PAINTING: WINE WITH CHEESE AND GRAPES headed to California Gallery Show

WINE WITH CHEESE AND GRAPES

6" Squared Painting 

I am very honored to have had my small painting

accepted into The Randy Higbee Gallery show in Costa Mesa, CA. 

POTTED GERANIUM

POTTED GERANIUM

6x6 unframed oil on gessobord
Not for Sale YET
Click here to go to my website

For days I walked by this gorgeous pot of geraniums and knew it had to be painted. I waited until the sun was just where I wanted it to create a most pleasing shadow. The complementary colors of red and green always make for a vibrant, happy painting. I love to paint in the impressionistic style using color to enliven the subject while paint strokes in the background direct the eye.

This painting is not for sale at this time as I plan to enter it into Randy Higbee's Small Painting Show.  I hope it gets hung in his gallery where it will be for sale.

NO LONGER IN SERVICE

NO LONGER IN SERVICE

NO LONGER IN SERVICE
12x9 unframed oil on museum quality gessobord
Click here to purchase

I have fully explored two peninsulas in Maine
St. George and Cushing/Friendship

Lobster boats experience heavy use in all kinds of weather
They are built well but there is an
end

Can be rebuilt! 

Being refurbished

Trawlers (draggers) no longer used due to fishing changes

There are so many aspects of fishing/shrimping/lobstering that support Maine.  Additionally 40% of all jobs are in there service industry....we tourists/painters love to eat fresh-off-the-boat lobster,

LOBSTER BUOYS STILL AT WORK

LOBSTER BUOYS STILL AT WORK

LOBSTER BUOYS STILL AT WORK
12x9 oil on museum quality panel
Click here to purchase

How can one spend only 15 days in Maine
 allegedly for the purpose of painting when there is so much to see and do
  Add in a dose of dealing with the guilt of NOT painting everyday.
very time consuming

 Best solution
 Do it over next year and schedule ten weeks instead
 Anybody in with me on this

Yes, I need your response

You can see how the lobsta' men's buoys
keep on working
AFTER
the buoys years on the sea

My Mostly True Driving Solo Story....

NEW PAINTINGS THIS WEEK

GARDEN ARBOR
oil on gessobord  12x9
click here to purchase

SUNFLOWER IN WINDOW
oil on gessobord 12x12
click here to purchase

LAVENDER HARVEST
oil on gessobord 12x12

These paintings were done in a wonderful workshop
with Dreama Tolle Perry

BRINGING HOME MISSISSIPPI AND LOUISIANA

MS, LA, AND TX moved to NM

Trip miles: 9999
Number of Lost Times: 444
Hit by rubber from 18 wheeler blow-out: 1
Number of new friends: 27
Favorite towns visited: Vicksburg and Natchez
Number of New Hoppers accidentally met: 1

Ventura Beach Workshop with Leslie Saeta

PALETTE KNIFE PAINTING 

WORKSHOP 

with 

LESLIE SAETA

Ventura Harbor I
11x14 oil on gessobord

Avocado Halves
6x6 oil on gessobord

Ventura Beach Sunset

8x8 oil on gessobord

Carnation Beauty
6x6 oil on gessobord

Many of you have asked me about my workshop in California with Leslie Saeta. Did I like it?  Emphatically YES! Did I learn a lot? YES! The hardest part for me was painting en plein air boats and a full harbor scene.
I am completely unfamiliar with boats.
  As you would expect of me living in the desert.
 And I learned the silliest things about matching color, something I should have learned with my first ever art lesson.



THIS IS THAT LESSON

Mix the color on your palette using your palette knife (of course).
 Now hold that fully-loaded-with-color knife next to the item you are about to paint.
 Does it match in hue and value?
 No more of this "You don't know what color you have until you put it on your canvas."
Do comment but don't tell me how on earth I could have missed such common sense.



SECOND BIG LESSON
(aside from painting that is)

My very supportive husband has listened to me for years tell him I am leaving him for a few weeks in the heat of the desert summer for a cool place. (He likes heat.) Year after year after year, I ask myself where that summer place is.  Besides cool it has to be where I can't wait to paint every day. After being in California on the beach, I am now in the process of searching for my "few weeks of cool" in Maine on the beach. I have contacted someone and can't wait to hear back.

FLOWER SHOP VI

FLOWER SHOP VI

Framed, 5x7, oil on canvas covered board

framed has a rich mahogany finish

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

These beautiful flower shop paintings

are a 

series

Choose one 

or 

more

FLOWER SHOP V

FLOWER SHOP V

framed 5x7 oil on canvas covered board

frame has a rich mahogany finish

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

This lovely painting features 

mainly one type of flowering potted plant

 rather than a wide variety of cut flowers 

 This painting is part of the flower shop series

Some possible combinations below

Flower Shop I

Flower Shop II

Flower Shop III

Flower Shop IV

FLOWER SHOP IV

FLOWER SHOP IV

5x7 oil on canvas covered board

frame has a rich mahogany finish

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

When you visit your relatives or friends

first

visit the flower shop

Take flowers 

OR 

small paintings  as a gift

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

NINE PAINTINGS FOR VALENTINE'S DAY
Click here to purchase

VALENTINE PAINTINGS
ONCE AGAIN

    I love holidays,
birthdays
even half birthdays

Yes I shared this with you several days ago 
but today is a must.

Happy Valentine's Day
to my wonderful
blogging
friends

I love everyone of you
dearly

   

"BLUE SKY DONUT" Day Thirty of "Thirty Paintings in Thirty Day Challenge"

                "BLUE SKY DONUT"
               4x4 mini on canvas board

Blue Sky Donut
4x4 mini on canvas board
Click here to purchase

Tomorrow I will post a collage of all thirty paintings.  This has been a fun month after I got into the groove.  How I stumbled on painting pastries I have no idea.  Perhaps because I got sugar addicted?

