Storm Passing -sold

oil 8x8 inches
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Today I'm thinking about Easter. I hadn't planned on it, but this painting fits. Because of Christ's victorious resurrection there's hope for us in the storms of life and the assurance of heaven if we trust in Jesus. Happy Easter, everyone!

Christina

oil 12x9 inches

Yesterday I had the rare opportunity to paint from a live model. The set up had it all: great color combinations, and a quietly confident young lady with high cheekbones and a beautifully long neck. I used the Zorn palette which I absolutely love for figure painting. The room we were in lacked good lighting. At home later I made some adjustments, mostly warming up shadows. There's SO much to learn about painting people! The more I learn, the more I find out there's more to learn. It's all good.

Mandarin On Edge -sold

oil 6x6 inches
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Monday morning my sister-in-law, Linda came from La Quinta. She brought two friends who wanted to watch me paint. The four of us squeezed into my little paint cave and I did this still life. After the fun and some purchases, they treated me to lunch at Islands. What a nice morning!

Grove Gold-sold

oil 6x6 inches
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Saturday at "Celebrate Citrus" in Redlands, I stood right next to a blooming orange tree full of fruit and painted this little study. A thick cloud cover made for poor light, but I was in the mood to paint. My friend, Evey helped me set up and kept me company. In spite of the cold and low attendance, we had a great time.

California Girls -SOLD

oil 10x10 inches
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Our recent rainstorm gave us some beautiful stormy skies, so I drove out into dairyland to take pictures. This is a typical scene for our area, but the way the sun shone on the palm trees and Chino Hills in the distance made it even better.

Tomorrow I'll be getting ready for "Celebrate Citrus" on Saturday in Redlands. Come on out for art, music, citrus tasting, activities for kids and free fruit. It's from 1-4pm at the orange grove at Prospect Park, corner of Highland and Cajon. Hope to see you there!

Guarded

oil 8x10 inches
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It's about time I painted some cows. In the 1950's our area had the largest concentration of dairy cows in the nation. When we moved here in the 70's I liked hearing the mooing early in the mornings accompanied by hired hands singing in Spanish. The smell didn't bother me, but the flies were unbelievable. Though housing has replaced the dairies in Chino, there are still plenty within a mile of our house. So I drive around taking pictures of cows. This guy was curious and nervous at the same time--typical.

Reds With Bottle

oil 8x6 inches
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This favorite little recycled glass bottle came from a gift shop in Yosemite. In this painting I played with the blue-green and red color scheme again. I found a linen panel in my studio and gave it a try. I think I prefer my usual smooth cotton.

Ripe Red -sold

oil 6x6 inches
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A while back I bought some blueberries in this little carton at a local farmer's market. The guy had driven down from Northern California and was really proud of his tasty berries. I bought them 'cause they were yummy but also because the carton was the perfect color for strawberries.

Watercolor Demo

watercolor 11x15

This week has been a busy one with not much personal time for painting. Today I gave a private watercolor class for a student struggling with a painting she was doing on her own. She planned to start over, so I did a complete demo from her photo as she took notes. I tried to show her how to paint simply, capturing the essence of the scene without copying the photo.

Oranges Sing Backup -sold

oil 6x8 inches
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So Cal Color -sold

oil 10x10 inches
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Geraniums and citrus fruit...so Southern California. My friend, Evey brought me a big bag of oranges grown in Redlands. They're so sweet! Thanks, Evey! A great little "Celebrate Citrus" event is coming up on March 31st, put on by the Inland Orange Conservancy. I'm planning to get out there with all my citrus paintings and enjoy the tastings, music, orange blossoms and free fruit. Come on out if you can. Hours are 1:00-4:00. More info about location here.

Lovely Lemons

oil 8x8 inches not for sale


I love Meyer lemons for their rich yellow and smooth glossy peel. These branches hang over our fence from the neighbor's yard. Lucky me, 'cause they're perfect with lemons.

Spring Clippings -sold

oil 8x8 inches
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One Benjamin

oil 8x6 inches
not for sale

It's tax season at our house which means hubby is working on other people's money seven days a week. Now weekends mean even more painting time for me. Yay! This one was painted for him at his request.

Not-So-Almighty -sold

oil 8x6 inches
private collection Hilton Head, South Carolina

I've been wanting to paint this for a long time. Hopefully for the viewer there is more here than just paint on canvas.

Holy Cow! -sold

oil 8x6 inches
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I don't know what got into me. This one is weird. For a while now I've wanted to paint something hanging from a pushpin. Years ago Nick, one of my first graders, gave me this Christmas ornament because apparently I was always saying, "Holy Cow!" It's an awkward composition, but she looks like she's trying to fly off to the great pasture in the sky.

One Too Big

oil 6x6
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We're at the height of the strawberry season here. The fields around us are full of strawberries as big as your fist. Well, almost.

Orange "Filling Station"

sold
oil 8x10 inches

Yesterday Dana Cooper and I met up at the Orange circle to paint. This little eatery, "The Filling Station" was getting ready for the lunch crowd. As the crowd came we had to work around parked cars blocking our view. But no complaints here, the owner came out to see and bought my painting. We finished up then walked right into our subject for a delicious lunch.

Majestic Oak -sold

oil 10x8 inches
private collection Everett, Washington

A couple of Fridays ago I took off in my car and roamed around Claremont looking for a subject. I ended up at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens where I've walked and painted before. This tree must be really old because it's just enormous. I thought, "How do I convey the massiveness of this tree on a small canvas?" The trunk.

First Freesias -sold

oil 6x6 inches
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Freesias are the flowers for me. I don't do anything, and they come up every year and bloom their hearts out. While I'm painting they give off a light lemony fragrance.