Bowl With Orchid -SOLD

oil 12x9 inches magnify/purchase This is the second study from the Qiang Huang workshop. The color in this piece is much nicer in person. Below is my set up and my sketch, or placement stage as Qiang calls it.

Tomorrow I'm off for a few days of camping/painting at the beach. I'll post again on Friday.

Mighty Mandarin

oil 12x9 inches magnify/purchase Over the weekend I attended a workshop taught by Qiang Huang. My friend, May and I had a great time, and though I have been painting a while, I learned so much! He is an effective and methodical instructor, breaking down painting into 5 basic steps: placement, value, color, modeling and consolidation. Most helpful to me was how to keep darks transparent and lights opaque. A simple tip I had not heard elsewhere: rub a very thin coat of linseed oil on your blank canvas to ease the application of paint, then use a soft brush to paint in your darks. Below are pics of my set up and value stage, then Master Qiang at work.

Melanie's Art Room

oil 12x9 inches magnify Melanie lives in the high desert in a barn converted into a house. Now it's an art cottage oozing with creativity and joy. On Wednesday a few of us drove up for an art day together. I could have painted in any room because there was eye candy everywhere. This is the doorway into her art room. I especially loved the light coming through the blinds straight back, and the painted concrete floor. She let her little grandsons paint it with her. Out in her flower beds lie small rocks painted in bright colors. Prayer rocks, each with the name of a friend or relative. What a fun and inspiring day! Thanks, Melanie!

Desert Romance -sold

watercolor and gouache approx. 8x8 inches magnify/purchase The wind howled and rocked the RV one afternoon. I stayed inside and used a photo reference I had taken earlier in the day. I loved how the awning pattern reflected into the shadow it cast. The two chairs and two fan palms made it romance in the desert. This is the same little trailer I painted the day before.

'Stream In The Desert

watercolor approx. 8x8 inches magnify/purchase When it was too warm in the afternoon, I cranked up the air, and painted this view while looking out my dinette window.

Fan Palms

oil 10x8 inches magnify/purchase Second of the paintings done at Anza Borrego. Coming up next are two little desert watercolor sketches I did inside the RV. Reluctantly, I have decided to take some time off from painting. There are matters I must attend to related to my mother's passing. I guess I'm a one-thing-at-a-time kind of girl. So once I get those responsibilities in order, I'll be able to focus again at the easel. I have some fresh ideas, and can't wait to get back to it!

Desert Scene -sold

oil 6x12 inches magnify/purchase This was my first time painting on location in the desert. After so many months of drought, there were few spring flowers, but still plenty of color if you have the eye for it. Spindly twiggy bushes are a challenge I decided. At the start I looked carefully for correct values in the distance, because I wanted to convey the vast desert space. I'm especially happy with that aspect of this painting.