"Eggs and Oranges" 8" x 8" oil on gessobord

Once again, I love to paint eggs-in-the-raw! I was trying, in this painting, to make the eggs on the plate more a part of the background....in the dark...coming into the light. But I just got carried away with the eggs and kept going back in to make them more important than I meant for them to be. I am still happy with the painting, but some how got off track with my excitement.

"Tomato Parade" 12" x 12" oil on gessobord

I've been wanting for awhile to paint something reflected in a bowl. Well, I finally got up the courage to set something up and just used my mixer bowl. I, being a quilter, have a good selection of solid half-yard pieces of fabric that I use in my still-life set ups. I really wanted to work with this piece of fabric which is called "chartreuse" by the manufacturers. Actually it's a Shot Cotton put out by Kaffe Fassett. The warp and the weft of the woven cloth are different colors. Up close the fabric looks quite different than seeing it from a short distance, when your eyes mix the two colors. I highly recommend this fabric for painters to use for still life set ups. But there are so many online quilting stores which supply hundreds of beautiful solids. I like to shop here for fabrics. anyway. I really wanted to challenge myself with mixing this chartreuse color on my palette, especially since I use no greens directly out of the tube. I work with blues and yellows. At the moment I could not recite to you the colors I used, but I had fun in the process.

"Tree in the Hedge" 10"x 10" oil on canvas board

I am a member of a plein air painting group that meets every week from spring to fall. The locations are pre-selected early in the spring. It's just a matter of showing up. I've gotten rather bored with painting boats in the water, not that I have that much experience doing so. But I love to paint architecture and big shapes. I was not feeling up to even getting out of the car this day to set up my easel, so I painted, in oils, from the front seat of my rather small car. Across the street from where i was parked was this huge hedge engulfing this tree. The thing on the right is part of a stockade fence at the foot of someone's driveway. I went home and painted another version of this without the fence and gave more detail to the hedge. 

"Painting Tomatoes" 8" x 8" oil on gessobord

Tomatoes are not as sweet tasting as they used to be when I was young. But these came from my local market, so I knew they were fresh picked and ready to eat. In the South we really knew how to make a great tomato sandwich!

"Four Plums" 8" x 8" oil on gessobord

Recently there have been a lot of firsts for me with my painting. Today I painted plums for the first time! I know there are many different kinds of plums in the market, but today I worked with what I had in the refrigerator. These plums were more purple than red, so I tried to use the red just for the lights, though I didn't begin that way. Ugh. I think that I must try them again tomorrow and begin with purple instead of red. I'm so happy to be painting most every day again. It's what truly brings me joy.

"Contained Rose" 14" x 11" oil on gessoboard

I'm working on varying my set ups somewhat. Here I have a piece of chartreuse paper propped up against a magenta cloth background. To pot is gold ceramic and the rose is wilting fast! My brushstrokes are larger, for I love working with big brushes. I should use the same brushes on a much smaller panel. That would loosen me up!

"Tomato Pie"  8" x 8"  oil on gessoboard

I have a pie plate that has a beautiful brown glaze. The plate is small, maybe 8", deep, and has a very scalloped edge that weaves it's way around my pie crusts. Everything I bake in this pie plate looks beautiful, especially top crust apple pie with a little cinnamon sugar sprinkled and bubbling out of the top crust vents. So why not a tomato pie? I especially liked the twisted green vines curling their way through the air. I'd like to try painting this pie plate again soon. These are the same tomatos from "Triplets".

"Which One is Different?"  12" x 12"  oil on gessoboard

Today was my first attempt at painting brass. I plan to paint a similar set up tomorrow with this brass pot. I'm really enjoying the apple thing these days, however, the red one here looks more like a tomato. I've been writing a lot lately while I paint about my thought process and decisions I'm having to make with my color choices and composition. I find this helpful to go back later to see where I went wrong... not right. Really looking forward to Carol Marine's workshop. However, I have to drag all my still life props all the way out to Santa Fe in my luggage, and my easel....everything. I love a challenge when it comes to packing!

"Triplets" 8" x 8" oil on gessoboard

"Triplets" 8" x 8" oil on gessoboard

These tomatoes are slated for my salad tonight. Though I've only painted tomatoes once before, I thought I'd try these cute little ones. These are not from my garden....for those I grow just for the woodchuck that lives in the back  :) oh, and the deer! I haven't posted much lately, though I've been painting every day. Just not happy enough with the results, but I can feel a bit of an improvement today....after 2 wipe outs.

"A Bunch of Roses" 8" x 8" oil on panel

I find flowers to be so difficult to paint. I mean, one really needs to know it's anatomy first. I find myself, at times, getting lazy and just stylizing the flower by the shape and color. This was a bunch of roses, but  one flower resembles a morning glory! I worked with a lot of medium and drippy paint, but wiped out the one major drool. Tough, but I need to get with it and practice. I'm going to Carol Marine's Advanced Workshop in Santa Fe in October. Flowers, among many other difficult projects, will be covered. Yikes!

"Sunny Boys" 12" x 12"  oil on gessoboard

Just a quick trip to Trader Joe's and I will find a huge selection of reasonably priced bundles of flowers.   

So, I love to paint sunflowers, though I haven't shown many paintings of them. It's really hot here in Connecticut with temperatures in the 90's while terrible fires burn in Colorado. I wish safety for them all.

