Soaking Bath 4"x4" oil

Daily Paintworks had a challenge to paint a women bather.  I entered this challenge with a painting I did from the photo that was offered by Carol Marine.  Then I decided to do this one, which was something I had wanted to do for a long time but forgot abut it.  My sister-in-law Anne Holzschuh, who is an extremely talented artist, did a similar type of painting when she was in high school and I always thought this would be a fun painting to do.  Making the bubbles was the real challenge, but I think it works!

SOLD

Happy Birthday Bro 6"x6" acrylic

I painted this a bit ago but didn't post it because it is a birthday present for my brother who is the quintessential family man, devoted husband, loving father, unflappable Broncos fan, and he loves to fish.  He is fortunate that he married his high school sweetie and she shares a love of his hobbies along with some of her own.  Happy Birthday Bro!
NSF

Not Despair 5"x7" oil

This is a sculpture in the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.  I fell in love with it when I saw it.  The proportions are perfect and the marble is so smooth and creamy.  His seating position is relaxed and elequent with his fingers intertwining in front.  DPW offered a challenge to paint a sculpture so I immediately thought of this and dug out a photo I had taken of it.  What I really liked about this challenge is that it was a value study for me. The artist is Jean-Joseph Perraud and he completed it in 1869. The title is "Despair." But,  how could something so beautiful represent despair?? A normal person in despair would probably be more slumpy and depressed, not so elegant. There are numerous other sculptures out in the world that also depict human despair (Rodin is a good example) but they are all of tortured souls unlike Perraud's masterpiece. My modern interpretation of this is like the movie stars or sports folks who have everything going for them and then through bad decisions end up in despair, but have lawyers and money to make it less painful!  I would title it, "Most Beautiful Young Man!"

 $100 and $10 shipping

Three's Company 5"x7" oil

My friend Karen Seward and I painted together.  She is the queen of pears...she does them small, does them large and does them in watercolor, acrylic and oil.  This is her still life set up with an unusually bright red pear with a yellow stripe down the side.  That was tricky because painting it like it actually was, would have ended up with an artificial looking pear.  This was a pretty fast painting and I was a bit distracted at the time I did it, but sometimes those conditions help rather that interfere.  I am thinking I need to practice creating volume, like in portraits or round pears.

$100 and $10 shipping

Dance of the Flower People 4"x4" mixed media

If people morphed with flowers and danced around, that is what I think this painting is about!

It's About the Details 4"x4" acrylic

I thought I would do a tiny bit of Pollock on this one.  Tried out a different combination of colors too.

$45 $10 ship

The Bather 5"x7" oil

Carol Marine suggested a challenge to paint from a photo she posted of a woman in the above pose.  I had been wanting to try using Yupo as a painting support and decided this was the opportunity.  I loved painting on the slick surface and it was fun to capture the many shades of white.  I am going to do more Yupo paintings.  The trick is that it takes a long time for the oil to dry and it is easy to smudge or scratch because it slides around on the satiny surface.  If you want to see some really beautiful interpretations of the photo go here.

$100 and $10 shipping

2 Umbrella Happy Hour 6"x6"

My camera has been in the shop for a couple of weeks and I am relying on my iPad to photograph my paintings.  What I am finding is that I am not picking up some of the subtleties of color and texture that are visible when looking at the real thing.  This painting I worked over several short periods of time.  It originated from a comment made by a fellow alumni friend who said, "It is raining, I guess I need to take an umbrella to happy hour."  Frequently I see a picture from what is said around me.  From this comment, I immediately saw 2 umbrellas, one for the happy person, one for the happy hour drink.  Since I didn't have a setup or photo to work from, I had to invent the whole thing.  Cara Nelson was the inspiration for this so I wanted to get somewhat of the image of her for my subject.  Those who know her will have to critique it for me.


