Shadows painted wet in wet and the blue sky added later. We have incredible cloudscapes here in the Pacific Northwest in the spring. Cumulus clouds billow dramatically, racing across the sky, changing shape by the minute. I have been wanting to try out various techniques for painting them, and as my husband says, there is […]
Brewer’s Spruce
February 17, 2011 by · 8 Comments
This tree is another native of the Pacific Northwest. It is easily mistaken for a Douglas Fir from a distance because it also has drooping side branches, but on close inspection the cones and the needles are quite different. My sweet husband used a pole pruner while standing on the garage roof to cut down […]
Dorothy’s House
September 20, 2010 by · 18 Comments
I live in a neighborhood of gardeners, not everyone, mind you, but enough of us putter and plant in our gardens that anyone strolling through the area has an interesting array of styles and plant preferences to enjoy. Perhaps the popularity of gardening in the neighborhood is due to a combination of our excellent sandy […]
Quince Blossom
April 9, 2010 by · 14 Comments
We live in an urban neighborhood that was built in the 20’s and 30’s on land that was once an orchard. One of the trees on our property is an old Quince tree. It must be over 100 years old. This is not the more familiar Flowering Quince shrub, but a fruit tree with very […]
"Octanic Color"
November 24, 2009 by · 1 Comment
I started experimenting with water colors this summer when I took a sketching class from Richard Scott. He recommended the book Making Color Sing by Jeanne Dobie as the best book on watercolors that he has seen. I am going through the book chapter by chapter and trying the various techniques and ways to mix […]
This blog is about my journey as a botanical artist--what I am learning, what inspires me and what I am currently drawing or painting. My desire is to continually hone my skills to better express my wonder and gratitude for the beauty of the creation around me in the Pacific Northwest (USA).