Good Health

6"x6" oil

Roses are given meanings by their colors.  Yellow roses stand for friendship and good health.  I am trying to stack the cards on the side of good health so I decided to add a yellow rose to my bouquet.

The Visitor

6"x6" oil 

In the summer I frequently have visitors that are not of the human species because mu studio has garage doors I open.  Hummingbirds have made numerous visits and chipmunks seems to love my work as well!

Pink Peony

6"x6" oil

This is my first ever peony.  I have been wanting to paint some after seeing so many beautiful paintings by artists I admire.  I am happy with the results, but know that I won't really get it, until I have painted a gazillion.  So mastery is a gazillion minus one for me!  Here are some links to peonies that have inspired me:  Jonathan Aller,  Jo McKenzie, Shawna Lampi-Legaree

Gerbera Daisy

12"x12" oil

This gerbera daisy was a gift for my recuperation.  I have a great indoor spot for it and it just keeps on producing lovely blooms.  I have been really struggling physically after my surgery and I finally feel like I am starting to gain strength.  This painting reflects the joy I am feeling about that possibility.  I feel so grateful to be able to paint, and to have the ability to see, feel, smell, breathe and soon, walk.  It is so easy to take those things for granted.  The greens in this image appear much more intense and uniform than they are in the painting, and the background is a variety of darks (not just black).

Poinsetta

11"x14" acrylic

I had so much fun painting this.  It was for a "Sip N' Dip" painting session I facilitated.  Basically people come to the art center and pay a fee to get to do a painting in one evening.  I have done many of these and they are always a treat.  It allows me to just enjoy the painting process and help others to feel it too.  I always focus on a couple of lessons to help them understand the decisions an artist needs to make.  In this case it was choosing analogous colors and complimentary colors using a design that was both objective and abstract.  I try to give the participants a lot of choices to make along the way.The coolest part of the session is at the end when we line up all the paintings and see how creative and different they all are even though they were based on a design. It also gives me a chance to paint in acrylic which is not my first medium of choice.