On the Sill

6" x 6"

Oil
Sold

I took a reference photo of this last spring and finally got around to painting it. There's something about looking through a window in a painting. Not sure if I feel serenity or the anticipation of feeling the sun on my face. I love being in the sun! Next week is vacation relaxing on the beach. Got my stack of books ready! Need I say more?

You don't say!

You Don't Say!

5" x 7" Oil

$100

This is my new favorite color combination; green, orange, purple. Love the way the green goes dark to light. Pears are fun to paint so I painted a larger version of this, 18 x 24.

In the Breeze

In the Breeze

Oil, 14" x 11", $300

This is another from my Monday night painting class. The class is only 2 hours long so I need to block in fast and get the values right. It took 2 classes to finish. I think I got it though.

Hurry Up!

Hurry Up!

Oil 12" x 9"

$150

Good grief, it's July already! what happened to June? I've been painting but not posting. Shame on me.

Don't you love this little gal? I take photos of random dogs when I go walking. This one was enjoying the cherry bloosoms in DC. So much activity and she spotted another dog up ahead. This and a few others are going in an exhibit. I paint with a great group of women and gentleman on Wednesdays. We eat, drink, critique, and paint. "The Pate Painters", as we are called, are exhibiting at Bohrer Park Center, Gaithersburg, MD starting July 7.

Chocolate Layer Cake

Chocolate!!!

Oil, 6" x 6", $75

Yummy, yummy, yummy!! You can bet I finished all of this when I was finished painting! This is a challenge from Calypso Moon Artist Movement. You could paint any food but it had to be bad for you and delicious. This won out for me. What can be better than two kinds of chocolate, dark and milk?

Hangin' Out

Hangin' Out

12" x 12". Oil, $100

I did this in a class I'm taking at Plaza Art. It's just a 2 hour session that runs for 8 weeks. So I complete the paintings fairly fast. I'm working on painting looser, not getting bogged down and overworking. Painting fast forces me to make every stroke count. I think about where I want the lights and darks. The teacher sets up the still life which is good. Sometimes I agonize over what to set up and then I don't paint. I keep telling myself- It's not what you paint but that you PAINT. Practice, practice, practice.

Red Roof

Red Roof

Oil, 6" x 6", $50

Felt like painting a landscape today. I did an 8 x 10 of this in my plein aire class last summer. The weather has been soooo wonderful. The lilacs are in bloom and the azaleas will be out very soon too.

Whats That?

Whats That?

Oil, 8" x 10", $150

Took the photo for this on a beautiful March day near a college campus in Boston . There was so much activity he kept turning his head every which way. Went to see cherry blossoms yesterday down by the tidal basin in DC. Sooo crowded! lots of dogs too. So excited to have more pics then realized my camera was not working. Ugh! I only love technology when it's working! Same goes for machines. Our riding lawn mower is not working either and our grass keeps growing.

Come Along

Come Along

Oil, 10" x 10", $150

I've been taking snapshots of random dogs when I go out. This little dachsund was walking on the mall in DC. Isn't he too cute? I had to paint him. The shadows were very interesting. I like the warm and cool aspect too.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers

Oil, 6" x 6", $50

It has been a while since I posted anything! My new years resolution of posting more often hasn't seemed to stick. I'll try again. I have been painting but have been doing larger canvases.

The warmer weather has been teasing us into thinking it's here. One day it's 70 and the next three days it's 55. So I needed to think spring and thought sunflowers would cheer us all up. This weekend is suppose to be in the 80's. Woo-hoo!!!

Nothing but Limes

Nothing but Limes

6" x 6"

Oil

This cute glass jar is an empty Patron liquor bottle. I love the shape and the color combination. Becca and her friends loved the insides.

Blue-Green-Oranges

Blue-Green-Oranges

6" x 6"

Oil

Color, color, color! How does it make you feel?

Oranges in Crystal Bowl

Oranges in Crystal Bowl
Oil
6" x 6"
$75

Happy New Year everyone! Can't believe 2010 is here! A new beginning. It's always good to sit back and reflect, get new inspirations and feel rejuvenated in the process. New resolutions...yes, but I won't write them down so you won't know if I'm succeeding. I will tell you one of them though-painting almost everyday. So that you will see.

This little one was fun and fast. I love the bowl, it sparkles.

DSFDF Portrait

Unknown Hottie

8" x 8"

Oil

What a great DSFDF challenge! I've only done 2 portraits before (self-portraits -had to for art class) so this was a stretch for me. I had fun though! This was my second try. Painting from a photo and never seeing the person you are painting is the challenging part. Hope I did her justice and she likes it.

Everyone, have a very Merry Christmas! Love to all.

Apples & Jars II

Apples & Jars II

Oil

6" x 6"

Here's the companion painting. They fit side to side. I am pleased with both of these. I painted them on canvas, unframed so I can send them to a DC gallery for a show, "On the Line", a clothes line exhibit. The gallery will hang the artworks from a clothes line. Clever idea!

I'm working on a portrait for the DSFDF challenge. Since I haven't done many portraits it is very challenging. Today I will try another go at it. Depending on my focus you might see it soon or you might not.

apples and jars

Apples & Jars

6" x 6"

Oil

Apples are fun to paint. I always seem to have a few in the frig so it's easy to set up a still life. Painting glass is a bit tricky though. I have to approach it abstractly instead of thinking what's in front and behind and through! I keep asking is it darker or lighter than what I just painted. It seems to help. I like this one! I'm working on another so you'll see that soon.

Follow Me!

Follow Me!

10" x 10"

Oil

Do you remember apple bobbing at Halloween parties? I never wanted to get my face wet but some kids would put their whole head in the water just to win. I guess I wasn't very competitive. My best Halloween was when I won a prize for best costume. I had a red clown's nose that was connected to a current so it lit up when I pressed a switch held in my palm. Dressed in a man's suit with hat. My prize was a Hershey's candy bar! Oh, for the simple days!

Happy Halloween!!!!

DSFDF challenge

Rooftops

8" x 10" oil

Another challenge from Different Strokes for Different Folks, the blog by Karin Jurick. www.differentstrokesfromdifferentfolks.blogspot.com It is so interesting to see how many different and similiar paintings can come from one photo. I decided to do an abstract. Looking at it now I think I need to go back in and change some of the shapes. There's not enough overlapping in some areas. I like the soft quality though.

Miss B

Miss B

10" x 10" Oil

commission

Isn't this the cutest dog? Well, her parents think so and love her so much they had to have a portrait of their darling. I'm glad they did. She was alot of fun to paint.

It's been awhile since I posted. I've been taking a color theory class. Relearning and enforcing a few things. I found it's always helpful to me to revisit what you think you know because you can always pick up something new.

DSFDF Challenge

yummy

5" x 5"

Oh, this was fun to paint! The new dsfdf challenge is paying homage to Wayne Thiebaud. He had a NY exhibit in the early 60's that showcased his paintings of pies and cakes. He painted very thick. It looks like icing. You can tell he definitely had fun painting.

Zinnia

Zinnia

5" x 5"
Oil

My annuals looked so wonderful two weeks ago. Then the hot August weather came. I have alot of deadheading to do. But it is so humid out there. These little zinnias seem to like the heat though. I have 5 different glass vases. They are about 3" high and just perfect for one or two blooms. That would make a great series. It is fun to paint small canvases. Not too much pressure just enjoying the process of putting paint on the surface.