Spring Morning, Lake California oil painting

A gorgeous spring day, and time to paint, heavenly!
10x12" oil on a high quality Raymar canvas panel.
This is a pond near the front gate of Lake California, a small community in Northern California.

Entry in American Cancer Society collage fundraiser

A collage I made for an ACS fundraiser, more info on this later. 8"x10" bookcloth, paper, matboard, beads.

Landscape oil painting "End of the Road"

The first plein air of spring 09, what a treat to paint this afternoon. Oil on sanded paper mounted on masonite, 9x12" painted from a dead end road in Lake California.
$150.00 thru paypal's secure site. I will foot the shipping bill :)

Leaf/Katie Project Mixed Media artwork

Mixed media is interesting to do, so open ended and tho you may have a plan, it builds itself spontaneously as well. The media interact in ways the artist may not control, but she/he ultimately decides when the work is finished. The layers of "stuff" feel like something beyond the mere visual, something about the bits peeking out from under I find very appealing. I also like using words and my handmade paper and incorporating a drawing or painting into the work--makes it seem like more than one moment, a culmination of my art work, a little "herstory". Katie is my daughter who died of leukemia in 1999 when she was 15. She was a wonderful artist, we did a lot of art and craft projects together.
I don't know how well the dried leaves will hold up, most were dried in the microwave, and both applied and covered with acrylic medium. I attempted to paint with thread and gold paint on top, it did not work well, probably should've used string or maybe wire curled into a shape.
Materials include: modeling paste, acrylic paint, packaging, gold leaf, dried leaves, rose petals, paper, handmade paper, a poem, a drawing, a flower catalog page. All on a wrapped linen canvas, 11x14". This is now hanging on the wall, and I really love the personal statement it makes. So much more than a photo or even a painted portrait, it's something like a scapbook memory page that is hanging up for visual enjoyment, rather than stuck in a book on a shelf. I am calling this "Art Flotsam" making art from trash, recycled materials, keepsakes, and what-have-you. An economical way to create art.

Mixed Media Collage, project Rauchenberg

What a kick to create in mixed media, I was excited the whole time working on this piece. Taking chances, trying things, mixing metaphors and supplies, it's like an art party for one! I love all the parts and I love the finished piece also, it's for Gary Reef's Project Rauchenberg on Youtube. Check it out; Gary has a lot of videos on youtube re: mixed media techniques. He's innovative and personable; well worth watching.
My collage includes, paint skin, packaging materials, a magazine page sculpture, a brochure photo, an acrylic painting on sabretooth paper, a catalog page, a postage stamp, a drawing from
my Novel Art Journal, a pic from my business card, my name in bar code, acrylic paint and mica pigment. All mounted on a 14"x11" birch painting panel.
I tried to create a rich and interesting surface and I am very pleased with the outcome. The challenge was to create a self-portrait out of recycled materials a la Robert Rauchenberg. These projects will be hung in a gallery in So Cal, and sold for charity next fall.