Pine Cone With Cranberries -sold

While I painted Winter Bird I was thinking how great a little pop of crimson would be in the scene. Got a bag of cranberries, and here's the next pine cone painting. Every year I can't believe Christmas is over so fast. We'll take down the tree tonight. My allergies and asthma are flared up. Too much tree and not enough turpenoid fumes!!! More time to paint ahead, I hope.

Winter Bird

oil 8x8 inches click for purchase information It just so happened that I'm posting this on the first day of winter. I've been busy with the garage makeover and preparations for Christmas. It felt good to get it all done, and really good to finally pick up a paintbrush last evening. Here's wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a new year filled with love and peace.

Little Blue Vase

oil 8x8 on gallery wrap canvas I haven't posted in a while because I've been working on a big overdue home project: reorganizing our garage. Would much rather paint on canvas than the inside of a three car garage! A few days ago I responded to the DPW challenge with this piece. Qiang-Huang challenged us to let blue be the focus of the work, so I neutralized the other colors. Quite different for me. On another note: I recently have gone through my DPW gallery and added a PayPal Buy Now feature to many of my recent pieces. In doing so, I reduced the previous auction price a bit. So if you're looking for an original piece of art for a gift, visit my Daily Paintworks Gallery here. Thanks for looking.

Abe

oil 10x10 inches not for sale Abraham Simpson is a hometown hero. He served his country as a Marine, and while doing so, died under enemy fire in Iraq, 2004. His mother, Maria chose the photograph I painted from. It's a great natural pose, and she especially liked that his hand is in the shot. I did too. It was my idea to paint him as a gift to his parents. I had no idea really, how emotional it would be for me. I hoped and prayed while painting that I'd be able to get his likeness but also his spirit for his parents. I thought about him in Iraq, and about him in Heaven. Maria came over yesterday to see it and really liked it. I made some minor changes today, and I'm satisfied that it's the best I can do.

Prickly

oil 10x10 inches on gallery wrap canvas ready to hang click here to bid My photo reference for this piece was taken on a Spring trip to Joshua Tree National Park. I've done some watercolors from the same reference, and it was a good challenge to work it in oil. I'm working on a portrait that's taking me a while, then on my way to Idaho for a few days. Don't know when I'll post next, but I'll be back.

Beavertail Blossoms

oil 14x11 inches on gallery wrap canvas ready to hang Click to Purchase I'm really enjoying the gallery wrap canvases, both for their texture and boxy shape. Thanks to Carol Carmichael who graciously shared some ideas on finishing the sides. Last spring at Descanso Gardens with a friend, we found this wonderful array of color. The label nearby was "Fairy Duster." I'm hoping it was indeed for this cactus! Some cactus expert out there correct me if I'm wrong! (Later note: WRONG!) A long time ago I discovered that the standard reds will not make some floral pinks, so here's a little chart I made before painting this piece. I ended up using ThRR- thalo red rose. My little sketchbook is a Moleskine with brown cardboard-like cover, perforated sheets and comes in packs of three. I use them for notes and sketching in the field, and color swatches at home.

Cactus Crown

oil 11x14 on gallery wrap canvas not for sale After not painting for two weeks, I found it difficult to get myself started. Started feeling irritable. (Just ask my dog.) Reminded me of getting off the bike while climbing a steep hill. Trying to get the pedals turning again, it's easy to fall if you don't do it right. So I found a subject that really, really excited me, then I painted bigger than usual, on not the usual support, with not the usual brushes. It felt new and fresh. I had a ball, and this is what came out. I like it so much I'm going to keep it.

North On Campus -sold

oil 9x12 inches Click to Purchase I frequently go north on Campus about 10 miles to our daughter's house in Upland. This lawnmower shop next to the railroad tracks caught my eye time after time. I finally pulled over and got a shot I could work from. What is it about railroad crossing signs? I really like them. My little break from painting is done. It felt good to get back on the horse, so to speak. Cactus coming next post. I love cactus. A railroad sign with a cactus...now that would be a painting!

Paint Me Pomegranate -sold

oil 6x6 inches Click to Purchase This is the ninth and last in my pomegranate series. To view the series, go to "labels" below and click on pomegranates. Happy November, everyone!

Pom To The People

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase Part of my pomegranate series. I put this sheet of collage paper on the floor to get the view from above. Red, black and white is a favorite combination.

