Thursday, June 4, 2026

Bjarneyjar Sheep - Icelandic Watercolor Society Demo

Bjarneyjar Sheep
Icelandic Watercolor Society Demo painted before the group on April 30, 2026, from a photo I took while living solo on the Icelandic island of Bjarneyjar, 14" x 11" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$500
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My Icelandic Watercolor Society Demo


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I was pleased to present to the IWS how I paint watercolors.


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I painted from a photo I'd taken years ago of sheep on Bjarneyjar
while living there solo for five weeks.


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I use all flat brushes and showed them my technique.


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I also layer my colors on the paper, sometimes wet on dry, and sometimes wet on wet, while they watched on the projector behind me.


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They saw how I painted yellow, then various blues to get the resulting greens.


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It was an enthusiastic group. I enjoyed them as much as they, apparently, enjoyed me.


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After I finished my painting, they picked one of the ten photos of the island for them to paint from, projected on the screen.


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And I got to interact with them while they painted, answering questions and making positive observations.


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(Note the video is being processed...) See and hear the painting demo video online on my website (1:05:00). The video is not quite focused but the audio is fine and tells the story.


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It was featured on the back page of the biggest newspaper in Iceland, Morgunbladid, Reykjavik, Iceland, May 9, 2006
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Unpredictability and Mystery of Watercolors
By Dora Osk Halldsorsdottir

"It's been very popular to have short courses in watercolor painting. We've often had foreign artists join us," says Derek Mundell, founder and chairman of the Icelandic Watercolor Society.


"Most recently, the American and Iceland connected Bruce McMillan was with us for a course. He is a children's book author, but in recent years he has been a strong watercolorist and is a member of the Society. He has a distinct style, where he paints and lets it dry and then paints over it again, achieving a different color than you often see in watercolors," says Derek.




........

While Dreaming of Dawn's Realization...

While Dreaming of Dawn's Realization 
Pushing through the Night
Inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe's art approach when she painted in Maine in the 1920s, painted March 25, 2025 and June 3, 2026, 10" x 8" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors selected for light fastness on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$625

Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Reykjavik's Tjornin Pond's Edge to Esja Study 1


Reykjavik's Tjornin

Pond's Edge to Esja Study 1

painted plein air alongside Tjornin in Reykjavik on May 1, 2026, 10 x 8 (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence, 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$300

My plein air setup in Reykjavik alongside the pond,
Tjornin, in the late afternoon to evening setting sunlight.

Sunday, May 24, 2026

Reykjavik's Tjornin Pond's Edge to Esja Study 3

Reykjavik's Tjornin
Pond's Edge to Esja Study 3

painted plein air alongside Tjornin in Reykjavik on May 1, 2026, 14 x 11 (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence, 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$600

My plein air setup in Reykjavik alongside the pond,
Tjornin, in the late afternoon to evening setting sunlight.


Thing with Feathers - Bruce Art Collection

New Art in the Bruce Collection


Thing with Feathers

Norma Johnsen

Acrylic, 8" x 8", 2026

An Ekphrastic Poem is a literary description of or commentary on a visual work of art. I wrote the following Ekphrastic poem about Thing with Two Feathers. I selected it from the show because I am attracted to blocks of color. And I recalled from the Adam's Family that Thing can be a character. I wrote the poem for a May 23, 2026 poetry reading where this painting was on display at the Oak Street Lofts Gallery, 72 Oak Street, Portland, Maine 04102. It a a fine time.


Thing with Feathers

by Bruce McMillan


T
hing, is that you, in your crimson red dress, 

holding a bird with violet feathers?


Yet, wing flapping gives it a new color, 

Violent Violet. No tethers, 


your chin is getting in the way, tilting 

back, eh? Looking up. Yet you hold on tight, 


while Blue Man looks on. He finds it jilting, 

wondering where this is going? Will Thing 



release her violet violent bird?

Does this sunny yellow bright day beckon 


its release, its freedom. Does Blue Man see 

Violet's future? What does he reckon?


The answer, easy to see, will it fly?

Dear viewer, it's at the center. Look at 


Violent Violet straight in the eye 

for this bird will fly. Determined. Look.


Rhyming Scheme

A

B *


C

B *


D **

E


D **

F


G

H ***


I

H ***


J ****

K


J ****

L


Meter Scheme

8 beats / line

Thursday, May 21, 2026

Sunny Mt. Esja Spring Snow

Sunny Mt. Esja Spring Snow
painted Plain air on April 24, 2026, 7" x 5" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$150
My plein air watercolor set-up beside the lighthouse in Reykjavik, Iceland on April 24, 2026

Sunday, April 26, 2026

Hvalfjörður í apríl / Whale Fjord in April

Hvalfjörður í apríl /
Whale Fjord in April
painted plein air in Iceland on Sunday, April 26, 2026, 7" x 5" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$150

My plein air setup overlooking the fjord
and my Suzuki hybrid rental.

