Cranberry Birchland Triptych

Acrylic on three 11"w x 14"h canvases
Click on image above to enlarge.
$350.00 Please contact Sivertson Gallery, Grand Marais to purchase.

When you just let go and paint expressively instead of micro-managing every brushstroke, good things can happen. As is the case with this piece, I found myself just wanting to view this piece for long periods of time when it was finished ... wondering how to recreate the effect and visual impact this piece possesses. From the deep cranberry reds in the foreground to the deeper cobalt blues in the distant background, this piece just has an honesty to it, a rugged presence that I wish could spill out into the rest of my work. Perhaps it will, perhaps this piece marks another milestone in my painting career, defining my style and shaping the body of my work down the road. Time will tell.

Conversing Cardinals

 Acrylic on three 6"w x 12"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
SOLD

This painting was so much fun I had a hard time sending it to the gallery!  I saved the cardinal faces for last, and I laughed as I finished these little guys as it seems as though the cardinal in the middle is agitated about something. I figure the cardinal on the right is making fun of him ... telling the cardinal on the left that the middle cardinal's feathers aren't as red as his... and the cardinal on the left agrees. lol. The cardinals are so striking with their red color, that the composition had to be set before the painting was begun. I originally planned for a solid blue background, but opted to add in some evergreen to the background and I'm really glad I did. The primary colors just pop. I'm planning a large 72"wx36"h triptych featuring cardinals that will take quite a while to finish, but after how this piece turned out, I can't wait to see the large triptych finished ... it will be my largest painting ever!

Through the Birches

Acrylic on 20"w x 16"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$250.00 Please contact Sivertson Gallery, Grand Marais to purchase.

I love looking through trees to view landscapes in the distance. Every artists has a certain way they see things ... and I see many fields of color through the trees, and the negative space between the trees becomes the focal point of the composition. This is another theme that runs through my work ... a lot of artists focus on the subject matter of their work and the background is a distant afterthought. In my work, the background is everything, and more often than not the background is the subject of my work. That's just how I see things. Oh, did you see the birch trees in this painting? I've been describing this work and I just noticed them. :) It isn't what you see ... it's how you see it ... see what I mean?

Bluestone Birch Diptych

Acrylic on two 11"w x 14"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$230.00 Please contact Sivertson Gallery, Grand Marais to purchase.

A recent theme of mine has been bluestone birches. I gave the title to this theme based on the blue stones along with the deep cobalt blue skies. Bluestone outcroppings are scattered throughout the forests here where I live, and in the past chunks of the stone have broken off and tumbled down the hills to land together in big bluestone bunches. Often, they form little walls in the woods, making the explorer have to decide to climb over them or walk around them. In this piece, the foreground is a simple burnt sienna textured field which gives the composition a grounded feel. Well I suppose it should, being that it's the ground after all. The texture is thick, the brushstrokes are crisp and this bluestone birch theme is very peaceful to work in. I will have some new work along this theme in the coming weeks.

Complementary Colored Cardinal

Acrylic on 12"w x 16"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$165.00 Please contact Sivertson Gallery, Grand Marais to purchase.

I just love this painting. I almost held onto this one, hard to let it go. I have a feeling this little gem will complement someone's décor ... complements of the cardinal. Please leave a comment if you'd like to share your compliments. Sorry, it's Friday ... must be a word play day.

Fall Five

Acrylic on 8"w x 10"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
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Painting a small canvas such as this 8x10" canvas puts the entire composition in the viewing range during painting, as opposed to small sections of a larger painting. Every painting has it's challenges and rewards, and the reward of the smaller scale is the sense of completion when the piece is finished and the thought behind the work is captured on canvas in one session. Larger works will take a week, and many hours are spent viewing an incomplete canvas ... wondering how it will look in the end. This painting features many elements I look for in the forest ... the crisp white birch trees with their signature fall golden leaves, the blue stones scattered about the brown forest floor with it's incredible range of texture and depth. The evening blue skies casting light on the birches as they drop their leaves. Perhaps I need to paint this on a larger scale, we'll see.

The weather is gorgeous now, highs in the upper 60's which is unseasonable, but we'll take it. :) The trees are starting to bud, spring will soon be here.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Maples

Acrylic on 16"w x 20"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$250.00 Please contact Sivertson Gallery, Grand Marais. to purchase.

As I was trying to decide what to title this painting I couldn't help but think that it reminded me of chocolate and cherries. I can't imagine why ... must be the color. ;) No, this painting is not edible, but it does feature three red maples against a deep ultramarine background. This delicious composition was inspired by a red maple I came across one day in the fall, and I found the cranberry colored leaves with the delectable brown bark of the tree simply appetizing ... a feast for the eyes. So I captured the red maple on canvas. Bon Appétit!

Golden Birch Ridges

Acrylic on 14"w x 11"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge. 

