Autumn's Passing

"Embers"   18" x 20"  Framed $950

Just had to do one last painting of the beautiful fall leaves. As autumn fades and winter takes hold, it's nice to recall those sunny cool days with long shadows, the crisp wind tossing the leaves, and the embers of fiery color.

Autumn Leaves

Autumn's Stained Glass  11" x 15"  Framed $525

Clear autumn days can be just magical. The low-angled sunshine highlights the drama and color of the changing leaves. Walking under the trees, I feel like I'm in a cathedral surrounded by colorful stained glass windows as the trees sing hymns to their maker in the golden light.

This painting is available through DailyPaintworks.com.

Fiddlehead Unfurling

Unfurling   8"x 8"   Framed $225

Aren't the fiddleheads of ferns remarkable? A whole fern frond wrapped up neatly in a perfect spiral package. A spring of organic life unloading its potential energy. A mathematical golden spiral unfurling a magnificent fractal form.

I grow several Tasmanian Tree Ferns (Dicksonia antarctica) in my garden. They're in pots and must be moved into the garage during the coldest part of the winter, but they love cool, damp Seattle weather. The fronds are huge and the fiddleheads are so very impressive as they emerge.

This original watercolor painting is currently available on DailyPaintworks.com.

Grand Teton National Park

"High Country Sunset"  18" x 24"  $850 Framed 

Somehow, I managed to miss posting this recent painting from our summer vacation to Grand Teton National Park. What a magnificently beautiful place! Every sunset behind the peaks was an artistic performance. I tried to capture that special light at dusk. In this scene, the yellow wildflowers are almost in silhouette against the setting sun.

Autumn Tapestry

Autumn Study in Red & Green   8" x 8"  Framed $225

I am having so much fun with these colors! The reddish-purples connect with the reds and greens and together they create such a beautiful tapestry! Do you see the spiral in this watercolor? The spiral composition keeps your eye moving around the painting. This little piece is available through Daily Paintworks. Click here to take a look.

Trilliums in the Snow

"Trillium Nivale - The Snow Trillium"  14" x 18"  SOLD 

I just finished this watercolor for Cottage Lake Gardens​. It features Trillium nivale, the Snow Trillium. It's a tiny little trillium, native to the Great Lakes States. It blooms so early in the spring, that sometimes there's still snow on the ground. If you're not familiar with Cottage Lake Gardens in Woodinville, Washington, it's a remarkable place - one of the only places in the world where you can see all 48 of the world's trillium species growing in one location! If you'd like to see some of the other trillium watercolors I've painted for Cottage Lake Gardens over the past several years, Click Here.

Autumn's Red Carpet

"Red Carpet"  8" x 8"  SOLD

The nights are getting colder and the tips of the trees are beginning to change. Soon Autumn will be here in all her glory, rolling out her carpet of red and gold.

This watercolor is one of some smaller paintings I've started creating for DailyPaintworks.com. I just joined a week ago. I'm very honored to be including my watercolors among the work of so many artists I admire so greatly!

I hope to post a couple new paintings each week on Daily Paintworks. (My paintings are just too detailed and time-consuming for me to be able to complete a new painting every day.) I think this will be a great opportunity for friends to acquire my smaller original paintings more reasonably because they're unframed. You can find "Red Carpet" here on Daily Paintworks.

Bridges

"Under the Bridge" 11" x 15" Framed $425

These days are filled with transitions for me - bridges. In a few short weeks, my daughter is off to college. With an ache, I'm watching all the families my children grew up with say goodbye as their kids leave the nest, too. Life just isn't very good at staying the same. When you cross some bridges, you just never know how the transition will go. Who knows what the bridges in our lives might have hiding under them? In this Japanese garden, beautiful and mysterious koi are hiding in the shadows under the bridge. I'm watching the reflections and waiting for a few beautiful things to come swimming out from under my bridges, too.

