Who will speak for the pistachios? + SALE begins Thursday, March 1st!

Okay, just having a little fun with the title. Anyone who listens to Jian Ghomeshi on "Q" will know what I'm talking about. And I listen to him every day when I'm painting ; )
p.s. right now they've posted a very funny video by Ryan Adams singing a tune he wrote for the show. That guy is too clever! lol
Happy Birthday to everyone born on February 29th!
6"x6" / oil on archival panel / $100 (includes free shipping worlwide)

Announcing: 2 week Blow-Out Studio Sale!

It's that time of year again! For the first 2 weeks of March all available 6"x6" paintings are for sale for $65! + free shipping!
If you've never bought original art before or have had your eye on something but just couldn't commit, this is your chance! An excellent opportunity to dip your toes in the water. These paintings also make great gifts. 
Benefits:
1. studies have shown art boosts your immune system and decreases loneliness.
2. original art adds flair to your room. An original painting on the wall is so much richer than mass-produced prints. And it's handmade and one-of-a-kind!
3. good for your soul. It just is : ) 
I will end with a favourite quote:

Science will dictate the future

Art will gladden its soul ~Anonymous

So here's the deal: Beginning Thursday March 1st until Friday March 16th this offer is available for ALL available 6"x6" daily paintings on this blog! Email me (address on sidebar to your right) which paintings you would like to purchase and I will send you an adjusted PayPal button reflecting this special sale price. Happy shopping!

Below are a selection of my daily paintings. As these photos are older not all paintings shown are available.

Work in progress

Today I did a studio session at Lauries. This is a detail of the piece I was working on. It was a real struggle interjected with a lot of sighing. But it was my own darn fault because I did not fully work out my composition before I began painting. A pretty basic thing to forget! Sometimes you get lulled into complacency! So. Lesson learned. I am not abandoning it yet - I have some ideas that may pull it from the ashes.
This is acrylic on stretched canvas, 16"x20".

App - SOLD

A tasty little appetizer to start the weekend. Olives and wine : ) Add a baguette and some cheese and you've got the perfect meal.

6"x6" / oil on archival panel / $100 (includes free shipping worldwide)

Cookie monster

So apparently they make Oreo's with coloured icing in the States. I think maybe I've seen some with green icing in Canada but I know I definitely have not seen orange, pink and yellow. So a man at the car repair shop had one of these on his desk and I commented on it and he brought out three for me! lol I decided to take them back to the studio and paint them. And then I saw my Allsorts and I played around with stacking them and all the sudden bang, they were eyes... : ) I think i"ve got painting candy out of my system for a while.
6"x6" / oil on archival panel / $100 (includes free shipping worldwide)

The new neighbours - SOLD

Not much to say about this one except I guess it's becoming obvious I like to play with compose candy : )

6"x6" / oil on archival canvas board / $100 (includes free shipping worldwide)

A kid, a bike, and a cat - SOLD

Having more fun with candy.
6"x6" / oil on archival panel / SOLD

Ms. A. Sort with black clutch and dogs - SOLD

The Allsorts are back! Last February I painted a series of Allsorts portraits (the Royal Family, the Cousins, etc...). At the bakery the other day I saw a bag of them and my interest was rekindled. I think I may do a series of these as larger paintings, using my smaller ones as studies. I have way too much fun with them. Anyway, this is Ms. A. Sort, with her new black clutch, walking her dogs (I think those would be a Scottish Terrier and Poodle if anyone's interested ; ). And I included a photo of my set-up so you could see how the candy had actually been stuck together. I had to make use of that!

6"x6" / oil on archival panel / $100 (includes free shipping worldwide)

Chocolates

Need I say more? : ) 

Yum. 

I painted this elegant little bag of chocolates for the "Paint It Before You Eat It" Daily Paintworks Challenge.

6" x 6" / oil on archival panel / $100 (includes free shipping worldwide)

New Blog Feature + ARTLOVE: John Kenn

artwork above and below by John Kenn

I couldn't get in to the studio today so I worked on improving my blog. I'd experimented with this feature a while back but now I think I've finally got it the way I want it. I hope you find it enjoyable + useful! So without further ado... (drum roll please.....)
TABS!
I created these for you to be able to see at a glance some of my available paintings sorted into different categories. So...you'd like to buy a food painting for your kitchen? Presto! Some flowers for your bathroom? I've got an app for that! (sorry - couldn't resist. think I've been sitting here too long : ) I've got more to add but it's a good start. You will said tabs directly under the EAT DRINK PAINT masthead at the top of this blog. Let me know what you think.

ARTLOVE: John Kenn One of my kids found his blog when doing an online search a couple of weeks ago. So cool. First I was drawn to his fabulous line work. I love Edward Gorey's drawings (his Gashlycrumb Tinies was a bit hit in college) and am over the moon with Maurice Sendak's illustrations. John (aka Don) Kenn is like their off-spring. BUT (and this is the quirky part that is all Kenns) he draws them on Post-it Notes. Love this! No need to be precious - grab what you can and draw! Kenn's been posting these mysteriously beautiful, odd small works since 2009 and he's just had a book published. The blurb under his masthead reads:
BORN IN DENMARK 1978. I WRITE AND DIRECT TELEVISION SHOWS FOR KIDS. I HAVE A SET OF TWINS AND NOT MUCH TIME FOR ANYTHING. BUT WHEN I HAVE TIME I DRAW MONSTERDRAWINGS ON POST-IT NOTES... IT IS A LITTLE WINDOW INTO A DIFFERENT WORLD, MADE ON OFFICE SUPPLIES.
Bravo!

