Hey, Santa...it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Georgetown!

Look, I know we are not even sure the 90's are behind us, but somehow the calendar keeps rolling and it is Fall! This is really my first season to have my Christmas artwork in an honest to goodness retail store. I brought a big supply of the following items to The Art Escape for their Christmas display at the Georgetown store on the Square. Starting today they are available at their Austin store, The Art Escape

Here is a little teaser of my sleigh full of goodies.

My 2019 annual card titled " I'm Dreaming..."is available in note cards ( 5 packs with with red foil envelopes and zip strip closures). I also have small framed versions of this scene and the original is also framed in red and available! The work shop to design this scene with your own ornaments or ones provided in Marble Falls was just completed last week at Galleries at Pecan Creek in Marble Falls.

"Jingle Your Bells" comes in a variety of charming ways from the 5 card packs to pillows and puzzles. This 2018 original is also framed and available at the shop.

And here are some of the other artists and outcomes we had using our own choice of colors and , of course, styles to create this dreamy card:

My version using cerulean blue, quinacridone red and lemon yellow

My version using cobalt blue, alizarin crimson and hansa yellow

Ho, ho, ho and greetings from all of us...Debbie, Gail, Cindy, Gay, Joyce and Sharin (below)

Thank you to each of these artists for their talent and enthusiasm.great combo!

I will demo this same design and my technique in Kerrville on Tuesday, Nov 12th at 1:00 for the Guadalupe Watercolor Group

Please join us if you are in the area.

Fixin’ to paint Texas

I have had a unique chance this year to showcase my Texas themed artwork at a lovely shop near a popular tourist spot on Lake Travis, the Oasis...The Art Escape. It’s a high end gift and art shop ( also located in Georgetown on the Square) owned by a husband and wife artist team from South Africa, Loela and Johan who are artists and collectors.

 Filled with items from all over the world from leather purses to fine jewelry and time pieces, gorgeous scarves and pottery...I LOVED it. A unique opportunity happened...Apparently visitors were asking for a little Texas art...and my friend who works there showed them my note cards. We met, I showed them my artwork and a mutual attraction occurred.

Here are some of my scenes available there as prints and note cards with a little of the story behind my inspirations...

“ Steppin’ Out in Austin”

This was my first Austin painting after moving to be near our Texas family in 2012, hence the name. Please notice she is a girl ( boots and bling) and her name is TriXie...just sayin’. 

 “ Don’t Fence Me In”













Longhorns are the preferred cow of Texas. They have lots of room to roam under blue skies and an abundance of natural resources but when they are looking at you, I am fairly sure this is what they are saying. Right?

 The Star”

This is the star attraction at the state fairgrounds in Dallas. The grounds are enormous, filled with rides and fried foods like you can’t even imagine. It is safe and well cared for and my first visit was at night....it was spectacular! I suggest a nighttime visit for a break from the August heat and for a great light show.

"Hogs and Kisses from Texas...” next to cows, these are my favorites, especially when they're little!

“ Texas Roadside Beauties”...Spring presents a gorgeous display of color all over the Texas highways. Bluebonnets are the state flower but I also love the colorful Indian Blankets that pop up alongside. I literally stopped the car to take the photos that later were my inspiration for this painting. It is done with a sprayed under painting and I am proud to say was accepted into the Texas Watercolor Society's Show in San Antonio this year.

And here is my latest....presenting “ Dairy Queen”...I combined THE favorite ice cream in Texas with THE very cows it comes from and voila! The title came from my daughter and it is just perfect!

Stop by The Art Escape when you are near The Oasis. You can get a card, a giclee print, a magnet or even an original. Meanwhile, I am going to continue to paint my scenes of Texas!

Seriously beautiful Spring florals ...Capture them!

Spring flowers and Spring storms are a guarantee in Texas in May. But this annual bouquet doesn’t last forever...unless you capture it! That was our goal as we dedicated one day to paint together and create versions of Indian blankets that are dotting our roadsides. I found these showboats on a country road in Spicewood, Texas. They are the inspiration for my painting titled “ Texas Roadside Beauties”. I am delighted to announce it will be a part of the Texas Watercolor Society’s 2019 Show held in San Antonio from May 29 th to August 15 th.

My photo was used as a reference for the attendees with easy to see values. I often copy a color and black and white version for an easy value study.

