Old Faithful

This was a fun painting to do. It was cool to use the medium I've been working with for two months, oils, to paint the medium I've used for nine years, pastels.

Oil on panel, 6" x 6", $100 (with free display easel) + shipping

Grade A

I found this beautiful intensely warm red batik fabric that I love. This is the first time I've painted it. I used a warm yellow spotlight for this set up...but even with much fine tuning in my photo program, the eggs appear quite yellow, at least on my monitor. 

Oil on panel, 6" x 6", $100 (with free display easel) + shipping

Sharing the Spotlight

I've always loved this color combination...the purples and greens.

SOLD

Bathed in Stripes

I liked the way the venetian blinds cast such distinct stripes on the pear forms. I've been waiting a while to paint it. I'm glad I finally did. 

Oil on panel, 6" x 6", $100 (with free display easel) + shipping

Curtain Call

I think these guys look like they're lined up backstage waiting to exit the wings for their curtain call. I do love the anthropomorphic qualities of pears.

Oil on panel, 6" x 6"
SOLD

He Went Thata Way

More beautiful produce from my organic farming neighbors. They grow all varieties of these scrumptious looking peppers...oh, and they taste great, too. I love the shiny skins and all the twisted convolutions.

Oil on panel, 6" x 6", $100 (with free display easel) + shipping 

Walk This Way

More 22 karat Australian gold leaf. I began with a Cad Red under painting, covered the entire background with the leaf and painted on, over and around it. I found these old enamel coffee pots at a great 'antique' place not too far from me called The Chicken Barn. It's a huge barn that goes on forever...and is two stories! So far I've only made it to the bottom floor.

Oil and gold leaf on panel, 6" x 6"

NFS

Waxing

I don't think I've ever painted just a sky before. It was a peaceful one to do. The pinks in the clouds are primarily the background color glowing through. I tried to retain that and not cover up too much of it.

Oil on panel, 6" x 6"

SOLD

Adam's Apple

Last week I was delighted to be accepted as a member of Fresh Paint Daily Painters. (click on the link to visit) This is a group of very talented artists working in various media who paint daily. I'm honored to be among them. The site is an on line gallery showcasing original paintings on a daily basis. To celebrate this new venture, I created this painting and was going to name it Fresh Daily. However when a friend suggested Adam's Apple... it was so perfect, I couldn't resist...and neither could Adam!

Oil on panel, 6" x 6"

SOLD

Glorious Morning

Gold leaf is both agony and ecstasy. It is difficult and delightful to work with, but well worth the rich glowing effect it produces. This is 22 karat Australian gold leaf...thus the price difference.

Oil and gold leaf on panel, 6" x 6"

SOLD

Buddies in Boots

A dear friend and her daughter joined us for the first time this summer on our annual wilderness camping trip to our land on Cape Breton Island. Rubber boots are an essential. Sue is in basic black, with a twist... and I'm sporting the pink paisley.

Oil on panel, 6" x 6"

NFS

Got Your Back

This curious fellow kept watch while a group of us plein air painters did our thing. He didn't seem to mind. I didn't paint him there, but couldn't resist when I found him among my reference photos from that day.

Oil on panel, 6" x 6", $100 (with display easel) + shipping

Skyward

This was a very small part of a larger reference photo. I like finding inspiration in the small things.

Oil on panel, 6" x 6", $100 (with display easel) + shipping 

Gifted

Recently my dear friend and fellow artist, Kathy Mallat, generously gave me a BUNCH of new oil painting supplies she won't be using. Lucky me! I think she deserves a painting...don't you?

This one's on its way to her.

Oil on panel, 6" x 6",  NFS

Sanguine

This is from the same batch of pears as my earlier post, Dimple. When I set up still lifes I like to try for dramatic lighting, so usually position the light source below and just glancing off parts of the objects, leaving the rest in shadow.

Oil on panel, 6" x 6", $100 (with display easel) + shipping

You Rock!

The beach where we camp each summer in Cape Breton is endlessly fascinating. I love painting the smooth beach stones.

Oil on panel, 6" x 6"
SOLD

Dimple

A dear person who understands pears generously gave me a bag of the most shapely ones from her trees. This one was the most voluptuous!

Oil on panel, 6" x 6"

SOLD

Exquisitus

I did this painting recently for our son's girlfriend, Lauren, on her 17th birthday.  Among many other wonderful things, Lauren is a Latin scholar. Exquisitus translates to delicate and sought after.

NFS

If Wishes Were Colors

More wishing stones (see previous post). This started out about the grays but ended up with my love of color sneaking in. That's okay...I like them both.

Oil on panel, 6" x 6", $100 (with display easel) + shipping

Wishes

In my family we have a name for these stones. If you find a stone with an unbroken ring around it, you've found a wishing stone. I've got many. These four are for you. What's your desire?
This painting is all about the grays. In her workshop, Carol Marine taught us how to mix beautiful, colorful grays with the three basic colors. This is a challenge for me since I love intense saturated colors. I do see the value(so to speak) of grays and focused here on using them to portray the stones.
Here is my palette of mixed grays for this painting.

Oil on panel, 6" x 6", $100 (with display easel) + shipping

The Landing

Our land is bordered on one long side by Martin Stream. This is a perfect spot for putting in our kayaks or canoe. A couple of years ago these intense fall colors were still on display after an early snow.This small size seemed perfect for this intimate place.

Oil on panel, 5" x 5", $100 (with display easel) + shipping

Gather 'Round

I am most strongly drawn to high contrast. That's what I loved about these spruce blue-green squash sitting in the sun.

Oil on panel, 6" x 6"
SOLD

Fiesta

This blue plate is one of a few remaining from my grandmother's Fiesta Ware collection. It's a great color and I liked it with the bright orange.
Oil on panel, 6" x 6"
SOLD

Do You See What I See?

Lately I've been reading and pondering Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. It's fascinating how our left brain often takes control when we are doing a creative task. This can interfere with our ability to really see things as they are because of our preconceived notions about what it is we are looking at. There are ways to 'trick' our left brain, so the creative right brain can take over during these types of tasks. One of them is to observe an object upside down. This distraction allows the right brain to perceive things as they really are, rather than how we think they are...thus enabling us to draw more accurately what is in front of us. This idea intrigues me, so I decided to conduct a little experiment of my own. I did this entire painting upside down (the panel and reference photo were inverted, not me!) I think it actually was easier that way! I'll try more...and let you know.

 

Oil on panel, 6" x 6
SOLD

Pick of the Peck

Oil on panel, 6" x 6"
SOLD

Wild

Every once in a while a painting stays as loose when it's finished as I envisioned it. Bliss!

Oil on panel, 6" x 6"

SOLD