Tulip Tapestry

"Tulip Tapestry"  24" x 18"  Framed $950

Spring passes so quickly and the tulips come and go in the blink of an eye! I know it's a little late in the season for tulips, but I just finished this large and rather detailed painting and wanted to share it with you.

The interwoven layers of color in this field of tulips reminded me of a tapestry. All those vertical stems are like the warp threads in a garden of woven fabric. I tried to capture how the spring light was filtering through the flowers. The dark bushes in the background set off the colors so beautifully. Can you see the happy little hidden frog, too?

The Art of the Front Porch

"Ruth's Front Porch"  8"x 8"  SOLD

I have a few friends who are "artists of the home". Every little corner of their house looks like a painting. I admire their attention to detail and housekeeping artistry so much! My home, by contrast, is a random collection of mostly uninteresting but functional things, usually buried under camping gear, creative project materials, or piles of things to be taken care of later.

Ruth is one of those friends who fills her house with charming, thoughtful details. Walking to the front door of her blue house with the blue delphiniums, the white railing matches the white rocking chairs perfectly and there is a painting just waiting to happen.

Midsummer at the Lake

"Midsummer Sunset, Turtle"  10" x 18"   $525 Framed  

Paddling around in a canoe can be great fun. I always enjoy sneaking quietly up on the turtles sunning themselves on the rocks. This guy is catching the last rays of the sun on a hot summer's day. The golden light and buzzing dragonflies make it seem like a magical midsummer evening. You know the fairies can't be far away.

Spring in the Mountains

"Snowmelt"   24" x 16"  Framed $850

Anyone recognize this location? This is in Mazama, Washington in the meadows where we cross-country ski. That's Goat Peak in the distance. (If you look carefully, you can just see the lookout at the top.)

I've always had this fondness for skiing through this little stand of birch trees. The vertical white lines they make are just such fun!

In this painting, I played around with changing the color of the trees from yellow-green to blue as they recede. I also reduced the contrast in the far-away hills to emphasize the distance. The golden touches on the snow and on the hillside let you know that the sun feels warm and spring is on its way.

Daffodils

"Daffodil Duet"  11" x 14"  Framed $525  

I finally got organized and had some quality scans done of my most recent work. I am so pleased to be able to share my new work with you at last! This new watercolor features "ice follies" daffodils from my garden. Their buttery-yellow faces are so cheerful!

Those of you who've been following my work for a while know that I sometimes like to hide a little frog in the painting. (The frogs are my little indicator species letting everyone know that all is well in the garden.) Can you find him in this painting?

I'm continuing to show my work at Gallery North in Edmonds, Washington. If you are looking for a very pleasant outing on a nice spring day, the Edmonds waterfront has some beautiful walkways and there are lovely little shops and restaurants all around the downtown area. Gallery North is right on Main Street just up from the ferry dock and they're open 7 days a week. You can find new original watercolors of mine available there every month, as well as fine art prints and cards of my work.

Enjoy every moment of the spring that you can!

New Trilliums in Bloom

2015 Trillium Tour Poster Artwork

Once again, I have had the privilege to create the artwork for for this year's Cottage Lake Gardens Trillium Tours poster! (See the 2012, 2013, and 2014 posters below.)

Trilliums are a rare spring wildflower that require 7 years from planted seed to flower. Many species of trilliums are endangered and protected. ALL of the 48 species of trilliums in the world can be seen growing at Cottage Lake Gardens in Woodinville, Washington, just a few miles from where I live! This year's poster artwork features the impressively tall, reddish pink Trillium chloropetalum. These amazing trilliums are in bloom at Cottage Lake Gardens as we speak!

If you're interested in participating in this year's spring Trillium Tours at Cottage Lake Gardens, there are only a few spaces left, so don't hesitate to sign up.

For more information about Trilliums or Cottage Lake Gardens, please visit cottagelakegardens.com. Posters and note cards featuring my trillium paintings and other trillium-related gifts can also be purchased from the Cottage Lake Gardens website.

2014 Poster

2013 Poster

2012 Poster