This wagon I found a few miles up the trail from where I live. On the seat were the two skulls that I painted earlier in oil. I actually sat on my chair and painted the wagon on site. Usually with finicky subjects such as this, I take a reference photo and paint from that. It started to rain before I finished the background so I did that in the studio. I was especially attracted to the yellow and pinkish-red colours on the wagon.

(Zealand Wagon)

I have decided to change over to watercolour. I will be interested to see what happens when I change my medium.

Back to Green Grapes

I gave myself a challenge with this painting. I arranged my tubes of paint into two piles--light colours and dark colours. With my eyes closed I chose one tube from each pile. I allowed myself the use of black and white also.

This skull is one I found in the woods beside the trail. There were bones from the body too and another smaller skull. I presume it is a deer skull.

(Skull 4)

I found this small skull in the fall of 2005 while walking on the old railway bed which is now a trail. I put it to one side and covered it with a scrap of rug so that it would still be there when I had a bag with which to pick it up. I couldn't find it again until 2006 at which time it was frozen to the ground. So I waited until spring and brought it home and made a painting of it. I think it must have been a raccoon at one time judging from the size.

The other large skull I found on the trail while I was looking for subjects to paint. It was located on an old wagon seat in company with another skull (that I will paint at a later date). I was quite excited to make such a find!


Skull