We had a group of 5 gather at Galleries at Pecan Creek in Marble Falls on Wednesday, May 8 th despite a guarantee of stormy weather! On a pre sketched 11x15 ( quarter ) sheet of Arches 300# paper ( cotton rag), we started our process by adding any mask desired. I usually sign my paintings at this point using Pebeo masking fluid. Some masked the centers to protect them.

Please note this image can be painted horizontally or vertically as the focal point ( the largest bloom) is in a position that allows it. The tips of the petals can also be masked to keep the yellow pure. I did not. First, we lightly sprayed clear water and created an under painting using 3 transparent watercolors for this painting. Do not spray the entire area but use the white of the paper as part of the pattern. All 4 sides and corners should be different for the best design. We all used a variety of red, yellow and blue to give a cool or warm temperature for the next glaze. My selection was Quinacridone Magenta , Hansa yellow and Prussian blue. Just be sure these are transparent colors for the best outcome but do experiment with your favorites.

When dry, we began painting the second glaze working on each petal and it was immediately apparent that all of ours would be different. The obvious selection of colors and also the amount of water- to -pigment has a lot to do with this dynamic. I suggest using a pointed round that is larger than a detail brush at this point ( mine is Silver Black Velvet #8). This process can take awhile and hair dryers were used to speed the drying process. It was a humid day with a Texas frog strangler and lots of thunder outside our doors. We all munched and painted through a lunch break.

My original:

Moving into a third and very important phase of this , we began using negative space to create the tangle of darks in between the stems and leaves. The eye captures this lovely and interesting puzzle but it is tricky to repeat. I did demo each of these processes ( petal painting and negative painting using alternating shapes of darks) but tried to let each artist create their own. They all were diligent and suffered through the initial complexity of this stage in their own way...so fun to see them figure it out.

Here are our finished paintings....a very successful one day work shop!

The next one day work shop will be August 14th at the new location of Galleries at Pecan Creek! 

Student paintings...and mine... from my work shops

Spring greetings! I have every intention of sharing my work with all of you in more regular intervals. Forgive the delay and the need to make this a rather longer than usual journal. Just got a little busier than usual!


I thought you might enjoy seeing some student work. I know I do. Students range from beginners to advanced ,longtime painters. But the truth is, we can all use new ways to look at a scene, promote a feeling and create in watercolor. It is why I continue to take classes as well as teach them. The more I know, the more I realize I don't know it all. I think the same is true for everyone!

Here is a Holiday painting class. Designed for beginners as well as advanced painters!

We were all in a festive mood and the artwork showed it....

January                     Jen's Facial Portrait Work Shop

I took a class on facial portraits in January at the BACA center ( very nice senior center in Round Rock) taught by my good friend and talented artist, Jennifer Polnaszek whose work I’ve long admired. Jen gave individual suggestions to each of 10 of us over 3 weeks in 4 hour sessions and here are some of the results in our class:

Week 1: we all painted the same face...and got 10 different outcomes. All very nice. While there we had to try Round Rock’s famous doughnuts and they were yummy! We treated the class and made new friends.

Week 2:

I decided to paint this adorable little girl playing dress-up. She is the granddaughter of a friend of mine who will receive this as a gift. Just a special mention that any work done in a class setting can't be considered for entry into a show. It is not entirely your own doing.

 Week 3:

 I chose to paint my son for his upcoming birthday.....following her excellent instructions, I kept the highlights, painted softly and added colors gradually. Lessons learned.Just FYI, teeth are difficult and should be non prominent.

                                    First, a good sketch taken from a recent photograph. For his skin color I combined New Gamboge with Alizarin Crimson. Jen gave us several color combinations to consider for the various skintones. My friends from the 620 Paint Group tried different mixes: Beth was painting Asian children and mixed color accordingly; Duke worked on a lovely lady who also needed a different mix; and Carol K had a very fair granddaughter who required yet another mix. Try them all until you find the match.

                                   Deepened shadows and beard highlights with ultramarine blue. Decided to use a sap green background on the darker side only.

Pretty good adaptation of Kevin at 45. I think he favors my Italian side of the family but many see his Dad in him. Good blend. Best of all, he likes this rendering!

March   My one day work shop   Marsha's Matagorda Boats

I borrowed a scene from a work shop I took from my talented friend, artist Marsha Reeves. She very kindly allowed me to use her photos which I provided for everyone. A color and black and white copy is a time saving way to have a value study when beginning. My March13 th work shop at Galleries at Pecan Creek was all about water and sky....here is my finished version of Marsha’s Matagorda Boats.