My mind focused while
my good friend Óli Ólafsson focused.

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Apple on Earth's Ocean Spaced Out

Apple on Earth's Ocean Spaced Out
painted March 30, 2026, 7" x 5" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$150

Saturday, April 11, 2026

Ocean Edging Earth

Ocean Edging Earth
painted March 30, 2026, 5" x 4" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$100

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

1776 Then 2026 Now

1776 Then 2026 Now 
Red, white and blue with the red apple decrowned painted March 28, 2026, 12" x 9" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$400
Sketch for the Art
Pencil on paper, 5" x 3" (w x h), 03/29/2026

After this quick sketch, I flipped the image for the final art, wanting the action to move from left to right, like we read across a page, left to right. I also realized that the crown stuck in the snow was static, no movement. and it looked like it could be a tree stump. So, I moved it to mid-air to give the painting movement.

This plus "Embracing Red, White and Blue" seen HERE have been juried into the Kennebunk, Maine Brick Store Museum Exhibition, "From Many, One: Results of Revolution", celebrating 250 years as a country, on exhibit May-August, 2026.

From the 1773 Boston Tea Party then, leading to dumping the King in 1776 to reclaiming democracy today in 2026, the USA is still throwing the King overboard with the largest demonstration, No King, in the history of the USA. Using an apple, as American as apple pie, personifies the people of then and the people of now, in the simplicity of a "Snow Life" (think winter plein air still life) in red, white and blue, with the yellow king's crown thrown off, 1776 and 2026 are recreated in a patriotic way.






Monday, March 23, 2026

Ladies Night with Pizza by Alex

Ladies Night with Pizza by Alex
painted March 14, 2026, 14" x 11" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper.
NFS gifted to Pizza by Alex's Steph Mantis, daughter of Alex and owner of Pizza by Alex to display in her 
iconic pizza shop.

A mini art show to the end of April 2026
at Pizza by Alex in Biddeford, Maine,
my painting, Snowlife Forelle Pears Chat,
is on the right, online on this website HERE
The evening event with talks by artists, 
including me, was sponsored by 
The Heart of Biddeford /
The Art of Biddeford.

This sign at Alex's lists the prices
when 
I ate pizza here while in
Kennebunk High School.

Friday, March 20, 2026

Embracing Red, White and Blue

Embracing Red, White and Blue
on a snowbank with shadows and an apple heading it up, as a snow life, painted February 2026, 14" x 11" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$800

This watercolor on display at the Brick Store Museum, 117 Main Street, Kennebunk, ME 04043, May 16, to August 23, 2026, www.brickstoremuseum.org, Hours: Tuesday - Friday: 10 am - 5 pm, Saturday: 10 am - 4 pm, Sunday: 12 pm - 4 pm

To Celebrate USA's 250th 
"From Many, One: Visions of American Patriotism at 250" 
to spark reflection and dialogue about belonging, identity, and the meaning of patriotism in our nation still defining itself.

My comment:
I embrace our country, from its abundant natural grandeur to the diversity of our citizens to our thoughtful Constitution. Seeing red white in blue in nature as I paint another "Snow Life" (think winter plein air still life), snow shadows on drifting snow with a simple apple led me to see beyond what we think we see. The nuances of our ever-evolving nation are up to each and every one of us to embrace what we have with the same hope as a new immigrant, to always try to sustain and improve our country for the good of all. And to contemplate what we see differently, accentuating the positive, whether we are an artist or not.

Monday, March 16, 2026

Cory's Medal Assured Delivery

Cory's Medal Assured Delivery
Cory Thiesse throwing in the winning 2026 Winter Olympic Medal game in Cortina, versus Italy, painted March 2026, 10" x 8" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper.
NFS - Gifted to Cory Thiesse


Cory's Medal Assured Delivery vs Italy
At the 2026 Cortina Milan Olympic Games Mixed Double Team, Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin, curling in the first medal game, beating Italy 9-8, assuring them, at the least, of their Olympic Silver Medal. This painting is gifted to Cory Thiesse, continuing my tradition of gifting a watercolor to curling medal winners as I did with Gold Medal winners Team Shuster in 2018. Cory and Korey were masterful with their curling.

