wetlander

16 x 47”
acrylic on wood with weathered inlay 
2400.

A pelican on dark water floats with ease as an abstraction of water at twilight accompanies this bird’s age-old form. A weathered mid panel houses a warm orb, acting like a sun, yet also bringing a touch of the modern into the painting.

field & stream

30 x 13”
acrylic on wood with children’s fishing rod
1500.

This two-part painting of pheasant and bass acknowledges land and water critters who are the object of prey. I like to think there are sports men and women who, when getting to know the natural world better, let these creatures live more often than ending them. I have known ferreters who become poets and humanitarians over bounty hunters as the earth guides them to the meaningful parts of themselves.

 

meander

38 x 19”
acrylic on wood with inlaid weathered strips
2200.

This three-part image captures slow-moving river creatures whose habitat is known as a meander. This painting in ode to simple waterways, hints at life cycle whereby each living form and species is connected to our own balance and well-being.

ring around the posey

41 x 30.5”
acrylic on canvas
2400.

This lively abstract of wild poppies burgeoning on some fertile ground, toys with a natural setting. Three golden rings are thrown into the image, wrapping themselves around stem and bloom. Three is a sacred number and gold is a symbol of longevity. This painting is about wishing for just that, for wild poppies and all natural entity to continue to thrive as it has for millions of years, long before Man showed up.

 

free will

33 x 22”
acrylic on wood within aluminum trim
2200.

This soft abstract pays homage to the tender renewal of new life in earthly places. Seedling and root have a will of their own each spring and we, too, find ways to move forward through trial and tribulation, doing our best to believe in goodness.

picket

31 x 14”
acrylic on wood with old architectural form
2000.

This abstract of a wild flowers gone to seed exudes a feeling of nostalgia and wistfulness. A remnant of bric-a-brac adorns the patch of growth, reminiscent of the so-called dream of a picket fence around the place we call home.

 

bel canto

22.5 x 14.5”
acrylic on wood within rustic metal pattern
1500.

This old metal part wanted to pay homage to the flow and flight of birdlife. A yellow finch pauses amid the brambles, making us feel a sensation of fresh air and clean color components. Bel canto means “beautiful song.”

riverside

18.5 x 49”
acrylic on wood
2600.

This double painting, housing a clean color pattern of riverside pods captures living plant life along the banks of a waterway. The riverside is where peace abides and where one is baptized. In the song “Study War no More,”Pete Seeger agrees.

home & hearth

35 x 41”
acrylic on canvas with old valance detail
2700.

Catkins or pussy willows are the first sign of spring in wild open places with their white buds of softness. There is nothing too showy about them, yet this is their appeal as an understated stem sought after to adorn mantels or interiors as the seasons turn. A hand-carved vintage oval brings nostalgic warmth and domesticity  to the painting.

 

roulette

37” diameter
acrylic on wood with old wire overlay
2200.

This quirky spin on traditional painting, finds meaning in garden-like abstraction caged behind  a metal industrial fan cover. Four solid colors flow around the composition, attempting to ground things, but the feeling this fun ode to Nature brings, won’t quiet down in its designer playfulness. Care for the earth on the larger stage seems a game of roulette, yet every individual foot print counts. Small eco-actions are significant gifts.

butterfly effect

15 x 20”
acrylic on wood with 1970’s computer emblem inlay
1200.

For those of us that watched Halt and Catch Fire, a film series based on the history of the computer, we know these retro emblems mark the start of advanced technology found on large computerized machines. When placed alongside the natural life of the chrysalis, an interesting dichotomy occurs.

top of the world

19 x 32”
acrylic on wood with weathered panel
1600.

This colorful incline represents all rising places that lift the spirit and make us feel whole.  A blue bird of happiness pauses on a windswept day to remind us of the beauty of the planet which can  also be seen in the weathered redwood panel below – housing a natural round opening that becomes a symbol of the earth itself.

atonement

36 x 43”
acrylic on canvas with wooden inlays
Mary Vaughan & Rachel Dufour
2400.

