The Choice of Lemon or Lime
Oil pastel
Framed 30 x 25
300.
In The Choice of Lemon or Lime, I used complementary colors, high value contrast, and unbalanced placement of subject matter to tell a story in oil pastel better then I could express it in words. This work was the first oil pastel in the ongoing allegorical still life series. Though seemingly simple, I consider The Choice of Lemon or Lime a pivotal piece in my artistic activity and opened the door through which all the emotion of the allegorical pieces eventually flowed.
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2nd Place, Professional Drawing, Michigan State Fair Fine Art competition
Honorable Mention, Detroit Society Women Painters & Sculptors centennial exhibition
Rosie’s Gaze
Oil pastel
Framed 30 x 26
450
Giclee available
Introducing ROSIE … Let’s get this straight, right off the bat. Most every Rosie I know is female. THIS Rosie is … a guy. And he isn’t even mine. Just a passer-by.
But for a month, he was a friendly companion while I worked on pastels and oil pastels, outside in the warm Florida weather. I’d work. He’d curl up on the porch close by. His wonderful autumn orange fur begged to be captured. He, on the other hand, captured ME. What a character he was, visiting all the families up and down the street. We were all regulars on his fly-by list.
Because of that wonderful fur and engaging personality, I did several pieces with Rosie as the subject — and that propelled me toward a series of works involving animals, Cattitudes and Other Explorations.
The Oil Pastel Rosie’s Gaze has been honored with five awards. How would Rosie, the scruffy old kitty, have known that he would be admired by so many people?
Included in North Light Books’ Strokes of Genius 3: The Best of Drawing Published by F&W Publications, 2011.
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Best in Show, Lawrence Street Gallery 20th Anniversary Exhibition
Honorable Mention, Oil Pastel Society of America, 2006 Annual Exhibition
1st Place, Viewers Choice Award, 2006 Members Exhibition, Oil Pastel Society
3rd Place Professional Drawing, 2006 Michigan State Fair Fine Art Competition
You Were Here
Oil pastel
Framed 31 x 26
Sold, Private collection
The house on the water’s edge, where I was staying in the Florida Keys had been full of life and friendship just a few hours before. By late afternoon the house was sadly empty and inert.
Working at my computer inside, I glanced at the porch that had shortly before been the scene of much of the activity and camaraderie of the weekend. I was struck by the melancholy beauty of the play of light and shadows in front of me. I dropped everything and rushed to gather paper and oil pastels in order to capture the essence of the scene. For the next few days, I worked to complete the oil pastel that resulted in You Were Here. — You were here. Where are you now?
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Best in Show – 2007 Oil Pastel Society Member Exhibition, Emerging 2007.
Keys Eye Chart
Oil pastel
Framed 31 x 25
Private collection
As a twist to a traditional group portrait, I created Keys Eye Chart to record the fact that our daughter, son in law and friends visited us in the Florida Keys. Rather than full faces, I chose to depict just the eyes of all who were there. I carefully rendered them together on a single surface. To me the play on words referenced the cards in the Ophthalmologists office, and as I worked, I called it my “eye chart”. The title stuck …
The work was invited to be exhibited in the 2004 Artists Among Us exhibit, — a juried exhibit of work by Wayne County artists, with Wayne County/Detroit Metropolitan area poets and musicians contributing, as well. Their part in the event was to create original poems and music influenced by pieces of fine art in the exhibit.
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Best in Show 2007 2006 Grosse Pointe Artist Association Annual Member Exhibition.
The Artists Among Us Exhibition, Wayne County Commission for the Arts, History and Humanities, Wayne County, Michigan.
All Michigan, All Media, 2004 Exhibition — Rankin Art Gallery, Ferris State University, Big Rapids, Michigan.
Talking to the Man in the Moon
Oil pastel
Framed 30 x 25
375.
In life, there are special people we dearly want to speak to, but for one reason or another, those people may not be available to us anymore. And, how many times have we spoken a word or two to the moon, in hopes that the message might be bounced off the surface and on, toward a lost loved one?
