10″x8″ pastel on sanded paper

I painted this differently from my usual method.  I painted one color at a time, jumping and dashing all over like a bee in a flower field.  I worked through all the primary colors, then the neutrals, then darks, and I finally added lights.  I was hoping to capture the energy of a busy Peruvian market, without bothering with all the details.

10″x8″ pastel on sanded paper

“Art is man’s expression of his joy in labor.” – Henry A. Kissinger

This is my beautiful friend Jan, who inspires and encourages me in many ways.  She is a talented artist, well ahead of my art journey.  She is also happily married for the 55th year, something that inspires me more than a successful art carreer.  Her joy and enthusiasm is so contagious, that you can’t help get swept up in it.  

7″x5″ pastel on sanded paper

“Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small. We haven’t time, and to see takes time – like to have a friend takes time.”  -Georgia O’Keeffe

20″x16″ oil on panel

Chickens are perhaps the thing I find most enjoyable to paint, I love the simplified shape of their bodies, and how I can play with light and color from their feathers.

10″x8″ oil on panel

Spring rain, summer sun, and hard work all came together for this beautiful bounty.  My beautiful next door neighbor left this for us on my porch this morning.