Green Plate Galas SOLD

oil on canvas panel 6x6 inches

More galas. The more I paint the same thing, the happier I am with my brushwork. I tell my watercolor students all the time, "Don't go back, keep going forward." With these apple paintings I'm telling myself to make a stroke and leave it alone. It's the same deal: resisting the urge to "fuss, fuss, fuss" as Carol Marine puts it, or "noodling", overworking...whatever. I think those of us who are detail oriented people (in life) have to work harder at learning to resist the fussing urge when we paint.

Galas Out Of The Blue -sold

oil on canvas panel 6x6 inches

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Here I'm getting some more mileage out of these little beauties, and playing with the Munsell color wheel--the complementary pair: red and thalo blue. The yellow works well, because both the apple red and blue surface lean toward yellow. Yummy saturated color!

Galas Go Green SOLD

oil on canvas panel 6x6 inches

It's good to get back to still life after several days of plein air. Orchestrating color combinations as I choose objects and surfaces is so much fun. For some reason my camera seems to accentuate yellows, so this green in real life is much more subtle, and as always there's more colorplay in the shadows than what you see here. These cute little galas were irresistable--and yummy!

The Three Brothers, Yosemite-sold

oil on canvas panel 6x8 inches

For this study done yesterday afternoon, I walked out behind our lodge room and along the river. My goal was to practice simplifying and conveying depth and distance. In this spot, the sun set behind the mountain on the right, instantly shading the right half of trees and meadow. I had to finish up quickly by memory. Time to go back to civilization tomorrow. Of the four paintings I did here, this is my favorite.

Postage

oil on canvas panel 6x6 inches
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We're still here at Yosemite National Park. Painting in the late afternoon the last two days, I've been caught off guard by how quickly daylight fades in this deep valley. When I finished painting, there was no direct sunlight for getting a photo of what I'd done! In the meantime, I offer this little stamp dispenser painted just before we left.

Half Dome

oil on canvas panel 10x8 inches
I'm satisfied with this, my first attempt at painting Half Dome. Plein air is always a learning experience for me, and I think I'm making progress. A grander subject would be hard to come by. It was a good challenge and just a blast to be there doing it!

Painting Half Dome

I painted in this spot for about three hours today (yep, that's me)...too much fun! I'd post my resulting painting, but there are some changes to be made first. Surprisingly, today I met five other painters and enjoyed seeing what they were doing and visiting with them. It turns out Yosemite is not only a Mecca for climbers and hikers, but painters as well.

Off To Yosemite

We spent the day driving to Yosemite National Park. No painting today, so this view out the back door of our Lodge room will have to suffice. I hope to paint tomorrow...and hike! The weather is in the 70's and the summer crowds are gone. I'm so excited to be here!

Old Glory

oil on canvas panel 6x6 inches

SOLD

There's always a flag flying at our house. As a result, we have lots of old flags. I even have one with 48 stars that belonged to my dad. Even folded, faded and old, to me it's a beautiful thing. In this painting I tried to capture the wear and the colors. The grommets adorn her like gold rings.

Path To Maloof's SOLD

oil on canvas panel 10x8 inches

The home of beloved master woodworker, Sam Maloof, is in Alta Loma about 30 minutes away from me. The Maloof Foundation offers tours and invites artists to paint in the gardens on Thursdays and Saturdays. To say that this is a special place is an understatement. It was an honor to paint where he walked.

Tomato & Clay

oil on canvas panel 6x6 inches
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Here's a rustic bowl I picked up at a Santa Fe pottery/candy shop...perfect for my "earthy" series. Sometimes I spend an hour arranging my still life set-up. This time I plopped it down, turned on the light and presto, "There it is!"

Sticks And Stones-sold

Oil on canvas panel 6x6 inches, FRAMED. The wood frame is a simple, flat, mahogany color measuring 11x11. In the photo below it is hanging on a blue-green wall. Colors in the painting are most accurate in the second photo below.

oil on canvas panel 6x6 inches

sold

Being a big fan of trees and rocks, the idea of a painting with this title has been in my head for a while. It fits right in with my "earthy" series. I picked up the oriental tea cup at a thrift store. If they have a special name, I'd love to know.

Dog Treat Jar SOLD

oil on canvas panel 6x6 inches

This subject has tempted me for a long time. I wasn't sure I wanted to paint all these little dog treats, but the vibrant blue lid finally lured me in. I used a burnt umber ground again yielding just a bit of that earthy feel like my previous post. My favorite part is the latch.

Starbucks Cup SOLD

oil on canvas panel 6x6 inches

In the last few hours of the art show I did this quick sketch--remnants of my morning coffee. I was pretty tired by then, and I think the looseness reveals that. As I toned my canvas with a mid-value burnt umber, I realized how much it resembled coffee! The loose handling and burnt umber peeking through gave the painting an earthy feel. Maybe I'll do more burnt umber grounds. I like earthy.

Reception Sunflowers-sold

oil on canvas panel 12x9 inches
SOLD

These Mason jarred sunflowers were our reception night decor. Though I felt rusty from not painting daily for several weeks, I got in the groove after an hour or so. Proof I think, that even if I have to take a break, all those daily paintings under my belt pay off. Most of the time I had people watching and talking with me, which I really enjoyed. One observer remarked that it is a "happy" painting...very nice to hear since I do like my darks! I'm very happy with this one.

Bumpkin

oil on canvas panel 6x6 inches
Another painting from last year, this one looks great with my last post, The Pink Lady. It also is available at the Fall Show.
Sorry I haven't been able to post daily for so long, but soon things will get back to normal. The show opened today, and we had a great turn-out to see over 325 pieces of beautifully displayed artwork. I'm very happy to report I was awarded second place in the oil category with my painting "Just Glass", (posted August 7.) Today was a GREAT day! I painted in a room literally filled with art while hanging out with all my artist friends. Tomorrow, more of the same. Yippee! I'll finish and post the floral I started, working from life... my friend Martha's big mason jar full of fresh sunflowers. I doesn't get any better than this...(except for maybe plein air!)

The Pink Lady

oil on canvas panel 6x6 inches
Last fall I had just begun doing small daily paintings. This is one of my earliest. The apple is from Oak Glen and the acorns I picked up on Mount Baldy. The acorns were a beautiful shiny brown-black--so much fun to paint. A year later, it's still a personal favorite. This little painting is available framed and is part of my available work at Associated Artists' Fall Show.

Yellow & Red On Blue

oil on canvas panel 6x6 inches

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It was SO good to get back to painting after a forced break. A simple subject is a good place to start and fruit fits the bill. On a top shelf in my refrigerator the yellow and red side by side caught my eye. I love red with thalo blue, so the cloth brought in the third primary. In the next few days I'll be busy at Associated Artists' Fall Show. I'll be painting at my sales table Friday through Sunday. If you're in the area, don't miss this great show. Come on by and say hi!

Thoughts Of Van Gogh-sold

oil on canvas panel 12x9 inches

SOLD

This painting is from a few months ago, and was the first time I tried using the Zorn palette: yellow ochre, cad red medium, black and white. When I found the Dutch doll and yellow chair in a thrift shop I thought of Van Gogh. The little mini creamer came from Holland when my mother visited decades ago. I added my oldest paintbrushes, and there you have it. If I hadn't mentioned Van Gogh would he have come to mind?

My brother purchased this painting recently. "Thoughts of Van Gogh" is off to Brighton, CO.