Rising Sun Series

A red-crowned crane lands on remote snowy shores by the light of the early morning. This painting is all about the motion of the crane’s wings as he expertly makes a landing, breaking his speed to alight gently upon the snow. I switched to landscape dimensions to give the crane room to make the landing, and because I wanted to feature the bird strongly in the foreground.

Giclées are printed on Cold Press Bright White paper; 310g, water-resistant, and made from 100% cotton fiber, acid and lignin free.

Two red-crowned cranes dance by a turquoise lake fed by a mountain stream. They dance beneath a flowering cherry tree, and look upwards to an early evening sky with gold clouds. This painting brings together some of the traditional elements of Japanese folding screens. I used a lot of color in this piece, I wanted the colors to be rich and lush. I also wanted to give a long view over the green hills and up to the blue mountains, and give the cranes a beautiful place to be dancing in.

Giclées are printed on Cold Press Bright White paper; 310g, water-resistant, and made from 100% cotton fiber, acid and lignin free.

I wanted to maintain the essence of the Rising Sun series, but bring it home to a California landscape. When I was living in the Lake House I enjoyed the company of a resident Great Blue Heron. In the evening he would glide over the house, the sound of the wind rushing over his wings amplified by the surface of the lake. The first time I heard it I thought a light plane was making a crash landing, the sound being so loud.

Giclées are printed on Cold Press Bright White paper; 310g, water-resistant, and made from 100% cotton fiber, acid and lignin free.

A red-crowned crane stands in contemplation at the edge of a mountain stream. The time is spring and the hills are covered in fresh green grass. A pine tree stands rooted and strong, its branches pointing up to the snow dusted peaks. Gold mist and clouds move through the mountains. I painted this during a summer of forest fires here in California. This was an invocation, a prayer, a response to my movement to envision the land renewed, with everything in balance. I wanted to see greens and cooling blues in the landscape. I wanted the painting to feel life-giving and life-sustaining.

Giclées are printed on Cold Press Bright White paper; 310g, water-resistant, and made from 100% cotton fiber, acid and lignin free.

Red Crowned Cranes are uncommonly beautiful. They are also one of the few species that traverse the Himalayas in their annual migration. They do not frequent the tropics. "Upward Gaze" depicts a gaze from Hawaii or Fiji, or, perhaps Tahiti where plumeria grow abundantly. If you look northward, in the far distance you will find them.

Giclées are printed on Cold Press Bright White paper; 310g, water-resistant, and made from 100% cotton fiber, acid and lignin free.

This watercolor depicts two red-crowned cranes dancing simply for the enjoyment and pleasure of dancing. This painting is taller than the other paintings in this series (18"x6") and the additional real estate gave me lots of room for a dynamic and full background with plenty of depth for the pair of ecstatic birds.

Giclées are printed on Cold Press Bright White paper; 310g, water-resistant, and made from 100% cotton fiber, acid and lignin free.