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.  

Skippy

oil 10x10 inches Purchase info here. After a while, the smell of peanut butter overwhelmed my studio and I felt like I was actually painting with peanut butter. Looked like I had peanut butter on my brush, looking at peanut butter, smelling peanut butter....

Blue Plate Special

oil 10x10 inches For purchase info, click here. I reworked this painting from 2015. The original work is pictured below. It nagged me for two years and I finally gave in. Although I liked the contrast created by the white drapery, I decided it was a bit blinding. I hope you like the new version. FREE SHIPPING ON ANY PAINTING THROUGH NOVEMBER 30TH! Buying online is so easy, shipping is fast and I will include a CASH REFUND OF ANY SHIPPING YOU PAY ONLINE. See my entire ONLINE GALLERY HERE.

Rainbow Rose

oil 10x8 inches For a closer look and purchase info click here. A rose from my yard. Roses are a challenge, but I'm happy with this one.

Cherries & Roses

oil 10X10 inches For a closer look and purchase info click here. Just got back from a trip to Idaho, and brought a summer cold home with me. Thankfully I'm back in my studio today. I had the opportunity to paint along the Snake River, and I'll post those paintings after they get a few tweaks. Meanwhile, for this painting from June I used a cool light source which resulted in the cool reds and pinks contrasting with the warm blue of the jar. I'm really happy with how this painting came out.

Notions -a still life painting in oil

oil 8x8 inches magnify/purchase info Here we have things in a jar again, and I continued with the orange and green color scheme. This will look great in my sewing room if someone doesn't snatch it up. # 11 in the Strada Easel 31 Day Challenge, 31 paintings in 31 days.

That's A Big Marble -SOLD

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase info I enjoy painting glass. Glass in glass is even better. This is number 6 in the Strada Easel Challenge.

Spanish Olives -a still life painting in oil

oil 8x6 inches magnify/purchase info I'm fascinated by how shape and color change inside a jar. This is #5 in the Strada Challenge, 31 paintings in 31 days, all painted from life.

Cherry Jar -sold

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase info Still catching up. I painted this one in October! Have you ever looked closely at stuff inside a glass jar? The changes in shapes and colors intrigues me. I should paint more stuff inside jars.

Lavender & Lemon -a still life painting in oil

oil 12x9 inches magnify/purchase info Well, here's my comeback after that cold previously mentioned morphed into something really ugly. The upside of this was that my days on the couch with my iPad gave me lots of time to look at other's work I admire and research/think about some different approaches. The bulk of this piece combines a color I've never used before, ultramarine violet along with cad yellow light. So this is a very different palette for me. Working on linen rather than canvas, I practiced again my backgrounds for thin, transparent and textural effects. Another goal was to leave some unfinished areas. I've always liked mixing it up, trying new things. While resting I ran across a quote from Kim English I'd written in my notes; "If you paint the same way all the time it's like playing the piano in only one key." Your comments are always welcome.

Fruit, Jar & Geraniums -a still life painting in oil

oil 11x14 inches not for sale magnify I painted this as a gift to the permanent collection of Redlands Community Hospital. I've included a studio shot below. Coming up on April 22, The Redlands Hospital Foundation will host the 8th Annual "Evening With The Artists". I and four fellow artists have been invited to show and sell our work. If you're in So Cal, consider attending this well-planned and lovely evening. Friday, April 22, 5:30-7:30 pm. For more information call (909)335-5540 or click here: Redlands Hospital Foundation.

Blue Plate Special -a still life painting in oil

oil 10x10 inches magnify/purchase info I wanted to see what all the hoopla was about, so I ordered some Rosemary brushes. These are their Master Series Long Flats. The brushes seem well made and are extremely soft compared to any other brush I've used. That took some getting used to. I decided they're perfect for soft-edged passages, but if I wanted a clear mark or thicker paint I used my Silver Bristlon Flats. In the photo below, you can see after one painting the Rosemarys are splayed a bit even though I carefully cleaned them. (I didn't use the largest one.) The Silver Bristlons (a synthetic) on the right are years old and still have their beautiful chisel shape. I'll use both the Rosemarys and the Bristlons. Once in a while it's fun to use a different type of brush than you're used to. It's good to play with the way you lay down paint.

On A White Tablecloth -a still life painting in oil

oil 12x12 inches magnify/purchase info This painting was inspired by Armin Hansen. On Sunday we visited the Pasadena Museum of California Art to take in the Armin Hansen Exhibit. I was blown away by the power of his paintings of Monterey Fisherfolk but also the few still lifes. Powerful design, bold color and thick paint. This was painted by natural light from a window behind the table. I used the following pigments: cad lemon, alizarin, ultramarine blue, thalo blue, permanent rose and T white. (Plus my pre-mixed greens as discussed in previous posts.) IN OTHER NEWS: This coming Sunday I'll demonstrate for the Loma Linda Art Association. The public is welcome. 2:00-4:00pm. Loma Linda University Drayson Center, 25040 Stewart St., Loma Linda, CA.

Chuckleberry Jam

oil on canvas panel 6x6 inches

click here to bid

On our trip we learned that the northwest is huckleberry territory. Near Flathead Lake, Montana cherry orchards are everywhere. We stopped at a one-person roadside stand where a friendly lady was selling fresh cherries and her own chuckleberry jam (cherry+huckleberry). "A chuckle a day keeps the blues away" the tag reads. She had lots of customers. We ate rainiers as we drove, throwing the pits and stems out the windows. Wish we'd bought more jam!

Bug Jar

Avalanche Lake, Glacier National Park

oil on canvas panel 4x4 inches

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shipping available after Aug. 9

Tonight I'm posting from beautiful Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Though I've had no time to paint, we're having a great time. We went on a long hike yesterday in GlacierNP on Trail of the Cedars to Avalanche Lake. The scenery was breathtaking, the hike challenging and so worth it! The painting posted is the last of my finger puppet paintings and my favorite.

Bubbies-SOLD

oil on Raymar canvas panel 8x6 inches

These pickles are SO yummy. If you haven't tried them you probably should.

Yay! My pickles got picked by Rosa as her favorite painting for today! Thanks, Rosa! Check it out at Rosa's Picks.

Band-Aid Box-SOLD

oil on canvas panel 6x6 inches

This is an 85th annual collector's edition Band-Aid box. Lots of band-aids from this box went onto the skinned knees of my former first-graders and kindergartners. I've intended to paint it for a long time, and now it fit right in with my practice of white things. With the addition of glass and Q-Tips I tortured myself further! Well, maybe for a while, but then it started coming together. (Whew!) Leaving some of the burnt umber ground was like magic in making it look old and beat up. Every time I paint text on something I think of my dad, a sign painter who did beautiful hand lettering. I love doing text.