Limes

First I did this larger still life of some limes as practice. I think I like it better than the 6x6 I want to use in my new kitchen! I need for it to dry for me to get a decent picture, so please excuse the odd angle...















Here is a 6x6 canvas of limes I hope to put in my kitchen. It will for with one of an avocado, in the works, and some future works of an onion and a pepper...Quacamole...

I used a 2 3/8 inch profile canvas and painted the sides.

Some small still lifes

Here are two I worked on this week, An Orange and A Pumkin. Both are 3x3 inches, with the sides painted, so they do not need frames.

Another painting class...

Last weekend I took a Direct Painting class from Ed Gowen, and learned a lot. We did a color wheel the first day, which was very educational for me. Then we did a still life the second day. I spent about 1.5 hours on the apple, and when I was done, decided to have fun and do another, maybe 20 minutes. From a distance I actually like the quick one best, but up close the other still wins. Can you guess which is which?











Since getting home I have set up a still life station near my easel to try my hand at some stuff. So far I have done a larger group of four limes, a small pumpkin, small orange, small lime and am currently working on an avocado. The smaller lime and avocado will eventually go in my new kitchen.

My space is small but it works for me. We certainly do not have room for a studio, and I am not really needing one at this point. I am close to the kids this way, which is priority number one!

My new Etsy store

I apologize, the links I put in for the various post do not seem to be working, and being the non-techie type, I am not sure how to fix. But if you are interested in a particular painting for purchase, go to www.etsy.com and enter the title of the painting in the search field. It will pop up that way (with a bunch of other stuff too...) Happy hunting!

Down on the Farm

Down on the Farm
Oil on Stretched Canvas
16 x 20 inches

This is a work I did in a class taught by Ed Gowen this past weekend. He normally teaches the Bob Ross style of wet on wet painting, but he changed things up this weekend for us, and it was a challenge! We started with a canvas that had been painted orange, and it was very effective for getting the sunset and autumn colors in there. Next we almost sketched the shadows on with black gesso and the treeline with gray gesso, and then just almost colored over with with the paint.

First work back after ktichen renovation hiatus

Early August found me packing up my kitchen, and then packing up the kids for a two week trip around the great Commonwealth of Virginia, for a new kitchen. So the painting stopped. Took me awhile to get back into the groove, and this is the one lonely painting I did in early October before I got back into the swing of things fully.


Blue Ridge Dreams
Oil on canvas panel
8 x 10 inches

Mountain Reflections

Mountain Reflections
8 x 10 inches
oil on canvas panel
for information to buy this or other paintings, please see my Etsy store.

I enjoyed the brightness of the colors in this piece, and the reflection was a good challenge.

Another lonely hay bale...

Another lonely hay bale...
8 x 10 inches
Oil on canvas panel
for information to buy this or other paintings, please see my Etsy store.

This was a second version of the hay bale painting. I like the background more on this one, the foreground more on the first.

Hm, now I know why Monet painted so many hay stacks!

A Lonely Hay Bale

A Lonely Hay Bale
8 x 10 inches
oil on canvas panel
for information to buy this or other paintings, please see my Etsy store.

I say it is lonely because as I was working on this I checked out an art blog I frequent (cannot even remember which one) and someone had a painted several hay bales, making my solo one look lonely. But it looks happy nevertheless surrounded by the bright grass of summer, and with some cool shade behind him. The inspiration for this one was a photo my husband's cousin Jimmy Boylston took and had on his site. He had some great photos and I thought I would try my hand with a hay bale. I am pleased with this one.

Another Lonely Tree

Another Lonely Tree
8 x 10 inches
Oil on canvas panel
Not available

I wanted to do a tree with a palette knife. Most of this was done with a knife, except some of the clouds and sky. I like the clouds in this one.

Wooded Fountain

Wooded Fountain
16 x 20 inches
Oil on stretched canvas
for information to buy this or other paintings, please see my Etsy store.

