Sunset on the last day of June

MINI I was doing a lot of brushwork today - mainly repainting one of my children's bedrooms : ) When I finally got everything put away and supper cleaned up, I went outside to the porch and painted this colourful sunset. Fitting, as we usher in July. 2.5" x 3.5" / acrylic on canvas / $14 / SOLD

Guinness toucan

MINI I'm sure this will elicit a smile from those of you who enjoy a pint : ) My nephew was in Ireland last year and brought me home a Guinness toucan salt and pepper shaker. I believe the toucan made his advertising debut for the brewery in 1935. I love quirky things (note: see "shot glass" below : ). 2.75" x 3.5" / acrylic on canvas / $14 / SOLD

Dream

Sundays I post a painting from my website. Today's pick is "Dream", a painting I was commissioned to do for Central Public School's library. This is a tree branch from the school yard. I didn't want to spell everything out - I wanted the children to be able to get lost in it a bit - for there to be space for them to imagine... I applaud Central's administration for understanding and appreciating the value of art!! Thank you! 3 panels, 24" x 36" each / acrylic on canvas / SOLD

Seedy berry

MINI A strawberry. Red and luscious and a little bit seedy. The season has almost drawn to a close and I haven't yet had my fill. 2.5" x 3.5" / acrylic on canvas / $14 / SOLD

Lily

Yesterday I found these lovely orange lilies blooming in the garden. Close to the common daylily. Isn't the colour great? It's seriously making me crave a tall glass of orange juice : ) 5" x 7" / acrylic on canvas board / $45 / SOLD

Night lights

Tonight I tried something I've never done before - a night painting. Our neighbour's son was having a graduation party and had a few strings of lights in the backyard among the trees. It looked so festive, I wanted to take a stab at it. 6" x 6' / acrylic on canvas / $45 / SOLD

2 lemons and a tomato

MINI I've had these lemons and a tomato in my fruit bowl that need to get eaten. When I picked them up I loved the colour combination. Hot colours on a hot day. 2.5" x 3.5" / acrylic on canvas / $14 / SOLD

Barn at Concession 6

This evening I was painting in the country and decided to paint this beautiful barn on the hill. The sloping shadows down the hillside, and the golden sunlight hitting patches of grasses made for a beautiful contrast. 10" x 30" / acrylic on canvas / SOLD

Grimsby Lakeside

MINI This morning I drove to the lake in Grimsby and painted this scene. A nice warm morning. Great after Saturday's weather! I don't often paint water but plan to do a lot more of it this summer. Right now I'm still on a high seeing water instead of ice : ) 2.75" x 3.5" / acrylic on canvas / $14 / SOLD

Wallace Mountain

So Sundays I am taking a break from daily painting but my husband had the inspired idea that I post a piece of work from my website. Each Sunday I will present a new piece and talk about it a bit. Today's post is from our trip last summer to the Yukon. We camped there for three weeks and I have such good memories from that trip! This is Wallace Mountain in Kluane. I was taken with the mountain's sculptural formations. And I discovered that I LOVE painting mountains. I could definitely make a painting trip of doing only that, it if only finances allowed. 20" x 24" / acrylic on canvas

Weather vane

MINI This is the weather vane on top of our garage. I liked the cloud and trees poking up from behind. Another mini painting. 2.5" x 3.5" / acrylic on canvas / $14 / SOLD

Elm tree road

The clouds and misty weather we had yesterday have finally lifted, and the sky is blue. When I was out driving this morning I came across a beautiful field, with this stately tree bursting from the ground. 6" x 6" / acrylic on canvas / $45 / SOLD

Peony bud

Okay - I'm going to have to stop making promises regarding subject matter : ) I loved the shape of the bud and all the layers of the petals. 6" x 6" / acrylic on canvas / n/a

Blue spruce

This is the piece I finished up today. Gorgeous blue spruce! It was refreshing to be surrounded by these magnificent trees in a meadow filled with tall grasses and wildflowers. The air was so sweet. I painted this at a property in Flamborough, and as I was working away a woman on her horse galloped by on the hill behind me. No kidding. A lovely experience. 24" x 24" / acrylic on canvas / n/a

June field

I painted two pieces today but I'm not quite done the second one so I will work on it tomorrow and then post it. This one is of a field down my road. I drove all around town looking for something to paint this morning and ended up back at home for my inspiration : ) It was a beautiful morning - the colours were rich. When I got home tonight from painting, I had a lovely email from Elizabeth Fraser. She is a terrific painter, and it was coming across her blog that inspired me to become a daily painter and set up my blog. You can view her work at http://www.paintsquared.com. June field: 4" x 6" / acrylic on canvas / $45 / SOLD

Salt and pepper

Today's painting was challenging. An old pink depression glass salt shaker and an antique white pepper shaker. A mismatched couple but they looked nice together. I'm not happy with the result. It is fussy and over painted, and the composition is poor. I guess some days are like that. You give it a good go but it just doesn't happen. I will try them again at a later date, practicing what I now know I did wrong. Better luck tomorrow!

Sunday

Today I am taking off. Fun with family and friends and all that good stuff : ) Hope you're all enjoying your day too!

Shot glass

This is a Russian shot glass I got from my grandparents. When my Grandmother was downsizing, she had it in a pile to give away, and I nabbed it. It came as a set of six with a large fish decanter to boot! Who could resist? 4" x 6" / acrylic on canvas board / $45

Irises and peonies in vase

With the garden being crammed with flowers, I cut some peonies and irises and stuffed them in a glass vase. The next painting will not contain flowers! lol 5" x 7" / acrylic on canvas / $45 / SOLD

Iris

MINI "Iris" is a wee little one. It seems I can't stop painting flowers right now. I guess after a long winter and feeling starved for colour, it's understandable. And they bloom for such a short time. 2 3/8" x 3 1/8" / acrylic on canvas / $14 / Won in contest draw

Pastry

When I was out and about this morning I stopped for a coffee at the new deli in town. A custard pastry behind the glass was so luscious I had to buy it to bring it home and paint. Yum. 6"x6" / acrylic on canvas / SOLD

Lennon Road

This evening I was out painting in the country. The patchwork and colours of the fields really caught my eye. 10"x30" / acrylic on canvas

Snowballs in Chinese vase - SOLD

Last night I cut a few branches from our snowball bush and brought them inside. The way the branches arched under the weight of the flowers was quite lovely. 6"x6" / acrylic on canvas