sweet clementine

I saw these clementines with the leaves intact so I made some time to paint them. It seems that I have been painting more animals and people instead of this type of thing. I learned how to paint by painting still life and would recommend starting with that because it is live.... and still. A great way to learn the basics and then move on from there. This is painted on an 8 x 10" canvas.

You have until tomorrow at noon to have a chance at winning my painting "great white". Look at the top right of my site and you will find a box to sign up to receive e mails each time I post. You are free to unsubscribe at any time. It is an easy way to keep up with some of your favorite bloggers.

Hope you all have a safe and fun New Years Eve! Wishing you a wonderful 2012!sold

pitt of the pasture

This is the Brad Pitt of the pasture of cows I photographed the other day. He has a steely stare, gorgeous eye lashes and beautiful markings on his face. I have referred to this cow several times as a he but of that I am not sure. Lets just go with it. Brad was a willing model so I got lots of good pictures of him. Think he is going to be my next 3' x 3' painting.

This is painted on a 10 x 10" gallery wrap canvas.sold

going solo

Yesterday was a beautiful, sunny day following two or three cloudy, rainy days so I decided to go out in search of cows. I had a little luck when I found one pasture of lovelies. This cow was a deep burnt sienna color. As much as I love painting cows, I should take the time to learn more about them besides their color. This is painted on an 8 x 10" linen canvas.sold

a little mushy

These pears have turned a beautiful golden color after a couple of weeks on my still life table. Pears are always a good go to after I have been away from painting for a week or so. I concentrated on standing as far away from the easel as I could and keeping a very light hold on my brush. And.....squinting! Nothing beats the shape and colors in pears. This is painted on a 5 x 7" linen canvas.
Don't forget to sign up to receive   an e mail when I post. I will draw a winner of the painting "great white" from the new subscribers.sold

hannah

Merry day after Christmas. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Our family is back from spending a few days with our son who lives close to Philadelphia. He lives in Phoenixville which is five minutes from the Valley Forge National Park. Gorgeous area of our country. It was lots of fun exploring this area with our three sons.

Hannah belongs to my cousin's daughter and she was a surprise Christmas gift. She is painted on an 8 x 10" gallery wrap. What a happy face.

belle

I was missing painting my furry friends so I fit in one more dog before Christmas. I have been talking with this friend for a while about painting their furry family member. Belle is painted on an 8 x 10" gallery wrap canvas. It is pretty dark and sprinkling outside so I think the picture could be a little better. My photographing method is still lacking.

Our family is headed to Philadelphia to spend Christmas with one of our sons who has recently moved there. Hope you all find some time to enjoy loved ones this season. Merry Christmas!
Oh yeah, don't forget to sign up to receive e mails when I post.  "great white" needs a good home.sold

great white

I painted this pooch as my entry into Daily Paintworks challenge to paint something that is meaningful to me this Christmas. Furry things are very meaningful to me. Oh, and great light! Of course my family and friends are very meaningful to me but I did not have time to paint them. There are lots!

I have just added an e mail subscription box to my blog at the top right. If you subscribe, you will get an e mail every time I put up a new post. As a thank you for viewing my blog and subscribing you will have a chance to own this furry 6 x 8" painting. I will announce a winner January 1st. You can always unsubscribe at any time. Whether you subscribe or not, thanks so much for viewing my work. Your comments and patronage have given me so much fulfillment.

dorchester bay

This is the first time I have included a male in the Boston series. There were a couple of them enjoying the beach the day I took these photos. This is my entry to the daily paintworks reflection on water challenge. This is painted on an 8 x 10" gallery wrap canvas.
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3+2

I wonder why it is that odd number groupings are more pleasing? Tell me your thoughts.

This is painted on a 6 x 12" canvas.sold

trio

This is the first time I have painted from life in a while. My nose has been close to my computer monitor painting animals and such. It was nice today to back away from my easel and try to remember the basics to a good painting. These onions had been waiting for me in my studio for a long time. They were developing some nice, rotten, ochre color. This is painted on an 8 x 10" linen canvas.

long tail

A commission piece that only has two legs. This is painted on a 12 x 24" canvas.sold

kane

My last dog commission before Christmas! Painting so consistently this last week has proved to me how helpful it is to paint almost every day. So much easier to stay confident. I have enjoyed painting every one of these dogs and I hope all of the receivers of these gifts will be happy.

Kane belongs to one of my best friend's sons. This is painted on an 8 x 10" gallery wrap.

More news....This is going to be a crazy year because we have bought a lot and are building a house......with a STUDIO! Hope it will be finished this time next year. It is my dream lot because it is in the woods and on a beautiful creek. Same suburban area that I live in now. I look forward to having a place to teach once all is settled. I will have lots to juggle this year but will work hard to fit painting in.

zola

I love my job. How fun to paint this pugalicious creature. So much character in Zola's face and especially eyes. This is a surprise Christmas gift for my friend's wife. His son had taken lots of great pictures of Zola so I had a hard time choosing my favorite. Pure fun. She has passed on so I hope this will be a nice remembrance of her. This is painted on an 8 x 8" gallery wrap canvas.

