Resting Sunflowers

 

Resting Sunflowers  oil 8x10 inches

Purchase info here.

It's okay for flowers to rest sometimes.  Sunflowers especially have difficulty holding their heads up when they stand in a vase. 

Storytime With Miss Pear

 

Storytime With Miss Pear  6x6 oil

Purchase information here. 

When I taught first grade I LOVED reading aloud to my students twice a day.  

Cheer Up, Red Rose

 

Cheer Up, Red Rose    oil 8x8

Purchase info here.

Roses from my garden last January.  I had a difficult time getting a good image with my camera, so this is one of the many paintings that are prettier in person.  

Big Banana Sings Bass

 

Big Banana Sings Bass  oil  8x8 inches

Purchase info here. 

Sometimes I think a still life painting is like a choir.  Every fruit has its own part.  Here, big banana in back sings base, the oranges sing alto and the grapes are sopranos.  When I sang in a church choir years ago the director changed me from an orange to a grape.  I was pretty upset, but soon discovered I had really been a grape all along.  

Bananas & Grapes

 

Bananas & Grapes  oil  6x8 inches

Purchase info here.

Bananas have a funky shape as far as fruit goes.  I enjoy painting the subtle value differences of their planes.  Black grapes are really a very very dark violet.  

Lively Lemons

 

Lively Lemons  oil 6x8 inches

Purchase info here.

Meyer lemons clipped from our tree last January.  This painting is even prettier in person if I do say so myself!

Cap On Head

 

Cap On Head  4x6 inches  oil

Purchase info here.

This tiny little gem is one of my favorites.  I use mostly Utrecht paint, but Gamblin is a good brand also.  Except fot the tiny caps that drive me crazy.  They are tedious to put back on when I'm in the flow of painting and energy is high.  I even contacted the company about this, and found out I'm not the only one that feels this way.  They'd have to change all of their display racks if they changed the cap size.  Anyway, back to the painting. What I love most is the grungy color on the label.  This tube has been around a while.  

Cobalt Teal Tube

 

Cobalt Teal Tube  oil 4x6

Purchase info here.

Second in my series for the January Strada Easel Challenge, this little gem.  Some days I have just a small window of time to paint.  So I paint small!  

Fruit Tart

 

Fruit Tart  oil, 6x8 inches

Purchase info here.

Here we have the first painting of the January 2024 Strada Easel Challenge.  Twenty-nine small paintings to follow.  

Knotts On Green

 

Knotts On Green  oil 6x6 inches

Purchase info here. 

My friend, Mary Jo gave me this old jar of jam.  You could say it's "vintage."  LOL  A few years ago the Knott's label was sold to some big company ("hissss, boooo!") which discontinued its jams and such.  I found out when I could no longer find their boysenberry syrup in stores.  We LOVED that pancake syrup!!! 

Jam On Aqua

 

Jam On Aqua  oil 6x8 inches

Purchase info here. 

This is the kind of loose painting I get happy about.  Accurate drawing is important, but less than perfect paint application is my goal.  

African Violets On Lilac

 

African Violets on Lilac  oil  8x8 inches

Purchase info here. 

A miniature African Violet from my kitchen window sill posed for this one.  

Pomegranate In Winter

 

Pomegranate In Winter  oil 10x10 inches

Purchase info here.

In late fall this young pomegranate tree in our backyard glows with the most beautiful yellows, golds and greens.   On a warm day in December I set up my paints outside and enjoyed capturing the glow.  

Lemon & Limes

 

Lemon & Limes oil 10x10 inches

Purchase info is here.

This is our napkin basket of old.  Remember the days of basket parties?  I very much enjoy conveying  the weave of natural materials without using a teeny tiny paintbrush to make an exact representation.  My goal is to say "basket" in a painterly way, not a photographic way.  

Pastel Dust

 

Pastel Dust  oil 12x9 inches

Purchase info here.

Here's a piece I painted last November.  My aim was to get the feel of the dust.  Back in the 80's I did a few pastel paintings.  My children were small and I didn't want oil paint and solvent around.  Back in those days we used real Turpentine which had a mighty smell to it.  This box is about 40 years old.  

