Aspen Transcendent is part of a series that I have been working on.  Aspen have been painted so many times and it is fascinating to try to capture the spirit using so much color.  This one is a watercolor and it is my favorite so far.  I am happy with the color and hard and soft edges.  It has a happy feeling about it that I like.  Maybe I should title it Aspen Party!

My Koi painting, In Golden Pond, sold a couple weeks ago and I miss it already.  I really like this one and am happy that it is going to a good home.  I can never paint something exactly the same again, but if I could it would be this one. 

I taught a watercolor class last week and these paintings were done by my students.  They did great and several had not painted with watercolor before.  It was a wonderful experience to see such growth in only three days.  So fun!

So Many Dreams is my new abstract floral.  I love the way dark surrenders to light in these new pieces.  I am also excited about the soft edges that have so much variety.  They remind me of the way wildflowers burst upon us after the rains of spring.  They are such a happy surprise after a long brown winter.

I had painted this figure using blacks, olives, golds and oranges, and while I liked the abstract quality of these hues, I thought it was harsh.  These cool colors are better for the mood of the painting and I am happier with the result.  The painting has a lot of palette knife paint application, so it is thick and heavily textured.  It is 24" x 20" on gallery wrapped canvas. It is titled Quick Pose.

Determined to create a nonobjective painting, I began to layer colors.  Working from transparent darks to opaque mid tones and then lights, I concentrated on my edges, trying to have hard, soft and lost and found edges.  I thought about warms and cools and the sizes of my shapes.  After all these considerations, I realized that this piece wasn't as abstract as I originally intended.  It is another floral painting.  I love the surprise of the wildflowers along the highways in Texas.  This painting is My  Surprise, and it is 20" x 20'" on gallery wrapped canvas.

Don't you love spring time?  This has been a beautiful season with lots of wind, rain and cool mornings and evenings.  The flowers are beautiful and little visitors are abundant too.  This is the inspiration for this acrylic.  It is Blue, and it is on a 20" x 20" gallery wrapped canvas. 

Variety in edges and luscious colors.  Those are my intentions in this new piece that is a 36" square, acrylic on canvas.  I am working with acrylic inks and acrylics to achieve luminosity and a loose technique that combines my love of watercolor and the forgiveness of acrylics.  Pink Peonies has a nice feel for Valentine's Day, which is right around the corner. 

This January, 2017 has been warm, and rainy so far.  Warm for winter that is.  We have had many foggy days here in central Texas, and though I love the wonderful neutral colors of winter, I have to express myself with bright, happy colors.  I hope you enjoy my winter flowers, as they are out of my head and heart. Happy New Year!