Tustin Autumn SOLD

oil 9x12 inches, framed. Click to Purchase My painting submitted to the Tustin Plein Air Competition. It received an Honorable Mention. To be very honest, sales yesterday were dismal. There were a lot of nice comments on my work, but almost everyone kept their cash and credit cards in their wallets. After a day like that I get discouraged. I ask myself if I'm devoting myself to making things that nobody wants. Seriously. Life is short. I apologize to those who say "don't put anything negative on your blog." I think it's important to be honest about the struggles of being a painter and a human being. Think I'll take a few days off from painting.

Logan House -sold

oil 12x9 inches Last Sunday in Tustin I met up with Brent who commissioned me to paint his lovely historic home built in 1928. His grandparents purchased it in 1934 after they married, and the original furniture is still inside. Amazing! Below is the unfinished field study. When I got home I realized the pink canvas tone was a problem. I started over with a light burnt umber and executed the work using my sketches and photo references. I have a dream of someday living in an historic home. It may never happen, but I feel honored to paint a few. Tomorrow I'll be out at the Tustin Art Walk with lots of fellow artists. It's a great day, so if you're local, don't miss it!

Sunflower Sings -sold

oil 8x8 inches Click to purchase Almost to the end of my Fair paintings, two more to go. At this point I had finally painted so much for so many days that I actually felt like I could not make another stroke. It hit me all of a sudden and felt very weird. Just then my husband arrived. We walked around the Fair, watched bees, horses and dog races, ate a lot of junk, and then I felt much better. (Just like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, if you know that story.) I finished the painting that night fueled by cotton candy. Today I was painting on the streets of Old Town Tustin for the Plein Air Competition. It was about 95 degrees. Not happy with my painting yet, but I have two more days...hopefully cooler days.

Sunflower With Pomegranates

oil 20x16 inches Click to purchase I got the urge to paint a larger painting. I'll blame it on Nick Brown who in the opposite corner of the room worked on really large canvases. He was such an inspiration, I tackled this subject while still in my tiny corner, AND I recently hit the mother lode at Aaron Brother's canvas sale. I loaded up my car with large (and some small) gallery wrap canvases. Now I've got to figure out what to do with them. Bigger room, bigger brushes, bigger blobs of paint, right? Alas, I don't think it's that simple.

Floral Bowl With Pom -SOLD

oil 8x8 inches Click to Purchase The next in the pomegranate series. It has been a busy couple of weeks. I miss the time and focus on painting I had at the fair now that I'm home again. We've been having some home improvement/repairs done and my watercolor classes are underway. Next Saturday, Oct. 20th I'll be at the Old Town Tustin Art Walk. This is my third year and I can't wait. So much fun! Come visit me on the corner of Main and Prospect if you can! It's from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

This painting is available at Vander Molen Fine Art, Arcadia, CA

Jar With Bird

oil 8x8 inches Click to purchase In this setup I liked the pairing of glass with ceramic, and the sparkle of both.

Floral Bowl 2 -sold

oil 8x8 inches Click to purchase Still posting work from my time at the fair, I got some flowers at the grocery store knowing I'd be able to paint from those for a few days. "Paint 'em 'till they die", I say. Where are the pomegranates? Elizabeth thought I was sick of painting them and tossed them out! Maybe she was sick of watching me paint them! Just kidding. So a little break in the pom action. Good thing I had the flowers, and my series continued after Dawn brought more pomegranates.

Seeds -sold

oil 6x6 inches When I decided to paint the seeds, I really wasn't sure I could pull it off. I reminded myself to paint from dark to light and make marks the shape and colors that I saw. I kept going, leaving each mark alone until I was done. It worked out. Whew!

Bird With Pomegranate

oil 6x6 inches Click to Purchase The colors of the previous painting excited me so much, I decided to do this simpler arrangement. I love this little ceramic bird. This series has a subtle feeling of Fall. Our evenings are getting cooler, the sycamores look fall-ish, but it's supposed to hit 108 degrees here today! Can't believe it's October already.

Poms & Bird

oil 6x18 inches not for sale Today I'm off to the last day of the Fair. I met and worked with the nicest people, painted more than twenty paintings and sold quite a few. Elizabeth and I had a blast working alongside each other. So grateful to her for talking me into it and sharing her space. This painting is one in the pomegranate series, and possibly my favorite so far. The format was new and fun. Might be for sale at a later date.

