Mosaic 2

Gel Print start with lots of different media.

Gated Spaces

This piece started out as what I thought was a failed gelli print. I keep the failures because fresh eyes and time offer a new perspective. I've recently been painting houses in my neighborhood. I added the drawing to the gelli print and kept exploring. I next added Gansai Tambi granulating colors and various gel pens. I endeavored to leave each part of the process visible.

Pier Group Three

This is part of a series that started out as 1, 5 and 15 minute drawings of a scene. After the lesson, I continued to work on them. They were done on Khadi paper using multiple mediums. The subject matter is a marina in Richond, California.

Hopper On Freight

One of my current favorite painters is Edward Hopper. I'm drawn to what I perceive to be the "Aloneness" in his paintings and drawings. This house from my hood reminds me of that imagery. I recently dipped back in to my passion for gel and dip pens. This drawing started out with just the Kuretaki Aurora Violet as the background. I used a dip pen to add the drawing of the house and you know the rest.

Miller Knox Renovations

During my last stay in Northern California, I of course went to many marinas. The Miller Knox Marina is one of my favorites because the fishermen/women are fun to sketch, photograph etc. They are so used to me that they ignore my presence. Part of the old pier was being removed. It was quite an interesting thing to watch and film.

Harvest Portrait

I have been a gardener for years. It's one of my solutions to high vegtable prices and its good to know what is in your food. The entire process from seed to fruit or vegetable is a miracle in many ways. One of the many benefits is the built in still life. I wanted the image to have a graphic feel to it.

Hol Up

The title refers to a situation involving two friends one of which senses a sketchy situation that the other doesn't. Its a person that has your back. This image is associated with the "False Bravado or Self Care" painting posted earlier. I recently saw it framed in a collection (Pam's) and really liked the design from a distance.

U Turn

My current goal is to draw cars more accurately. I'm also not taking this goal too seriously. Most of these will be colorful and abstract.

Self Portrait 2022

Each year on my birthday I do a self portrait. This year I did about four. Some years are more abstract than others.

Stream And Dream

This painting is from our 2019 trip to the Eastern Sierra. I've been slowly building up this body of work. I really liked the light and reflections in this scene. Water reflections are the latest challenge revisited.

False Bravado Or Self Care?

We encountered these young men while enjoying an afternoon stroll/sketch session at the marina. I immediately got a sense of false bravado as they walked past us. Of course being a Black woman I gave the customary chin "what's up" as we passed....strictly out of habit. Of course I turned around and took photos as they walked away.

This was the initial sketch. I was attracted to the lines and postures.

Woods Abstract

In many ways the woods are the best depiction of a naturally occurring abstract. We have started this years Austin Studio tour. Im at Austin ArtSpace come by if you are in town.

Grill Warm Up

This was a typical scene before a huge party. Early morning grill light up and friends to lie to what more can one ask for. I often photographed my step father with his friends around the pit. He would drink his beer and chat with friends while grilling. John L was always around and the hangers on were always dapper.

Losing My Religion

I hope the title doesn't turn you off as its a song from my past. It was the first thought I had when I opened the image in my computer. I grew up in a small town in Texas. Like a lot of places, we had an abundance of churches. This one is around the corner from where I was raised. The painting is not true to form of course. This church is one of my many muses around my home town. Prior to the pandemic, there were rumors that it was set for demolition. Anyway, I hope you all are well and comfortable with our experimental new normal.

Corner Music

I love revisiting old photos especially those taken during SXSW here in Austin. During the festival I keep my camera with me because of scenes like these. I remember these two young men were performing outside the Whole Foods on 6th street. I was in my car heading home and caught a few shots of them. They saw my camera and posed for me. It will be nice to see what happen next year for the festival. I'm optimistic.

Cutting Avenue

I painted this image because I like the color of the building and of course the light. Cutting Avenue is in Richmond, California. I would have to say that it's one of my many muses (that would include the entire state). We have passed this building many times going here and there. I have always wanted to paint it. Last year I challenged myself to paint more buildings. One thing I have learned thus far is that structure to me does not matter. I still go for the feels.

Almost A City

A lot has happened since my last post. We are now in full pandemic mode. Almost all of my life takes place online with very little physical human interaction. The new normal. I am using this time to reflect, paint, photograph my world, etc. I'm an introvert by nature so this sort of suits me. The threat of the virus looms everywhere. My hands are dry from washing them so much. I'm spending time in my sketchbooks too. This is an Austin image. My take on the over development of a little town. My hope is that this post finds you healthy and well.

Berkeley Botanical Garden

Last year we went back to the Berkeley Botanical Gardens. This was my first visit in over ten years. The views were still breathtaking. I was sporting a new camera with a wide angle lens. I was drawn to the palm tree and the overall atmosphere of the landscape . I was amazed at the quantity of vegetables that they had growing on the grounds. They had beautiful patches of collard greens. I was tempted to pick some to cook. That, I assume, would have been frowned upon.

Music Capitol

I'm having a love hate relationship with Austin right now. Change is a given in our world. In Austin it has meant more traffic and people. The constant construction and it's affect on traffic can make one scream. The landscape and new buildings inspire my painting and sketch book habit. I love the new pens and markers that I have acquired. I am starting to use them in my more finished pieces. I am also showing more respect for the line. So, my work will sometimes look unfinished. This painting is a downtown Austin scene. This town is such a muse.

Lake Surface

This is a little sketch on Khadi paper from my trip to the Eastern Sierras. The water was amazingly clear. I'm going to do more studies of the water surface from some of the photos that I took. My strategy when out painting, is to capture as many drawings in ink as time allows. I later add color from memory or photos. I added sky color to the snow to make it look less like white cut outs.