Yosemite Chapel with Merced River Watercolor

My daughter Micole and I went to Yosemite National Park in early June this year.  We were there for a week and on the last day I sat down along the Merced River across from the Yosemite Chapel and painted most of this.  I added some finishing touches when I got home.  What I didn't put in were the increasingly drunken tourists watching their children play in the water on the beach on the other side of the river.  June in Yosemite!

This painting is a watercolor and measures 7 x 10 1/4 inches.  I have a bad habit of painting too far to the edges and then don't want to loose any of the image so I may just float this on mat board and then put another cut window mat 1/4 inch away from the edges.

I've opened a shop on Etsy.  It's under my name, Darlece Cleveland.  If you're interested in purchasing this painting it's available there. 

Boxer Dog Drawing

This was a commission a woman hired me to do of her fiances boxer dog which was brindle in coloring.  It's in pencil on faux parchment paper.  I'd never met the dog and did the piece from photographs she provided.  I prefer to take the pictures myself as I'm a fairly competent photographer and know what I'm looking for. 

Darlene's Bath

I bought this bird bath after my mother passed away 12 years ago.  It reminded me of bathing her when she was ill.  Even though she was dying she remained as sweet as ever.  Some people say it's a bhudda because it has a very full belly but it makes me think of her which makes me happy.  I took this photo as the sun was setting in the distant trees.

Darlece's Ceramics

Here are a couple of pots I made at Camp Chateaugay the first summer I worked there which was 2007.  They are about 6 inches tall.

Below is a greenman I made of my husband and two of our dogs.  This piece measures 10 inces tall.

Below are a series of photos of a porcelain pot I threw in 2009 at Camp Chateaugay in New York.  I finally painted it this last winter.  It's still not finished.  I'll touch up some of the painting and then put a final clear glaze over the whole piece.  The pot is 7 inches tall.

You might recognize the similarities between this pot and the painting "Micole as Siren" which I posted awhile back on this site.  I actually made and incised the pot before I did that painting.

Silk Painting-Coyote with Squirrels Pillow and Leaves with Birds Scarf

 

I made this silk painted pillow for my husband's birthday in 2007.  It measures 15 by 15 inches.  It's a coyote and squirrels along with acorns and oak leaves.  I lived in Yosemite at the time.

This silk scarf was created during my last summer teaching at Camp Chateaugay.  That was 2009.  I taught a workshop in silk painting and did this piece as an example.  There are chickadees on either end, native ferns and leaves, and an American Robin sitting on a nest in the center.  

Zachary Smith Memorial Pieces

I created several pieces for my friend Laurie's memorial mural for her son Zach who passed away in 2010.  Zach loved fantasy, drama, dance, games and came from a family who immersed themselves in a multitude of creative expression.  Here is Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean.  This piece is about 4 inches tall.

Zach also loved Puss in Boots and played him in a production at the Yosemite Valley School where he was a student for a time.  Puss is about 2 1/2 inches tall.

I also created a pirate's hidden treasure map for the mural and a plant identification marker for a Dogwood Tree planted in his memory.  The map is about 3 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches and the plant marker is approx 4 inches in diameter.

I made this slipcover for an old Ikea chair for my daughter.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out but it was a lot of work!  I need to take a picture of the back because it has pretty buttons on it.