I am very lucky to have a cabin studio off the grid in Alaska.
Not only can I see mountains from the porch, my cabin studio is also surrounded by a forest filled with birds and berries.?It is just what I need for getting work done.
Highbush Cranberry, watercolor, 12 x 16
This Highbush Cranberry is tart but flavorful, and full of bright red juice. I cut these samples a few hundred yards from my ?cabin studio.
Note: Highbush Cranberry will be available at Pink Raven Studio gallery?in September, starting September 2, 2016. ?Please drop in and see it in person!
Rosehips, watercolor, 10 x 7
The rose blossoms are gone, but?here is the fruit, with leaves already showing signs of approaching autumn. This specimen also grew near the cabin.
Amanita, watercolor and ink, 10 x 7, ?SOLD
This Amanita mushroom?still has some of the forest richness attached. It catches the eye with its bright cap, but it isn't safe to eat. Better to gather?some of the many edible mushroom varieties that grow in the Alaskan forests.
Robin's Nest, pastel pencil, charcoal, and graphite, 12 x 16
The robin built her nest in the eaves of the studio cabin. We took it down after the chicks were fledged, since it appeared about to fall off its shelf. ?We found the?egg on a footpath about 10 minutes away, probably part of a different nest.
I love nests. This one has an orderly architecture of mud and dried grasses.
Black Cap Chickadee Nest with Eggs, silverpoint on prepared paper, 9 x 12
This specimen is from outside our house in Anchorage. We found it fallen from a tree, eggs all quite cold and some broken. In order to use them as models, I had to blow out their contents, difficult with an egg the size of the small joint of my little finger, but I managed it.
The nest and eggs are?delicate and light, perfect for a rendering in silverpoint.
Rather than show you another photo in my series, How it Looks in a Frame, here is something completely different.
In 2010 I painted two still life arrangements of Alaska vegetables,?to promote Community Supported Agriculture in Alaska. My paintings were scanned and blown up to fit on the sides of a truck being used by one of our Mat-Su Valley farms. I saw the truck around town for about a year, then it disappeared. Perhaps it is somewhere else in Alaska. If you see the truck please let me know!
In the meantime, the original painting, Alaska Produce #2, (24"w x 12"h) is available on this website.
Be?the first to see my new work, videos, and posts.
Scroll down to subscribe to my Newsletter, and receive a thank you gift: ?a free album of my drawings.
Interested in acquiring my work? You will find prices and terms on the?Purchase?page. You can also contact me, I will be happy to assist you.
Being a working artist has its joys and challenges, but, through it all, your support and encouragement sustain me.?Thank you so much for being my audience.