What could have Happened

When he proposed to her with a beautiful diamond ring that he had designed himself in the river, he could have dropped it.

"Instead of Throwing Rocks at Boys"

1. what I mean is, I'm trying to be a nicer person.

Watermelon Love

Watermelon salad: Balsamic vinegar pearls, feta cheese, and cold watermelon. It doesn't get any better.

One Outstanding Lime

I have gone on a fruit painting binge. I love how this little lime seems to be jumping off the canvas and begging to be added to a gin and tonic. What I really mean is, it is dang hot here in Dallas!

Evolution of some apricots

So first, my friend Edwardine brought over some apricot laden branches from her tree.  I left for Dallas soon after so I brought the branches with me. The apricots ripened beautifully. Today I made a small painting of some of the apricots, then I made Apricot Pinot Grigio jam.  As soon as the jam cooled, my husband and I had brie on crackers with apricot jam. It was delicious!

Rhinoceros Beetle

This is one of the twenty very small paintings I made of Texas insects for the Trinity River Audubon Center here in Dallas.  I'll post a few more as the days go by.

Wishing I Was SeaSide

The Impeded Stream is the One That Sings

This is a plein air painting that I did of the stream that comes down from the ski valley in Taos, NM. I spent three days painting with my friend around the Taos area last August.  There is nothing like spending the day by a beautiful stream.

A Pile of Cocoa Pods

This is a commission I recently completed for the world famous Marine Cargo Insurance Agency, Rekerdres and Sons. Yes, that's my husband.  He insures cocoa traveling from all parts of the world, among other things. This painting will hang in a conference room at his office.

Madeleine's Roses

I made a painting a couple of years ago of a bouquet of roses that my friend Barbara gave me.  That started a series of flower paintings.  This is a large pastel that I did of a bouquet of roses that Madeleine gave me for Mother's Day last year. We are in the process of framing it in order to show at the upcoming North Dallas Artist Studio Tour (April 23 - 24).

Echo Amphitheatre Abiquiu, III

This completes the panorama moving from right to left. Can't you just see the smoke signal issuing from the top of this rock?

Echo Amphitheatre Abiquiu, II

Moving my view to the left from the first painting, this is the view just left of the actual "amphitheatre". This day wasn't so dramatic weatherwise as that of yesterday. The thing about this view is the markings towards the top that look like designs from an Navajo rug. At first, I thought that someone had artfully added these designs to resemble the rugs, but on closer inspection and introspection, I realized that these natural markings were probably inspiration for the rug designer many years ago. Yes, I know, elementary, Watson.

Echo Amphitheatre Abiquiu, I

I've painted at this spot more than a couple of times and it remains to be so fascinating. The rocks are undulating and various colors. On the day I started this painting it started to rain, then snow, then high winds, then more rain, then more snow. At that point, I gave it up and finished the work in my studio in Santa Fe.

At Cow Creek

As the hammers ping their unique percussion, I'm sitting at the bar in the kitchen painting with gouache.  I wish I was at Cow Creek.

You are my sunshine

This summer I came across this gorgeous field of sunflowers about an hour south of Dallas.  I've been painting it ever since.

Argiope spider

I recently joined the website DailyPaintWorks.com and simultaneously (almost) decided to paint a small series of native Texas insects.  I wanted these small paintings to feel like the Mughal miniatures that I love so much.

Towards the Deeper Woods

I used to play in the woods on our family farm all the time when growing up.  My brothers and I  spent many hours exploring and imagining all sorts of adventures.  This area at the Trinity River Audubon Center is a favorite spot for me as it closely resembles the wooded area of my childhood.

What, you never saw a purple cow?

So when I was in the fifth grade, my classroom and teacher were shared with the sixth grade.  That meant that my older brother was in my class.  One day, we were assigned to memorize a poem and be prepared to recite it to the class a few days hence.  I memorized a very long poem (Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) to showcase my amazing powers of memory. I was one of the first to recite and I have to admit, the other kids were probably half asleep when I finished.  Then came my brother, who got up and recited the poem (four short lines) I Never Saw a Purple Cow.  The other kids loved it and he received a lot of applause.  This is what I really mean:  I think sometimes it's more advantageous to be brief and funny rather than serious and intelligent.

Deep Pond

This is an experiment with acrylics which I like so much that I'm going to paint the same scene but on a larger canvas.  The scene is a pool fed by a spring deep in the woods near Johnson, Vermont where I did a month long residency at the Vermont Studio Center.

Barbara's Roses

Surprise to everyone who has been wondering about "What I Really Mean"!  These are vintage roses that grow in my friend Barbara's yard.  She brought over this bouquet one evening and I had to paint them.