     TIME FOR THE GIVEAWAY NOW

I love this part of the challenge too as I "gift" my paintings to winners.  After September's challenge I gave one away.  This time I will give away TWO paintings 6x8 or under!  Winners choice. You are automatically entered in the drawing in three ways and all ways give you a chance so triple up.

 1: Comment on this blog today or tomorrow 1/31.
 2: Subscribe to the blog.  When you subscribe you will get an email asking you to confirm your request so look for the email.
 3:  Add yourself to "Friend Connect".

Send mini with greeting card

Display minis on tabletop easels

'FLOWER POPS", Day Twenty-Eight of Thirty Paintings in Thirty Day Challenge

"Flower Pops"
10x10, oil on museum quality board
Click here to purchase

 'FLOWER POPS"
10x10, unframed, oil on museum quality board

Color, color and more color.  The challenge of the thirty paintings continued my December commitment to paint from life for a while.

Somehow I got started on pastries and sweets and it has gotten to the point when I enter the donut shop, I see the workers turn to the side with a smirk.  I see it.  They think I don't.  I know what they think (oh yes, I do):   "Here's that crazy lady that is hooked on sweets but tells us she is painting these sugar laden treats.  And now I have to look through every one to pick out the PERFECT one."

OK…the 30 in 30 challenge is almost over.  They'll miss me at the shop, that is if I can stop going.  And you dear reader won't be getting a daily blog from me.  Will you miss me too?

"STRAWBERRY FIELD DONUT", Day Twenty-Seven of "Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days" challenge

"Strawberry Field Donut"
4x4 oil on canvas board
Click here to purchase

"STRAWBERRY FIELD DONUT", unframed, 4x4 mini, oil on canvas board, suitable for framing or displaying on a tabletop easel or putting in a greeting card as a small gift.  I think this would be great in a Valentine to your love.

Scroll back through my blog and tell me which of the cupcakes or donuts is your favorite.  I would love your comments.  Tell me too: if you painted cupcakes and donuts, would you eat them afterwards?

CHOCOLATE ON CHOCOLATE, Day Twenty-Six of the Thirty Paintings in Thirty Day Challenge

Chocolate on Chocolate
5x5 oil on canvas covered board
Click here to Purchase

"Chocolate on Chocolate" 5x5, unframed,  oil on canvas covered board, suitable for framing or displaying on a tabletop easel.


I promise you this painting will look terrific displayed in your kitchen or eating area.  It is very textural, a palette knife painting.  The donut was delectable, my second promise.

"WINE GLASS IN BLUE", Day Twenty-five of the Thirty Paintings in Thirty Day Challenge

Wine Glass in Blue
8x6 oil on museum quality canvas
Click here to purchase

 "Wine Glass in Blue", unframed, 8x6, oil on museum quality board.

This was a fun painting; it reminded me of the Dutch Painter Vermeer as often he included a wine glass with his figures, though I am sure Vermeer had a devilish look in his eyes as the wine had a seductive purpose.   Well, I am no Vermeer so my work is 100% different.

This painting was done using both a palette knife and a brush.  I love the reflection in the glass as well as on the wall behind.

LEMON WITH SUGAR, Day Twenty-Four of Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days

Lemon with Sugar
4x4 oil on canvas board
Click here to purchase

What a hoot I have been having painting 

these tiny and tasty paintings:

 cupcakes and donuts. 

 This donut is light as a feather and tastes like a
lemon meringue pie.

These tiny paintings are suitable for
framing
displaying on a tabletop easel
or tucking in an greeting card as a gift.

See painting size as compared to greeting card

TULIPS WITH MUMS, Day Twenty-Three of Thirty Paintings in Thirty Day Challenge

Tulips and Mums
8x8 oil on Gessobord
Click here to purchase

TULIPS WITH MUMS
8x8, oil on Gessobord, unframed

This is a very happy painting, rich with color and vibrancy.  It has a lovely finish as the painting is done on Gessobord, one of my most favorite surfaces.

RIBBONS, Day Twenty One of 30 in 30 Challenge

RIBBONS
10x10 unframed oil on museum quality board
Click here to purchase

RIBBONS

Oil on museum quality board, 10x10, unframed
$145


This old Atlas jar is one of my favorite possessions and still life items.  Though I may downsize someday, the jar stays with me. I also love to paint ribbons and packages and have three large boxes of every color imaginable.

Is it any wonder I am having so much trouble keeping up with the thirty day challenge?  This painting took me three days to complete!  Today I have to paint one so it will be much smaller.

MUMS AND DAISIES, Day Twenty of the Thirty Paintings in Thirty Day Challenge

Mums and Daisies
6x8 oil on museum quality board
Click here to purchase.

"MUMS AND DAISIES"

6x8, unframed on museum quality board.  Suitable for framing or displaying on a tabletop easel.

Flowers to brighten any day.  These lovely daisies are paired with small white mums in an antique Atlas jar decorated with a colorful ribbon.

'WITH HEART", Day Nineteen of Thirty Paintings in Thirty Day Challenge

With Heart
4x4 oil on canvas covered board
Click here to purchase

WITH HEART

"With Heart" 4x4, oil on canvas covered board, unframed, is a tiny piece with lots of joy and color.  This tiny gem would make an excellent Valentine's Day gift tucked inside an envelope with a card.  "With Heart" is suitable for framing or displaying on a tabletop easel.

I LOVE THIS LITTLE PIECE AND HOPE YOU DO TOO!