Painted for Eric’s film Cultivating the Wild

The scientist looks at a contraption, the likes of which might appear in a sci-fi movie with a theramin playing in the background… the angel makes it magical.

The gilt framed painting on the wall stares at the thin scrambled mom whose child pitches a fit on the floor. The lady in green, dressed for who knows what, stands in front of the painting. Grim. This is a kind of multiple self portrait. I identify most with the harried mother, The painted face, who stares from the wall, represents beauty, youth and artistic aspirations, stuck on a wall. My youth of harried young motherhood is long gone. The lady with the flamboyant clothes is in the middle, looking man-ish, wearing specs... some kind of tourist.

An eyeball in the sky,  a yellow horse with wings and green pudge men with hard hats manufacturing something.

Original in the Cat Welch collection.

Stormy. In real life he is a former and possibly still Tibetan Terrier (residing now in Heaven). In his fantasy life he was part dragon.

Well. Where to begin. There's a ghost dog in the sky, a purple poodle wearing a beret, a figure, prone, possibly buried, a monk, looking irritated with a lap-top or a begging bowl, maybe a singing bowl. And a cross. The goose makes the snide comment, “As if…”. Behind the goose a tiny red dog splashes through the water.

Colin liked this so I gave it to him, nameless.  A parrot head is in the upper right hand corner, nothing I could do about that (I am not a parrot-head, although I do live in Florida). An unexplainable purple human/insect form seems disrobed toward the bottom left, a pale blue cat bottom right and a running girl with green hair, looking shocked just past the right foot of the human/insect. Ta da. 

Ya. That's Pearly. Both of them. One her reality when she was little, and the big haired Barbie Mermaid is who (I imagined) Pearly imagined she would become.

This seems like the area of the beach where Mama used to live. For some reason, when I look at it, the scene always seems like it's a little south of Neptune Dr. in Ormond Beach, Florida

Animals in the tree leaves, front and side views of the face, a lollypop sign, a sand castle coliseum wedding cake and a sort of Devo hat on Pearly.

A lousy photo because of the reflective metallic paint. A curtain flies, an awkward stick-figurish girl clatters down the steps. The place looks like Brooklynn. Maybe it needs a cat. (not available in prints)

Watercolor and Casein. It seems to me that this changed since the photo was taken and some of the awkward parts became slightly more elegant. The gold cat can also be seen as a fish.

Original only

This robot resembles it's owner.

Because the texture of the paper shows, Eric says this is a lousy photo. Okay. Maybe. But the paper is textured.

Collage. The Controller has octopus arms. I still like it!

A secret magic door, twins, dragon with a bone to chew (he always represents Stormy, the Tibetan Terrier) 

(Prints available in image sizes 81/2” X 11” and 12” X 14”)

The setting is our back yard on Seminole Ave. The crows in the trees have an ominous contrast to the fat happy caterpillars. Dancing maidens under the hammock... this was painted with layers of opposite colors darkening the tree canopy.

(Prints available, but not a standard size, let me figure out the proportions)

Okay, forget it. This has something to do with chemical attraction. The chemicals are on a sled. Someone wearing a bathing suit is also on the sled. The flowers floating along the bottom always seemed to represent industrial runoff. The fact that the tall figure on the far left seems to be a mermaid always bothered me. She is also my friend Siriyupa.

(Prints available in image sizes 81/2” X 11” and 12” X 14”)

The profile (upper right) reminds me of my dad. That's me, just below, as a child, looking into a "clean room". Silicon Valley style of such things may not have existed in his life time. Memories of my dad showing me and my sister the plants are among my favorites. His workplaces were definitely not clean room areas- on the contrary, he managed industrial plants… old style industry with big gnarly machinery and union workers.

This one makes me think of you, Janine Records.

One of two paintings made as gifts for the scholars interviewed for Eric Breitenbach's Bartram film.

A brighter painting of Bartram subjects.

That's Eric (a smoothie) in the striped shirt. Vases and flower arranging. The yard is full of flowering plants. And there's a blender… Margaritas!

