LIFE LESSONS from WATERCOLOR

“Art is what we call … the thing an artist does.”

It’s not the medium or the oil or the price or whether it hangs on a wall or you eat it. What matters, what makes it art, is that the person who made it overcame the resistance, ignored the voice of doubt and made something worth making. Something risky. Something human.

“Art is not in the … eye of the beholder. It’s in the soul of the artist.” — Seth Godin 

“Painting with watercolor is like dabbling in life — easy, hard, clear, opaque, vivid, grey, and always, always washing away illusions of control. It is a daily lesson in going with the flow.” — Leslie Aguilar

LANDSCAPES

These landscapes are mostly of local scenes. A few are composites of places I’ve been or imagined.

Sunlit | Watercolor

Sunlit | Watercolor

About … This painting was begun plein air at the university gardens and finished in the studio. While the background may be stylized, the leaves really were this brilliant and colorful in the Fall afternoon sun light. I couldn’t walk away.MEDIUM: Watercolor  |  SIZE:...

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Fall at UT Gardens | Watercolor

Fall at UT Gardens | Watercolor

About … This is a plein air painting at UT Gardens in Knoxville, Fall of 2020. After six months isolated due to COVID, it was a joy to rejoin fellow artists for some outdoor painting on a crisp afternoon.MEDIUM: Watercolor  |  SIZE: 11″ x 15″  |  STATUS:...

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Lookout Point | Watercolor

Lookout Point | Watercolor

About … Everybody has a favorite tree … don’t they? This is mine on Cherokee Lake, TN. Where is yours? Lookout Point was selected for the Tennessee Watercolor Society 2021 Online Exhibition.MEDIUM: Watercolor  |  SIZE: 22″ x 30″; 31″ x 38″ Framed  |  STATUS:...

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Back Roads | Watercolor

Back Roads | Watercolor

About … I pass this beautiful barn every Wednesday on the shortcut home from Knoxville. I have to stop and admire each time.MEDIUM: Watercolor  |  SIZE: 18″ x 15″  |  STATUS: Available

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Renewal | Watercolor

Renewal | Watercolor

About … Renewal was painted with the paper upright which made for wildly out of control panic, I mean painting. I put it away for a few years before adding the final touches. This is one of my favorites.MEDIUM: Watercolor  |  SIZE: 15″ x 22″; 22.5″ x 30″ Framed  |...

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WATERSCAPES

There’s something about water that soothes me. I’ve taken thousands of photographs of water and just painted a few. More to come, I hope.

Lookout Point | Watercolor

Lookout Point | Watercolor

About … Everybody has a favorite tree … don’t they? This is mine on Cherokee Lake, TN. Where is yours? Lookout Point was selected for the Tennessee Watercolor Society 2021 Online Exhibition.MEDIUM: Watercolor  |  SIZE: 22″ x 30″; 31″ x 38″ Framed  |  STATUS:...

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Storm | Watercolor

Storm | Watercolor

About … I painted this watercolor during the very first days of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. I started with the intent to paint a calming, minimalistic scene with clear skies and water. However, it wasn’t to be.MEDIUM: Watercolor  |  SIZE: 15″ x 22″  |  STATUS:...

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Summer Afternoon | Watercolor

Summer Afternoon | Watercolor

About … This is one of my favorites — both the kayaking experience with my husband and the painting. On a bright, hot June afternoon, I was drifting at a distance watching Frank paddle along the shore. I saw him move closer to the one deeply-shaded area. As if on cue,...

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PORTRAITS

For me, painting someone I love is the most absorbing of all. It’s my way of saying “I am loving you, even when we are apart.”

Godson | Watercolor

Godson | Watercolor

About … This painting is my parents’ godson, Ed, who I painted for mom’s 90th birthday. Due to COVID-19, we were unable to gather for her birthday, so she received this painting on ZOOM. She loves it.MEDIUM: Watercolor  |  SIZE: 20″ x 15″ |  STATUS: In Private...

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Never Again | Watercolor

Never Again | Watercolor

About … This painting has two titles — Never Again and Again, depending on whether I feel hope or despair about the abuse women endure. The image accompanies a 40-word poem written following a news story — yet again — of a woman slain by her partner.MEDIUM:...

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STILL LIFE

I haven’t painted many still life scenes. But, I’m always willing to give it a go, particularly when the colors are bright, and the light is just right.

Sunlit | Watercolor

Sunlit | Watercolor

About … This painting was begun plein air at the university gardens and finished in the studio. While the background may be stylized, the leaves really were this brilliant and colorful in the Fall afternoon sun light. I couldn’t walk away.MEDIUM: Watercolor  |  SIZE:...

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The Five Ball Brothers | Watercolor

The Five Ball Brothers | Watercolor

About … The fun with this painting was the dark, dark background against the copper-colored lids. I’m not going to say the glass was fun. But it was a good Life Lesson in Patience. You have to know your history to understand the title.MEDIUM: Watercolor  |  SIZE: 15″...

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Mangos | Watercolor

Mangos | Watercolor

About … This is a poured painting of the bowl of fruit we kept on the dining table in Florida. Loved the sunlight streaming in. I have a terrible urge to color all over this painting with my new watercolor pencils.MEDIUM: Watercolor  |  SIZE: 15″ x 22″ |  STATUS:...

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Joy | Watercolor

Joy | Watercolor

About … The joy of this painting is in the research! LOTS of research. Do you know how many wines start with ‘”J’? Quite a few. Sadly, not so many “Y”s and I'm still searching for “O”s. Although I haven’t painted them yet, I’m deep in research for Love and Sex and...

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PHOTOGRAPHY

Straight photography, no manipulation. Simply trying to capture an emotion, a place or a person in a particular moment.

Pseudo-Husband in the Arch | Photography

Pseudo-Husband in the Arch | Photography

About … My nickname for this one is Fake Frank in the Arch. After carefully climbing through the arch, down over massive boulders and back up to an elevated perch for the perfect photo, I turned around and my beloved was gone. A very kind man offered to call (holler)...

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JUST FOR FUN

I love fun photography — playing around with simple filters. I’m not talking professional photo-editing software. This is just easy, “wow, look at this” kind of stuff. Images to share with family and friends.

Patio | Digital Art

Patio | Digital Art

About … Information about this image coming soon!MEDIUM: Digitally-Enhanced Photograph  |  SIZE: _” x _”  |  STATUS: Available; Sold; In Private Collection

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