 Here is the progression from a masked sketch to the finished painting.

We started with the sky pre-wetting only the areas to be painted.Blue lines are Pebeo masking fluid used to preserve our whites.

Tree line was added

These same colors were then carried into the water

Shadowed areas were painted against the boats; boats were colored. Red seemed to be a choice for several but one painter used orange and it was equally impressive.

All colors used were dragged into the water for reflection. Details in the background and on the boats were handled .Such a fun scene to paint and even though none of us was familiar with all the rigging on these fishing boats, we made a believable , although slightly less messy, version of the pier.

Coming up:

Sun April 7th @ The Hive at Hill Country Galleria

Using Brusho on yupo/ all supplies provided $60

Wed May 8th @ Galleries at Pecan Creek

A floral based on my original painting Texas Roadside Beauties $50

 Contact me or the galleries for attendance information and to reserve a spot. Meanwhile, Happy Painting!

Everyday Texas Note cards are available....

Just in case you are sending notes and would like to share a little of your love of Texas...I have a few scenes from our great state available on card stock. Most are 5” x 7 “ and come with matching envelope. The inside is blank and the back has the Title of the artwork. All are suitable for framing. If you are in Marble Falls, stop by The Galleries at Pecan Creek to see a selection of cards, prints and some originals, too. In Austin , stop by The Art Escape at the Oasis on Lake Travis or in Georgetown on the Square at Art Escape. Or elsewhere, contact me directly.

Packs of 5 are $15.00 plus tax and shipping, if needed.


                                                   "The Star"

 “Steppin’ Out in Austin             

“Don’t Fence Me In”

"Deep Roots"

"Sunset Safari"

Welcome to my Studio

I am delighted to be back to one of my greatest passions, painting in watercolor.  Austin has an excellent art community and I am jumping in with both feet, taking classes at Laguna Gloria, painting with the 620 Paint Group, and signing on as a new member of Waterloo Watercolor Society.  Here are some of my newest works inspired by my new beginning in Austin. 

Want to try a new watercolor product? How about Brusho...!

Happy 2019! Looking to start the new year by trying something new? Why not join me in experimenting with Brusho. This product, made in Sheffield in the UK, has been around awhile but is relatively new in the US. I saw a demo and knew right away I wanted to play with these vibrant and intense crystal of dyes and other blended pigments. They can be sprinkled on for less control or made into a paste as they dissolve in water and brushed on for a more controlled use. Either way, they are potent , dynamic and very staining....so wear some gloves or be prepared to wear some color. There are 35 colors available but I started with 13 that include lemon yellow, yellow ochre,  sandstone ( very orange), burnt sienna ( gorgeous color),lime green ( wow!), moss green, olive green, terra-cotta (very watermelon red), scarlet, ultramarine and cobalt blues. From a demo on Cheap Joe’s website by , I learned to never use more than 3 of these at a time because the dominating color will prevail and the result is mud....I tried it and it is true!

I chose this new method to introduce to students on January 14th at my one day work shop at Galleries at Pecan Creek in Marble Falls. Everyone will start as a beginner with this product but I hope some advanced painters will join us for the fun. The small towns in Texas have amazing art connections and Marble Falls is no exception...enthusiasm runs deep! It is far more important than talent, in my opinion.

This is the image I chose to paint. Another scene from the beautiful Filoli Gardens in the Bay Area that we visit whenever out there. It never fails to provide me with several scenes to paint. If you follow my blog you will know my “Show Off” bloomed from a peony that grabbed my attention while there. In this latest painting, I added a little sign to remind others to go visit this place when in the San Francisco area. And the title is simply, "Pansies on the Steps".

Here are my Steps to “Steps...”

                                     1. Masking fluid was applied to all whites and other shapes that needed
            saving. Then yellow ochre was sprinkled and sprayed to show the sunny areas on the steps.

                             Terra cotta was brushed onto the clay pots

Lime green was used for the mossy areas on the steps and I began adding grays to show the shadowed steps and the wall behind the pots.

This may be all that can be accomplished in a 5 hour time period but here are the results after adding my darks and finishing details ....I like to wait at least one day to allow drying and some less stressed decision making as I finish a watercolor.

I hope you enjoy my "Pansies on the Steps"....it is bright and a ray of sunshine in the Winter months.