at home

Could not think of a title for this painting so it is named after the store that carried the vases in the painting. Love the colors and shapes. I broke a blue vase a few months ago that I loved to include in set ups. I sold every painting that ever had the vase in it. Still trying to find a replacement.
The next post you see of mine should be from Hilton Head. Will be doing figurative work with Karin Jurick. She has been a hero of mine for such a long time so I am over the top excited. I will try and share some tips with you as I learn them.
Have a great weekend!SOLD
This is painted on a 5 x 7" linen canvas.

daisy

 
Painted this in honor of my mom in law Daisy. Had a great time visiting with her last week. Guess what her maiden name was? Not Duke, it was Garden. A sister named Rose. Parents!
This is painted on a 6 x 8 " linen panel.

just you and me

Been a bit busy lately. Working on getting back to the easel. This is a painting I painted a couple of weeks ago when I was going through my pear stage. I am not saying that I am not still in the pear stage just taking a brief break. Was fortunate to learn some plein air techniques from Tim Horn and.....(you are going to hate me) next week I am participating in Karin Jurick's workshop in Hilton head. As the old country song says, "I'm the happiest girl in the whole USA". Who does not like Karin's work? She is a superstar.
Hope to paint some in the next few days before the workshop and I will try to post some while I am there.
This is painted on a 5 x 7" gallery wrap canvas.SOLD

sunflower in amber

Saw this amber glass at my sister in laws this weekend so I swiped it. Always on the lookout for something new. I have been so busy lately that I have had to work hard to fit painting in. May not be posting for a couple of days because I am taking my mother in law on a get away. Heading up to North Carolina. Will try to do some plein air but I am not sure the weather is going to cooperate. this is painted on a 5 x 7" linen canvas.SOLD

and then she was like...

 
Took this photo in Destin, FL a month ago. I loved the body language between the mom and daughter. The daughter is probably in the middle of telling some dramatic story and using her hands to give signs in case her mom does not understand. I painted this on a 5 x 7 "panel.

colorful trio

 
The colors in these turnips were hard to resist. Have not had a lot of time to paint in the last couple of days. I am going to get back today so that I can keep fresh in my mind the principals I learned from Tim's workshop. They apply to anything you paint. I really miss being outside painting. Hope to do that soon.
This is painted on a 5 x 7" linen canvas.

Horn at work

Just got back from a three day workshop held in Atlanta and instructed by Tim Horn. Such a wonderful painter. And teacher. Wish I could tell you that I can paint like Tim Horn now. Well, I can't. I learned a lot of new things from him and others in the workshop. My first plein air experience. I know I would win the prize for the most unorganized and unprepared painter. I felt like Lucille Ball fumbling around with my equipment. My easel was a piece of cr-p. My palette fell on my jeans a couple of times, my BEAUTIFUL paintings fell off the easel numerous times. It helped them if that tells you anything. I will conclude this description by telling you that I had a blast. We had beautiful weather and I loved being outside. I met a lot of nice people that I hope to keep in touch with.
Tim is interested in structures more than grassy fields and trees so that was fun. I like both. I like figures the most. I was way more interested in how the light was hitting him than how the light was hitting the ugly house he turned into a beautiful painting. So...this is an attempt at painting Tim doing a demo. I painted this 5 x7 panel black and wish I had not. Might paint it again with a different ground. Was hard to get the colors I wanted.
Check out Tim Horn's beautiful work on his site. The way he paints light is incredible. His workshop schedule will be on his website.SOLD

Maggie

Long hair or shaggy dogs are so fun to paint. This little yorkie is a commission piece for a friend. This is her Mom's dog and it is a surprise gift for a special birthday. Had a hard time getting Maggie to slow down long enough to get her photo. I hope her Mom likes this. I took some artistic license to push some of the colors I saw. Maggie kind of went from grey to orangey (there I go making up new words again) in other areas of her body. Painted this on a 6 x 8" deep cradled gesso board. So fun!SOLD

cups and pansies

 

I am still in North Carolina and struggling with getting a good image and posting. I have experimented with plein air a bit. So different and so hard. New appreciation for you plein air guys. So many variables. Trying to have a good attitude and patience. Have my first plein air workshop next weekend.

yellow in purple

I am always excited when pansies are back in season. One of my favorite things to paint. I am in North Carolina and it was fun looking around for different still life objects. This cup is hand made with a beautiful glaze. This is painted on a 5 x 7" linen canvas.SOLD

the good old days

 

I did this drawing of my grand dads several years ago. Hope to paint it some day. I was fortunate to have grand dads that lived until I was in my late twenties and had children. They spent a good bit of time together the last few years of their lives. They both out lived their spouses and spent a lot of time at my parent's home.
One thing I like about this picture is their hands. The man on the right was my mother's father and was a farmer. His hands were pretty beaten up through the years. Even lost part a finger in a saw mill accident. The man on the left was my father's dad and was a railroad engineer. He took great pride in how soft his hand were. He would wear two pair of gloves to protect his hands. I can still vividly remember how soft and smooth they were.
Sorry if this image is not good. I am spending a few days in North Carolina and don't have my normal set up. It is SOOO beautiful up here and I hope to try some plein air painting. I keep putting it off because I am so intimidated. That won't get me anywhere.

bartletts and bowls

 
My husband looked at my blog for the first time in a while last weekend and made a comment (to my face) that he was tired of my colorful bowls. He was in the doghouse for a few minutes. He did not understand that that was like telling me my butt was big. It's okay. He is a huge encourager of my work so I will forgive him. Not sure about the forget part. So.... in honor of my husband...I painted the bowls again. I hope he likes it.
Painted this on a 5 x 7" gallery wrap.

you first

 

This is a commission piece that I just finished for my good friend's mom. My friend was lucky enough to be blessed with two sets of fraternal twins. This is the youngest set. They are nineteen at the present. Extra special because they are good friends with my youngest son. The older set are girls and five years ahead. Anyway...these two have always been opposite in looks. John has olive skin and dark hair and Mary has curly, blonde hair. What I thought was funny about this picture was their stance is so similiar. Both standing so straight with their arms held out a bit. I am wondering if it was a little cold or whether they were so excited to be at the beach. They are great kids and I hope this will bring back some fun memories.
Painted this on an 11 x 14" linen canvas.