This large owl head is ecologically disconcerting with a deliberate stare-down, if not showdown with Man. From the beautiful antique panel, reminiscent of a wing pattern, to a small veiled window acting like a confessional booth, the message here is one of atonement. Creatures like the Almighty are forgiving, but only if we change our actions toward the environment in an all-too serious moment in time.

still on the roses

25 x 42”
acrylic on wood and statuette of old Victorian lamp parts
Mary Vaughan & Rachel Dufour
3500.

This nostalgic painting of burgeoning garden by Vaughan and a timeless cherub crafted by Dufour is as wistful a vestige as they come. Here, the past is present, signaling a continuum of beauty within the song of the earth. The title comes from a line in the gospel hymn “In the Garden” written in 1912 by C. Austin Mills.

 

master gardener | SOLD

12 x 44”
acrylic on wood with toy gardening tools
2200.

This abstract diptych (two paintings), captures deep root and abundance yielded by damp soil. Look closely to find six insects creating visual buzz. This playful piece is ode to all gardeners who understand the way gardens cultivate peaceful states of being. Jacques Cousteau once said the way to prevent all future war was to teach all ten year olds how to garden.

 

strays

21 x 31”
acrylic on wood with stainless rim
2200.

A blanket of brambles on a forest floor grow randomly like stray arteries in this abstraction. The intuitive feeling here is on-going life form and tenacity found in mud, seed and bloom. Plants are infinitely in continuum despite the human footprint.

floret | SOLD

16.5 x 10.5”
acrylic on wood with weathered panel
800.

A songbird pauses on some wooded tier amid flora and fauna. This small, winged creature looks directly at us, symbolizing a fleeting of passage through its own quick movement of grace and joy.

 

balancing act | SOLD

25 x 13.5”
acrylic on wood with old green level
600.

Good omens come in the form of hummingbirds in this image. An old green level weights the base of the picture as the tree-swift moves in for a landing on burgeoning green. The idea within this painting is a balancing act between Nature and human beings.

hop sing

42 x 16”
acrylic on wood with vintage Chinese checkers
3000.

This vibrant painting of an oriole hopping from twig to stem was inspired by this nostalgic board game. This songbird’s morning song alongside Man’s recreation is perfect metaphor to life as the game, and in that act of living, playing it well.

 

God’s courier

37 x 16”
acrylic on wood
3000.

This soft-toned painting is composed on the vertical for a reason. Cardinals are messengers from heaven, thus, a tall canvas is closer to the ethereal. This piece suggests life is full of miracle, just as the after-life is full of mystery.

coming up roses

32 x 16”
acrylic on wood
3000.

This abstract of roses gone to seed, beginning to emerge from a patch of fertile green, leaves the viewer with a sense of life force. Everything about this image suggests abundance and the beauty of burgeoning earth. It was painted after a visit to Monet’s home and the lush gardens of Giverny.

 

turning point

30 x 16”
acrylic on wood built as hexagon with formica inlays
2000.

This ode to the chickadee in soft neutrals invites the viewer to think about Man alongside Nature. Formica inlays are the color of earthtones as a hexagon hints at the mathematical forms of the universe. All things are interwoven and part of the whole. The number six symbolizes Creation and the idea of divine power.

underwood

40.5 x 70”
acrylic on wood with ash wood underlay by Jack Sandeen
for the offices of Ann Heckman – Central Dental Group
Hastings, Nebraska
NFS

The tones and abstractions of root, soil, wood and earth in this painting are inspired by the Platte River. The intuitive intention here is fertile ground, where new life comes from the breakdown of the old. Unexpected crevices, flaws and random brambles are suggestive in this overall organic painting made more meaningful by the beauty of Sandeen’s worn, polished wood piece attached at the base.

dream weaver | SOLD

15 x 35”
acrylic on wood within an old loom panel
2000.

Finding this unusual loom part with delicate wire work, inspired a delicacy of feeling through roots and soft brambles of earth, painted with ease. After the house sparrow was added to this piece, to my amazement, I discovered they are called “weaverbirds” and symbolize Creation.