Portfolio
Tomatoes II 2019
9 X 12 inches. Watercolor on 140 lbs cold press paper.
I love painting heirloom tomatoes. The colors and textures are brilliant. And yes, you will find me taking photos at the grocery and the farmer’s market, but Austin being Austin no one seems to find it remotely eccentric.
Cattleya aurantiaca, 2019
10 X 14 inches. Watercolor on 140 lbs cold press paper.
I have had this plant for at least 20 years. It blooms reliably every year. I love the rich orange/red color of the flowers. In the painting there is an overlay of an iridescent medium, which won’t show up on the net. The plant has been renamed Guarianthe aurantiaca
Sempervivum, 2019
9 x 12 inches. Watercolor on 140 lbs cold press paper.
After murdering yet another bonsai I decided that the gorgeous pot deserved something I could actually keep alive (it died, maybe it is the pot). Exhibited 2021 and 2022.
Dragonfly, 2019
9 x 12 inches. Watercolor on 140 lbs cold press paper.
This is just a fun image. I originally started variations on a detail from an old master, but the image took on a life of its own. We have many, many dragonflies and damsel flies where I live. They come in a myriad of hues and wonderfully metallic sheens. This one is pure fantasy. The image is a series of layers of traditional watercolor and iridescent watercolor paint.
Otter Cliffs, Acadia National Park, 1992
9 x 12 inches. Watercolor on 140 lbs cold press paper.
I initially sketched this on a spring trip up from Boston and finished it at home from photos. It was still very chilly and a bit hazy, but I loved the rocks and the brilliantly blue ocean.
English Garden, 1992
9 x 12 inches. Watercolor on 140 lbs cold press paper.
I know I painted this in 1992, but I am not sure when I took the photo. I believe it was 1988 when I spent lovely summer in Oxford with the SMU-in-Oxford program My family travelled with me for a few weeks before classes started. It was a record breaking cold summer — thank heavens I brought a coat! One of the great ancient gardens of a stately home.
Sketches
Sketch: View from my Apartment, Montpellier, 1994
9 X 12 inches. Watercolor on 140 lbs cold press paper.
My brother and I shared an apartment close to the “Antigone” for a few months in 1994 while I was doing doctoral research. This was the pretty, probably 19th century house, next-door.
When I wasn’t working, we had so much fun. We toured on the weekends. The markets were wonderful. I love to cook and he ended up terribly spoiled. The produce was stunning.
Sketch: Sandy Cove, Acadia National Park, 2005.
9 X 12 inches. Watercolor on 140 lbs cold press paper.
When we lived in Boston, one of our favorite retreats was Bar Harbor. Acadia National Park was an amazing place to hike and just be. Years later we took the whole family in early May (yes, it was REALLY cold). I still spent a day on the beach painting.
Sketch: View from St. James & Albany, Paris 1984
6 X 8 inches. Watercolor on notebook paper.
My first trip to France was in 1984. Dad insisted on getting me and my brother up at 6:30, although Mother was never ready to leave the hotel before about 10 AM. This gave me plenty of time to paint. She kept this sketch on her bathroom wall until she died in 2007.
Sketch: Bridge, Giverny, France 1984
6 x 8 inches. Watercolor on notebook paper.
Classic image. Couldn’t resist even at the age of sixteen, knowing fully well that Monet had done it first and done it better. Gift to my father.