Because of the difficulty in connecting, as a visual metaphor, the mouthpiece into which we would have spoken our words, is only partially presented … we can, however, evoke fond memories and have wonderful conversations with anyone we choose, through the use of our imagination. This fact is symbolized by showing the full mouthpiece, distinctly in strong shadow near the bottom of the paper. I consider this a focal point of the piece.
— As the story unfolds, the face of the full moon can be seen glowing on the dial.
The Scarab Club Silver Medal Exhibition of 2004
The Scarab Club
271 Farnsworth
Detroit, MI
Regal Watch
Oil pastel
Framed 31 x 26
Sold, private collection
Giclee available
Here sits our special Morgan, in a cozy dark corner, illuminated by a small patch of sunlight. A pensive, skittish little friend, she sat perusing her domain while trying to remain somewhat awake. I found her to be a wonderful mix of stately cattitude and cuddly black and white fluff. She was everything a cat should be — regal, pensive and…half asleep.
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Virginia Thibedeau Memorial Award, For Drawing — Grosse Pointe Artists Association Annual Exhibition, 2008.
Honorable Mention, Transitions 2008, The 2008 Oil Pastel Society Annual Exhibition.
Oil Pastel Society of Maine Annual Exhibition, Saco, Maine.
Rain on the Hill
Pastel
Framed 28 x 23
SOLD. Private Collection
Giclee available
This pastel represents a sight I experienced on a rainy February evening … at dusk I was driving up a hill, toward the small shopping district where I live. This happens to be that special time of evening when the sky can appear Van Gogh blue. The rain on the cement, the water blurring my vision through my windshield, and the colorful orange reflections on the pavement were wonderful! This pastel on paper, Rain on the Hill, resulted.
Rain on the Hill was awarded honorable mention in Pastel Journal’s annual Pastel 100 Competition. The painting was showcased in the April 2010 issue of Pastel Journal Magazine as one of the 100 exceptional pastel works of the year for 2009. The competition is considered one of the most prestigious of pastel competitions and is my distinct honor to be chosen for the award.
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Honorable Mention, The Pastel 100 — Pastel Journal Magazine, 2009
First Lights — At the Gazebo
Pastel
Framed 30 x 26
Private collection
Giclee available
The scene in the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club harbor, the morning after July 4th, presented a predawn explosion of color, equal to the excitement of the fireworks in the night sky, the evening before.
This view of the harbor depicts the first light of dawn reflecting in the South harbor fairway, and beginning to illuminate the pool’s gazebo, beyond.
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Cover Illustration, The Grosse Pointer Magazine — Fall Edition, 2009
The Dawning
Pastel
Framed 31 x 24
400.
In the harbor of the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club, on a crisp 4th of July morning, a predawn walk-about presented me with a moment that awakened a myriad of sensations. The sun had not yet risen. The dew was still thick and made walking on the docks dangerously slippery, even without a morning coffee. The harbor smells were fresh and intense — in a good way. And, the quietness was astounding.
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There in the sky and reflected in the water of the harbor was an amazing chevron of pinks, oranges, mauves — pierced by the spire of the majestic and nearly 100 year old Grosse Pointe Yacht Club tower. The results of that walk-about was the pastel, The Dawning .
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Second Place — The Detroit Society of Woman Painters and Sculptors Annual Member Exhibition, 2009.
Cover Illustration — The Grosse Pointe Yacht Club Membership Roster, 2009.
Portrait of the Artist as... Well...Artist
Pastel and conte
Framed 20 x 23
225.
Alone in Marathon, Florida during a heady month-long art immersion, all my still life fruit had dried up, each flower in the yard had served as subject matter, and then the rains came. I turned my pastels toward the only subject available and started a self-portrait series. After completing a number of them, adopting a different persona for each, the title of James Joyce’s famous novel totally influenced the last in the series … and Self Portrait of the artist as … well … Artist was created.
No costume, no gimmick, just how I felt in the moment … strong, droll, independent and fully engaged in my work.
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Honorable Mention — awarded in one of the exhibits in a year long celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Detroit Society of Women Painters and Sculptors.