I did this in 2006. I like the brightness of the fountain and surrounding foliage, surrounded by the dark foliage of the woods. It almost feels like a hidden and secret spot in the woods.

Japanese Maple

Japanese Maple
12 x 24 inches
Oil on stretched Canvas
for information to buy this or other paintings, please see my Etsy store.

I actually did this painting in college (16 years ago) and it was my first painting that I felt was good enough to hang up, and it has been up in my homes since then. I think it is time to find it a new home.

Foggy Valley

Foggy Valley
14 x 18 inches
Oil on canvas panel
Not available

This was another one that I did much of it with a palette knife. Some blending and aspects of the sky were done with a brush, but mostly with knife.

Avocado

Avocado
8 x 10 inch
Oil on Canvas Panel
Not available

This is a piece similar to one I did a few weeks back. It was really a way to use up some of the paint on my palette, and practice, because eventually I plan on doing this on a 6x6 canvas, along with other veggies, for my new kitchen.

Clouds above the Blue Ridge

Clouds above the Blue Ridge SOLD
8 x 10 inches
Oil on canvas panel
Not available


Here is another of the Blue Ridge (as imagined in my head...since actually getting out and doing some plein air is not going to happen with the munchkins...) I did mostly with a palette knife. The sky and darker parts of the clouds were with a brush, the rest with a knife.

Completed magnolia flowers

Here are the two magnolia flowers I was working on a few days back. They are 3x3 inches. I would be willing to sell them for $15 each.

Distant Mountains

Distant Mountains
14 x 18 inches
oil on canvas board
Not available

Here is something I did two days ago. I was pleased with the water and clouds both. It was a chance to practice clouds and mountains (with a knife).

Blue Ridge Sunset

Blue Ridge Sunset
12 x 24 inches
oil on stretched canvas
For information on purchasing this painting, please visit my Etsy Store.

Here is my painting from class yesterday. I am pretty proud of it, I feel like I "get" clouds now and can do them again well, without it being a fluke. It is 12x24 oil on stretched canvas. The price is a bit higher than my other comparable pieces because I would lie to recoup my class fee ... but I am open to offers!

The Weiner Dog

Here are two small canvases, 4 x 4 inches each, of a dachshund for my sister.

The Blue Man Cometh Along

Here is the DSDF challenge now...still not done...

What is on my easel...

Here is what I am working on now:




















It is for the Different Strokes for Different Folks challenge (http://differentstrokesfromdifferentfolks.blogspot.com/)
It is to work on the human form. Since I know I need that work, I decided not to worry about colors and do him in all blue. I have decided to do the chair and background in two other colors, I think. I certainly do not have him right yet, but I feel like I am learning a lot! Which is the entire point... It is due July 29.

Birthday Party Planning

My oldest son will be five next month, so I have gotten into party planning. We decided upon a bug them (really a variation of last years garden theme, when the invitations were actually seed packets I designed, very cute!) I knew I could not top last years invites, so here is this years...still cute!














The favors are bug catcher tongs, small bug beach balls, and abug "case" with a magnifying glass lid, all in a canvas bag I painted with a caterpillar.

Magnolia Blossoms

I got a stack of small 3 x 3 inch canvas panels and tried to work on a magnolia blossom, from a photo. Here are three of my attempts. Number one and two are not complete, the third is. I will work on them some more later.

Gallery of failed works...

There are several paintings I just did not like and either did not finish or finished but never posted them. This post will be of the not-so-good pieces I have done...
The first is a weeping cherry tree I did with a palette knife. Enjoyed the knife, hated the results. Did not finish it. The second is of a fall scene. I finished it but do not like it...

Final Emma

Well, here is the final Emma, complete with a glare spot on the top of the canvas. I really need to learn to take better photos of my paintings. I need a class! Anyway, this painting represents the first painting I have sold and my first commission...a friend wanted me to paint her little friend from a photo. It was fun to do, a challenge, and I did learn a lot (like how to do grass...)

