The Best Seat

We are in Boston for this week and I am really enjoying everything about it.The weather is perfect although my feet hurt from walking one million miles.I have taken a lot of photos that may end up as paintings on here. Stay tuned!


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Sunshine Corner

I really like corners in my subject matter for paintings. I have now realized why; diagonal planes are much more interesting than vertical or horizontal.The best paintings have all three. Three is also a good number for objects in a composition.If a subject matter isn't interesting before I paint it, chances are it won't be an interesting painting.


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Blue Ribbon

This is a large(12x16) painting of a pot of flowers. The blue ribbon ties it all together. Sorry, I couldn't resist! Ha



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Glow Bouquet

I chose this for the changing colors of the blooms. The reds and yellows create a glow that creates a center of interest.I like to focus in on an area of a still life rather than the whole set up.
I am back home after a week's vacation. I think it is good to get away and give our brains a rest. Now I will paint until next vacation (which is end of next week!) I am a lucky girl!



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Sun and Shadow

There is something thrilling about painting light shining through glass. It seems improbable that there would be a light area in a shadow but it is true. That little spot makes the painting.


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Tulip Dance

These tulips seem to want to dance right out of the picture!



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Spread Strategy

I have been naming some paintings with business terms. There are two reasons for this; I am running out of names and also the business terms are kind of the opposite of what is I my head when I paint. In some ways they suit the paintings.this one is a little true, as if the bottles have spread out and planned their next step.



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True Blue Three

I wanted a close up view of the hydrangeas for this 5x7 format. I never tire of hydrangeas.



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Mist at Sunrise

We saw this one early morning last week when walking on the golf course near our house. We have to go early because of the heat.the fog was a challenge but I read recently that learning new thongs is good for your brain and helps put off dementia. I'm all for that!


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Texas Rose

This yellow rose has a lot of fun layers and colors. It was fun to paint. I have noticed that these rose paintings seem so much bigger than they are.This one is 8x8 but it seems bigger.I find myself having to measure to be sure before I post.






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Small Jar

As usual I am drawn to hydrangeas and mason jars.This one appealed to me because of the size of the jar and the small(5x7) format of the painting. I can just see it on a shelf or an office desk offering a piece of summer.



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Patio Flower

We went to friend's home for a Memorial Day brunch and I walked around their beautiful backyard and took pictures. This pot was at the base of a tree and I liked the interesting shadows on the pot.I love my job!



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June Arrangement

Some painting days just turn out right. From the start of this painting I had a good feeling about it. It was almost like it painted itself. Other days might end in washing the brushes early but I think I could have painted on and on if my bed had not been calling my name!


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Leveraged

I have several photos of flowers that I took last September. The colors are so pleasing to me that I am always drawn to them to paint. Nature offers us so many beautiful colors to choose from.



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Rylee's Rose

I have really been enjoying painting these roses lately. What I thought would be very difficult has been a lot of fun.If I get the drawing right from the start, the rest just falls into place. I have been asked by my granddaughters to name the paintings after them. This one is named for Rylee.


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Consensus Taken

I thought since there were so many blooms in this small painting that any movement at all would have to be reached by consensus. I see no clear leader;do you?



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Higher Ground

I tend to treat landscapes more abstractly than other subjects. Maybe because it is farther away and I am able to break the view down into shapes and colors.



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Yellow Roses

I painted with watercolors for so many years that it felt disloyal to start again with oils. I painted with oils in college but that was 40 years ago. We had to stretch our own canvases and the brushes were stiff bristle. The painting in my head often didn't come out on the canvas the way I wanted.
The materials today are so much better than they were years ago. I love, love the way the paint goes on the board. I've found my niche!



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Moonlight Garden

I wanted to make this a little more mysterious so I made the light very cool.
I love the violets and purples.



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White Pair

I enjoyed painting the shades of white and gray in these white flowers. This kind of subject matter contains a surprising variety of values and color.


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Sad Brushes

I have a perverse relationship to my paint brushes. After they have lived a hard life, dutifully performed their duties and certainly look like they have lived a hard life--- I just can't let them go! There is no way to restore them but the thought of throwing them away just kills me. I think there will have to be an intervention of sorts. I just ordered new ones



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Next in Line

Geraniums are high on the list of favorite flowers. Maybe it is the natural complementary color scheme of red and green. Although I have to admit the list is several pages long. Just like my "top five " favorite songs that my husband tells me Is at least a hundred!


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Bird in Bowl

This was painted of objects found in the Bide a While studio. It is harder than you might think to set up a still life arrangement. I have to consider placement of objects according to size,value and shape to make a good composition.



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Heather Resting

One of the workshop participants posed for us last week wearing the host's antique dress. She was a good sport to spend an hour in and out of the sun, on a bicycle, under an umbrella and pretend sleeping on the lawn. I enjoyed painting this challenging pose.


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Corner the Market

This is a large (16x20) painting that I started before I left for the Texas workshop. I had time today to work on it and finish. I am energized from a week concentrating on just art - no dishes, cooking, distractions. I also met some great people there. It is great to share ideas with like-minded people.


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So Gifted

I painted this painting in the Carol Marine workshop last week. We wrapped boxes with shiny paper and tied ribbon around them. Our task was to look at the shapes reflected and paint what we saw. I plan to paint more of these; it was fun!





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Well Worn

These are the shoes I have been wearing this week to the workshop. After I painted the blue shoes I took these off and painted these sandals while bare footed. They were a challenge because they were so much of the same coor. A little lighting and imagination made them more interesting.


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Blue Suede Shoes

I am attending a wonderful Carol Marine workshop in Heaven. It is actually Dickinson, Texas. Three gourmet meals a day and margaritas and wine in the evening. I was told to bring some funky shoes to paint and I bought some leopard shoes at Goodwill. They proved to be complicated so I painted the actual shoes with blue paint, THEN did a painting of them. Sue Bown is our hostess here in Heaven- a lovely lady/ angel.


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Hydrangea 1840

The title is based on the fact that I think these blooms look old fashioned; as if they could be from 1840. Then I started thinking about what flowers were common back then. I remember reading about lilacs and flowers like sweet peas and hollyhocks in novels. I am traveling to Nashville to visit with our son's family in their new home. Then Sunday morning I fly to Texas to go to an"advanced" Carol Marine workshop. I am really excited. My suitcase is full of art supplies and very few clothes. Priorities, right?


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Two Up

These are geraniums as found on a bench. I am starting to see more flowers lately at the garden centers and even the grocery stores. Love the warm beginning of the season! ( at least til the real heat starts up)




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