Author: Diamond

I started a series of little bird paintings. I have been creating art for my upcoming show, Wild Whimsy of the Northwoods, that will be on display at the MacRostie Art Center in June of 2020. This means I haven't had a lot of originals available for purchase as of late - and I love to share my work - especially around the holidays. I also was finding that I was getting hyper-focused on larger pieces because I didn't have another main focus, so all around I knew it was time for a new mini series to occupy my brain. I decided to focus on birds and pine cones.

My yard is very snowy, and the weather is getting rather cold, so I have been digging around for sticks for fire starter. I love how pine cones look, and though they are amazing fire starter sometimes I just can't bring myself to burn them so I stick them in a vase and look at them. I decided to brush up on my still life skills by painting pictures of them. I added some birds for a flash of joy and color during these cooler, whiter, months. And thus this sweet mini series was born.

The pieces are available for purchase ($60 a piece) and would make great gifts. I will be posting more over the next many weeks so keep your eyes peeled. For now here are the first three. Check them out and let me know what you think ❤

I have been busy working away at art, yard / house tasks, and my day job, mostly because fall is inherently busy but also because I have so many projects! It is nice to be busy but it is also a lot of work. The work that I am finding the most fun is the work I am putting into my paintings for latest art series Wild Whimsy of the Northwoods. I have been creating a body of work for a bit but I only finalized the idea and the title this summer when I started submitting it for exhibition at local galleries. I am so pleased to announce that earlier this fall I found out that the body of work was accepted into MacRostie Art Center in Grand Rapids, MN for the month of June 2020. The gallery is one of my favorites. It is small in size but large in innovation and its love for artists – it feels like the perfect space for this exhibit.

The show will feature paintings that take a closer look at the inner workings of the wild world we live in but are often separate from. It will take a whimsical look at Northwoods critters as they go about there daily lives. The Blue Beary Patch is a perfect example of the show itself.

The Blue Beary Patch is my take on how awesome it would feel to be rolling with your best fluffy bud in a patch of blueberries and butterflies. What a tripped out moment that would be. The piece features black bear cubs, wild blueberries and eastern swallowtail butterflies in acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas. The piece is a 9” x 14”

If you want to see Wild Whimsy of the Northwoods in person (and I think you will) you can join me for the opening reception on June 5^th, 2020 and then again for my artists talk on June 17^th, 2020.

This piece reminds me of a scene from a fairy tale. It is a snippet from a larger painting. I added a tiny 1.5” bear to that larger painting and the little bear fascinated me. I decide to zoom in to explore the bear’s story. I am still not sure exactly what this dude is up to but I feel like I know a bit more.

Like I said, the piece originated around the bear and then grew around it. The first flora to grow was the brush and then the vines. The brush started out as uninspired bushes so I had to set the piece aside for a bit. When I finally picked the piece up again I knew I had to add leaves and contrast. I was inspired by the stretching, curving, nature of raspberries so I decided to put those in (what was then) the foreground to frame the bear. There was still too little to the piece so I added morels and the piece took off.

The piece has a feeling of depth – much like a story. It starts here and ends there, with a lot of detail in between. It has (dandelion) wishes, forget-me nots, butterflies, and ladies (in the form of lady bugs). It has a beautiful central figure and it has at least one morel. I think a good story leaves the reader wanting more. I am still fascinated by this bear’s story so I think it’s a good one.

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This piece is a part of a larger collection meant for a solo exhibit. It isn’t for sale yet but will be, stay tuned. I take commissions so if there is something in particular you like about this piece let me know and we can chat about creating a story just for you.

Morel of the Story

9″ x 12″ acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas.

When I was a teen I used to go on walks with my sister and dad before school. We lived in a swamp along a major highway. The road always had non-stop traffic during the day but we would set off around 5 am. At that time the only folks that were out were semi drivers and crazy hikers. There were also a lot of creatures. One that we became familiar with was a beaver that lived in the ditch. In the swampy lowland area the ditches were always full of water. That ditch was more like a creek. The beaver would welcome us when we got to its area and then it would swim through the ditch for a mile and half poking its head up once and awhile as though to show us it was still with us. When we would turn around and head home the beaver would typically turn around with us. The beaver may have been following us on our morning hike or we may have been following it on it’s morning swim, either way I thought that dude was amazing.

At 5 in the morning we could look up and see the stars and the milky way in the deep blue of the sky. It was an incredible sight and feeling. Especially for an angsty teen who dreamed of exploring and conquering the world.

This piece explores life and the interconnection of sky and water. It portrays the feeling I get when surrounded by all three. The color of the sky fits my memory of those early mornings over my swamp home. I hope when you look at this piece you feel the longing to conquer your world. I also hope you feel the security of knowing that you are not alone. We are all swimming through this cosmic masterpiece, humans and non-humans alike.

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This piece started as a commission. The person who intended to order it never finished up their order. I usually wait some time after a commission falls through to finish up the piece. I picked this one up again in hopes to turn it in for a juried exhibit. Things have been so hectic with work and such so I was not able to get it done in time. I finished it up today and could not love it more.  The energy and thing I learned from finishing up this piece really spoke to me. It seems I picked this piece back up at the right time.

Aqueous Life

11″ x 14″ acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas.
You can purchase the original here and you can purchase a print here.

