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When I was fifteen my mother took me with her to an oil painting class taught by Francis Bond, a 78-year old motorcycle riding wonder, and I was introduced to painting.  Prior to that I worked with charcoal and drew many things that caught my interest.  I gave my first oil painting to my father as a gift and did several more paintings after that.  Art creations went on hold so I could raise a large family.

In 1988, when my youngest child was six years old,  I took started painting in watercolors and have done several hundred watercolor paintings in the past 28 years.  Several months ago I decided to try acrylics.  I chose them over oils because of the faster drying time and the fact that acrylics have no odors.  I am the featured artist at Avenue West Gallery in May, so I decided to do all new paintings and to do them in acrylics. 

My first acrylic painting is that of a serene lake scene "Serenitiy".  I had a great deal of fun creating this piece.  Working with acrylics is quite different from either watercolors or oils.  Acrylics are less fluid that watercolors and you usually start with darks and work with lights later.  These paints are similar to oils except they dry much faster, as I mentioned before.  I love the richness of the paint. 

Because I haven't taken any classes or workshops in acrylic painting I had to use the internet for advice when I had a question about this medium.  There are so many videos and blogs on this subject so it wasn't hard to find answers to my questions.

I have always been interested in wheels, cogs, and sprockets.  My friend Dennis Mott took a wonderful photo inside the Rice Grist Mill in the Norris Dam State Park in Tennessee.  With his permission, I used his photo as a reference for my second acrylic painting "The Old Grist Mill".  I also did another painting of the other side of this wheel plus several others, to include this delightful painting of an egret titled "His Majesty".  I love birds and this one captured on film by Alma Drain was perfect for a painting.

My favorite of the series of paintings that include a lake, a sunset, a meadow of flowers, etc. is "Retired".  I visited Strawberry Hill Farm with my husband last fall and saw an old manure spreader sitting off to the side of the parking lot.  I am fascinated with wheels, cogs, sprockets, and gears, so the thought of painting this wagon really appealed to me.  I shot several reference photos from different angles and chose the angle that shows the large wheel.  With all the detail in the wagon, the wheels, etc. this painting took me over 50 hours to complete.  I enjoyed every minute of the process.

As I was working on the group of paintings for my show my brother-in-law saw this small painting of a boat resting on the sand.  He bought it from me for my niece and then I receive two commission orders before I could return to the group of paintings I was working on.  I was delighted to receive the orders and enjoyed painting another boat scene and a scene with a meadow of flowers.

I have no plans to give up painting with watercolors, however I do plan to paint often with acrylics.  I really enjoy working with them and love the richness of the finished products.

If you live in, or around, Spokane, Washington, please stop by Avenue West Gallery at 907 W. Boone, Suite B during the month of May and see my new group of acrylic paintings.  I will have some watercolors on display as well.  The artist reception is May 6, 2016 from 5 pm to 8:30 pm.  I hope to see you there.

I leave you with encouragement to go out and enjoy the beautiful spring flowers and trees, wherever you live.  God has certainly given us amazing creations to enjoy.

                    "Offerings of Spring"