Paper bag #2 - SOLD

I'm enjoying investigating this paper bag. I feel a series coming on ; ) 

6"x 6" / oil on canvas / SOLD

Cosmos with lemons - SOLD

Today I went to an open studio class at Laurie's. It felt so good to be back. I set up a still life with these cosmos sitting atop my favourite red chair, draped some fabric over the back and added a few lemons. I sketched it out and I liked it - it was "pretty". But the more I thought about it it seemed trite. I asked Laurie about ways to take the "expected" out of still life arrangements. I thought of pulling my view back to include what I was seeing behind the chair. One way. She also mentioned: walking to the back of the arrangement you've so carefully set-up and painting it from that viewpoint; placing your items on the ground; and picking up an unrelated object and tossing it in. All good ideas. So I dismantled my set-up, tipped the chair, tossed the fabric on the floor and set down the vase and fruit. It gave me the look I was after. This is 16"x20" and is acrylic on stretched canvas.

Lunch (kickin' it old school) - SOLD

It was the only way to have your lunch in high school...lol "Lunch boxes" were childish. Now they've got well-designed lunch bags that are stylish, insulated and re-usable. Win-win. But I still love the look of a paper bag.

Anticipation

This is for the Daily PaintWorks White on White Challenge. Yep, it was a challenge! My favourite bit on this one is the marble.
6" x 6" / oil on archival panel / $100 (includes free shipping worldwide)

Pistachos

I was painting these while I finished listening to Canada Reads today. If you're wondering who won the literary prize this year, it was Something Fierce: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Daughter by Carmen Aguirre. I love this annual competition and Jian Ghomeshi was the perfect moderator as always ; ) 

6"x6" / acrylic on archival panel / $100 (includes free shipping worldwide)

June pond - SOLD

Well today I was home with a sick child (but on the mend) so I didn't get to my studio. Instead I used the day to do some baking: toffee squares, chocolate crinkles and honey cookies ; ) I thought I'd repost this plein air piece I did in June. We've had an unusually mild winter so I'm not complaining that it's been too cold, but I still enjoy looking back on summer.
16" x 20" / acrylic on stretched canvas / SOLD

Pineapple

This was a challenge! But fun. Pineapple tastes so good in February. Reminders of the sunny tropics are nice in a Canadian winter ; )

6" x 6" / acrylic on archival panel / $100 (includes free shipping worldwide)

Custard horn - SOLD

Picked this up at the bakery. Good thing I don't feel like eating my props after I've painted them. That could lead to lots of trouble : )
6" x 6" / acrylic on archival panel / $100 (includes free shipping worldwide)

Papaya - SOLD

Sometimes - usually in winter - we have an "exotic fruit night". Browsing through the fruit aisles we'll pick the most tropical-looking, mysterious fruit to bring home. Then we do an online search, figure out how best to eat it and dive in. This winter we did one and chose rambutans, tamarillos, star fruit, passionfruit and the lush-looking papaya (above). While we've eaten some of these before, others were new. Top picks in our house were the rambutans followed by the passionfruit. The starfruit, while gorgeous, had only one lonely fan ; ) To be fair, some of the fruit may not be at it's prime. I've had horrendous, rubbery peaches and if that's all some people have tasted, well, it's a damn shame...lol.  Living in the Niagara region, we are in peach heaven, and there is no comparison from what you get in the store to a Red Haven picked fresh off the tree.

6" x 6" / acrylic on archival canvas board / $100 (includes free shipping worldwide)

Commission

This is a painting I just finished of two brothers snowboarding. My friend asked if I'd do a painting from a photo she had of her kids. Going in I had the usual apprehensions: stilted figures, tight work etc... but once I started on the canvas it all clicked. The challenge was keeping a loose style all the way through to the end. There were a couple of interesting style decisions to make: how far to go on the camouflage pants on the right (I went with the suggestion of camo) and whether to stick with actual rainbow-style goggles on the left (or keep them basic). I decided to basically be true to the photo as those are the clothes they and their parents will remember them wearing. And sometimes those bring back nice memories.  They haven't seen it yet - I think they are skiing this weekend : ) but I will call them Monday.

Because I love seeing process in the work of othes I decided to show the stages along the way!

Ton and his carrot - SOLD

This is one more painting of Ton. For those who asked, he is a bulldog pup. Anyway, another funny thing about him is that he loves to eat carrots. I thought that was hilarious. He had just been given a carrot and I snapped this picture. And then he began eating.
6"x6" / oil on panel / SOLD

ARTLOVE: Sydney Licht

 Still Life with Bundles, 12"x12", oil on linen, 2011, Sydney Licht

~no information given as to title and size. Painting by Sydney Licht~

Still Life with Coffee and Tea, 16"x12", oil on board, 2010

Painting by Sydney Licht

Sydney is one my my newest painting crushes.
I have so many.
**blush**
I came across her work through Painting Perceptions. If you click on the link you can see more of her work and read a thoughtful interview with the artist by Neil Plotkin. There is also a short video of Licht in her studio. I just love this kind of painting. So thoughtful and such attention paid to compostion. Awesome.