Plein air watercolor of the Santa Fe sky
Two sketchbook spreads, watercolor studies of the sky looking west from Santa Fe International Hostel over a 24 hour period in late July at 11am and at 7pm.
watercolor
Watercolor study of Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park
Watercolor study of Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park, from March 5, 2019, in the morning. Pencil and watercolor, about a thirty minute sketch.
Watercolor sketch after Giorgio Morandi, Natura Morta
A watercolor sketch after Italian master Giorgio Morandi, of his Natura Morta, at the University of Iowa Museum of Art.
Morning plein air watercolor looking west in Madras, Oregon
An early morning plein air watercolor made on the northern slope of Canyon Road in Madras, Oregon. Inset sketch of pottery and baskets from the nearby Museum at Warm Springs.
Watercolor of Old Chariton river near Callao, Missouri
A watercolor sketch from the river bank of the Old Chariton. The boys are near the center of the picture, walking down river far in the distance. It was a hot day, and the river was down pretty far. You couldn’t hear yourself think for the drone of the cicada.
Gouache and pencil sketchbook page of Martin Shannon
A watercolor, gouache and pencil sketchbook page spread of the main character from my father’s book, Martin Shannon. Also, notes from my son’s first trip to Chicago: daily agends; restaurant recommendations from strangers at the Art Institute; observations of artworks (“Sargeant’s muted late Florida watercolor make the viewer imagine the missing light”); and so on.
Mount of the Holy Cross from Quandry trail in Colorado
A plein air watercolor and pencil sketch of the beautiful view from below Quandry peak, of the Mount of the Holy Cross. September 2018
Martin Shannon gulfcoast bookjacket sketches
Two watercolor sketch ideas for Dad’s bookjacket, but–while I like the feel–this wasn’t a good fit for the book content. Too tropical, too Robinson Crusoe.
Watercolor and ink sketch of photographer Eli Haman
A watercolor and ink portrait of Hallmark photographer Eli Haman.
Watercolor sketch of artist Ken Sheldon
A watercolor portrait of artist Ken Sheldon. I particularly noticed the cast pink shadow behind his ear, translucent from the strong light.
Watercolor sketch of Monkey Face at Smith’s Rock, Oregon
A watercolor sketch of the beautiful summit at Smith’s Rock, Oregon. What a great hike that was, in such a beautiful part of the country.
Watercolor sketch of analyst Mackenzie
A watercolor portrait of analyst Mackenzie Hine. This was a very fortunate little sketch and not a bad likeness, either.
Watercolor of cows grazing across from Mauk’s field
A somewhat traditional watercolor landscape of Herefords grazing in a Kansas field on an early July evening.
Protection and Detection Chemical Warfare talk at the National WWI Museum
A sobering overview of the historical usage of chemical weapons usage during WWI, the Iraq wars, and the recent chemical atrocities by Syria and Russia. With former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and retired General Richard Myers, Dr. Tom Sack, President and CEO of MRIGlobal, and Dr. Ron Trewyn, the National Bio and Agro-defense […]
Temptation of St. Anthony, after Teniers
A gouache study after David Teniers’ painting at the Minneapolis Institute Of Art. Teniers (and his workshop) painted this charming moralistic set-piece from the medieval Golden Legend several times during the later half of the 17th century.
Watercolor painting of Sundown Lake in Iowa
A watercolor landscape using my diamond framework. This was made on the shore, as a rainstorm came in from the west end of the lake.
St. Joseph State Park, Florida beach watercolor
#morning #watercolor and #pencil of the superlative #gulf #beach at St. Joseph State Park in #florida
Watercolor sketch of crabapple, western red cedar trees
2016 #Watercolor #sketch looking north at Evangel Presbyterian during #Presbytery break. #crabapple, #westernredcedar
Sketch menu from Jarochos in Armourdale
#watercolor #sketch of Chef Falcon’s seafood choices at @Jarochos in Armourdale, Kansas.
Abstracted figure observing light 1
A small watercolor study of an idealized man looking at early light through a partially open window.
Ellen Junger
A 40 minute watercolor and pencil sketch of retiring Hallmark officer Ellen Junger. 9×12″.
Four Figures, 3rd State
Whether I destroy this or save it, I don’t care. I’m finishing this tonight. Tired of it taking up space in my studio/head.
Temptation of St. Anthony composition watercolor
A compositional watercolor sketch for a planned larger watercolor on board, after the Nelson Atkins Museum’s Temptation of St. Anthony by Jan Wellens de Cock.The original is so dominated by architecture that it appears to be a theatrical set, and the painting–instead of a being a didactic aid to private devotion–is rather depicting the crisis of an actual morality play.
Red Crow Brewing Patio
A quick india ink and watercolor sketch of Bill Burns and Curt Mauk enjoying a beer on the patio of Red Crow Brewing, in Stillwell, KS.
Four Figures watercolor, state 2
This is the second state of a large watercolor I’m working, Four Figures. This is very large compared to the scale I’m used to working in, and it feels like I’m progressing at a glacial pace.
Four figures watercolor study
I was looking at and thinking of Witold Wojtkiewicz (1879-1909) and his painting, Christ and the Children, when I was painting this small study for a larger work I have planned, Four Figures.
Plein air watercolor of Fort DeSoto beach
As I improve as a plein air painter, I one of the things I have begun to better “see” is color, like the late afternoon sun casting royal blue shadows in the white sand of the beach of Fort DeSoto Park, a county park just south of Tampa. Prettier than most state parks we’ve camped in, Fort DeSoto offers beautiful, palm-treed campsites […]
Garden house watercolor
Pencil, watercolor wash. 8 x 10″, 1.5 hours. Today was a cool, overcast day. I did this using a well-loved Rosemary Kolinsky instead of my slightly-more-convenient watercolor pen. Having to recharge in a water glass with a much larger brush forced me to think about the application of water and so, think about the marks themselves. The result was a slower, sparser, better […]
As Moses Lifted Up The Serpent
A sketchbook page in watercolor and pencil, 8×5″. After William Blake’s superb 1803 watercolor on the subject of John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
Memorial Day sketchbook: Assyrian Sphinx “Memory” at Liberty Memorial
This Memorial Day, our family again visited a gem of Kansas City: Liberty Memorial, the national World War I museum and memorial. It was a beautiful day with speeches and a band and color guards, lots of vets and active duty service members, and reenactment soldiers and nurses in historical dress. During it all, I […]
Theoreo
The Greek theoreo (theh-o-reh’-o) is used throughout the New Testament. Apparently we get the word “theater” from it. It denotes the act of observing at a distance, watching.
Barbossa And His Apples
Remember that scene from Pirates Of The Caribbean, where Captain Barbossa leers strangely at the starving Elizabeth Swann as she eats an apple? “The apple is poisoned,” you think. “Or cursed! Barbossa’s trying to kill her!” But nothing about the look on Barbossa’s face suggests prurience or malice. Then it hits you. “He can’t taste food. He’s tasting the […]
The weight of glory
This is a small watercolor sketch from my journal, describing an image I had in my head regarding Lewis’s concept of the “weight of glory”. The pathetic man, riding on the back of his flesh, cannot escape the reality of God’s glory. Though I do regret the “superstar!” pose of the nondescript heavenly being, there is some […]