Sunshine & love

A beautiful day here! Way above the norm. It feels so good!

In springtime, love is carried on the breeze. Watch out for flying passion or kisses whizzing by your head. ~Terri Guillemets

6" x 6" / oil on panel / $75

Olives - SOLD

I love olives but oy! were they difficult to paint! This took many turns - at first they looked blotchy and flat....but I persevered.

6" x 6" / oil on panel / $75

Antique ink bottles

Yesterday I was out with a friend and we went shopping at Goodwill and an antique barn. I was on the lookout for some items for my still life paintings. I found these small antique bottles used for holding ink. The tops are a bit rough and jagged, the bottles dirty, and I loved them. I plan to also use them as vases for single stray flowers (including dandelions - which can be quite pretty!). So here is my first study of them.

6" x 6" / oil on panel / $100

After the party - SOLD

Sunday post: Sundays I take the day off and post a work previously done, from my website.

After the party is a mixed media piece. I was in a mood to just let go and experiment. The drapery on the figure is cheesecloth dipped in strong tea.

Goat cheese brie and Paris toasts - SOLD

To go with the wine from last night : )

6" x 6" / oil on panel / $75

The end of the night - SOLD

"What is the definition of a good wine? It should start and end

with a smile." ~William Sokolin

This is how I know daily painting is paying off. Back in June this would have made me weep and gnash my teeth. Glass used to scare the bejeebers out of me! Now I love painting it...all the rich colours and shapes...It's a challenge but an enjoyable one.

6" x 6" / oil on panel / $75

Grimsby Gallery Fundraiser

For those living locally, tonight (Friday) is the free preview at the Grimsby Public Art Gallery for their annual fundraising auction. It starts at 7pm. I will have these two daily paintings (framed!) at the auction, and this candle holder. The candle holders were given to various artists to paint and will be auctioned off tomorrow. The top of mine reads: true north strong and free, with the flag painted in red, orange and magenta wrapping around the sides. Saturday night is the gala (tickets must be purchased; wine, food & entertainment included). It's a GREAT place to buy art very reasonably - all are welcome - come and check it out!

Tomato on dish - SOLD

So much for a creative title ; ). Sometimes it's hard! But here's a quote I found that compliments this tomato quite nicely:

"Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good."

~Alice May Brock

6" x 6" / oil on panel / NFS

Bottled Poetry - SOLD

"Wine is bottled poetry"

~Robert Louis Stevenson

I'm going to be doing a number of wine/wine related paintings in the coming weeks, and this is the first one. I have the pleasure of living smack in the middle of wine region - wineries seem to be on every corner : )

6" x 6" / oil on panel 

Deep velvet - SOLD

The pansies have arrived! Today is was damp and chilly but tomorrow it is supposed to go up to 14˚. I'll take the opportunity to plant some pansies outside. This means spring is here : )

6" x 6" / oil on panel / $75

A little tomato story (part 3)

So after talking to my friend who gave me some gardening advice, I carefully planted these tender little shoots into some small pots and put them on the window sill. They're growing! Will they produce any tomatoes? I'll let you know : )

6" x 6" / oil on panel / $75

Slote Road

Sunday post: Sundays I take the day off and post a work previously done, from my website.

I painted Slote Road a few years back on a late autumn day. The colours of the landscape were gorgeous: crimsons, golds and deep green. The clouds were rushing through the sky, creating a very romantic - bordering on stormy - sky. Weather like that always gives me a bit of a rush...

12" x 12" / acrylic on canvas, framed

A little tomato story (part 2) - SOLD

So I sliced open the tomato and *surprise*! There were a handful of seeds inside that had tiny little roots and from the other end...sprouts! Two of the sprouts were even topped with baby leaves. I'd never seen this before. I did an online search and sure enough, others have had it happen too. And then, as these things go, it happened twice more in the following weeks. Weird. So I did the thing many of us were taught to do in grade school - with the bean seeds - and wrapped them between a damp paper towel and a jar and set it near the window. The roots grew longer and the stems shot a little higher.

Regarding the technical aspect of the painting: Bumpy jam jars with rolled up wet paper towel, lit from behind, gave me a bit of a workout : ) Part 3 on Monday.

6" x 6" / oil on panel / $75

A little tomato story (part 1) - SOLD

A month or so ago I bought one of these tomato's on the vine for supper. I was planning to make a delicious salad with feta, basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar... but I digress. What happened next was kind of cool! Stay tuned : )

6" x 6" / oil on panel / $75

Pomegranate Love - SOLD

With it being March break, my schedule has kind of gone out the window and thus, no painting today. So I decided to re-post one of my favourites. This one is from November 17th. The entry from that post:

Is there a more luscious-looking fruit than the pomegranate? All rough and tumble on the outside and a sparkling mass of rubies on the inside! I love the contrast, the decadence and of course the pleasure of crunching into the jewelled berries once you break it open. Yum!

Should be back in the studio tomorrow!

6" x 6" / oil on panel / SOLD

Happy St. Patrick's Day - SOLD

Cheers!

