Poppies

6"x6" oil

I have been traveling for a couple of weeks.  Now I am home and back to painting, so I warmed up with these little poppies.  It is hard to jump back in with confidence, but that is what is necessary.  I made a fun discovery when I got back.  I had not scraped my palette before I left and was getting ready to do that.  I cover my paints with little cups called "Paint Savers."  A while ago I had glued pieces of felt to the inside of them and applied a drop of clove oil to keep the paints soft between sessions.  When I took off the covers after about 2 1/2 weeks of them sitting, the paint was still fresh...not even glooey.  It is important not to mix clove oil with the paint, or even get it on the paint brush, because it will not allow the paint to dry on the canvas or panels, but the fumes will keep the paint soft for at least 2 1/2 weeks...so that is cool!  I don't expect to have any issues with the painting drying, but time will tell.  Also it is important not to use silicone or a

glue gun to adhere them because the clove oil will basically melt the glue, but I used Elmer's wood glue and that worked fine.

Pepper Party

6"x6" oil

Peppers are fun to paint.  They have such vibrant colors and interesting shapes.  When posting images with red varieties of colors, the photography tends to blend them into one color.  The difference in reality between the orange pepper and the red pepper is significant.  You will have to use your imagination with this one.  I like the exercise of doing still life paintings and I like taking a break on occasion from painting people.  Even though they are both made up of shapes, lines and values with lovely colors, the pressure of getting people "right" can be daunting.  I mean, if I make the pepper a bit lopsided or fat, who would notice?

30-30 Challenge #12 & #13

I am getting caught up but also need to paint ahead because I will be going to a Randall Sexton workshop and also one with Susan Abbott.  Life is good...but when it is so busy, time sure flies.  As I get older, I find I want to slow down my days and savor them.  Not sure that is possible yet.

30-30 #8-9

Still Life 1

8"x10" oil

I'm back!  I usually don't have a problem getting back to painting if I have been away for a while, but this time was different.  I was afraid or something.  I couldn't just go put paint to the board.  So, I pulled out an on-line painting course I had purchased a long time ago.  I watched the video and used the photo of this still life for reference, and I liked how it turned out.  It is different from what I have been doing, but it got me going and I like the results.  What do you think?
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A Savory Day

5"x5" oil

More garlic.  I love these carnival squash.  They are really fun to paint.  Onions offer a unique challenge too, even though they are perfectly round, their skins reflect so many beautiful and warm hues.  It is very easy to make an onion look like an orange.  This still life makes me feel sunny and warm, which is not what the weather has been bringing.  We are surrounded in every shade of gray that exists and loads of water to-boot.  Generally the weather doesn't get me down.  Days like this remind me of school days when it seemed like the sun never quite got up.  I would be lulled into day dreams by the patterns made by water dripping down the huge old windows of Madison Elementary School.  We had really old desks with initials etched into them and places for ink wells. Even though we didn't get to go outside on days like this because the mud puddles were just too tempting, I liked them because we would frequently get to paint!

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Lime, Apple, Orange

This is another painting I did at Carol Marine's workshop. She really worked with us on getting the values and reflected light right and I am happy with how this turned out. At first I didn't like the orange because we had done exercises all morning and I painted an orange 10 times trying to get it right, so by the time I did this one I honestly hated oranges! I like them now and I love the shadows on this orange. Compositionally it looks like a giant moon revolving around two little planets! #65