Original Paintings

According to Susan: The well known artist Matisse once said that one of his great aims in life was to produce paintings that would fit over a sofa. I like that idea. I like the idea of creating paintings that will hang in someone's house, available all the time for contemplation, to meditate upon, and in order to enjoy the nuances that can only be found by living with art.

Producing my oil paintings are a completely different endeavor than making my watercolors. They are done thru full-body movements, more like a dance, or an activity that releases my mind and soul . I have been painting for so many years now, that I am always looking for a painting that I have never seen, and have never painted myself. To this end, I have become very experimental with my media. I like to use materials that do not mix, similar to the way oil on water do not readily mix. Images appear as the paints flow into each other. The trick is to stop the flow where I want it to.

Sometimes accidents happen, and I try to incorporate these accidents into the paintings. As these paintings take form, they suggest different ideas and images to me, and I will often go with the flow as it happens. I am influenced by what I am wearing, what I am feeling, what is happening in the world at the moment, my ideas of life , and, of course, the music. The paintings are emotional and seem to touch people on a very deep level.

Click on any image to enlarge it and enjoy the slide show

Big Rock - a five part painting

Each panel is 43" high x 32 " wide, 18 feet long assembled, oil on canvas.

This painting was conceived as a piece which may be used as a 5-part painting, or each piece may be used separately or in other combinations. It can go around corners, or up stairs, or be used on the high walls of condo lofts and Great Rooms. This piece is available as giclee, printed on canvas. The coloring may be enhanced if desired.

Birth & Rebirth

Size: 48" high x 84" wide, oil on canvas.

This painting consists of many subtle layers of color, with abstracted images of water spray and botanical flower parts as accents. There is a subtle border around the entire painting making a frame unnecessary.

Cascade

Size: 40" high x 54" wide, mixed media on canvas.

As I was painting this piece my ideas kept changing. There are many paintings under the final image giving the canvas a heavy texture, much like rock. The image is an abstraction of energy flowing down mountains. The colors are neutral, with small glimpses of corals, blues and greens creeping through from the earlier paintings, and a few touches of glitter. The whites are overlays of oil crayons which catch the texture of the under-painting and make this a contemplative and mysterious painting.

Copper Abstraction

Size: 46" high x 54" wide, mixed media on canvas.

I was experimenting with roofing tar, glitter, copper & gold powders, papers, oil sticks and acrylic paints. This image appeared. The texture is complex - deep and rich - and engages the viewer in a visceral way. This technique is unique to my work.

Green Pond

Size: 48" high x 36" wide, oil on canvas.

An energetic mood engulfed me and in a fit of inspiration I decided to paint over a perfectly good painting. The music was good, and this is what came out - pure energy. To me, this painting is like looking deep into the interior of the soul, with the light shining from within. It is dramatic, and may be hung upside down or sideways.

Hearts and Flowers

Size: custom, oil on canvas (detail) with oil paint textured background.

This painting has been sold but I included it to show flowers rendered in a realistic style. This technique is unique to my work. A painting like this can be produced on commission with the colors and floral images desired.

Magnolia

Size: 48" high x 38" wide, oil on canvas.

This painting is displayed in Infinity Studio, A realistic flower against an abstracted background. The colors are soft greens and earthy brown-pinks and rose. This type of painting could also be done in watercolors or commissioned in this same style.

Rashid

Size: 60" high x 50" wide, oil on canvas. This painting definitely needs a beautiful frame.

My friend Rashid Lanie, the famous composer-pianist, who stayed in my studio for a year or so, once said to me "why don't you ever paint in red?" He was playing the piano, and to join in the fun, I started to paint to his music, and this is what came out. It is dedicated to his calm nature and beautiful music.

Secret Pool

Size: 34" high x 54" wide, oil on canvas.

When I lived in Mariner's Village in Marina Del Ray, just south of Venice California, I was surrounded by beautiful landscapes, waterfalls, parks and pools with many ducks. This pool was right outside my door, next to a curved bridge, and under a waterfall. The colors are rich and dark, with glimpses of red and yellows.

Columbia River Waterfall

Size: 48" high x 72" wide, oil on canvas.

When I visited my son David in his new home in Washington, we went on a trip and had a picnic right next to this waterfall. His children played and went under the waterfall. I came home and wanted to work for a long time on a painting to relive the memories of that trip. This piece was painted over a heavily textured background and probably took 6 months to paint - a little at a time. I wanted to paint a somewhat realistic but abstracted painting to represent my feelings of being in Washington. The feeling is dynamic, and yet, somewhat serene. There must be twenty shades of green - conveying the feeling I have while being surrounded by Mother Nature. This was the last time David was outside. He died of cancer a few months later. This painting helped me to keep my sanity. This piece is available as a giclee on canvas, sized as you desire.

We All Stand Alone

Size: 31" high x 46" wide, oil on canvas.

This is a symbolic representation of my feelings about life in this dimension. The sky is active, and the rock is strong, bathed in the light.

White Mountain

Size: 40" high x 50" wide, mixed media on canvas.

This is an experimental work utilizing roofing tar, white gesso and glitter in addition to the paint. It is heavily textured, neutral in color with flashes of greens and rose peeking through. It may be hung upside -down which gives you an entirely different image, more like a far-away-scene of trees and rocks. These experimental paintings have different meanings to different people, they are open to individual interpretation.

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