$100 and $10 shipping

Becky and Sage 5"x7" acrylic

I had a serious case of "fear of flying" when it was time to do this painting.  Occasionally this happens to me and a lot of artists I know.  Those negative thoughts that just want to continually contaminate your thoughts were on the attack.  Normally I live in a state of denial of that kind of thing.  Someone doesn't like me?  No way, why would someone not like a nice person like me?  I don't ski as well as someone?  Well, I enjoy it twice as much!  I look like an Amazon?  I have a great view!  Anyway, I invested a lot energy in procrastination  before I finally did this one, but I got a bigger sense of relief from it than I will when I finally do my taxes.  I love the joyous looks on their faces, and although the palette is a bit unusual with lots of pinks, blues and purples, I still think it conveys warmth on a chilly day.
SOLD

Gaia 6"x6" acrylic

This was a commission.  Isn't she cute?  I love her Mardi Gras bandana!
SOLD

Sunshine Princess 4"x4" acrylic

I got to see my beautiful granddaughters last night.  The eldest is my princess model and she is definitely one of those wild, independent, roaming in the woods princesses who loves to wear tutus and pink.  The little one is not yet inclined in that direction.  She seems more like an equestrian or pole vaulter, but she is yet too young to be determined by those of us, grownups,  who are conditioned to think like this.  THIS PAINTING IS MUCH BETTER IN PERSON!
 SOLD

Game Board 5"x5" mixed media

There are a lot of layers to this one.  When it was done I thought it reminded me of an abstract game board which made me think of the challenges in solving a puzzle or winning a game: the excitement, the trepidation, the disappointments and the thrill of success while keeping a cool head.  That is a metaphor for life as well.  I like to do Suduko and much like painting, the excitement of doing it is what I like.  When I realize I am coming into the home stretch and have solved the problem, I lose that excitement.  I finish because it doesn't feel right to leave it undone, but I love the doing of it most.  Of course not every painting comes to a satisfying finish.  Many paintings still bug me for ages until I rework them or toss them.
$45 $10 ship

Creation 4"x4" oil

I am trying to come up with a method for my madness with the option of changing it at will.  So I decided to post abstracts on weekends and other work during the week.  I love doing the abstracts and want to continue to explore how to do this, but there are other things I want to do too.  The weekends tend to be the most challenging time for me to find time to paint.  This works well for painting abstracts because I tend to do them more quickly.

$45  $10 ship

When We Met 2"x6" acrylic

My husband and I met on Valentine's Day and that is when we started dating.  I did this little painting as part of another project as a gift for him.  We are a case of opposites attract and it has worked out well for us.  We are really good friends and really enjoy some favorite activities.  So now we are headed off to ski because he took the day off as a surprise Valentine's gift for me .  Hope you have a good day too.

Pineapple Heart on Painted Plate 6"x6" acrylic

Happy Valentine's Day.  It is my opinion that we all need to love and be loved so I think Valentine's Day is for everyone, not just lovers.  I really like pineapple so when I was cutting one up and looked down and saw a heart shape, I plopped it on an antique plate hand painted with pansies, and painted it as my Valentine to everyone...and then I ate it!

$100 and $10 shipping

Canoe Presents 6"x6" mixed media

This abstract is one I made for myself.  I like the round shapes of artist Mareva Millarc who is an accomplished abstract artist and generally great person.  She is married to Peter Huntoon who is a successful watercolorist who has a unique style. They are two of my favorite Vermont artists.  I wanted to give a nod to Mareva for her inspiration so I looked up her name and in Tahitian it means, "canoes bringing presents from island to island."  This is interesting but too long, so I shortened it to "Canoe Presents." Mareva is not Tahitian, so her name I suppose is a French combination of Marie and Eva which is lovely.
NFS

Impressions 6"x6" acrylic

This is a piece I did when I was feeling a little distracted and had a hard time focusing on anything that required a great deal of "hard looking" or deep thought.  I had an idea about what I wanted but I let myself go and just create rather than trying to achieve a specific image.  I used both my right and left hands for this and I love how it looks.  It may not be a master piece, but it makes me happy!

