Saturday, April 26, 2008

Front & Center, oil on gessoboard

" Honey Tangerines "
Oil
6" x 6"
This is my 100th painting for my Daily Painting Blog! I am amazed and so happy! I began this journey in late October '07 and though I did not complete one a day this is still huge accomplishment for me. I have seen great improvements in my painting that I'm surAe would not have happened in the same way working only on large oils. It's an amazing process. I want to thank all the artists and my collectors who have been following along and taken the time to comment. Your support is so appreciated.
Now for the second 100! I do have two summer shows to paint for but will post the large paintings here as they are finished.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Honey Tangerines, oil on gessoboard

" Honey Tangerines "
Oil
6" x 6"
I really enjoyed painting these tangerines. The skins were very smooth not rough like an orange, and they were quite shiney. I wanted something very colorful, so decided on a high key color scheme. Tomorrow I will paint them again on a stripe fabric. I like repeating a subject to see if I can work out the problems I had the first go. The tangerines have dull green mottling which gave me fits. As usual, a simple arrangement is often more difficult to paint than a more complex one.
Sold

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Orange Reflections, salt & pepper, stripes

" Orange Reflections "
Oil
6" x 6"
My husband keeps reaching for the stove top S&P shakers, only to find them gone. I keep reminding him they are in use in the studio. Seems that half our kitchen stuff is in my studio since beginning the Daily Paintings! This is number 98!
$425 framed
Available Email Me

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Little Limes

" Limes III "
Oil
6" x 6"
I was out of town for 4 days, Mom's Weekend at my son's college. We had a great time. He has wonderful friends, but then he's a wonderful young man! Went to see "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"..one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. Lots of male nudity...payback time all you guys out there! There was an older man sitting behind my son and whenever there was a nude scene he'd say outloud "that's not necessary!"
Now, about my painting: I wanted an Italian feeling to this painting and so used the colors of the Italian flag. I like the results, the clear plate with bright highlights add sparkle and my favorite tea towel. The stripes on this towel are so perfect for arranging folds, wide stripe and little narrow ones.
Sold

Sunday, April 13, 2008

" Garden Still Life with Red Chair "
Oil
6" x 8"
I began this little painting last summer during my Plein Air workshop. I always feel guilty taking time to do my own work during a workshop, hence didn't finish it. I will demonstrate with beginning plein air students but generally I want them to have the time to begin their own painting during the best light in the morning. This day we were in an incredible perennial garden. While my students went for the flowers I am usually attracted to the off-beat stuff like this old red chair in a potting shed, with the push mower and super cast shadow on the shake siding. I find the main gardens overwhelming and not intimate enough...go figure! I added the hanging vine because the little holly hock coming up out of the gravel just didn't look so lonely and I needed to repeat the green somewhere.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

" Rhode Island Red and Barred Plymouth Rocks "
Oil
6" x 6"
The second in a series of "Chicken" paintings. This week I was down at my friends ranch photographing the month old baby pigs. Sooooooooo cute, all rusty red with black spots. They are a Community Supported Agriculture ranch. All livestock are pastured, the pigs are Berkshires, a heritage breed. Everything is raised humanely and organically.
SOLD

Friday, April 11, 2008

" Lemon with Salt & Pepper "
Oil
6" x 6"
I wanted to paint something metalllic and was attracted to my stove top salt and pepper shakers. Then I looked for color that would reflect, choosing my favorite dish towel and a single lemon. It took patience to really look and see all the little reflections that gave depth to the painting. I had green paper lining the right wall so that bounced some complimentary color into the set-up. I like the results. I purposely did very little blending, instead letting the eye do most of the work.
SOLD

Monday, April 7, 2008

" Pink Rose II "
Oil
6" x 6"
Available
I liked both of these rose in the jar compositions and it was fun to paint them one after the other making subtle changes to this one. I made the diagonal line on the right the same pink as in the rose, to repeat that color and it does draw the eye there, too. I will plant a few of my large containers with roses this spring, can't wait! They are hard to winter over here, we are a zone 3, even with protection. We've had a very mangy looking racoon in the yard this week. His tail looks like a rat's tail with little fur on it. I hope it isn't sick. Someone must be feeding it.



Thursday, April 3, 2008

" Lemons on Blue Willow Plate "
Oil
6" x 6"
My friend, Janie, has a large collection of Blue Willow dishes. I love the solid look of the bright lemons against the delicate pattern of the old Blue Willow plate.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

" Pink Rose in Old Mason Jar "
Oil
6" x 6"
Painting # 91! I can't believe it. While I haven't met my goal of one a day, this is huge for me...it feels great. Now, about the rose. Roses are not easy for me to paint..and I see that on the next one I will try a different attack. I think maybe what made this one difficult is the light pink. Next time I will try a rose that has less contrast, say a deep red. I loved painting the jar. I have a collection of these Ball Mason jars that I use for canisters lined up on an open shelf in my kitchen.
Available: Email Me