"No Generation Gap"

In today's society, teenagers and younger siblings sometimes grow apart in their common interests. Native American society, however, is a little different. Native children learn by the role-playing of the matriarchal members of the family. This painting is very contemporary in nature, enjoining the past with the present. These two sisters, a decade apart in age, are sitting in a living room, replete with contemporary decor, yet on the wall hangs a war shield reminiscent of days long ago. The elder sister is lacing a toy cradleboard for her younger sibling. In turn, the younger sister observes the method of lacing while holding a doll made by a beloved grandmother. Strengthened by the common bond of their Native culture, these sisters have "no generation gap."

22 x 30 watercolor on paper

collection of the artist

New Website...

I now have a new website... www.vonniekohn.com. Please come by & visit. I don't have a guest book page, but you are invited to add your comments on the "contact us" page. I hope you will enjoy...

New Works: I have been working on a painting of a ranch near Gainsville, Tx. The silos that sit near the road have intrigued me for years. I am now putting them into a watercolor painting. I will post it when I'm nearer to finishing. I've included the black angus cattle that seem to always be about. Have a good day.

"Antique Pitcher with Fruit"

It's been awhile since I've last posted. The Autumn foliage is turning into a collage of beautiful colors, too numerous to describe. It lasts only a short while, though, until all of the leaves will fall, leaving the spiry branches of our trees to stand bare and alone. I was standing under some trees behind our property amid a rainbow of leaves that drifted all around me. It was like standing under a waterfall of leaves when the wind blew! It's inspiring me to paint an autumn scene.

My art gallery is preparing for a miniature show & I have been painting some small works..mostly still-life. It has been a good change of pace from the large studio works I painted for the Arboretum Show in Dallas. Here is an example of my recent efforts....

Original..8 x 10 Gallery Wrap (needs no frame)- $125

"Bountiful Harvest"

Anyone for pumpkin pie? This is a new technique for me. I originally intended to paint this with brushwork, but the background needed a different approach to texture, so I picked up a palette knife & started painting. It was so much fun that I just continued to cover the canvas with paint. The colors were so luminous that I couldn't stop painting! It was the old tractor combined with the surface of the pumpkins that challenged me to paint another way.

24 x 30...oil on canvas (sold)

" Bluebonnet Spring"

The state flower of Texas is the bluebonnet. In mid-late spring, these flowers grow in mass profusion in North and Central Texas. There are many places to see these fields of intense "cobalt blue" flowers and regions that host designated tours. There are many artists who focus their paintings on just this genre. I always delight to go to Fredericksburg during this time & paint these flowers in plein air. Needless to say, this is not the time of the year for this, but I hope you will enjoy this painting of an abandoned German farm whose fields were abundantly growing with Texas bluebonnets.

16 x 20..oil on canvas..(sold)

"Three's Company, maybe five?..."

The Firehouse Art Gallery hosts an annual miniature show each winter. Lately the inner muse speaks "still-life" to me. Here is the firstfruit of my new series, "Three's company, maybe five?...". I had to hurry to spare the pears' rapid deterioration..after all, this was lunch! Bon Appetit!

8 x 10" gallery wrap (needs no frame)-$ 125

"En Plein Air"

I titled this painting "En Plein Air" with the French term meaning "painting outside on location." This is the 2nd painting that has been accepted into the art show at the Dallas Arboretum. My first attempt to paint "en plein air" was rained out and had to return another day. Such are the hazards of painting on location...along with heat, mosquitoes, and nosey squirrels. During the process of painting in what I thought was a private area just off a pathway, I heard a clicking noise, turned around and found that about 20 people were taking pictures of my creative endeavor! Privacy is another element that is forfeited when painting out-of-doors. It is also a very good way to meet interesting people.

9 x 12".... $ 400

"The DeGolyer View"

This is one of 2 entries accepted into the "Paint-Out at the Arboretum" (Dallas, Tx) scheduled for the month of Sept '08. It will be showcased along with a national exhibit, "Beauty and the Brush". There will also be a "Members Only" event at the same time.

This painting is based on one of the windows at the front entrance of the DeGolyer house, built by the DeGolyer family in the early 1900's. It sits on 66 acres of lavish botanicl gardens. I was inspired by the contrast of texture between the stone masonry, the iron scrollwork and the graceful arch formed by the pale yellow roses.

Oil on Canvas-12 x 16"- $ 750

"Wings of Gold"

How majestic is the golden eagle! He is larger than the bald eagle with a wing span up to 7 feet. While in the Yellowstone National Park, we rounded a curve overlooking a steep cliff and suddenly had to stop because this golden eagle flew around that curve and straight in front of our van. His back was facing us and the sun brillantly shown on the back of his outstretched wings, turning them to a beautiful bronze. My heart leaped at the sight. The incident had to be memorized because it occurred too quickly to grab a camera. This is another study in the series "Birds of Prey." It is an oil on canvas, 8 x 10" in size.

Price: $ 175

"King of His Domain"

The bald eagle is a symbol of our nation. While traveling through the Yellowstone National Park, I was privileged to observe this beautiful eagle as he perched in one of those stately huge oaks in the park. A study for a much larger painting, it is an oil on canvas, 8 x 10" in size. This painting is the first in a series of paintings entitled, "Birds of Prey," which was part of a Wildlife Museum show near Dallas, Texas.
Price: $ 175

"Unscheduled Rest Stop"

This painting, an oil on canvas, 24 x 30, was inspired by a trip through the vast wilderness in West Texas. It reminded me of the history of the pioneers who traveled by stagecoach in the 1800's. The sheer raw beauty of the land contrasts with the determination of those who blazed the early trails of transportation. Because of the distance between stagecoach outposts and the heat, it was sometimes necessary to let the animals take a "breather" and rest. It also gave the passengers time to ease aching muscles from the bumps and ruts in the wagon trails, among other things.
Price: $500-glicee; original available

"Journey of the Enduring Spirit"

Everyone has a journey through this life, starting with the cradle. How we respond to the unexpected on this journey shapes and molds our destiny. This is an oil-on-linen canvas, 24 x 30, of a Native American and his daughter. The figures are moving "into" the composition, signifying a look forward into the future. They are members of the Seminole nation-the only Native Americans known to have never entered into a treaty with the intruders of land expansion. This painting is a tribute to the delicate balance between man and his environment-the human spirit that never gives up, no matter the odds. Price: $ 750 (glicee on canvas)

"Echo Canyon"

As a painter of landscapes, portraits, and wildlife, I look for inspiration in my travels. I paint "en plein air" whenever possible. "Echo Canyon" , near Chama, New Mexico, is both restful and spiritual. The calm, quiet atmosphere of this place provided a tranquil setting in which to set up my easel. And, as I began painting, the stillness provided a setting for the birds and small animals to approach and accept my presence. My father always said, "be still and let nature invade your soul..."

This is a painting done from a plein air study as an oil on canvas, 18 x 24. It has also become available as a glicee`.

Price: $ 350 (glicee`) Original is available