These are the only pieces that I have of any of my own childhood artwork.  First one was a Christmas card to my parents when I was perhaps 8 years old. I guess I was destined to be a landscape artist!

And the second one is drawn on the back of arithmetic (addition) homework.  Since my little brother is 7 years younger than I am, this was drawn when I was about 7.  I like how pretty I look, with a southern belle type dress (where did that come, in rural Pennsylvania ??) and curly hair.  And the “turtule” has four feet – a budding wildlife artist then.  Ha!

Last weekend the annual Plein Air Festival was held at the National Museum of Wildlife Art here in Jackson Hole,.  Conditions were beautiful, but a bit challenging – the sun was bright and the wind was brisk, which dried my puddles of paint to the extent that I changed directions,expectations, and previous planning as the painting progressed.  A bug even tried to do the backstroke on my surface, but since my nature and my style is spontaneous, I was pleased with the final result.  4 hours from start to finish, and it sold at the auction following the “paint out”.

Rising Moon over the Refuge:

April 23, 2015  I was just asked how I came up with the concept of a layered painting and my honest answer was, “I have no idea!”.  Except that I had the various sizes of shikishi boards in the studio and was just playing around.  My intention was to convey the feeling of motion.  It is not one of my more traditional paintings, but now and again I have to push that envelope.  I am certain there will be more layered paintings coming from my studio.

This is the bottom layer of the painting.  (I added more cranes after I took this photo):

This is the initial background painting on the vertical shikishi strips:

Removing the paint in order to add the black silhouettes of the sandhill cranes:

Closeup of the strips near the base painting to show context and size relationship:

Finished painting with the vertical shikishi strips in place, permanently attached to the base painting:

Friday evening, March 6 beginning at 4 pm, I will be giving a painting demonstration during cocktail hour at Turpin Meadow Ranch. Come ski the day, and stay for dinner! I will be demonstrating and chatting during cocktail hour and would love to have you join me. I have a special prize for the first person at the event who can identify where on the ski trail the view is in the painting I will demonstrating. Turpin Meadow Ranch is a wonderful guest ranch in the north east end of Jackson Hole. They have wonderful groomed Nordic ski trails, cozy cabins and main lodge. They are open to the public for gourmet dining, lunch and dinner, as well as the bar in front of the fireplace. Call 307-543-2000 for directions (and to inquire about rates for day ski pass, lodging, or dining. Watching me paint is FREE! ) Their website is http://turpinmeadowranch.com/teton-adventures/white-season/