Gallery

It seems like every one of my paintings ends up a portrait, whether the sitter is a trusted horse or an old school friend or a favorite swimming pond. I like to work in thematic series.

I love painting people, but animals-other-than-human are truly my favorite subject. The “serious” art establishment tends to categorize work featuring animals as kitsch, but that is truly elitist nonsense. I merely hold up Rosa Bonheur, John Banovich, and Walton Ford (among so many others) in response.

When I start a new artwork, it just seems obvious whether I should use oils, gouache, or Aquarelles, and how big to make it. I primarily paint on various sturdy papers & wood and boards.

Please click on any thumbnail below to see the full image. Enjoy!

People Portraits

I like David Hockney’s approach to portraiture, in that he doesn’t obsess over likeness but goes for the essence of his subject. This is inspirational, and I always hope to achieve the spirit of my sitter, yet I remain concerned that my painting looks like the person it’s representing. I grow so fond of my subject, and I always hope he or she will feel warmly toward their portrait.

“Meus Frater.” Gouache w/ conté, 11 x 8.5 in.

“Muscle (Eric).” Gouache w/ ink & graphite, 20 x 30 in.

“Nauta." Gouache w/ graphite, 13 x 24.5 in.

“Ayse.” Conté crayon, 18 x 26 in.

"Lovely Ronan." Watercolor w/ graphite. 4 x 4 in.

"Self Portrait (Gravity Leaves Its Mark) (In Anno LIII)." Conté pencil w/ graphite. 7 x 10 in.

Livestock series

This entire series of livestock portraits is done in gouache on board. My subjects are 100% individuals with their own character and personality. The eye contact is essential as they engage the viewer with their assertion of self. The relationship between farm animals and humans is fraught, and there is an opportunity for dialogue here.

“Chicken (Hen) (Jolie).” Gouache, 11 x 14 in.

“Goat (Goldie).” Gouache, 8 x 8 in.

“Cow (Kai).” Gouache, 16 x 20 in.

“Horse (John) (Rex Equorum).” Gouache, 16 x 20 in.

“Sheep (Shep).” Gouache, 8 x 8 in

Cats series

For some reason I keep running into tabby cats and Scottish Folds.

"Pia." Oil on board, 8 x 8 in.

“JJ & Playa.” Gouache, 22 x 16 in.

“Ulysses.” Oil on board, 31 x 27 in.

“Lincoln (Stars & Stripes).” Oil on board, 34 x 29 in.

Dogs series

Go to any major museum and see how many dogs you can count in paintings and drawings and prints and sculpture. You’ll be surprised!

“Cary (Rex Regum).” Gouache w/ ink & graphite, 12.25 x 18.5 in.

“Hope.” Graphite, 4.5 x 2.5 in.

“Bones.” Gouache w/ Aquarelle & graphite, 19.5 x 29.5 in.

“Tink.” Gouache, 28 x 22 in.

“Toby.” Watercolor w/ colored pencil, 6 x 4.5 in.

“Oscar." Graphite, 4.5 x 2.5 in.

Bison

You must pass what was formerly known as the National Bison Range to get to my grandfather’s cattle ranch on the Flathead Reservation in Montana. Today, the range is back in the hands of the Confederated Salish & Kootenai tribes, where it belongs. Is there a creature more emblematic of the West than the buffalo? This animal is called Qʷeyqʷay in the Salish tongue (pronounced kway-kway). I’m working on another buffalo portrait now.

“Halvorson Buffalo.” Gouache, 8 x 8 in

"Buffalo Nickel." Ink, Aquarelle on canvas. 8 x 8 in.

Artifacts

I spent the 2000s as an archaeologist of ancient cultures around the Mediterranean. For several summers, I excavated a Roman temple site in central Anatolia, dedicated to the goddess Cybele, with a Belgian team from Gent Universiteit. I was the only American and the only woman. The Turkish locale was extremely remote, the work hot & difficult, and I’d go back in a heartbeat. I’ve also been fortunate enough to be the staff illustrator for different sites in Greece. My work illustrating artifacts in the studio brings me back to the dust and the heat.

“Marble Lady A.” Ink. 10.75 x 7 in.

“Green Bronze Mask.” Ink & gouache w/ Aquarelle, 9.75 x 6.75 in.

"Marble Horse Head A." Ink, gouache. 9 x 12 In.

"Comic Mask." Ink & gouache. 8 x 5.5 in.

“Janus (Double Herm).” Ink & gouache, 10 x 8.5 in.

Places

Recording in a sketchbook is far more natural to me than using a camera. I bring art supplies wherever I travel. I’m an early-morning person, so there is always time to do a painting before anyone else wakes up.

I like to throw supplies in a backpack and take my little motorcycle down our back country roads until I find an idyllic spot to paint. Kind men in trucks pull over to ask if I’m okay. I need to put up a sign that says, “I’m fine. Just painting.”

It’s also nice to stay home and capture life on the farm.

“Red Rocks, Sedona.” Aquarelle w/ ink & graphite, 5 x 8 in.

“Pond on Wing Road.” Gouache w/ graphite, 5 x 8 in.

“Mirbeau Pond, Skaneateles, New York.” Gouache, 5 x 8 in.

“Blair Hill Inn, Greenville, Maine.” Gouache, 6 x 4 in.

“Bush on Betty Way (Dead End, West Hollywood)." Gouache, 5 x 8 in.

“Summer on the Shunpike.” Gouache w/ pen, colored pencil, graphite, 10 x 13 in.

“Pond Near South Berwick, Maine.” Gouache, 6 x 4 in.

“The Norumbega, Camden, Maine.” Gouache, 6 x 4 in.

“Hydrangeae, Plymouth, Massachusetts.” Gouache w/ colored pencil, 7 x 4.75 in.

"Garden of the Gods, Colorado." Gouache w/ ink. 4 x 3 in.

"Goat Barn w/ Blue Bucket." Aquarelle w/ graphite. 8 x 8 in.

"Giant Sloth, La Brea Tar Pits, Los Angeles." Gouache w/ graphite. 8 x 8 in.

"Rosalie Bay, Dominica (Angouti in the Jungle)." Ink pen. 5 x 8 in.

"In the New Studio." Gouache. 5 x 8 in.

"Southern Icelandic Coast with View to the Westman Islaands." Gouache. 3 x 6 in.

"Big Tree of Brill Hollow." Gouache. 5 x 8 "

"Beaver Dam on Cold Spring Creek, Stanfordville (Shoshana's Pond)." Aquarelle, graphite, pen. 5 x 8 in.

"Second & Alexandrine." Gouache w/ graphite. 5 x 8 In.

Sketchbook

Sometimes a little picture comes from the moment (my brother reading in a chair), and sometimes a piece serves a purpose (like expressing love to a Valentine).

Often, I stop mid-project to do a completely unrelated sketch or drawing. I used to fight these urges, telling myself, “I have to work,” but now I indulge them and see where they lead.

Here’s a sampler of recent pages from various sketchbooks.