Sprouts
10x13 inches. Mixed media on paper. 2010.

Ever since we moved into our new house, I had been in a bit of a creative funk. I guess I just needed to get the work space set up in a useful way. And now that the weather has improved, I feel inspired! I’ve been working on lots of new stuff, and have tons of ideas that I can’t wait to get started on.

Moments of Clarity 01 / Gardening at Night
10x13 inches. Mixed media on paper. 2010.

I’ve been working with some new materials in these recent works. I’m really interested in how to create 3-d relief on a 2-d surface (I guess this is always an aspect of my work, whether small- or large-scale). There’s something really interesting about the contradiction inherent in making a flat surface have a sense of dimension. I also like the relationship between what happens above and below the horizon line.

Life Underground (study). 2010. 10x14 inches.

In this piece, I’m exploring what happens with the twine when it isn’t anchored to the paper. The drooping loops can move and change, and thus can’t be completely controlled. Juxtapositions of opposites really intrigue me — which parts of the painting do I tightly design, and which parts are left up to chance? The question now is: How can I frame it and still keep that paradox in the forefront? My first thought is to forgo having glass in front of the work, but then I worry that it won’t look “finished.” Hmm.

Lower Delores River Camping

This weekend we went camping with a group from Colorado Environmental Coalition. The river is beautiful, as is the entire area around Gateway, Colorado. At first it seemed like it might rain all evening, but once we got our tent set up the clouds parted and a beautiful rainbow emerged over the cliffs.



The river is beautiful and the wildflowers were abundant!



Matt and I enjoyed riding our bikes down a dirt road that parallels the river. Mojo ran alongside our bikes for a couple miles, but once he got tired we let him navigate from a basket on the handlebars. What a cutie!