I have ONE more dog to paint and then I can get to my Christmas shopping and take a few days off to enjoy the season.

puppy love

The reference photo for this painting is seventeen years old and the human pup portrayed is now nineteen years old. This family was fortunate to keep this pooch, Stinker, around for seventeen years. A young woman commissioned it to give to her Mom for Christmas. Their loss is only two weeks old so I am thinking there will be some tears shed. Made me cuddle with my Tucker a little more. Time flies.

Make the most of yours today!

This is painted on a 10 x 10" gallery wrap canvas.

hank

Every time I hear the name Hank I think of a Saturday Night Live skit that featured Chris Farley and Adam Sandler. They played an elderly couple and Chris Farley was the wife who would read menus to her husband Hank. Funny!

This Hank is quite a beauty. I am going to test my technical skills and add the photo that I painted from. He is sitting in a dog baby bed. This painting has to make you smile. This is painted on an 11 x 14" gallery wrap canvas and is a Christmas surprise for a friend's son.

lulu

I love this profile shot of Lulu. She looks very regal. Maybe it is better to paint long muzzled dogs from this perspective. I did not have anything to do with taking these photographs but the commissioner wanted my advice on which would make the nicest painting. Lulu's home is in Washinton DC and is a companion to Rocky from yesterday's post. She is painted on a 10 x 10" gallery wrap canvas.

rocky

This pooch looks like a Rocky to me. This pose is kind of "rockyesque". I think that is in the dictionary. This is a commission piece and is a Christmas surprise. You will see pooch number two tomorrow. This has to be sent to Tallahassee, FL and then Washington DC. Christmas is getting close. Yikes! This painting is 10 x 10".

I had a great time at the art show in Nashville. What a beautiful and fun place to visit or live. It was fun meeting new folks and visiting with artist friends . A big thanks to my friend Elizabeth who opens her home to me and makes the show and visit so much fun.

sampson

I get a kick out of hearing dog's names. Not sure how Sampson got his. I will have to ask my cousin who commissioned this painting. I guess you have noticed that Sampson has a blue eye and a brown eye. Pretty cool. I felt like the slouched pose deserved an unusual 6 x 12" canvas shape. Sampson is so cute that my cousin could not decide between two pictures so he is having me paint both.

I will be in Nashville participating in a show this coming Friday through Sunday. The Brentwood Academy Fine Arts show. Lots of great artists and fun. 30% of the proceeds goes to the school. Come see me if you are in the area.sold

sheeps

I know the plural for sheep is not sheeps. I took this photo in Italy at a sheep farm and our gracious hosts referred to them as sheeps. Maybe even sheepsah. We got to taste several of the sheep's tasty products. Yum! I was super excited to get to photograph some sheep. The sheep were running in a flock so I had to edit out lots of sheep behind these three. This is painted on an 8 x 10 linen canvas.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I was fortunate to have three sons in one place at one time.sold

low clouds

This is painted on a 6 x 8" panel.
 Taking a few days off to enjoy my family. Hope everyone has a fun and safe Thanksgiving holiday.  

moe and curly

I promise I did not exaggerate the hair on these two. The one on the left had thick hair on the top and it was sticking out in several directions. The cow on the right had hair that some folks would spend a lot of money to possess. This is a pretty large painting..18 x 24".

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big suspect

This cow is painted on a 3' x 3' canvas. Really big for me. I was very happy with the 6 x 6" version so I wanted to try it larger. Part of the reason I liked little suspect so much was the character of the brushwork. Hard to keep that with this size even though I used my biggest brushes. I am participating in a show in Nashville in a couple of weeks so I hope someone will take him home. He makes quite an impression in person.sold

flighty

The rooster I painted yesterday liked to be photographed. This long tail was very shy and I had to utilize my zoom lens. His colors were very pretty and his tail long but kind of scraggly. I usually paint him on a long canvas to accomodate his tail but today he was fun to paint on a 5 x 5" gallery wrap canvas.

This was a fun break from painting a 3' x 3' cow head. Remember "suspect"? I will try to get a picture of it and post tomorrow.

on the prowl

Mr Wonderful is either bowing or hunting for worms. I have not painted him in a while. For those that might be new to my blog, he belonged to my sister's family. He was a small rooster but thought he was really big. He loved to pose for me while the other roosters would run away. One day I need to count the times I have painted him. I can already tell you that my organizational skills will not allow for that. This time he is painted on a 6 x6" gallery wrap canvas.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. My son that has been living in Oklahoma is coming home for a week. Yippee! Then moving to Philadelphia. Boo! No, all is good!

charlie

Still enjoying the opportunity to help folks give special gifts. This was commissioned by a friend who is surprising her daughter with the painting Christmas morning. Charlie was the daughter's cherished pet and I hope this will bring back good memories. He is painted on an 8 x 8" gallery wrap canvas. What a fun job I have.

yeah, I think it is a bunion

The title just seemed right. Sorry. Had fun revisiting my "Boston ladies". This is painted on a 6 x6" gallery wrap canvas.sold