Beater Bikes

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase info I took some photos of the old bikes at Treasures & Junk in Ontario. Sometimes called "beater bikes" by serious cyclists, they're all beat up and pretty much theft proof. Great for riding around in the city. Painting from photos lately I'm seeing progress. Finally I can make it a painting rather than just a copy of a photo. Simplifying shapes, loose brushwork and not fussing it to death.

Wagon

oil 12x9 inches magnify/purchase info Nobody was home in these cabins just a few doors down from where we were staying. I walked down with my afternoon iced coffee and parked myself under the pines. What a nice rustic scene.

Nesbitt's

oil 8x8 inches magnify/purchase You might be too young to remember Nesbitt's orange soda. When I was about 19 I drove an orange Pinto around Orange County as a delivery driver for a reproduction company. It was a great summer job. I'd stop in a little market sometime during the day to grab a Nesbitt's and a candy bar. I do like orange. My spotlight made the orange glow, and that's what this painting is about. The brown drapery looked just right to me with the yellow and orange. Painting finished, I suddenly realized how 70's this painting is. I get a good feeling looking at this. Hope you do too. Now I'll go put a flower in my hair. For fellow painters out there: Painted with 4 colors: cad yellow light, cad red light, ultramarine blue and Twhite. All Utrect. Love that paint.

Strawberry & Old Stuff

oil 8x8 inches magnify/purchase Here's one of our locally grown juicy strawberries. They really are that red. The old bottle has some kind of white film inside it that glows when the light shines through.

Small Joys

oil 6x6 inches not for sale. I was able to squeeze in one more painting before 2014 arrives. A vintage choir boy candle with tiny pomegranates, pine cone and a sprig cut from our Christmas tree. The candle and his companions are my most favorite decorations. Growing up, they were on our mantle every year sitting in a most wonderful spun angel hair. I don't think they make that angel hair any more. Mom is 93 and enjoys seeing them on our mantle now. A friend, Mary Jo, surprised me with these teeny little pomegranates. We were talking about gifts and she said, "The best gifts are the ones you don't expect." So true. Happy New Year everyone! May the year ahead be full of unexpected blessings!

Nostalgia and the LA County Fair

oil 16x20 Here's "Nostalgia" hanging in my booth in the Millard Sheets Gallery at the LA County Fair. Rarely do I go back into a dry painting and make changes, but this time I did. I "finished" the painting in January, but friends in my painting group brought to my attention that a few of the objects did not read right. So last night I addressed the problems. Once I got into it, it was a lot of fun to just make subtle changes here and there: define the glass knob and tag hanging from it. Change the temperature of the window frame shadow, and add some highlights to the flowers, etc. I played with it. The January version is below. (Click on image to enlarge and compare.) Also below, I love the statues in front of the gallery, so thought I would share this pic with you. It's all hustle and bustle on the fairgrounds. Opening day is August 30th!

Paddington -sold

oil 10x8 inches I haven't been knocking out a painting a day, or posting every day for quite a while now. I enjoy the bit larger sizes, taking my time and putting more thought into what I choose to paint. A line from Richard Schmid's book, Alla Prima has been in my mind: "Slow down and savor what you are doing."

Nostalgia

oil 16x20 inches click for purchase information Finished, I think. I'll put it away and look at it again in a week. The background leans toward pink, which seems more harmonious with the greens and dark reds. I revisited the clock to revise the shape and make some deliberate marks.

Memory Desk

oil 8x8 inches I had a great visit in Happy Jack, but I'm glad to be home. Don't think I'll drive across the desert alone again. I had a few scary moments related to running out of gas and on the way back, overheating. If you ever drive in 116 degree heat, turn down your air, push the recirculate button and keep your rpms under 3000. It worked. As for the painting, I did get one chance to paint and visit at the same time. The desk sat in a tiny alcove lit by a north window. Not just any old antiques, these belonged to her parents and grandparents.

Wheelbarrow -sold

oil 6x4 inches private collection McDonough, Georgia I like old wheelbarrows. My dad used to push me around our backyard in one when I was little. This is not that one, but it conjured up the happy memories anyway.

A Bit Rusty sold

oil on canvas panel 10x10 inches
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I love bikes, and old ones are full of character. Wouldn't it be great if they could tell their stories? Found this one somewhere on the way to Yosemite at a roadside stop called Bravo Farms. That place is full of painting fodder and great tortilla soup too. I submitted it to the DPW "Wheels" challenge. See the others by clicking here.

Old Town Storefront -sold

The Tustin Art Walk on Saturday was fabulous! I entered the painting above in the Plein Air Contest. Old Town Flooring occupies this, one of the oldest buildings in Tustin. Though my painting didn't win any awards, I can't complain... it was purchased by Margaret from the flooring company. Thanks, Margaret!

You can see from the photo of the building the most interesting part (the front) was completely in shadow. I lightened things up a bit so I could play with the little bits of color in the windows and flag. On Friday I positioned myself behind a parked car where I could see my subject across Main Street. When the lunch hour traffic backed up in front of me, those Tustin people were so nice most of them left space so as not to block my view!

I met the nicest folks and had my highest sales ever. Thanks to Tustin Parks and Rec for all their hard work, and especially thank you to all who stopped by my booth to say hi!

Washed Up-sold

oil on canvas panel 8x6 inches

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And now, for something different...from Jerome, Arizona.

"Sisterhood" Still Life

oil on canvas panel 8x8 inches

These two big events I've been working on have prevented me from painting for over a week. It will be a great day when things settle down and I can get back into the daily routine.

Meanwhile, I've posted this painting done back in March. There's a story behind this one: A group of women artist friends got together in January and loaded a suitcase with about 9 old junky items. We dubbed ourselves "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Trunk". As you might guess, the "trunk" is making it's way from house to house where each artist uses her choice of at least six items to create her art piece. Just about every medium will be represented in an upcoming exhibit of these works. We get together once in a while to see how it's going and share food (of course) and laughs...a great idea from a creative whirlwind, Melanie Phillips. Hey artists out there, you could start your own group!

Old Window-sold

oil on canvas panel 6x6 inches
click here to bid
This old window was perhaps part of a cabinet of some sort. Purchased to give me a reflective surface, I wound up instead loving the glass knob and tag! The objects are on black velvet. I like the old soft feel of the wood, tag and string.

Old Treasures -sold

oil on canvas panel 8x8 inches
click here to bid
Here is the finished painting posted yesterday. The striped cloth proved to be too distracting, so I carried the burgundy all the way across. The books have a very solid feel, and I especially like the tear on the cover. I may add some more bright yellow to the sunflowers. It's amazing how colorful they were even though they were dry.

In Process

With this painting, I'm using a more classical realistic approach which I think is well suited to painting old stuff. The books and copper pitcher I picked up recently at an antique mall. Chosen just because they looked old, the books turned out to be quite interesting when I got them home. They are primary grade text books published in 1934, language and math. The young girl who used them did a lot of coloring, and some drawing throughout. This with the wear suggests that perhaps she was the last student to use them. On a back page there is a drawing of planes, bombs and tanks--her world in the early forties?


Here you can see my setup and start. I really like the color scheme and dried flowers. I know the striped drapery will be a challenge, but I like the colors.