RetiredForGood: Photos of my Artistic Work

More coming.... rough stuff - not matted yet.

from photo by Mark Balcer, watercolor on 300# paper
Cardinal Sin (2017)

I have done quite a few practice pieces during February. This first one is taken from a photograph of the Port Townsend pier. I am working on a few others. I want to perfect my re-creation of water.

Port Townsend pier study in water, on
140 cold press as practice piece.

I also did one of the Varied Thrush, female, at my feeder. I think I might try another version with both the male and female together.

First in the "Moonlight Series" 2017

I have had two solo shows this year. One was at the Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Everson around my birthday and the second was at the 1st Security Bank in Sequim, a three-month show that ran from Sept. 1 to Nov. 29.

Second in the "Moonlight Series" 2017

And I was part of the April "Whale of an Art Show" in Port Angeles with my "Playdate in the NW" rendering of whales in all modes of activity.

Third of the "Moonlight Series" 2017

Fourth in the "Moonlight Series" 2017

It was a surprise to take two friends down to see the bank show one afternoon and find someone actually looking at the art and being impressed with it. And equally surprising to have the receptionist from my dentist office in there, to tell her that all the art work was mine and to have her say "I'll look at it." and then walk right past me as she was leaving and never stop to view even one of them.

The "Moonlight Series" is comprised of four scenes of imagined critters under a full moon. The owls were first, then the deer, then the coyotes and finally the black bears. I am considering a couple of others, but have not been particularly inspired yet. They were fun to do and I have to feel the fun factor to do any more of them.

Jim Gift's granddaughter: a class project from a photo

Heron at John Wayne Marina (2017)

For me the painting is about what I am enjoying, and I recently told a peer who was giving me some critical information about my work and she said "I'd like to see it this way," I replied, "I do not paint for your pleasure."

She was remarking that she is not interested in balance in her work, (even though it shows up that way) and is a bit put off by specific balance in another's work. I seem to be moving toward an abstraction with profound balance, so we are (quite literally) poles apart! But fun to have these aha moments with other artists.

I have been much more focused as an artist this year taking two courses to improve my skills. I took a sketching class in July, for four weeks, but had to miss the last week because of an unexpected trip with my new companion.

Cape Cod view from a photograph and my memory. (2017)

My new companion, Wayne Ratcliff, on Mt. Baker. This was
the photo used for the study in class.

"Peaches at the beach" (watercolor 2017)

Then I was accepted for the Kim Johnson watercolor class in September and that was wonderful and very productive for me. We had to bring in photos of two animals and two people with black and white renderings of the photos. I chose my cat "Maksim" and Wayne's dog, "Peaches." Then I had two people, but ended up focusing on doing a portrait of Wayne. The first one was not all that great, so I redid it on Saturday.

And since then I've been less than productive, partly from inspiration and partly from being involved with planning several trips with Wayne, and not having/making time for painting.

But I feel like I've generated a lot of work this year overall, and the show has 19 paintings and four photographs representing the body of my work since I've arrived in Sequim. The cost of mounting a solo show is huge, and I cannot afford to do that again for awhile.