Lynx on the Moon

5″ x 5″ acrylic on canvas panel.
You can purchase the original here and you can purchase a print here.

The other night the moon was this gorgeous, ginormous, orb hanging right above the earth. I was running errands in town with my honey, Cassidy. As we drove around I was able to see the the beauty from all these different angles and parking lots. As we drove home we drove towards the moon as it slowly rose in a pink-purple sky. Spring moons are so BIG and spring sunsets are so sweet. The brown-green forests pair so well with the vibrant colors of the sunset. Driving towards that big orb in it's vibrant landscape was like a metaphor for winter changing into spring.

This piece is just a paint doodle - a practice of technique and weird ideas. However it kind if became an exploration of the feelings of wildness and wonder that comes with those last few grasps of winter cold and snow. While I worked on this piece the 1'-2' of snow in my yard melted and the grass greened up, huge puddles formed and cars got stuck. Then, just as the last of the puddles soaked into the ground, a snowstorm hit and were walking in a wintry scene once again. Of course it only lasted a short while. Now, a week later all the snow is gone. I worked on this piece whenever I had a free moment over that time.

Currently my work is mostly exploring water as I prepare for a few entries for local calls for art. The lynx on the moon was a fun way to focus on the sky.

On a separate note - I finished my latest newsletter! It is published and sent out. You can read it here if you would like, and then go ahead and subscribe. My newsletters are a good outlet for the thoughts and inner workings that influence my work so if you are interested in that stuff you may find it a fun read.

Life is neat because we all just get to do our own thing. Sometimes folks like to look in and give their opinions and that’s alright, it is often a sign of affection. As humans in this world we should be open to communication, but we also should feel comfortable enough in our own skin to take what applies and leave the rest.

This piece is about that feeling of critics stepping in and saying something that did not need to be said. You know, when you stand there and you wonder “What’s the point?”

A few years ago I was looking at a sweet piece of art hanging in a gallery. It was abstract and by my standards of color and composition it was technically good, I certainly liked it. As I stood looking at the piece I was approached by another person who stood beside me and we began to chat about the piece. The person (well, let's call them the critic) was full of opinions and they made it obvious they were not fond of the work. The critic was listing off reasons why this piece was not actually technically good, and I listened even though I believed them to be inaccurate. The critic felt comfortable enough to tell me that the work did not deserve to be shown in the gallery space. I listened, and I spoke up a bit, but really I was just waiting for the critic to finish up so I could move onto the next piece since I was finding the experience was becoming less and less enjoyable. Nearing the end of the conversation the critic informed me that they were actually friends with this artist, they knew them quite well in fact. I was weirded out by the disdain the critic felt towards their friends trade.

This conversation and experience was so minor, and honestly it should have left my mind years ago. It had little to no bearing on my life. However, sometimes when I am looking at my own art I hear that critic speaking about their friend and I wonder what was the critics point?

It is a curious thing how the critic can show up when we are enjoying something and tells us why we should not. I think it is important to insist upon fact rather than opinion. Like I said, life is neat because we all just get to do our own thing. Don’t let the in-affectionate critic tell you you can’t hang in the gallery, let the gallery tell you that. And If the gallery tells you that you can’t hang there than find out why and let the facts have sway over your actions. Or don’t. Their point may or may not be valid either.

In Mr. Hendrix’s words “I've got my own life to live, I'm the one that's going to have to die when it's time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to.”

What's the Point?

11″ x 14″ acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas.
You can purchase the original here and you can purchase a print here.

Who doesn't love a fluffy bear? This little dude is a young panda which is why the fur is slightly  bedraggled and why his visions are so dreamy.

I am exploring whimsy in some new ways as of late. The butterflies and hoops in this piece were inspired by Dr. Seuss. I added them in around his birthday (March 2nd) and was quite uncertain about them, but upon reflection I like the weird flow that the butterflies and hoops created. I am sure this concept will be explored more in depth in coming works of art.

This piece is a mini piece, 4" x 6" canvas panel. It is truly a paint doodle (a cute one 🙂

Young Panda

4″ x 6″ acrylic on canvas panel.
You can purchase the original here.

0°

4″ x 6″ acrylic on canvas panel.
You can purchase prints of it here.

I am currently painting a large barred owl in a summery scene so this paint doodle was created as a study of owl faces. It was good fun and much needed practice. Feathers are like hair but they aren't actually fur so a little additional practice of the fine white feathers was super helpful. This piece is also reminiscent of the pink / purple of freezing sunsets.

The thermometer has been staying right around the 0° mark here in Northern Minnesota because of the polar vortex. The chill gets to the walls and the fingers but that is fine as long as I have another log to toss on the fire and the cars start. Staying in and painting on these days is kind of required. Though I have to go outside often as a person in a newly built home with a wood stove Cassidy and I did try to build up the wood stacks near the house and shovel the main paths before the cold snap. This means I don't have to go far and I am free to sit and paint when I am not doing my day job. All this painting time causes me to get restless of my larger pieces so paint doodles really help keep the artistic spirit fresh.

This piece already sold so I will be sending it out the door next week. I hope it brings some warm vibes to the new owner because the polar vortex certainly will not (until Friday when it will be a hair above 0°). I am holding out till Saturday when it will be a balmy 25° 🙂