Monarch #8

8"x11" watercolor NFS

Monarch#8 This one was really fun to paint. I loved going dramatic with the purple and it worked so well with the pink buds/flowers and the green leaves. I liked the composition as well.

Monarch#7

8"x11" watercolor NFS

This monarch is freshly emerging from its chrysalis.  I am not sure what I would do differently if I repainted this one, so I might ask my art group what they think.  It clearly tells the story, but it is a tad bit boring I think.  I may go back in and darken the sky behind it and see if that makes a difference.  Watercolor is so different than oil and I am hungry to learn its secrets!

Monarch#6

I may have to have something in fabric printed up with this design.  I am still figuring out how watercolor works, what I can do with it, and when it is appropriate to use techniques like sponges or sprayers to get affects.  Peter Huntoon is a watercolor artist that uses all kinds of splishes and splashes in his work to great affect without it looking trite at all.  I am not there yet.

Monarch#5

8"x11" watercolor NFS

I like looking at paintings with lots of patterns, but unlike my friend Heather Shay, I do not like painting them.  I think the repetition gets to me and I am a little impatient.  That being said, I got myself in deep with this one.  I wanted it to have an abstract feel, but have some realistic elements as well, and I think I am pretty happy with the results.

Monarch#4 Cocoon

I really played around with this one and thought since the cocoon was such a simple subject, I would abstract the background.  I dripped and sprayed and layered and flicked and taped and rubbed and just had a good old time.  Not sure it is a great painting, but it sure was fun to do!

Monarch#3

8"x11" watercolor

I like putting on layers with watercolor but don't always know what to expect.  I am trying out different approaches so that I can learn some things.  The colors of the painting are so much more vibrant in real life.  I am not sure how to rectify this.

Monarch#2

8"x11 watercolor NFS

This one came a little easier.  It is painted from an image by photographer Steven Niewoehner.  The problem with painting from such an amazing photograph is that it is already a piece of artwork so you have to approach it with different intentions.  I had a hard time photographing this because the colors just don't pop the way they do in person, especially the thistle.  I have figured out a few things about watercolor like: 1) the brushes make all the difference  2) the paper makes all the difference too (this is on 400lb. cold pressed Arches) 3) figuring out the quantity of a mixed color and the ratio of water to paint are both important 4) if you don't have a process you are up the creek without a paddle

Monarch#1

8"x11" watercolor

I have a project this month and I chose to do watercolor.  WHAT WAS I THINKING????  I am not a watercolorist, I am an oil painter.  I can't tell you the amount of terror I experienced doing this.  So, what did I learn?  1) Maybe by the end of this project I will know how to paint monarchs 2) Do not get Phalo Blue paint (even watercolor) under your fingernails  3) They say watercolor is a challenging medium for good reason! 4)  If you don't challenge yourself you won't grow (at least I think that is true)

Morning Jog

8"x8" oil

A fit young woman starts her day running across the Brooklyn Bridge.  This is a revised version of a painting I did a while ago.

Sumac Tryptic

7"x12" oil   starting bid $20

I am on grandma duty this week so I am posting paintings that I am putting on auction.

Little Mothers

6"x6" oil   starting bid is $17

If this looks familiar, it is because I have already posted it, but I decided to put it up for auction on DPW.  I won't get much chance to paint this week because my grandkids are visiting.

A New World

6"x6" oil

I reworked an old painting.  I liked the figure of the woman and baby but didn't like the environment she was in so I decided on a soft ethereal world.  Of course everything is new for a baby, but I think that a new mother also experiences the world in a new and different way, as the surrounding take less precedent over the world of love and responsibility you feel for this vulnerable and fresh creature.

Thank You

8"x8" oil  NFS

This painting is different than my other work in a couple of ways.  To start off with, it is a concept painting.  I thought of an idea I wanted to illustrate and planned it out.  Then I did a very detailed drawing on the gessoed panel, as much work as if it was a finished product.  Then I painted it, using soft scumbled areas on the left, over the names of women who have helped me over the last 8 months as I have recuperated from surgery.  I like the idea of a child praying, as it represents such innocent belief and hope.  I am not selling it, but am doing another project with it.  I have always liked using text in painting as it adds an interesting pattern and another layer of meaning, but I seldom do this.  I am really happy with how this turned out.

Hole In One

8"x10" oil SOLD

I love it when people commemorate an important event by purchasing a piece of art.  Certainly getting a hole in one on the golf course counts as a significant point in time.  This is a gift from the purchaser, so if you recognize this guy, don't tell him!

Friends Forever

8"x10" oil  SOLD

This was a commission.  It is a gift from one friend to another.  I think it will be a great present to honor their long lasting and loyal friendship.

Fistful of Kohlrabi

4"x6"  oil

I am a bit all over the place these last few days...back in the garden with this one.  Kohlrabi is such an interesting looking player in the food group.  I love the deep purple color of this one.  The challenge for me on this painting was finding the balance between enough detail and keeping it loose.  I also didn't find it easy to come up with the right colors for the hand and the background, even though I paint a lot of flesh.  When I am conscience of the "rules" I always struggle.  It really works better for me to not let my brain get in the way!  Do you feel like that?

Rainy Day

4"x6" oil

This is what I saw driving home from the gym on this rainy day today.  I tried hard to hold it in my head so I could paint it.  I like how it turned out, especially since it is not my usual palette of super-saturated colors!

Big Radishes

11"x11"  oil 

I don't know why, but I love painting radishes.  Maybe the attraction lies in the gorgeous complimentary colors of red and green....maybe it is how round they are but have the funny little roots on the ends that make lovely shadows.....maybe it is the wilted greens that form such fun abstract patterns...don't know, but I love 'em.

Taking a Break

5"x7" oil 

This painting was completed a while ago but I varnished it too soon and it smeared a thin layer of green over her body so I had to do some restoration.  I removed the varnish and did some touch-ups and revisions and it turned out better than I had hoped and I learned a new skill, so all is good!

Up On the Roof

8"x8" oil 

I was having a discussion with another artist yesterday about those paintings that just keep nagging you to do something.  I know a lot of artists ditch them when they don't behave, but I am of the inclination to just leave them hanging around until I figure it out.  This is one of those pieces and I am glad I didn't give up on it, because I like where it took me.