Hope you like it too!

Emma

Emma
14 x 18 inches
oil on canvas panel
SOLD

A friend threw a challenge at me, if I could do a picture of her dog, that maybe I could make a sale. Honestly, this was more about the challenge part than the sale part. I had fun with it, though I am not sure I am done, I may work on the face some more. She had a great picture to work from, so that was good too! Here is Emma (I think that is her name...hopefully I have not gotten it wrong!) at this point!

Gigi

I decided to paint a picture of my oldest son's favorite friend, Gigi the Giraffe. It turned out quite cute. Maybe I can become a stuffed animal portrait painter...

Another mountain scene

Western Mountains
14 x 18 inches
oil on canvas board
Not Available


This is loosely based on a photo my sister-in-law took on a trip out west. I say loosely because even if I thought I has done a good job on it, I am not sure I could rival the pure majesty of the scene and Kelli's photography skills... I might try it again one day...

The duck!

My youngest son, when he came home from the hospital after seven weeks (he was born at 31 weeks) was pretty much dependent on the soothie pacifier. So, I found these neat pacies with little stuffed animals attached to them, and got a frog and a duck. I thought it would be easier to keep a hold of them with the animals. Within two weeks of being home, he stopped using the pacifier part and started sucking on the animal itself. Until the last few months, the duck and frog had become interchangeable, but then the duck became his favorite. He LOVES this thing. I got a new one and he refused it. He likes the smell of the old one. EW! So, here is a painting of the new one. If I can get the old one from him long enough to paint it I will do that one as well. I decided to do this after painting my oldest son's giraffe last week. The youngest keeps looking at the painting and saying "mine!"

I've attached a picture of Benjamin at about four months with a still clean and non-smelly duck, the two ducks side by side (might have to paint this picture if I cannot get the old duck from him) and him with his smelly old duck...ah, lovies.

Fall Trees

The Days of Fall
14 x 18 inches
oil on canvas board
$60, free shipping in continental US

I did this from a picture from a magazine. Most of my inspiration is such, since I am the stay at home mother of two small boys, doing some plein air painting is difficult. This turned out a bit darker than I wanted, but I am still pleased with it.

Yet another attempt at the Magnolia tree down the street

Magnolia and Friends
14 x 18 inches
Oil on canvas board
Not available

I tried once again to paint the magnolia tree down the street, and two other trees nearby and I think I just need to give up. My husband likes this one but not me! Sigh. I think I need to do the magnolia ALONE and once I have mastered that, move onto the entire group.

Blue Ridge Tree

Blue Ridge
14 x 18 inches
oil on canvas board
NOT AVAILABLE

My work seems to come in spurts these days...I did three paintings two days ago, finished this one yesterday. I am waiting for the others to dry enough for me to get a decent photo, so this is the only one I am posting today. It is from a photo a friend took (thanks Wendy!) I am not 100% sure where it is, but I would bet from somewhere along the Blue Ridge Parkway. I love the idea of doing plein air painting around here, but that cannot happen... no way I can handle it with the boys! Maybe one day in the future. So, in the meantime, photos provide most of my inspiration. Though one of the paintings I did the other day and have yet to post was of my four-year-olds very favorite stuffed animal.

I really like the way this one turned out, though I realized after I started it I have done this sort of composition before, landscape, tree on the left, and probably need to get more creative!

Finally, some new things

We were on vacation in mid June and getting ready to go I was not painting much and then I had a hard time getting going once we got back. One piece I am not posting yet, I am not happy with it. But here are my ones from yesterday (yes, three!).

The first if for the blog Different Strokes for Different Folks, the second my attempt at a piece for the new kitchen when it is done (I found one I LOVE online but my husband seems to think I should not spend $$$ on paintings when I paint.) The third was a variation of that theme (I call it guacamole) and was done entirely with a palette knife...interesting experience...

All three are 14 x 18 inches, oil on canvas board and available for $60 each, shipping included.