SOLD

Repetition is an important element to design and composition, and this piece carries a repetition of form, color, texture and technique. It's such a simple concept, yet in this painting I find my eye drawn around the composition in a circular motion. There is a rich depth again which is just happening, something that is emerging as I layer the paint, making it seem as though you are looking through the trees and there is distance between the elements. The golden leaves on the birch trees really bring out this illusion of space and depth ... teasing you to look more carefully to make sure this is not a three dimensional piece. Here I go again writing these deep concepts and ideas when really I just need to enjoy this piece before it finds itself a new home. And I won't repeat myself. ;)

Snowy Birches No. 1

Acrylic on 10"w x 8"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$65.00 Please contact Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth to purchase.

The first of two birch compositions, with snow gently falling in the background. I love how the snow and the black bark markings of the birch trees match each other, almost as if the black bark on the birch trees is falling too. 18" of snowfall last week here in Duluth may have influenced me to paint snow ya know. :)

The Stand

Acrylic on 11"w x 14"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$120.00 Please contact Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth to purchase.

I've been busy as of late putting finishing touches on several paintings. I had a burst of creativity and started almost a dozen canvases. Something that has never happened to me before, but I'm just rolling with it. This painting ended up with an incredible depth of texture with many transparent layers of color applied. When the depth of color gets this good, I find myself trying to replicate the effect, yet every painting is always different. Perhaps I shouldn't try to replicate but just enjoy the result ... A nice stand of birches basking in the last golden glow of the day.

Please return soon as new works will be uploaded on a regular basis.

What's ahead ...

 The annual Art for Earth Day Gallery Hop will be happening in mid April, along with a separate gallery hop of some new and super cool galleries in the Twin Ports on the same weekend. I'll have more information on these gallery hops as the information becomes available soon, but for now I'll have my hands full (of paint!) getting ready for my next show at the Blue Lake Gallery in Canal Park, Duluth. My work will hang in a space in their beautiful gallery for the Earth Day gallery hop. I have several pieces in mind to paint such as several triptychs and canvases ranging in size from 4"x4" on up to 72"x36". I will be limited in space in the gallery, but I will still plan to have a wide range of sizes and prices for people stopping by, and I plan to fill the space from floor to ceiling with 40-50 paintings. Look for paintings to be posted here in the next several weeks featuring new works for the show. :)

Tiny Red Maple Sunset No.1 and No. 2

Acrylic on 4"w x 4"h x 1.5"d canvases
Click on images to enlarge.
SOLD

Two pieces from the Prøve Collective Gallery Tiny Art show.

These two red Maple landscapes were painted in succession. I found myself stepping back as I worked on them, feeling like there was something to be accomplished by adding more color. I finished them, then went back later and added yet more red, and at first I thought I'd pushed them too far, but then I realized that the red color was needed. I just had to know how they would look ... and I'm glad I put forth the effort.

Tiny Red Maple Leaf

Acrylic on 4"w x 4"h x 1.5"d canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$20.00, please email me to purchase.

Another piece from the Prøve Collective Gallery Tiny Art show.

I was remembering fondly my hikes with my family this past fall through Lester Park and Lincoln Park in Duluth, exploring quiet riverbeds filled with fall foliage. I took many photos, which have helped me immensely with the color and composition of recent paintings. All of these tiny paintings have me thinking of expanding on the themes and ideas each painting represents. I'm already placing several leaves together in my mind, envisioning them as they would appear in a larger composition. So many ideas ... so little time ...

Tiny Red Sunset Rays

Acrylic on 4"w x 4"h x 1.5"d canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
SOLD

Another piece from the Prøve Collective Gallery Tiny Art show.

This painting packs a punch for being so small. Perhaps it's the old phrase 'The smaller the person ... the more space they occupy.' I just love the red sky, for a red sky at night is an artist's delight. 

Tiny Cardinal

Acrylic on 4"w x 4"h x 1.5"d canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
SOLD

This piece continues the red theme of my 'Tiny Art' pieces from the Prøve Collective Gallery Tiny Art show. The cardinal is looking up toward the sun, perhaps this piece conveys a longing for Spring in my own heart. The composition makes for nice movement, and the reds and greens compliment each other. I'm envisioning a large format piece, perhaps even a triptych, featuring many cardinals 'in conversation'. We'll see. I have a few more tiny art pieces to share through this week, then I'll be posting new work next week, I've been painting some 11"x14" birch landscapes which will be framed canvases that will be displayed at my upcoming show in April at the Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth.

Tiny Winterberry Diptych

Acrylic on 4"w x 4"h x 1.5"d canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
SOLD

There's quite a bit of movement in this tiny diptych that features winterberries. Repetition is created by the branches following along the same line created by distant evergreens in the background. The sky follows suit, sunlight sharing space with cool blues that compliment the bright red berries makes for a fun painting.