Pick Your Color

 

Pick Your Color  oil 8x8 inches

Purchase info here.

A fun piece that plays with color in light and shadow.  Even prettier in person.  

Olives & Rosemary

 

Olives & Rosemary  oil 8x6 inches

Purchase info here.

Graber Spanish Olives with a sprig of rosemary from our garden.

It has been quite a while since sitting down at my desktop to load, edit photos and post.  Life has been busy with a new 73 lb puppy, two high school graduations, and a fire academy graduation.  I've been painting, but sitting down at my computer always gets put on the back burner. 

 This painting is less blue in person.  If you purchase, your satisfaction is guaranteed.  Check out my return policy by clicking on the link above.  

Tres Tomates

 

Tres Tomates  oil 8x8 inches

Purchase info here.

Tomatoes posed for me last April in this Spanish style bowl.  

Mums Squared

 

Mums Squared oil 10x8 inches

Purchase info here.

Wow!  It has been a minute since I posted here on my blog!  In early April I adopted a 1 1/2 year old puppy (who is full size!).  She is a sweet doberman/lab mix named Winnie.  We have been busy getting to know eachother and learning what is appropriate behavior and what is not! 

 

I've been painting regularly, but just not sitting at my computer blogging. Last September I plucked these little mums from a backyard container.  I loved the round flowers and the square vase.  It's a sweet little work, not too bold with color, and as always, even better in person.

Apples & Mums

 

Apples & Mums oil 14x11

Purchase info here. 

Oh how I wish I could have gotten a better photo of this one!  Here are apples from our heirloom tree paired with some mums from our garden.  I love the yellow green with the deep magenta. A backlit scene makes for shadows coming toward the viewer, leading the eye in.  

From The Garden

 

From The Garden  oil 10x10

Purchase info here.

Last August my friend Marj invited me to pick veggies in her garden. Her onions made a nice linear element paired with my tomatoes from my garden.  I love the little brown bits.  The painting has a fresh crisp look compared to this slightly fuzzy image.  

Sweet Peas & Roses

 

Sweet Peas & Roses  10x10 oil

Purchase info here.

Last June I painted this one using flowers from my front yard.  The painting has some lovely texture and subtle neutrals that don't come through in the photograph.  

Dressed Alike

 

Dressed Alike  oil 10x10 inches

Purchase info here.

Painted from life, peaches and roses from my garden.  

Toast & Honey

 

Toast & Honey  oil 12x12 inches

Purchase info here.

On a cool overcast morning in June, I gathered these items and painted in my backyard.  In Southern California we call this weather "June Gloom."  June gloom has its own beauty; colors seem clean and clear.  I enjoyed myself, painting and listening to the birds.  Though the natural light gave the scene almost non-existent shadows, it has a cool feel and color harmony that I'm quite pleased with.  This painting is so much better in person!

Tube Of Orange

 

Tube of Orange  oil 4x6 inches

Purchase info here. 

This little gem comes unframed with its own small wood easel.  A perfect little bit of color for a bookshelf or other small shelf space!  It's even better in person!

Roses In May

 

Roses In May  oil 15x15

Purchase info here. 

Measuring 15x15 inches, this painting is one of my comparatively larger works. In May our roses bloom like crazy.  The oranges and pinks look lovely together.  I wish you could see this in person.

Shiny Things

 

Shiny Things  oil 6x6 inches

Purchase info here.

Little bottles and other shiny things that sparkle.  Fun to paint!

Posing Mini Apples

 

Posing Mini Apples  oil 8x8 inches

Purchase info here.

It's been a minute since I have posted here on Blogger.  If you have found this post, thank you!  In January I busied myself tremendously with the online "Strada Easel Challenge."  Alas, I did not win a coveted Strada Easel, but I did win lots of valuable daily practice and produced 29 paintings in 31 days.  As you might expect, I would much rather paint that take pics, edit, post, etc, so it will be a long time till you see them here or on my website.  My freshest most current work is always seen on Instagram.  I hope you can follow me there if you're not already.  

Here you see a demonstration painting for one of my workshops.  I'm particularly fond of this one for it's crisp freshness.  You should see it in person!  Reasonably priced and your satisfaction is guaranteed.