Lemons, Roses & Cherries

oil 12x12 inches For a closer look and purchase info click here. I used the neutral vase show off soft or bright yellows and deep reds. These are floribunda roses from my yard.

Violets & A Pear

oil 8x8 inches Get a closer look and purchase information here. Oops! Here's one more painting from April that I never posted! This little pot of African Violets are from my kitchen. This is a pretty little painting, especially seen in person all because of that lovely subtle shadow.

Bowl & Creamer -sold

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase info The metal creamer and bowl were accidentally left in my studio after workshops. I'm taking good care of them until their owners return.

Pots, Pots, Pots! -a plein air painting from Balboa Island

oil 10x8 inches magnify On Tuesday afternoon, the second day of Just Plein Fun, I walked the island looking for shade and inspiration. Specifically, inspiration IN the shade! The multiple pots at this little cottage caught my eye. I have a thing for potted plants myself. I loved the reds against blues and that small pot directly in front of the open Dutch door. I thought about leaving out the giant pot in the foreground, but maybe the golden color might be a nice foil to the others, and maybe it would lead the eye in to the focal point. Sometimes you have to entertain some maybes. Your comments are always welcome. This painting is available at Huse Gallery, 229 Marine Ave. Suite E, Balboa Island, CA. 949-723-6171

Wearing my nametag backwards so it won't create it's own little painting on my shirt. Tomorrow I'll have sinus surgery. I might not be posting for a while.

A Floral Affair -a still life painting in oil -SOLD

oil 11x14 inches magnify/purchase info Sunday marks my fourth year participating in the Balboa Island Art Walk. If you're in Southern California, don't miss it! Sunshine, live music and 100 artists along the sea wall. To find me, turn left onto the sidewalk as you step off the ferry.

Patio Pot -a still life painting in oil

oil 16x8 inches magnify/purchase info On a beautiful sunny afternoon this past winter I grabbed this off my patio and painted just steps away from my studio door. Thus, a plein air still life. Once in a while it's fun to put my subject on the ground for a different perspective. I like the pink and turquoise. IN OTHER NEWS: The Balboa Island Artwalk is coming up on May 22nd, 9-5. Come on down to the little island for sunshine, art and live music. About 100 artists will be lined up along the sea wall. You can find me by heading left onto the sidewalk as you step off the ferry. I'll be near Pearl St. It's by far one of the best artwalks in So Cal, so if you're in the area don't miss it!

Violets & Lemon -a still life painting in oil

oil 8x8 inches magnify/purchase info Without much effort at all painters can try something new to keep things fresh. Just pick up a different brush than you're used to. I painted this with soft round brushes rather than my usual springy, chisel-like flats. I used Silver Brush Company's Ruby Satins. I was surprised how much more fluid my strokes could be while swinging the brush around, probably just because they had no corners! I hope you like it. Happy Mother's Day to all my fellow moms out there!

Fruit Stand Reds & Greens

watercolor 9x12 inches magnify/purchase "The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat!" This line from an old sports show came to mind. Last watercolor posted seemed so fun and effortless, with too much confidence I ventured outside this time for more fun....NOT! The heat got to me and dried everything too fast. So the lovely fruit stand items were overworked, and the tomato became a large sinister tomato monster, overpowering everything else. Still, I thought the set up had potential, so I gave it another try (inside) another day using my first painting as reference. I shrunk the tomato, left out a few cherries and moved an onion. The painting has life, but is still more heavy handed than the last one posted. Might be the deeper color scheme.

Patio Pottery

oil 8x8 inches
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Yesterday I felt like staying home, but thought it'd be a shame to miss out on the sunshine. It was 82 degrees. I wandered around in my backyard looking for a subject and settled on these favorites of mine. I tucked myself next to our fence for shade and put them on the concrete next to the pool. Then shadows came over, shadows moved, I got hot, the seat was hard, you know. I laughed at myself for being such a wimp in my own backyard. :) But as for the painting, I like it.

Mug With Grapes -sold

oil on canvas panel 6x6 inches

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My intent here was to use a more subdued green surface with the same holiday grapes. This mug, created by Claremont ceramic artist Crispin Gonzales has several colors of glaze that went with the grapes very nicely. I'm quite happy with the color scheme and loose brushwork.

Pottery Pear

oil on canvas panel 6x6 inches
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Here I've pared the pear (!) with more earthy colors. I'm a big fan of amber yellow and this is one of my favorite hand made bowls. The scalloped pattern adds interesting little tiny shapes amid the large shapes. I really liked the glow of reflected light up onto the bottom shadow side of the pear, but in trying to get that I had to carefully keep the value dark enough to read "shadow side." I'm quite happy with this one and it's cousin: Tomato & Clay, posted Sept. 16th.

Tomato & Clay

oil on canvas panel 6x6 inches
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Here's a rustic bowl I picked up at a Santa Fe pottery/candy shop...perfect for my "earthy" series. Sometimes I spend an hour arranging my still life set-up. This time I plopped it down, turned on the light and presto, "There it is!"