Still Life With Cork -sold

oil 10x10 inches click for purchase information Here's a low key painting for sure. My intent was to create a strong sense of controlled light. I placed objects half in shadow with their edges disappearing into darkness. Does your eye go right for the green on that apple? For me, the hammered copper mug almost steals the show. I may have to make it the star of a sequel.

Field Study 2

oil 8x8 inches At Newport Back Bay I turned my easel just a bit to get this scene. I liked the rocks, yellow flowers and row of trees on the bluff.

Field Study, Newport Back Bay

oil 6x8 inches Yesterday I painted at Newport Backbay for the first time. I arrived with the mindset to paint small and simplify. Also, I wanted to practice atmospheric perspective: a clear indication of distance, mid ground and foreground. Most of this piece I'm happy with, but the foreground is too busy. It's hard for me to judge what a painting really looks like until I get it home and sometimes even the next day, so I left it alone. I know I'll paint it again another day. I had a snack, and did another painting which I'll post next.

Bouquet Rose -SOLD

oil 6x6 inches click for purchase information From my Valentine's Day bouquet. The red was so deep they looked like velvet. The photo makes the crevices look black, which they are not in the painting. Some paintings just don't photograph well. Much better in person. This is true so often, maybe I'll just start using an acronym: MBIP. :-)

Figure Study

oil 12x9 inches not for sale With this study from my Tuesday night class, I concentrated on natural skin tones. I used the Zorn palette with two reds: cad red light in the lights and cad red medium in the shadows. This helped me mix the temperatures I wanted. I'm really happy with this study in that I was able to get a reasonable likeness and also an emotional quality. FYI, she is blonde and wearing a large black scarf. I was so far away from the model, I couldn't see much detail in her facial features. I was forced to simplify. A good thing.

Yellow Cottage -sold

oil 10x8 inches -sold- Yesterday I met up with about twenty members of SOCALPAPA at Crystal Cove State Beach. It was 80 degrees and chock full of stuff to paint: cottages, hillside cliffs, ocean and tide pools. I wiped out my first two attempts. I felt like I had forgotten how to paint. I was too warm, I needed my shorts and flip flops, coffee and breakfast. Some plein air days are like this. Okay, so I took all my excuses with me to the cafe and had a fabulous lunch. After that I found a perfect spot of deep shade, a new subject and had a great time. Can't wait to go back!

Rain Forecast, Laguna -SOLD

oil 8x10 inches click for purchase information There were some changes I wanted to make to my field study at Laguna Beach. I had felt hurried, painting in between cloudbursts. As usual, the light and clouds were changing, but I was surprised how drastically the color of the ocean changed too. Rather than rework my field sketch, the next day I started new using memory, field sketch and photo. The feel of the weather was still fresh in my mind, and I had brought home sand in my paint. Perfect.

Kid Stuff -sold

oil 10x10 inches -sold- Here are two in a set of nesting dolls. Not the famous Russian type, but hand painted and colorful just the same. The crayons and marbles are a bit out of focus in the photo.

Field Sketch, Laguna Beach

oil 9x12 inches click here for purchase information Yesterday I drove down to Laguna Beach for a meetup with SOCALPAPA, Southern California Plein Air Painters Association. A cold rain was forecast, so I really didn't know what to expect. The sun shone and the sky was beautifully cloudy. No other painters in sight. I painted anyway and absolutely loved being out in the weather. Rain, hail and wind, but I was layered up and warm. Next time I'll remember a hat with a brim to keep the rain off my glasses, and a big umbrella. I wore my fingerless gloves for the first time, and with the latex over they stayed warm and dry.

Child's Play -SOLD

oil 16x20 inches click for purchase information I chose some of the objects just for their color and shape, but a few have sentimental value. The yellow storybook was mine as a child, a gift from my Aunt Diane. Our youngest son, now 29, carried Snoopy every day to preschool. The little watercolor is by my granddaughter, Emily. She did a lot of paintings one day and had them for sale (like Gramma.) I bought it for fifty cents and hung it on the fridge, of course. Childhood is so precious and too short. I plan to paint these objects again, so this one's for sale.

Fun Stuff

oil 16x20 inches Thought I'd give you a peek at what's on my easel today. I absolutely LOVE painting this stuff!!!