Category Archives: Ars gratia Artis

Jojoba and Ferocactus

While in Arizona I try to hike every day. The temperature is still below 70 degrees F. during the day, perfect for walking. I walk in one of the Maricopa County Regional Parks, a wild and varied landscape with lots of rocks, animals and plants. I’m always looking for my next painting when I’m there.

Eastern Bracken Fern

The Eastern Bracken Fern is found in the Adirondacks of New York State. It’s a deciduous rhizome that appears in spring, lives and spreads in the summer, looses its fronds in the fall, winters underground and then starts it all again when the earth thaws. This painting shows the fern in early spring.

Large Mouth Bass

This large mouth bass is painted at a scale of 1.5:1 which means the live one was bigger by half. They can grow really big and don’t like to be caught, putting up a strong fight. The husband caught him, I photoed him and he was released back into the Upstate New York Lake fromContinue reading “Large Mouth Bass”

Small Mouth Bass

Small Mouth Bass are found in waters of the US, north to south East to west. The fish shown here was caught in the Adirondack Park in New York. It’s a little unusual in that it was a yellow ocher color. Most are in the green grey range. Perhaps the anomaly can be explained byContinue reading “Small Mouth Bass”

Chain Pickerel

This fish is found in the New York Adirondacks as well as a lot of other waters throughout the US. The one I painted is represented full size although it’s a small example. Ted caught it, I took its picture and then he returned to the cold water to swim again, hopefully a wiser fishContinue reading “Chain Pickerel”

Water Plants

I painted a masonite board with QOR watercolor ground which allows me to paint on a surface that, untreated, will not absorb the watercolor pigments. After an under painting of watercolor, I filled in shading and detail with casein, a more durable water media.  Usually I use 140 or 300# watercolor paper. Comparing the hardboard groundContinue reading “Water Plants”