07-01 Of Times Long Gone, 2007, watercolor on 140lb Fabriano, 22"x30"

I visited Monument Valley, Nevada, in August and remember well the heat emanating from every piece of rock. How did the First Nation live in these areas? Are the ancestors still visiting here?

06-01 Never Too Old, 2006, watercolor on 140lb Fabriano, 11"x15"

On my trip to the Orca Islands, WA, I saw these boots in a garden. What a cool idea of upcycling - hence the title "Never Too Old".

95-01 Wildflowers, 1995, watercolor on 140lb arches, 11"x15"

When I lived in Colorado, I received an invitation to the annual juried Rocky Mountain Watercolor exhibit. The submitted work had to be new and within the last 2 years, so I worked on these wildflowers I had seen during a hiking trip on Arapahoe Pass.

93-01 Giraffes, 1993, watercolor on 140lb arches, 11"x15"

I learned a lot about values while painting these giraffes: the sunlight on their backs, and the reflected light off the buff-colored ground they were standing on.

93-03 Leaves II, 1993, watercolor on 140lb arches, 11"x15"

This is one of my favored exercises I designed: I wanted to get more familiar with the paints and colors I had available, so I used real leaves for the outlines and floated colors in individual sections.

90-02 Memory of a Summer Day, 1990, watercolor on 140lb arches, 11"x15"

Started and finished it in one sitting, painted from a bunch of sunflowers I picked at the side of the road. I was completely "in the zone" while working on this - all I remember is starting sketching in sunshine and finishing in pitch-black night.

88-01 Sunset, 1988, watercolor on 140lb arches, 12"x18"

This is how it all started: a Parks and Recreation class for beginners in watercolor painting. And I got hooked on the vibrancy and possibilities of the watercolor medium.

Thank you for your interest in my artistic life path. Don't forget to visit the other years in my portfolio and the blog Wolf's Howl.

I wish you a happy, peaceful and rich life.

Kirsten Meier