Twigs & Pomegranates

oil 6x6 inches not for sale In the previous painting I toned my canvas with thalo red rose and Indian yellow which gave it a glow. With this one I toned with burnt umber. I really like the earthy feel. In other news, I'm happy to report that two of my military plane paintings have sold ("Flight Day Prep and War Bird"), and I'll be able to donate the proceeds to The Wounded Warrior Project. I don't know who the buyer was, but if you're reading this, thank you SO much! To see the WWP paintings, click on "benefit for WWP" in labels below.

Pomegranates -sold

oil 8x8 inches Click to Purchase When I was a kid, a neighbor had a pomegranate bush in their back yard. I would climb their side fence and crouching at the top of the fence, work my way to the back to "acquire" one for myself. (As if my feet actually in their backyard would get me caught!) I think they knew I did this, but they didn't care. The mother painted oils in her family room and the father made anything out of wood, including guitars and later, an easel for me. Funny how a piece of fruit conjures up so many good memories. The first time painting them, it's a lot like painting pears or gala apples...lots of color variations.

Storm Passing- San Francisco

oil 8x10 inches Click to Purchase This is the last of the recent San Francisco paintings. Even painting from photographs I get the feeling I'm right back there in that beautiful city. We stopped very near the Golden Gate Bridge and looked back toward Fisherman's Wharf. What a sight! Though this might be better as a larger painting, I'm very happy with the expanse conveyed by the sky.

Liftoff

oil 9x12 inches Click to PurchaseAnother view from biking near the Golden Gate Bridge. There are just six days left of the Fair. Dawn, who oversees the demonstrators and Gallery Store started bringing me pomegranates from her yard and I have done a series of paintings with them. They might be my favorites. Will post them soon.

Light & Shadow San Francisco

oil 12x9 inches Click to Purchase Bicycling is a great way to get good photos. You don't have to figure out where to pull over and park the car. We found these beautiful buildings just off the bike path on the way to Golden Gate Bridge. The shadows caught my eye and painting the large shapes really appealed to me.

Gone Astray

oil 8x8 inches Click to Purchase Out painting hills one day, slowly from a great distance came 1800 sheep. I know the number because when they finally reached us beside the road I asked the shepherd how many there were. I think he spoke Portuguese. He reached down and with his finger wrote the number in the dirt. They were right up beside the road where cars passed at about 60 mph. Some were scratching themselves on the streetlamp posts. I was afraid they'd get into the road, but they never did. I think they have the cutest faces. On another note, I'm having a terrible time getting good photos of my paintings lately. Maybe it has to do with seasonal light. With every post I want to say, "The painting looks better in person." Might sound cheesy, but it's true.

Lucky Dog

oil 8x10 inches A while back, Lucky came to stay with us while his owner, Angie was traveling. He arrived wearing his tie to make a good first impression. He remained a gentleman the whole time. My dog loves it when Lucky comes over. If I say to my dog, 'You lucky dog!', she thinks Lucky is at the door. This painting will be a gift to Angie.

Grapes & Greens

oil 6x6 inches Click to Purchase This is the last so far on patterned paper. I got really excited about the subtle shifts in reds and purples against the greens. After this, I painted a few animals, one of which is the chicken posted yesterday.

Chicken

oil 8x8 inches Click to Purchase This chicken roams free at the Gold King Mine in Jerome, Arizona. Sitting on an old tractor or something, she kept an eye on us visitors. In my photo reference the light made her comb glow. I toned my canvas with thalo red rose and indian yellow which gave the whole chicken a glow, especially the comb. The image here is inadequate.

Fruit On The Vine -sold

oil 10x8 inches After painting at Galleano Winery one day I spotted these near the road. They were mostly in shadow under the leaves, but the afternoon light was striking just a few. Below, I'm in my little (I mean little!) corner of the Fair painting away. To step back and look at my painting, I release the rope, step off the platform and walk back. Haven't fallen off yet! Besides painting, I also volunteer in the gallery store where I'm learning to work the dreaded cash register. Despite that, I'm having so much fun talking to fellow artists, visitors and children on field trips.

Party Girl Tomato -sold

oil 6x6 inches click here to bid A relative of Early Girl tomato, this is Party Girl Tomato. :-) Red, pink and lime green, how could I resist putting a tomato on this, one of Elizabeth's collage papers. The gold lines were challenging. In fact, the whole thing was challenging. Elizabeth now looks at what I'm painting and sarcastically teases; "Oh I see you've chosen something simple!" Ha! It's a sickness.

Old Glory -sold

oil 8x8 inches on gallery wrap canvas click here to bid Visitors at the Fair started referring to me as the artist who paints food. Funny, since I had lots of other stuff hanging. With that and the Labor Day holiday, I decided to paint Old Glory again. Turns out they show more interest when I'm painting food! This piece is ready to hang. The pictures below show the image wrap on top and sides.

