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.

picket

31 x 14”
acrylic on wood with Victorian trim
2000.

A blue jay perches amid the branches, taking time to observe our actions. An old Victorian trim at the base acts like a picket fence, in subtle metaphor to our dreams of the perfect home. Perhaps, the jay is a harbinger saying, “I have learned to live with your choices. Could you make better ones for those of us in the trees, please?”

 
 

turning point

30 x 16”
acrylic on wood with formica inlays
1500.

A song bird, in calm neutrals, pauses quietly on an off-white meadow. The viewer is invited to think about Man alongside Nature as kitchen table formica inlays are the color of earth tones on a six-sided hexagon. This chosen shape hints at the mathematical forms of the universe. The number six symbolizes divine power and Creation. A soft blue-sky orb acts is an an ode to the earth, sometimes called the blue marble.”

so bee it

10.5 x 36.5”
acrylic on wood with rolling marbles
1500.

This horizontal painting of buzzing bud and bee plays homage the energy of living things, emphasizing abundance found in a meadow. The cycle of life simply rolls by us each season. Marbles on an added art shelf signal the beauty of the giant blue marble we live on.

 

botany ball                           

28 x 18”
acrylic on wood with color-scope ruler
1400.

A colorful, kaleidoscopic ball drops from above. We wonder what it might do when it lands after it cascades through a kind of fertile cosmos. This quirky abstract plays with the beauty of circles. It represents the potential for life to come.

 

heft                           

28 x 18”
acrylic on wood with wooden inlay
1600.

A eurythmic figure pulled from a 1930’s design book, feels the heft of the earth.

A bluebird of happiness observes the scene, knowing more than Man about the mystery of life. Now, more than ever, we might be feeling the weight of responsibility toward our planet. If so, that is a good thing. To not feel anything, or to not have awareness, would mean we walk in complete ignorance on the journey we call life.

field & stream | SOLD

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.

woodland guru

36 x 46”
acrylic on canvas with old parts
2400.

An owl pauses amid a woodland to spy our goings-on. Jennifer Ackerman in her book, What an Owl Knows, says they are the world’s most enigmatic birds. I love painting them because every time I do, I am more amazed by the mystery that surrounds them and how much their presence teaches us.

celestial interludes              

37 x 18”
acrylic on wood 
2000.

A celestial figure honors birdlife in this painting, inspired by figures from 1930 murals and architectural walls. To place a heavenly messenger from heaven below a female cardinal in the thicket, signals that the most significant, even spiritual, things in life are simple and often very close at hand.

 

ring around the posey | SOLD

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.

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.

 

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.

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 | SOLD

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.

 

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.

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.