Garden Shed 6"x6" oil landscape

This is another location at my friend Heather's.  Heather and I paint together once a week usually at their beautiful homestead.

Permission 5"x7" oil $100

I did this painting before I went to Cape Cod and will be posting paintings from that trip soon.  I titled this "Permission" because I was talking with my friend about how I felt like I needed permission to take any serious time to read, which is something I love to do.  Don't these waiting chairs just invite you to sit down with a book?

Self Portrait with... 4"x4" oil sold

Don't laugh!  I was going to title it "Self Portrait with Paint Brush"  but that seemed kind of long for a 4"x4" painting.  Then I thought of "Self Portrait with Crazy Hair"  but that was too revealing and it's not my fault anyway!  Then there's "Self Portrait with the Big-eyed Stare"...well you get the picture.

SOLD

Fourth 6"x6" oil $100

Keeping Time 6"x6" oil $100

Mauve 4"x4" oil sold

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Aiden 4"x4" oil sold

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Julia 4"x4" oil sold

A couple of friends told me they didn't like how I made Julia look like a grumpy Buddha so I re-did her!
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Peek-A-Boo Butterfly 5"x7" oil $100

Another butterfly with a completely different palette.  I love the value changes on the asters and the peek-a-boo butterfly at the top.

Dressed for Success oil 5"x7" $100

I struggled to get the proper shape of the flowers and the right values but still keep it loose and breezy.  I think it worked.

Habitat 5"x7" oil $100

We went to a song bird banding with a National Audubon Society guy.  It was so interesting and was sponsored by the Vermont Electric Company (VELCO) which maintains the land under the high power lines as habitat for songbirds, bears, moose and other animals.  In the past I thought of electric companies along the lines of the evil empire, but have learned all kinds of interesting things about transmission and some of the good things, like providing needed habitat which have softened my attitude towards power lines and substations.  My husband likes to stop and take photos of transmission lines when we are on a road trip!

Contemplating the Tree of Life 5"x7" oil $100

This is at the Southern Vermont Arts Center, with a lovely museum and entertainment facilities.  The background painting is by Susan Abbott....I didn't remember the sculptor's name.

Saturated oil 9"x9" oil $175

The oranges look very uniform on my monitor when in fact they are more varied.  This was a Daily Paintworks challenge, but it was fun to do a landscape after so many portraits.

Juli 4"x4" oil sold

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Multitasking 7"x5" oil $100

Some days everywhere you look something is interesting and beautiful.  I snapped a photo of this street lamppost one gorgeous blue day and when I revisited the photo it just looked like "Multitasking" to me.  It was fun painting this simple composition.  It sorta looks like a robot tourist with lots of luggage!

Holding On 6"x6" oil sold

I painted this from a black and white.  The things I loved about it included the way little Marilyn is holding her mother's dress ribbon and both of their expressions.  It is a portrait, but it was fun to do something larger and more involved than the little mug shots I have been doing.
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Emily 4"x4" oil sold

Julia 4"x4" oil sold

Winding down...I only have about 4 more of these little portraits and then I am moving on to other subject matter.

RoseMarie 4"x4" oil sold

My granddaughter and the sweetest baby this side of Greenland.
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Mom/Grandma/Greatgrandma 4"x4" oil sold

This is another version of my mom..this looks more like her.
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Sammy 4"x4" oil sold

I already did this portrait  and I really liked the facial expression and pose, but it looked a bit harsh and she is a beautiful woman so I softened it and brightened it.

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Tom 4"x4" oil portrait sold

Tom is a sweet man who smiles perpetually...well, most of the time.
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Patty 4"x4" oil portrait sold

I think the hardest portraits I did were of my sisters...too much to capture I guess!
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AG 4"x4" oil portrait sold

Painting a beautiful face is a lot of fun, but it adds its own pressures.  I have found that using a really good reference (either photo reference or painting in person) helps me relax and feel more confident.  Poor reference photos can sometimes encourage me to keep it loose and not sweat the details, but more than likely, I find myself fiddling with it.  Poor photos of people or animals that I do not know, seem to work better than for more familiar faces.
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Jordan 4"x4" portrait oil sold

This young man is going to marry my niece and I haven't met him yet so it was a lot of fun doing his portrait as I didn't have any emotional feelings tied up with and confusing my vision.  I played his hair really loose and fun and all in all, I am happy with it...I also hope it resembles him, but the jury is still out on that!

In another note, I got scammed, or rather was almost scammed by someone posing as an interested purchaser of my artwork.  I was pulled in fairly deeply before I realized it was a scam and I felt pretty violated by it.  Hopefully there will be no other repercussions from it, but I did learn an important lesson and will be more cautious in the future.  I would like to warn other artists of this possibility.

SOLD