"Too Many Things" 17" x 20" oil on gessoboard

I thought that I would paint something large for a change. I pick among the things that I have in my still life cupboard. I don't consider my style suitable really for a boat load of "things" crowding the table, but thought the change might be good. I'm also working with improving my compositions through placement, colors, values and patterns. Painting orbs I find a challenge. I'm particularly happy with the reflection on the surface of the big cobalt jar. Although the visuals there are all on the surface of the glass, to me it reads more three dimensional. My show in Rowayton at Brendan's 101 comes down tomorrow and don't know where I will store all these paintings. Guess to Etsy they go!

"A Reflection On Grapes" 8" x 8" oil on gessoboard

I thought of messing around with the photo from this painting in Photoshop. I'm wondering if I should have gone a little easier on the color somewhere, perhaps the pink background. I'm thinking that all the objects have too much intense color, where I should have been more selective. Also, I think that the reflections should have been darker and more grey than the items reflected. However, still trying to post most all of my paintings....the good, the bad and the ugly.

"Seeing Double" 8" x 8" oil on gessoboard

I'm finally trying to "get it" each day I paint by planning out my course of action. This time I did a value study in pencil of the set up, hoping by doing this I could feel (almost) certain that the design and composition were OK. Most of the time I'm just so psyched to get started with the painting that I skip this step. Then half way through painting see that the picture just is not working. This one, I think, is a bit more cohesive. So I'm off now, after mailing in my taxes, to try it again. Think design first!

"Seeing Through" 8" x 8" oil on gessoboard

It was late in the day yesterday and the light was still good. So I really needed to create something. I finally listed my latest quilt on my etsy shop here. The setup idea for this painting I got from another artist, who had a similar set up.... different items, same colors. I love to paint all three of these items, especially the glass. 

Happy Easter to everyone. The weather is absolutely beautiful here in New England. 

"Daffodils and Oranges" 8" x 8" oil on gessoboard

I'm reading a book now on how to improve my painting, and I really tried hard to "listen" to what the book says. There is this "one rule of composition", that when used makes your paintings more readable through the colors and the values (lightness and darkness of a color), and makes your composition exciting. I still find the setting up part so difficult and such a task.  I normally just want to get in and begin painting. And thus begins my downward fall.....or steep decline.....or rugged descent...! I have another painting to post tomorrow that was composed before  reading the book. More details to follow.

"Angus 2" 12" x 12" oil on gessoboard

Well, I'm still working on the dogs and loving it. I love the shape of Angus' head and snout and the whole graphic thing going on. Snickers is the lab that has taken partial residence in my home over the last month. She has such a sweet personality and is so happy all the time!

"Snickers" 8" x 8"  oil on gessoboard

I've loved doing these and just need to get myself out there on some bulletin boards. But I do have some more paintings to post. 

The big news is that I have a show currently on exhibit at Brendan's 101 in Rowayton, Ct. I have 21 paintings hanging of still life work exclusively. Not that I'm doing any landscapes anyway. All will be hanging until April 18th and do hope some sales come out of all the work that went into it. So there isn't much in the etsy shop for sale now. 

I've gone to the dogs!

Well, life goes on and I'm busier with other things besides painting, or at least, trying to finish those paintings. I have received a few pet portrait commissions through FaceBook from some old high school friends. You know, I really like doing this, too. First the client emails me lots of photos, then, we converse about the dog's personally, habits and quirks.  I work up a couple of sketches and drawings in an attempt to capture, without meeting said canine, what I feel would be the best pose. I have decided, based on past experience in painting a mural for a very picky client, to do all the decision making myself with no further contact with the client until the painting is completed. This is my fourth portrait and I haven't had a difficult client yet. I'm, as of yet, not working with a contract and hope that I do not get that busy or have problems that warrant a contract necessary.  One thing I do have in my favor is time.... a June Birthday. So here is the portrait based on this sketch.

I define a sketch as a study in pencil on paper, whereas a drawing, also in pencil, usually takes quite a bit more time and has a more finished quality to it. I have another sketch of this dog, which I see being painted in oils rather flat and more graphic in style. I want to paint this one in gouache with colored markers. 

I just love the shape of his head and body! I thought in the background I would spell out the dog's name the full height of his body with foreshortened letters. I have several cats which are tiger, but through many sketches, I still cannot capture their essence. What was I thinking? The cats know that!

"One Egg" 10" x 8" oil on Ampersand panel

I know that I've painted this similar composition before, but at least I'm painting. Just for a day. I really miss the painting and it shows when I work, how foreign mixing colors is for me. Once again, though, I'll complain about how difficult it is for me to set up a still life. It's almost time to move outdoors for some plein air work, which usually sets me back to the Ice Age progressively when I begin. Have you all checked out http://dailypaintworks.com? I'm giving it a shot at showing my work there. Carol Marine and her husband started this new website where any artist can show their work and have it for sell, if they wish. Carol is an awesome painter and teaches wonderful workshops.

"Ranunculus" 8" x 8" oil on panel

Trader Joe's always has the best flowers and reasonably priced. Who can resist Ranunculus, especially knowing that Spring is not too far behind?  I gave myself permission to have a bit of fun on this painting. After all....the flowers looked like orange round shapes to me. I didn't get hung up on any of the details... I paint without my glasses on anyway. That way, if I don't see it, it's not there. If something looks blurred, I try to paint it as such.