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Showing posts from June, 2015

Peach Roses

This is a 20"x 20" oil painting on a stretched canvas.  I have stated before that setting up a still life is such a big challenge.  I analyzed just exactly what I enjoyed about other peoples work that I like and it comes down to an emotional reaction to something in the setup.  For this painting I searched through my stash of items and found several that I deeply love.  So I was happy with the items I chose and felt a connection to it.   The next challenge that I have been working on is laying down what I call purposeful mark making.  I tried diligently to think about the color, the brush, the stroke and the shape before I put brush to canvas.  I feel very successful in this painting.  It is fresh, spontaneous and pretty.  I am going to take a class from James Richards at the end of August and I think that I will gain so much.  I keep referring back to my DVD from Lori Putnam and love to paint as she is speaking!!  LOL Who do I look at when I am painting a still life.  Pri

Fort Freemont South Carolina

Finally.....DONE....SOLD

Interior with Hydrangea

This my dining room table....I took liberties with the color but there are strong similarities.  This painting is 9"x 12" on a stretched canvas.  While painting this painting and analyzing my approach I was thinking about what I wanted to achieve in the outcome.  So many of the paintings that I truly admire have a brevity in composition with meaningful brushwork.  The paintings are not overworked and each mark seems to be done with forethought.  To achieve this it means slowing down and not laying paint until understanding how each stroke relates to the next.  Sooooo....I took a deep breath and laid down a color to tone my canvas that seemed to be my first impression when looking at the subject.  Next I did a marker drawing on paper of the scene and established in my mind the darks, middle, and light value shapes.  Once I  understood was before me I was ready to begin.  I then laid down a rough drawing with ultramarine blue and raw umber mixed to a nice gray black.  Now, m

My Ride

This little 8"x 10" painting is in the direction that I have wanted to travel for a long time.  It is loose and gestural.  I have a ways to go because I am feeling my way along.  In the layout I chose a yellow orange to stain the canvas and then proceeded with thought as I laid down each stroke of paint. I am happy with the results and anxious to move forward.

The Box

This is a gouache painting of my birthday box.  Some treasures to be sure.....  The gray background pulled the painting together.  That vase is part of my birthday box...a Jadeite vase....it is beautiful.  This composition is a little tight although I believe it still works.  I need to work more diligently in creating a deeper space.

Purple Potatoes and Red Pitcher

I have a large collection of glass and ceramic wares that I love setting up to paint from. I am partial to color, transparency, reflection, and glass. In these small studies I enjoy relationships and shapes that I arrange and rearrange. I try very hard to simplify and create dynamic still life compositions. With this one I threw in a number of purple potatoes to add a pretty color.:) Some people ask me why I love to paint still life and my answer is that the subject is always readily available and that I am a passionate collector of uniquely beautiful items. The common interests me. To be able to create a painting from my everyday surroundings excites me!...So there you have it in a nutshell.

Pink Carnations

This is a small 5"x 7" gouache painting on Arches w/c paper.  These paints are not tube paints, but a German brand of opaque watercolors.  They don't have the coverage that tube gouache has, but they are nice to work with. 

The Rose

This is another larger abstract that I have been working on for a long time and finally feel that I have reached a resolution.

Leaves

I have been working on this painting for over a year and finally feel that it is completed.  What I love about abstraction is that the emphasis is primarily on color, shape, and intuition.  These remind me of crazy quilts.

Just Having Fun!!

I am having a ball going back into unsuccessful paintings and beefing them up.....so much fun!