Basking

 17 x 17" original oil painting

available at Authentique Gallery

I love backlighting. Love love love. Tulips are champions at being backlit. If they grew on a bush instead of up on top of a skinny stem, they wouldn't catch the light nearly so well.

The hardest part of this painting was the front blossom in the foreground - there are so many color, value and temperature changes in such a small area. I want the changes in color, value and temperature to show more than my brush marks (even though I want the brush marks to show...) It was hard, since I paint wet-on-wet, to lay the paint down and work next to it without wrecking the shapes and light, especially around those backlit edges. That's why I love my soft chisel shaped brushes to work with. I can get a clean edge with wet-on-wet paint applications.

The funnest part of this painting were all of the background blossoms in the middle area. I love all of the ochres and lime greens spread out with the cotton candy pinks. This painting has such great springtime colors.

Did I mention it was snowing sideways outside while I worked in my studio painting this? Hm. I love snow, but I am getting anxious for that time of year when I can open my house up and air it out with fresh spring air!

a yummy detail

Spring

25 x 37" original oil
sold

Two days ago when I was walking back to my car from yoga, the sun was out and I could smell that special smell when you know the ground is warming up and Spring is coming! It's a combination of wet mulch, rotting leaves, sunshine, grass, and wind. I am so excited for Chacos, denim capris, driving with my window down, getting the mail in my bare feet, daffodils, walking my dog, getting a tan, a fresh breeze blowing in my studio when I leave the door propped open, and actually wanting to eat fruit instead of insane amounts of warm comfort food. 

Yummy detail shots below:

Anchored

24 x 30" original oil

just sold

Anchored has been completely repainted. I actually flipped it upside down and took a large palette knife with a swath of white painting and smeared it across the entire middle. It felt good.

I am so much happier with these colors and proportions. It feels like the ocean to me now.

Thank you to my friend, Laurie, who said the first Anchored didn't feel finished. She confirmed what my subconscious was trying to tell me.

a detail of the water

President's Day

Well Happy President's Day. I only checked my mailbox about four times before I realized it was a holiday today. When you don't have kids in school, these things are easy to overlook. What have I been up to in the studio lately? Here ya go:

This is a 25 x 37" tulip oil painting in progress. There will be creamy light greens, creams, whites, and pink/purples in the blossoms.

These three little 6 x 6" oil paintings are a commission. The pet owners have two cats and a dog and they will hopefully love their little paintings. These get delivered to Gallery MAR on Wednesday and shipped soon after to California.

Oh, I am so excited. I am finally getting a sink in my studio. We brought water and electricity out years ago, and my sink plumbing was roughed in. I've had two pipes that are capped and sticking out of my floor this whole time. My husband is custom building me a vanity that will house the sink and a wee little water heater that will mount under the sink. Among other things, I will finally be able to wash  my paint brushes in my studio!!

This is the laminate counter top that we bought Saturday for the vanity/sink. Ew, it doesn't look this pink in real life. It will get cut to size and installed this next week!

This is an 18 x 36" seascape oil painting in progress. The blue tape masks off the horizon. The water will stay pretty dark, but there will be some turquoise relief in the shallower areas and some bubbly surf near the shore. The sky will be a very light blue. I love this format.

Remember "Anchored"? Well, I completely painted over it. THIS is the new "Anchored". This painting is 24 x 30" and oils. It needs just a few more things and it'll be fresh and new, and so much better. I like to work on my seascapes on a flat surface. It helps everything stay put. If I want drips, I work on it on the easel. (I use a lot of wet brushes and glazing in the transparent areas, just like watercoloring with oils.)

Sunshine

6" x 6" original oil

sold

I just love this dog. I love that nose. Any dog owner knows what I mean. Arf! xoxo