Art Card Sets
Re post from Fall 2021
I enjoyed revisiting paintings to select a variety to have printed into cards. These are mostly recent but a few dip back to work from my first art show more than a decade ago.
Read on for a bit more information about each painting. Cards are currently available at Blomster Hus or the Clausen Museum gift shop.
Shy Seals, Berries, and Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums and Huckleberry in a Shell Vase- Created summer 2020 when we spent a great deal of time tending our treehouse porch garden. I snipped many posies, including some of my new favorite double nasturtiums. Our treehouse is ringed by forest and the understory is mainly huckleberry, devils club, and ferns. I enjoy adding wild greenery to arrangements in the summer.
Seal Habitat- Harbor seals are commonly spotted on beach walks- especially on the side of our island closest to LeConte Glacier. This particular image is based on boat memories near Horn Cliffs where seals and icebergs are prolific- especially in spring.
Thimbleberry at the Coast- This sweet fragile cousin of the raspberry is best eaten off the bush immediately. Like raspberries it likes sun and can be found along open south-facing coastlines. We watch these develop all summer and pick a few on walks before they fall in the rain.
Red Huckleberry with a Coast View- A bit of color in the house livens a moody grey sky- and the red huckleberries needed a trim anyway. I chose blue for these windows- ours are actually teal.
Wormy Huckleberry Posy- Imagined vases are a favorite subject of mine. If you look closely they are in many of my still life paintings. That day, I had whales on the brain. These fall huckleberry leaves had such luscious reddish tones and I thought a bright clean vase made for a nice juxtaposition.
Whales to Berries with Beach Peas
Whales At Five Finger- The island this historic lighthouse is perched on is used sometimes by whale researchers as it is in the action. Humpback whales corral feed using the underwater topography to their advantage.
Salmonberry Bowl- These juicy mild berries are loved by children and a few in a favorite handmade dish make a tasty snack.
Beach Peas and Pods- These sweet smelling annuals are found in sunny pockets on the shore and mingle in the meadows. The pods are a reminder of their annual cycle.
Huckleberries In A Bird Vase- In the late summer, songbirds are feeding on bugs and berries before heading south. The big black huckleberries are best near the end of the season- when the leaves are turning.
Muskeg Mist- One day on the Raven Trail, the mountains were pale blue shapes above a thick layer of fog. The rich tones of the muskeg and dark Shore Pines were intense against such a light background.
Mostly Edible Flowers and Fishies Collection
Calendula & Violets- These rainforest garden favorites provide dainty cut-and-come again posies in the summer and make great salad or cake garnishes.
Lilies with Nasturtium and Herring- This early painting was one of my first invented vase still lifes. Garden favorites are settled into a blue and white herring patterned vase.
Empress Nasturtiums in a Delft Vase- I fell for these deep velvety nasturtiums and chose to pair them with huckleberries in an invented vase depicting a Southeast Alaskan cloudy coast.
Nasturtiums and Cranes- This early painting was one of my first invented still lifes and an exploration of nasturtiums. The fabric is based on one I owned and depicts sandhill cranes. These birds fly over our area in the spring and fall in high lacey v’s- marking the change in season.
Halibut and Sea Stars- This playful ink and watercolor sea bottom scene includes halibut, sea stars, and shells. At a very low tide, sea stars like this are revealed. This type of playful ink work inspires most of my imagined vase designs.