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.