I painted this valentine card and did not yet know whether to present this (confessional) to The Eric. He happened to see the card before I knew whether or not it was finished. He was happy, absconded with it, and displayed the painting on his refrigerator from which Sallie, the whippet, promptly selected and destroyed it. But Eric, ever organized, scanned it before he put it up. So here is what remains of my valentine to Eric. 2013.

Wedding painting for a family friend. Symmetry, animals two by two, bright, colorful, abstract and cartoon-pictorial elements.

Colors for a Peace Corps friend's wedding present.

The couple has Boston terriers, the bride loves elephants, there are sunshine, frills, flowers and coins for good luck.

This one includes Rwanda, courtship and proposal elements as described by Pearly.

It looks like a big kitchen. Assembly line work, well equipped.

This is the first watercolor I painted in my adult life. I was 21 or so. The painting is changeable, visually, depending on which elements the viewer's eye concentrates. Three things are happening- a child-clown face is looking vulnerable, a severe female face stares at the viewer with mainly one eye, and an atmosphere swirls with some cave painting iconography. 

They remind me of elementary school work sheets so I put lines either next to or under them so the people can fill intheir own word(s).

Sometimes it looks like a doll baby factory.

Decorating a Christmas tree.

My favorite carnival ride.

(like I said)

Started as a Valentine.

Teeny Tiny Stowe Not Winter

la la

Kate likes it!

No excuse for this.

This is only here because it’s been around for a long time.

Eric walked in and said “That looks like a fairy boiler.”

(Kate!)

Ya.

Lots of colorful insect neighbors.

Of what?

Got out of hand, and there’s a clock.

Looks like they’re flying over Pearly’s house!

I will get photos of the stitched bear and add them elsewhere. This is my favorite among a bunch of painted bears.

Pandemic visit!

Okay. So the turtle has a lot of legs. Plus someone yellow is graduating.

. 

Ready and waiting. 

Named Seltzer Water.

Pearly with some paintings, wigs and puppets.

Paper Paper Pony and Wagon for Violet, family friends’ baby girl. The cart is carrying the gift of a silver spoon, wrapped in flannel, carried in the wagon whose driver is a little bright lime green paper dog.

Same fabric, different light. One of the best things about this fabric is how dramatically the color changes depending on the light.

Fabric purchased in Rwanda. probably Chinese. Made a

Made from a worn out quilt… worn out by us when the kids were little. The bear was originally made in exchange for left over quilt material by a nice teddy bear making lady I met at an art show. The quilt was made by a friend of Ft Wayne Art Institute secretary, Emily Cook. Mrs. Cook’s friend was in her nineties, living at Mrs. Cook’s House and liked to pay her own way by making quilts. When Emily was a young mom desperate for help… the wandering Mr. Cook disappeared for long stretches of time on drinking adventures and provided no funds. The quilt maker was Emily’s neighbor… who helped her quite a bit. Patches refurbishing this bear were made with pandemic mask fabrics and familiar around-the-house fabrics. Devin’s bear. Pandemic project.

Mother's Day project. Students drew portraits of their moms.

Easy, fancy, decorated construction paper. The band is sized to fit each child. 

Simple origami boat. We made boats for every occaision… Mother’s Day, Christmas, Easter… you name it. We drew people and cut them out to ride in the boats. We made anchors and fishing poles and drew a captain in the window.

I made this as an example just so they’d know it’s possible. I think only one child liked it so much that she studied the instructions and learned to fold her own.

We gathered student-made dollars from many schools and the armored truck from New Orleans came to pick them up. 

Soil in New Orleans filled with lead and other toxic materials after Katrina. A Wesh 2 News crew came to cover the story of the children's artwork, gathered regionally. Students from all over the United States made artwork to raise awareness and encourage cleaning up the soil. The Fundred Dollar Bills were delivered to the Teasury Department in Washington DC to exchange for cash. 

4'x8' Poster

Paper houses for every occasion. The ones in the two photos were made by very young children who painted patterns on the paper, let them dry and then learned how to fold them into the house form. We cut doors that opened and sometimes windows. We made them for seasons and to use as toys. Sometimes we made people and animals and furniture to put insode them, using them as containers.