We're In This Together

I love the unassuming daisy. :o)

Oil on panel, 6" x 6", SOLD  

or contact brenda@brendaferguson.com

Earthly Treasures

These are the things I love surrounding myself with. This is an intimate little 5" x 5" painting. I thought that fit the subject. I painted it for the Daily Paintworks White Challenge. My whites are rarely that...but I tried. Here's some light hearted music to go with a light hearted painting.

Oil on panel, 5" x 5", $100 + $10 domestic shipping

 
or contact brenda@brendaferguson.com

Chorus Line

I really like these fun subjects. I was a bit intimidated by marbles initially, but I'm much more comfortable with them now. Though I never take any subject for granted! Where has this music been all my life? Love it! More to come...

Oil on panel, 6" x 6"

SOLD

Free Ride

Well, there's one way to get lots of color into your painting...paint your palette! This one was just plain fun. I was painting the other day and ladybugs had crawled all over my brushes. It's that time of year...they're everywhere! So I took a snap...et viola! And once again, so weird for my brain to wrap around...using paint to paint paint. And here's some appropriate music. 

Oil on panel, 6" x 6", $100 + $10 domestic shipping

 
or contact brend@brendaferguson.com

Whisper of Spring

I really had fun with this one. I sometimes struggle with keeping my flowers light but am pleased with the delicacy this time. It's one of those paintings where I achieved what I envisioned.
I also tried something a bit different. My friend Suzanne Berry recently told me she pre-mixes her paints before beginning a piece and loves the freedom it allows once she starts the painting process. I gave it a try. These were the piles of paint I mixed up before beginning.

Though I misjudged how much paint I'd use (I over mixed), I enjoyed just being able to focus on the painting and will try it again at some point. Scroll down to see the painting process.

 

Oil on panel, 6" x 6"

SOLD

I lightly sketched in the placement of the branch with a white Nupastel  and applied the lightest paint colors.

 

Then I just continued building up layers of color...with a light touch! First the warm petals...

 

...then the cool shadows.

 

 

 

Glass Half Full

This is a peony from my mom's garden. I was visiting her last year and this beautiful blossom had fallen off her plant. I snagged it and snapped several photos. I recently came across it and decided to  have a shot at painting it. I love this uplifting music!

Oil on panel, 6" x 6", $100 + $10 domestic shipping

 
or contact brenda@brendaferguson.com

A Day at the Beach

I painted this from a reference photo I took on a trip to Bar Harbor recently. It was a beautiful brisk day with strong winds so lots of waves. AWESOME! I rarely use a knife to paint, but it seemed to work well for the foreground rocks today. You can see in the detail below.

Oil on panel, 6" x 6", $100 + $10 domestic shipping

 
or contact brenda@brendaferguson.com

Only Have Eyes for You

Here's the last in the wing series. This is a huge moth (see image below of my daughter's hand) we discovered on our front door many years ago. I've not seen any like it before or since.  I love this version of an old classic tune. I used to sing it to our kids when we were out in the hot tub under the stars...fond memories.

Oil on panel, 6" x 6", $100 + $10 domestic shipping

 
or contact brenda@brendaferguson.com

And here's a montage of the wing series. I worked from reference photos I shot myself over the past several years

Madam Butterfly

I was pleased with the way the back wing showed through the front as the light shone through. Here's some appropriate painting music.

Oil on panel, 6" x 6"

SOLD

Taillights

Another in the butterfly wing series. These are fun to paint and as you can imagine, require a very light touch. I love all the color, the contrast...and the furry body! Here's the musical inspiration. 

Oil on panel, 6" x 6"
SOLD

The Artist Formerly Known as Caterpillar

This is the beginning of a new mini series...four paintings so far. My challenge with a subject like this is not to be trite. So I chose wing segments rather than the whole butterfly. The title cracks me up...I can take no credit. When I go blank for titles I often ask my kids. Molly, our eldest, came up with this brilliance! Ha!  Here's some great painting music...of course. After I posted my painting last night, I realized I had some process photos to share that I'd forgotten. They're here if you'd like to see.

Oil on panel, 6" x 6", $100 + $10 domestic shipping

 
or contact brenda@brendaferguson.com

Softness of Spring

I found this little 'pot' at a thrift store. It's supposed to hold a votive candle I think but it's perfect for this sprig of pussy willows. I like the colors in this one.

Oil on panel, 6" x 6", $100 + $10 domestic shipping

 
or contact brenda@brendaferguson.com
When I posted this last night I completely forgot I had some photos of the process to share. Here they are.
This is the simple set up I was working from with the indirect natural light coming from the window.

I used a red hard pastel to get the placement of the vase and pussy willow on my black panel. I wiped most of it off with a paper towel leaving the light guidelines I needed.

 Already I see errors in the vase, but I'm not concerned. I'll work those out as I go along. I want to get the darks in first here since, in this composition,  there are really no lighter areas that will be compromised.

Continuing to lay in areas of paint and working on placing lights and darks to convey the transparency of the vase.

Working on refining the shape of the vase and laying in the cloth.

 

I've added the stem and softened the shadow here.

 The background has been added and still making revisions on the vase.

 

This is where I add those final touches of drama....the lightest highlights, darkest darks and perhaps some subtle bits of unexpected color.

You Occupy My Thoughts

I love the challenge of painting reflective surfaces. This little vase was sort of burnished so the reflection was softer. I looked up the significance of purple violets and it means you occupy my thoughts. Isn't that a sweet sentiment? I painted the background (see images below), then realized I wouldn't be able to get the violet shadows as dark as I wanted so I used a cloth and a bit of mineral spirits to wipe down to the black again. Next I put in the dark shadows, then the rest of the flowers and highlights. Here's some very sexy painting music and probably one on my 'desert island' playlist.

Oil on panel, 6" x 6", $100 + $10 domestic shipping

 

 

 
or contact brenda@brendaferguson.com

High Biscuits

I didn't grow this beautiful hibiscus... my friends Carol and Jim did. The blossoms are as big as dinner plates! Carol says they always called them High Biscuits.  Here's some smoooooth painting music. Love it!

Oil on panel, 6" x 6", $100 + $10 domestic shipping

 
or contact brenda@brendaferguson.com

All Good Things

These are some old books I bought at a second hand store ages ago...never with the intention of reading them and probably even before I began painting. I just thought they were beautiful and soulful and I love old things. I'm pleased with the lighting in particular.

Oil on panel, 6" x 6"

SOLD

Can't Contain Me

This is the last in this little series of the small Zen pot and the geranium flowers. I've enjoyed it immensely.

This isn't my usual funk, but it's the beautiful music I painted to all afternoon. It makes me  

~ sigh ~

Oil on panel, 6" x 6", $100 + $10 domestic shipping

 
or contact brenda@brendaferguson.com

Eavesdropping

Those who have followed my art for a while know this is my favorite subject to paint. I've done this set up before. It sold and I just felt like painting it again. Here's some cooool music to paint to. I LOVE it!

Oil on panel, 6" x 6"

SOLD