$100 and $10 shipping

With Hope 4"x6" watercolor

Something different...I did this with watercolor, which is not my medium, but a tool I would like to become proficient with.  I went for drama with this one.  After doing my last DPW challenge I received a comment that it reminded them of Crystal Cook's work, so I looked her up and she does wonderful, dramatic, up close portraits of children (among other subjects).  This is nothing like her style, yet she was my inspiration. I hope to do more watercolor in the future.  Belinda Del Pesco is another water colorist that uses high contrast and a bit of gritty surface.  Her work is dynamic.  I like this combination, although I can appreciate the transparent lovely colors of artist Jo McKenzie as well.  That gives you three artists to look up if you don't already know their work!

$45 $10 ship

Rtst Style 5"x7" acrylic

This was for a DPW challenge to emulate the style of another artist.  I chose Roger Akesson who is a Swedish painter who does lovely, graphic images of fruit, flowers, branches, cupcakes and other things using deliberate brush strokes and outlining in broken black and white lines.  I chose a different subject than he does,  did less outlining, added red to the mix, and probably the biggest difference is that I used a lot of dry brush strokes that are less deliberate looking.  So it is an interesting combination of what I do and his influence.  It was a fun challenge and through it I really took the time to study a few other artists' work, which is always a beneficial exercise.

100 and $10 shipping

Cinderella's Workshop 6"x6" acrylic

OK..now for some fun.  This is a combination of still life and made up (the spool of thread).  I love how the patina of the mouse captures the light  but my favorite part is the shadow.  I think this photo is tilted slightly as the horizon is not going uphill!  So this is Cinderella's Workshop.
 

$100 and $10 shipping

Glow of Sunset 5"x7" acrylic

This was inspired by a photo I saw in the newspaper, which is a funny place because the color and resolution are so bad in newspaper images.  I liked the simplicity of the shapes in the photo. That sometimes is all it takes to get the imagination working.  There is a glowing light in early evening cost on the mountains to the east as the sun is setting on a cloudy day, but the horizon in the west is clear.  Golds and purples fill the "canvas." This is Camel's Hump near where I used to live.  It is landmark, although not the highest mountain in the state and was even chosen to be the image on the Vermont quarter.  Anyone here who hikes does this mountain because it is a full day hike with a unique alpine terrain on the top and spectacular views.  I love the abstractness of this.

$100 and $10 shipping

Heartland Winter 22"x28" acrylic

I spent many years in the mid-west and learned to appreciate the phrase "spacious skies" and "amber waves of grain."  Now I like living in "purple mountains majesty."  Although many complain about the cold winters of the NE, I actually think they are more tolerable than those bone biting, windy, humid, rainy days of mid-west winters. But,  it is no wonder that it is the breadbasket of the US because the soil is deep and rich.  The snowy days of NE winters inspire me. Summers are mild, if a bit short, and you can't beat the colors and feeling of autumn. However, that being said, can I come visit you in mudseason? Springtime is my favorite season in the mid-west as it brings such beauty and intense storms after the bleak winter. This poor barn has suffered from that windy weather and now is see-through. The house is gone, lost when this farm was incorporated into a megafarm, probably leaving a patch of daffodils that will pop up in springtime somewhere near that forest of four trees. I have included detail.

SOLD

How I See It 22"x28" acrylic

I love this painting because it really is how I see it!  Lately a few people have asked me if I really see all those colors.  I frequently punch up the colors because I think it works and it makes me happy, but when I look out at the world...even on a very gray day, I just see color in everything if I look beyond my immediate impression and really see it.  A paraphrase from the "The Ideal Husband" (by Oscar Wilde) that I like is that there is a difference between looking and seeing.  This painting of a barn in the valley between mountains on a snowy day is close to where I live.

Contact me if you are interested in purchasing this.  $1200

photo collage

This is the photo collage I made of the abstracts I did in the last 30 days only I couldn't figure out how to get 30 cells on the collage so I finally went with 25.  I will go back and try to figure it out but my blood pressure is rising so I am going to take a break!