6" x 6" / oil on panel / $75

Another kick at the can

In honour of St. Patrick's Day, I've been doing a few related paintings. The other day I tried this Guinness can but wasn't overly happy with the attempt. On one hand it was too fussy, on the other, I hadn't taken the time to really get it right. So today I revisited it. I still have a ways to go but there's a fair improvement from Saturday.

6" x 6" / oil on panel / NFS

Guinness toucans

Back to the St. Patrick's Day series. Here are the Guinness toucan salt and pepper shakers once more. I get a kick out of these things : )

6" x 6" / oil on panel / $75

Branches in April

Sunday post: Where I post something from my website.

Today I'm posting Branches in April. One of my favourites : ) This was actually a landscape painting of some trees, shrubs and a pond but it was just not working. It hung around my studio for a while and then one day I went to paint some fruit tree branches and grabbed this canvas. I began painting over the old piece, blocking in my new branches (the original painting now being on it's side). After I had them blocked in I began to paint in the sky. As I was painting, the dark purple lines from the old trees were starting to look pretty interesting so I decided not to cover them all up. If you analyze the logic in this piece, it does not make sense. But I think you really feel the branches - just one of those cool things that happens sometimes.

12" x 16" / acrylic on canvas / not for sale

Guinness

I've decided to do a few paintings for St. Patrick's Day. This little toucan was a gift from my nephew who lived in Ireland for a year - I've painted him before. It is part of a salt & pepper shaker set. The toucan was used in advertising for the company for many years, debuting in 1935.

6" x 6" / oil on panel / $75

Spring is calling - SOLD

I picked up the hyacinth at the garden center and let me tell you, it's a cheap form of therapy! When I smell hyacinths, and see the tulip and daffodils blooming...everything feels lighter : ) A nice shot of spring before it actually arrives.

6" x 6" / oil on panel 

Caesar - SOLD

Artist/Blogger Kelley MacDonald posted an invitation a while back to paint your favourite drink, and she would post them as an online birthday cocktail party for herself. Fun! So I painted a Caesar. Definitely one of my favourite drinks. I didn't have a proper glass for the Caesar so I used a Mason jar. I think I've had them served like that before - although in the smaller size jars - okay - one this size is to drink with friends ; ) For those of you unfamiliar with Caesars, it is a mixture of Clamato juice, vodka, worcestershire sauce, and tabasco. Spicy. It's served on ice (didn't have any at the studio) and must have a crunchy celery stick and usually has a lime. Yum.

6" x 6" / oil on panel / $75

Slice the dragon

So we sliced it open last night and had it for dessert. What a shock to see how gorgeous it was on the inside. The rind creates a substantial fuschia ring, and the fruit is white speckled with tiny black seeds. It tasted like a cross between a kiwi and honeydew melon, but very soft and mild. But one of the more striking combinations I've ever seen. Very cool.

6" x 6" / oil on panel / $75

Dragon fruit on saucer - SOLD

What a fantastic looking fruit! Very tropical and exotic looking to a Canadian in March : ) Lush and fun to paint. My first attempt was yesterday and it had to be wiped down. Today I settled down and approached it more calmly and got the result I was hoping for. Tonight we're going to eat it : ) I've never tried this fruit before - I'll report back tomorrow.

6" x 6" / oil on panel / $75

Sculpture on black

This was a bit of an experiment. My friend (and gifted artist) David Opheim, created this metal sculpture for my husband out of my husband's machine-shop floor castoffs. It really is a fantastic piece. I put it against black to test my painting muscles. I wanted to play with doing a painting that showed colour in a dark, "loosely" monochromatic piece.

6"x 6" / oil on panel / $75

Snow & clouds, Grand Canyon

6" x 6" / oil on panel / $75

Canyon glow

This is the fourth painting in my Grand Canyon series. What I love looking at are the layers and layers of rock. Up to 2000 MILLION years old! Think about it. The canyon itself, 5 or 6 million.

6" x 8" / oil on panel / $75

Mission: Accomplished - SOLD

My Dad taking in the grandeur...

6" x 8" / oil on panel / $75

Grand Canyon in mist

6" x 8" / oil on panel / $75

Canyon 2010, day one

This is a scene of the Grand Canyon from a camping trip my husband and dad went on last week. It is not my practice to paint from photos as I prefer the experience of plein air painting - and also the outcome. But in this case I am making an exception due to the fact that a) their stunning photos inspired me and b) it's not like plein air painting at the bottom of the canyon is going to be happening in the near future ; ) So here it goes. I think I will stick to it all week (there are only about 800 pictures to choose from ; )

6" x 8" / oil on panel / $75

Industrial view

This is a view from my studio which is in an industrial section of town - and the weather was absolutely gorgeous! A bright blue sky, a high of +3, and sunshine!! My heart is full of warmth and happiness today - still feeling the glow from Vancouver. So many inspiring moments that brought me to tears...and what a hockey game!! : )

6" x 6" / oil on panel / $75