Korey's Medal Assured

Korey's Medal Assured
Korey Dropkin sweeping hard in their winning 2026 Winter Olympic Medal game in Cortina, versus Italy, painted March 2026, 8" x 10" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper.
NFS - gifted to Korey


Korey's Medal Assured vs Italy Framed
At the 2026 Cortina Milan Olympic Games Mixed Double Team, Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin, curling in the first medal game, beating Italy 9-8, assuring them, at the least, of their Olympic Silver Medal. This painting is gifted to Korey Dropkin, continuing my tradition of gifting a watercolor to curling medal winners as I did with Gold Medal winners Team Shuster in 2018. Cory and Korey were masterful with their curling.

Monday, March 9, 2026

Portland Biennial Opening Art Chat

Portland Biennial Opening Art Chat
painted March 8, 2026, 10" x 8" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$300

Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Tabitha's Bronze Heartbreak

Tabitha's Bronze Heartbreak
Team USA Skip Tabitha Peterson at the 2026 Winter Olympics Bronze Medal Game painted February 2026, 12" x 9" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence with Uniball archival ink on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$400

Tara Brushes Hard

Tara Brushes Hard
Team USA Second Tara Peterson at the 2026 Winter Olympics Bronze Medal Game painted February 2026, 4" x 6" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence with Uniball archival ink on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$125 

Sweeping Olympic Yellow Team USA

Sweeping
Olympic Yellow Team USA
 
Team USA Women at the 2026 Winter Olympics Bronze Medal Game painted February 2026, 5" x 7" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$150

Tabitha's Final Curling Release

Tabitha's Final
2026 Olympic Curling Release
Team USA Skip Tabitha Peterson at the 2026 Winter Olympics Bronze Medal Game painted February 2026, 6" x 4" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence with Uniball archival ink on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$125

Tara and Taylor Bronze's Best Effort

Tara and Taylor
Bronze's Best Effort
Team USA Second and First at the 2026 Winter Olympics Bronze Medal Game painted February 2026, 12" x 9" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence with Uniball archival ink on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$400

Sweeping Yellow

Sweeping Yellow
into the rings around red at the 2026 Winter Olympics, 7" x 5" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$150 

Shapes of the Curling Sweep

Shapes of the Curling Sweep
at the 2026 Winter Olympics, 5" x 7" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence with Uniball archival ink on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$150

2026 Olympic Curling Sunset

2026
Olympic Curling Sunset
the 2026 Winter Olympics sweep into sunset until they rise in 2030 at the French Alps, 5" x 7" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence with Uniball archival ink on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$150

Friday, February 20, 2026

Sweeping Red to Curl

Sweeping Red to Curl
Team USA Men at the 2026 Winter Olympics painted February 17, 2026, 10" x 8" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$300

Note: Curling shoes have their own soul. One sole is a gripper while the other sole is a slider.

Thursday, February 19, 2026

Taylor and Tara Sweeping In

Taylor and Tara Sweeping In 
to the button and to the 2026 Olympic curling medal rounds, on Feb 19, 2026, painted on Feb 19, 2026, 10" x 8" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$300

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Curling To the Button

Curling To the Button
Team USA Women at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina, Italy painted February 18, 2026, 10" x 8" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$300

Monday, February 16, 2026

Taylor and Tara Sweeping to a Win

Taylor and Tara
Sweeping to a Win
Defeating Japan 7-4 at the Olympics painted February 15, 2026, 7" x 5" (w x h), using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, all selected for light fastness and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed.
$300

Saturday, February 14, 2026

Cory Thiesse Curling

Silver Medalist Cory Thiesse Curling
Cortina Olympics Mixed Doubles Curling's Silver Medalist begins her next Olympic event in Women's Curling with a win against South Korea, 8-4, 2/12/2026 on their way to the Medal Rounds, painted 2/13/2026, 10" x 8" (w x h) using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness and permanence, on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper.
NFS - Gifted to Cory Thiesse's parents who saw this winning game in person

Silver Medalist Cory Thiesse Curling Framed
Having won a Silver Medal in Mixed Doubles Cory went on to play in the Women's event. The Women's team made the medal round, and though they didn't win a medal, there was history made. Cory curled all games in mixed doubles plus medal games, curled all Women's games plus medal games, becoming the curler who curled more ends in one Olympics, men's or women's, a historic achievement in the history the Winter Olympic Games.

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Korey Dropkin Sweeping...

Korey Dropkin Sweeping
to an Olympic Medal
Korey Dropkin, 2026 Team USA Olympic Mixed Doubles sweeping to an Olympic medal, painted on Feb 9, 2026, 10" x 8" (w x h), using Schmincke Horadam and Winsor & Newton watercolors selected for light fastness and permanence on 140 lbs. Arches cold pressed 100% cotton watercolor paper, framed.
$300