The Spread of the Devil’s Fire
Pastel
Framed 24 x 38
sold
The Spread of the Devil’s Fire
Myth or Magic:
The spread of the devil’s fire over Devil’s Lake, Michigan, only lasts for a few moments. You’ve got to be sitting at the end of a certain dock, down REAL low, just before dawn, in order to see it happen.
For just an instant each morning, the devil peeks his head through a line of trees on the horizon and spews his fire all over the surface of the lake, thus claiming the water as his own!
Then, in another instant those sprinkles of fire are gone. They become the silvery twinkles that the rest of the lake dwellers see all during a beautiful Devil’s Lake day.
Eggplant and Friends
Oil pastel
Framed 17.5 x 21
200.
As a piece in the Allegorical Still Life series, the intent in this work was to speak to the fact that I believe the measure of a man is often determined by the friends he has been lucky enough to find — and keep. We find strength in these friends, and in part, we are what we are because of our connections with them.
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As a personal note, I absolutely enjoyed every stroke of the medium while doing this oil pastel. Keeping it loose, and savoring the calligraphic mark making, I abandoned a good deal of tightness and local color while working. The result was a piece I often consider a personal favorite
Fields of Cherry Orchard
Pastel
Framed 23 x 36
Private collection
This piece is one of three works of the same, exact scene of a special farm field near my Ohio hometown. Though the view of the field in all three pieces is identical, each piece has its own flavor and expresses a very different feeling, all caused by abstracting and changing the colors.
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The field exists. It is a personal favorite and I check it out every time I drive the route toward home. Interestingly, each time I see it, the field never looks the same as the time before making a case that reality is the basis for all abstraction.
Emotion In Equals Emotion Out
Oil pastel
Framed 17.5 x 21
200.
An adage which influences my work, is Emotion in Equals Emotion Out — To explain: The stronger the emotion going into the artwork, the stronger the emotion flowing out, and ultimately felt by the viewer.
In this piece, the actual apple was the aggressor and in fact plunged itself upon the trowel in order to capture the attention and dominate the trowel, rather than the other way around. — you go, little apple!
Hopeful Morgan
Oil pastel
Framed 24 x 28
Sold
Giclee available
Not much needs to be said about this dear little kitty who seems to be asking —“Is there anything up there for me?”
I was intrigued by the light that glowed through the thin membrane of the cat’s ear. Hearing is an undeniably powerful element in cats, yet their ears can appear contrastingly delicate.
This oil pastel is one of the animal portrait works in the Cattitudes and Other Exploration series, and for me was reminiscent of the feeling I had for being a mom with hungry little kids, who seemed to ask the very same question, all day long… ‘is there anything up there for me?”
Sundial at 9:32
Oil pastel
Framed 18 x 24
200.
This piece never won a prize. Nobody has adopted it and, it has never been noticed by anybody, but me.
The subject is a bronze sundial, full of character and wearing a wonderful weathered patina. The dial spoke to me and marked the time thru all the many sunny days that I enjoyed our rental house in the Florida Keys. It served as favored subject matter.
Then the news came that Hurricane Wilma had ravaged the area. Along with houses, docks, boats and livelihoods, the little sundial that I had lovingly captured in oil pastel was among the missing. It was lost for months, until I got to Florida the next season and searched till I found it, hiding and lodged in the rocks, sand and serf at waters edge. A miraculous find and a great story! Enough reason to consider this piece distinctive and special.
Diamond Dance
Pastel
Framed 18 x 24
300.
For a number of years, I spent several months each spring, working on artwork in the Florida Keys. Perched literally on the waters edge with a miraculous view of the Gulf of Mexico in front of me, I was inspired to create nightly sunset paintings … During those few years in the Keys, over 150 waterscapes were created. Diamond Dance is a special pastel that represents the quintessential view from our porch in Marathon Florida, and is a prime piece in the entire collection.
One of my first experiences exhibiting in art fairs was in Islamorada, with The Florida Keys Art Guild. This show was also a debut for “Diamond Dance”. Both the piece and I were newbies to this kind of situation.
After hovering around the prized pastel for a long time, a nice couple finally turned to me and said, “This Diamond Dance…Could you do any better on it?” And, like it happened yesterday, I remember saying “Geeze”, appearing somewhat surprised but amused. “I thought I did pretty good on it the first time.”
