Memories -sold

oil 10x10 inches A friend commissioned me to paint these objects from her wedding. Don't know how she walks in these shoes, but they're her favorite. If you could combine a lot of difficult things to paint, this would do it: flowers, gold sequins, bronze, rhinestones, gold, beads and even glitter on the shoes which I didn't attempt. I had a lot of fun and she likes the painting. Whew!

Half-a-Tomato

oil 4x4 inches not for sale Sometimes I think I'm like a chicken pecking around the house for something to paint. When I opened the fridge, this pretty little tree inside the tomato stopped me in my tracks (chicken tracks :-)

Memory Desk

oil 8x8 inches I had a great visit in Happy Jack, but I'm glad to be home. Don't think I'll drive across the desert alone again. I had a few scary moments related to running out of gas and on the way back, overheating. If you ever drive in 116 degree heat, turn down your air, push the recirculate button and keep your rpms under 3000. It worked. As for the painting, I did get one chance to paint and visit at the same time. The desk sat in a tiny alcove lit by a north window. Not just any old antiques, these belonged to her parents and grandparents.

Mini Creamer

oil 4x4 inches not for sale When I have just a little time to paint I paint a little painting. My mother gave me this individual creamer she had purchased long ago in Amsterdam. The white glaze is a kind of cool yellowish leaning toward blue. That's what I love most about it. So subtle. A very limited palette of TWhite, UltBlue, CdYellowMed and CdRedLt made painting this one simple. Tomorrow I'm off to Happy Jack, Arizona for a few days visiting loved ones. Painting and internet access are unknowns at this point, but I'll be back.

Winery Shadows

oil 8x8 inches Click to Purchase This is the Galleano Winery building, painted on location this morning. I should have peeked inside, but I got wrapped up in my painting. Next time. Olive trees have an interesting silvery blue-green color that I like. I can't get over the friendliness of everyone at Galleano. What a great place to paint. They have shade, a little park with a restroom, tons of historical stuff and the wine is delicious. Click here for more info on Galleano.

Old Galleano -sold

oil 10x8 inches click here to bid This morning I went out to the Galleano Winery with my new Coulter Plein Air System. I was really exited to try it out. After picking my spot, I discovered I had no paper towels! Dang! Driving to a store gave the sun a chance to come out. Yay! Almost finished with my painting, I heard a voice behind me; "You're pretty damn good!" It was Don Galleano who long ago proclaimed another painting I did out there "damn good." This time he introduced himself and invited me into the tasting room for a glass of wine. Well how could I refuse? :-) He insisted I take the glass, the wine and a bottle to go, (!) and "get back out there". What a nice guy. Everybody else out there is just as friendly. You can see my Coulter System supported my wine glass quite nicely.

Gamblin's Jailbreak -sold

oil 6x6 inches click here to bid This week DPW challenged us to paint stripes. I may have taken this a bit too far. Looks like a convict's uniform in an old prison movie! :-) Really it's just a piece cut from the inside of a White House Black Market shopping bag. I love that store, but not the prices. I had fun painting on a black ground.

Rainy Evening At Lori's

oil 8x8 inches click here to bid Lori's on Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco. Light was fading fast, but the sign seemed to glow. I liked the neon signs in contrast to the overall darkness. I chose to paint this one partly because I wondered if I could pull it off.

Road Trip -sold

oil 8x8 inches click here to bid In Montana somebody was taking pictures while they were driving. This is very dangerous, and I don't recommend it.

Gracie

oil 8x8 inches not for sale On a recent beach day the sun tried to burn through the clouds, but it remained pretty cold and overcast all day. My photo reference for this would have been better with a clear division of light and shadow, but I couldn't resist my little granddaughter's pose and her polka-dot suit. I used what I had and painted the existing conditions.

The Magic Donut -sold

oil 6x6 inches click here to bid It's National Doughnut Day! The fabric pattern reminds me of a magic carpet. I love donuts and doughnuts. Found out you can spell it either way. Go get some donuts. I'm pretty sure the calories don't count if you eat them today.