Cannoli -sold

oil 6x8 inches A fellow artist in the gallery at the Fair saw my paintings of desserts and brought me these treats from his favorite bakery. "Here, paint this." It's always a challenge to paint chocolate. I used burnt umber altered with cad yellow medium and cad red light where needed. I added some berries for color. Then Elizabeth and I ate them.

Reflecting Red -sold

oil 6x6 inches Click to Purchase

Pepper Dance

oil 6x6 inches Click to Purchase Elizabeth Carr and I are sharing a space at the fair. Elizabeth does beautiful abstract mixed media work with all kinds of fun materials. She loaned me one of her collage papers for this painting. This might be my favorite so far because of the sense of movement. To see Elizabeth's work, click here. If you're local, come out to the fair and see it better in person!

Red Grapes & Lemon -sold

oil 6x8 inches Click to Purchase

It's The Pit -sold

oil 6x6 inches Click to Purchase I'm having a great time at the Fair. I'm in a big room with a few fellow painters and have hours and hours to paint. Perfect! Again, the color in this one is a lot more subtle in real life. It's like my camera ate Wheaties or something.

Fair Demo #1 SOLD

oil 6x6 Click to Purchase I couldn't for the life of me think of a title for this one. Time to paint an avocado. They were only $1 each at the store. Oil paint lends itself so well to getting that creamy texture inside. Didn't know the pit held so much rich color till I looked real hard. For some reason my camera overdoes yellow. The creamy part is much more subtle in the painting.

This painting is available at Vander Molen Fine Art, Arcadia, CA

Ruby's On The Pier -sold

oil 10x8 inches Click to PurchaseYesterday I met up with Dana Cooper, Dori Dewberry and Katie Costello to paint at Balboa. We had a great time in the cool breeze painting with our feet in the sand. First time painting the ocean, so I didn't expect anything other than to just practice and have fun. When I got home I thought about using the photos to make adjustments, but decided to leave it looking fresh, not stiff. A long time ago I heard a watercolorist say, "Do you want your painting to look like fresh sushi or well-done beef?" A very valid consideration. I want to eat my beef, but paint like sushi.

The Lovely Egg -sold

oil 6x6 inchesclick here to bidMy submission to the Daily Paintworks challenge. This color combo excited me right away, but I thought I'd be nuts to try and paint that pattern with the glass and all, and my painting time was limited. Tried other simpler things, but went back to this because it still excited me the most.

Bay Arcade

oil 12x9 inches not for sale When the kids were little we made frequent trips to Balboa Island. Here in the Fun Zone we'd visit the arcade where our little girl got really good at Skeeball. We'd take the three car ferry to the island and let the kids swim in the bay. I took the photo for this painting about a year ago. It's one of those rare places that thankfully, hasn't changed much. Lots of nostalgia, and I like how the painting turned out too. Fair News: I'll be demonstrating as well as volunteering in the Gallery Store. Here is my basic schedule for demonstrating: Labor Day-10-7, Fair closed on all other Mondays and Tuesdays, Wednesdays-4pm to 10pm, Thursdays-10am to 5pm, Fridays-10am-4pm, Saturdays-10am to 4pm, Sundays-12pm-7pm(excluding the 16th).

Gala & Grapes -SOLD

oil 6x6 inches Click to Purchase I had a good week, but alas, not much time for painting. I managed to paint this one before I went to bed last night. Tomorrow I'm off to the Pasadena Museum of California Art to attend the symposium on Edgar Payne. Yay! The LA County Fair opens a week from today. Preparations are still under way in the Millard Sheets Gallery, but the "Art Store" within is ready and full of beautiful work from paintings, to art glass, sculpture, ceramics and jewelry. Elizabeth Carr is graciously sharing her gallery space with me. We hung some pieces yesterday and our booth is looking fabulous! I'll try to post some pictures and specific demo times soon.

North On Haven

oil 8x8 inches Click to Purchase While driving up Haven Ave. last week at dusk, the light was so beautiful. I saw everything in yellows and violets. At a red light I snapped a photo. My red traffic light arched way into the center of that beautiful sky, so I left it out. I toned my canvas with Indian yellow and while I left some showing in the sky, it is a lot more subtle than this image shows. LA County Fair News: Looks like I'll be in the Millard Sheets Gallery Thursdays through Sundays. If I get more specific demonstrating hours, I will let you know.