…It took several years for me to realize what they were trying to say, and that I had missed the best sale of the day. Oddly, “Diamond Dance” remains unsold, and perhaps it’s waiting for that nice couple to return, whoever they were.
A Colorful Character
Pastel
Framed 44 x 22
Sold
Giclee available
This is a portrait of the unique 1924 Daniel C. Muller carved giraffe, which rides the magnificent William Dentzel carousel in Dorney Park, Allentown, PA
When I was heavily involved in doing portraits of historic carousel animals, I decided to celebrate my birthday by retreating to the studio to create a joyful carousel image … this colorful character was the result. Though serious in my approach, I completely enjoyed my immersion with him, and to this day, he seems to be a favorite of many.
The owners of the original pastel are pleased to have him — and though I know he has a good home, in many ways, I wish I had never let him out of my hands. Some works are like that. I miss him.
Lakeshore, Somewhere
Pastel
Framed 22 x 38
Sold
A Strange Way of Working?
I choose to not work from reference photographs unless I have taken the photo myself. When I do use my photos to help reference subject matter, I usually turn both the photo and paper upside down — and I create the piece by not looking at the photo or artwork right side up, until the work is nearly 100% completed. Strange, but it works for me. Such was the case and the method I used to create Lakeshore, Somewhere.
Care Worn
Oil
Framed 22 x 28
Private collection
I have never been able to bring myself to do portraits of my children. I am much too attached to them to feel I can do them justice … but in Care Worn I was able to capture their character by presenting their little shoes as I often saw them at the back door (after ‘Mom and Dad’ neatly lined them up. My KIDS surely weren’t this tidy)
The oil painting was extremely special to me, both as artist and mother. The piece allowed me to explore my children, express their personalities and represent them in a way that allowed me to avoid misrepresenting their special faces and endearing expressions.
For me, this truly is a prime example of my favorite artistic adage: Emotion IN Equals Emotion OUT …..
Watching the Wake
Pastel
Framed 22 x 36
Sold
One special evening a few summers ago, I was treated to a trip back in time — I had not been to CLEAR LAKE in Indiana since I graduated high school! My buddy Marcia headed her car out of Bryan, Ohio and drove us both to Clear Lake for a slow drive around this marvelous lake and to retouch with the grand old days. At the end of our evening, with high school pals at my side, we took a pontoon ride while the sun set. I sat in the back, watching the wake behind us, as we floated on and on. The moment was special for many reasons, and this pastel commemorated the memory…
Snow Rise
Oil pastel on paper
Framed 18 x 20
150.
The morning was just dawning, and snow covered the ground like a cozy down comforter. And, in the midst of all that winter chill, far off on the horizon was a warm, orange sun trying to rise.</p>
~ I enjoy using the combination of orange and fuchsia with a touch of blue. They are somewhat opposing colors on the color wheel and can make for exciting color results when used in combination. Not colors traditionally thought of when rendering a field blanketed in SNOW.
The Mysterious Dance of the Ghost Horse
The original pastel on paper
Framed 72”x 36”
Giclee also available
The story of a ghost haunting the Frontier Town, Dentzel Carousel at Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio is compelling. It seems that years ago, guards reported that after hours the darkened lights of the machine glowed slightly, the carousel turned slowly and often the image of a woman was seen riding the 1924 Daniel C. Muller carved Military stander. Is the story merely folklore?
No Matter. The tale and the attention the horse received was enough to cause the Cedar Point organization to remove the original from the carousel and replace it with a replica. The museum at Cedar Point, Sandusky Ohio now houses the wooden carving. This pastel is a rendering of the original Muller carved, wooden Ghost Horse.
Even before I knew of the unique circumstance surrounding this carving, it caught my eye. I considered it one of the most beautiful and special horses on the Frontier Town Carousel. Each return visit to Ohio’s Cedar Point included a moment to study this magnificent animal on the deck of the particularly majestic carousel. That it so easily captured my attention, personally adds to the mysterious nature of the story.
“The Mysterious Dance of the Ghost Horse” was chosen to be the cover for October, 2002 issue of The Carousel News and Trader magazine.