Bell Ringers

oil 10x8 inches click here to bid The only time these old bells ring is on Saint Joseph's Day. These gentlemen waited for a long time for their cue. Painting that wall proved challenging. Part brick and part plaster everywhere, I indicated the basic pattern of shapes and kept edges soft so the men and cords remain the focal point.

Sunny Day Shed-sold

oil 8x6 inches click here to bid A friend and I visited Mission San Juan Capistrano on beautifully sunny Saint Joseph's Day. I took lots of photos for possible paintings of which this is the first. The yellow and blue of this shed caught my eye. They even painted the old smudge pot to match. The shadow was the icing on the cake. We're still busy with family fun, but I managed to squeeze in a little time in my paint cave. My little granddaughter, Gracie (3),joined me for part of the time, painting watercolors at a little table beside me. What a sweet time. I'll post some pics when I can.

Little Ballerina

oil 8x6 inches not for sale This is our little granddaughter, Emily. I thought this pose was so precious; that moment when she's feeling a bit tentative and at the same time focused on her teacher. Getting a likeness when the face is only one square inch of canvas is darn hard. I needed a one-haired brush. It turned out pretty close. Sorry my posts have been sparse lately. I'm feeling fine, but busy with other things. Tomorrow we celebrate our son and daughter-in-law having earned their college degrees. We're so proud of them! Then next week our Idaho son and family come for a good long visit. I'll paint and post when I can.

Yellow Rose

oil 8x8 inches click here to bid I started this floral at the art festival last Saturday and just now finished it. In between I battled exhaustion, discouragement (not from the painting) and later, food poisoning. Started with a fresh bouquet and finished almost a week later with a smelly-watered half dead subject. Still not feeling up to par, but I hope my painting is lively anyway. It started out that way anyway! A sincere thank you to a few kind friends who stopped by my booth at the festival. Your interest and support means A LOT.

Winter Glow

oil 8x6 inches not for sale My son lives in Idaho. In the winter they sit out on the back porch around this old washtub and "chill." I liked the glow on his hand and face. Because of the glowing windows I wanted to title it "Home Fires." You know, "Keep the home fires burning." Then I thought it sounded too much like a house on fire. Maybe I'm over-thinking this? :-) That stick might be a bit too short for most of us, but he's a welder, so the heat is no big deal. They're coming for a visit in a few weeks and I can't wait! Tonight I'm getting ready for the Chino Arts Festival tomorrow. Hope to see some of you locals there. By the way, sorry about the lack of spacing in my posts. Blogger made some changes and I don't know yet why this is happening.

Dappled- sold

oil 8x10 sold A lot of little girls love drawing horses. I wasn't one of them. My first attempt at painting a horse, it took me a while to get the drawing right, but I'm really happy with this one. This is a friend of ours going about his daily chores at Amy's Farm.

Suburban Squeeze -sold

oil 8x8 inches FRAMED sold I went out one afternoon shooting cows...with my camera :-). When I got close to the fence a herd of young cows came rushing over so close I had to back up. This one stuck his/her? head up just like this. I had a hard time getting a good shot of this painting. It looks so much better in person. I'm beginning to think some colors photograph better than others. I find it sad that the dairies continue to be pushed out by housing, but hey. 20 years ago we moved into one of those houses. Hmmm..... The Chino Festival of Arts is this Saturday from 10:00-4:00. Come on out to the Civic Center Lawn for a fun day of music, dance and art. Stop by my booth and say hi or hang out with me while I paint.

Wheelbarrow -sold

oil 6x4 inches private collection McDonough, Georgia I like old wheelbarrows. My dad used to push me around our backyard in one when I was little. This is not that one, but it conjured up the happy memories anyway.

Can't Miss Mollie's -sold

oil 12x9 inches
click here for purchase information and magnifier

Driving through Utah a couple of summers ago on our way to Idaho we ate at this classic diner. It was the real deal and the food was good. Do you think they have enough signage? This painting is available at Vander Molen Fine Art, Arcadia, CA