"Red Ball"

My sister and I were very close in age, and early on, she took it upon herself to become my personal tutor. She drilled me on my facts and figures, and was the person who, along with the aid of a paper turtle clock complete with hands, taught me how to tell time. Although I was a proficient reader early on, this particular skill eluded me well into elementary school! Long before she studied photography officially and became a photography teacher, my sister was skilled in composition and design and all things visual. I on the other hand, had no sense of design or composition, and my snapshots invariably turned out black! She has been giving me photography tips ever since. This snapshot she took peaked my interest, and she graciously allowed me to paint a picture from her photo. "Red Ball" is a large scale acrylic painting on paper, 38" x 50" completed in 1980.

"Still Life with Shell"

One day when I was walking to a drawing class at the San Francisco Art Institute I spotted a unique seedpod. It was on the cobblestone sidewalk across the street from the school. I thought it must have fallen from a tree or a nearby bush, and looked around at the nearby foliage for the source of the strange seedpod. It looked to me like the head of an animal--an antelope or goat perhaps, and I imagined myself fashioning the rest of the creature from sticks and leaves. I thought it was quite benign, and I imagined an endearing creature trotting about in a playful manner. At least it was not sinister in any possible stretch of my imagination. It sat on my shelf for a time, and somehow it seemed to harmonize with two other objects that were visually appealing--a beautiful shell, which harbored secrets unfathomable, and a broken light bulb, which probably signified a bad idea! At worst, the seedpod was a vegan alternative to an O'Keeffe skull! At best, it represented my prancing creature! Only recently did I find out that the seedpod is native to the Southwest, and is known by sinister names--but I don't believe any of that! "Still Life with Shell" is a colored pencil drawing on paper, 14" x 35," drawn in 1979.

"Cantaloupe and Croissants"

Take a brisk walk or leisurely jog to the pier in the early morning. Make sure to note lifeguard station number 25. The beach is fairly deserted except for the occasional gull . Walk down the pier and back, pass the empty volleyball courts and the playground equipment. No bicyclists or roller skaters are out yet.

Back home, slice the cantaloupe, heat the croissants, make coffee. Relax on the deck and enjoy the morning. "Cantaloupe and Croissants" is an acrylic and oil painting on canvas, 50" x 70," painted in 1982.

"Sand Castle"

First, dig a large moat, piling the sand in a tall mountain. Make sure the moat is connected to a vast source of water. Next, mound buckets of wet sand strategically on the mountain. Shape towers and stairways, turrets and walls. Drizzle even wetter sand hither and yon for a Gaudi-esque effect.

Take a break. Go for a long walk to the point. Have a picnic. Check the castle hours later when the tide comes in. Watch closely as each wave makes its way up the sides of the castle, making its own architectural design as it recedes. "Sand Castle" is 38" x 50," a watercolor on paper painted in 1987.

"Turtle"

Turtles and tortoises are primordial beings from another age. This usually languorous individual snaps disapproval for being roused from its meditation. Dragonflies and over-sized hummingbirds

hover above in the perfumed air. Nasturtiums and patterned greenery abound. Other creatures

emerge from the color bytes to offer companionship to the ancient one. A contemporary naiad

soothes the savage beast in the carapace, before lowering it gently into the pond. "Turtle" is an

acrylic painting on canvas, 40" x 47," completed in 1982.

"Agave"

Agave is a plant with many uses, none of which were familiar to me when I first encountered it

in a friend's backyard in Santa Cruz, California. The bright yellow and dark green leaves were

striking, and more reptilian than plant to me. Each leaf seemed like an individual snake, ready

to strike at any moment. Surely the thorns would scratch the unwary, but I was more worried

about fangs inside the serpent's mouth, and the venom within. Beautiful and deadly, and a bit

playful. Perhaps it plays with its food. A bit cannibalistic--maybe it would snap up the small

birds that inhabited the yard! Maybe an agave leaf would sink its fangs into me!

Buzzing bees, heedless small birds, pixels of sunshine, swirling octagons of warm colors, and

morsels of snake meat and feathers and pricking thorns! I was obviously drunk on sunshine! Not being a drinker, I was unaware that agave is the main ingredient in tequila. Danger and pleasure both! On a quieter note, agave nectar, a natural sweetener, offers an alternative to sugar and high fructose corn syrup. "Agave" is an acrylic painting on canvas, 40" x 44," painted in 1981.

"Red Shrub"

One of the treasures of Great Falls, Montana is the walking trail and bike path down by the

Missouri River. It stretches for miles along the river, and every inch has it's own story. Pelicans, geese, ducks, swallows and the occasional bald eagle share the river with beavers, rabbits and

deer. As twilight approaches, antelope make their way down the slopes on the far side of the river.

The seasonal changes are reflected in the foliage and shrubbery along the banks and overhanging cliffs bordering the river. On a typical fall day I was astonished by the coloring of a small shrub. Surely it couldn't possibly be that bright! And why were the trees in the distance so yellow? The sky itself was an unbelievable shade of blue. The fall colors seemed positively tropical. "Red Shrub." oil on canvas, 2004, 72" x 48" is a tribute to a small shrub with a tropical

tendencies near the River's Edge Trail by the Missouri River.