Evening in the Pasture

"Evening in the Pasture"
Pastel, 8 x 10" Ampersand Pastelbord
Purchase details are on the "Available Works" page.

Here's a pastel I've just finished based on a photo I found on Morguefile that caught my eye.  I loved this scene, the sky, the streak of late evening sunlight cutting across the meadow with the sheep grazing.  Very tranquil and inviting.  And I love sheep so it was a winning combination.  Click on the image for a larger view.

Bouquet Jazz

"Bouquet Jazz", Acrylic on 30 x 24 x 1.5" Gallery Wrap Canvas
(See Available Works Page for Purchase Details)

I had such fun painting this energetic, stylized still life.  Flattening out and converting the soft, organic shapes into more edgy, geometric shapes adds to the energy I think.  I purposely avoided curving lines for the most part to give it a spontaneity and youthful quality.

These are some of my favorite colors - as you can probably tell, I find that lovely aqua irresistible these days.  I think this painting would look great in just about any room.

How about a painting for the patio?

Patio painting - Acrylic on Stretched Canvas

Last week while I was trying to spruce up the backyard for a little dinner party that was supposed to be outside and that much to my disappointment got moved inside due to inclement weather, I had the idea to paint a large piece for a bare brick wall that's the "backdrop" of our patio.  Not having much time and wanting the painting to make a nice impact from a distance, I went on the search for a simple, large graphic floral pattern.  I saw this in a piece of fabric and thought it was perfect.  I like the cool color scheme against the red brick wall.  It's a shady patio, so I thought the cool scheme worked.  Just 4 colors - pale aqua, shell pink, muted greyish green and charcoal.

Off to the art supply I went and purchased a large canvas - can't remember but I think it's about 24 x 30".  Anyway, the real treat of the trip was the purchase of a couple of Liquitex paddle brushes - have you tried them?  They're super for covering large areas with crisp edges, lots of control and doing so in a short amount of time.  Oh and I also bought a funky looking Liquitex splatter brush.  I have yet to try that one, but I'm anxious to do so.

Ruby at 2

Here's a cute snapshot of Ruby this week that a friend took & edited using Instagram.  Hasn't she grown?!  Still the apple of my eye.

Mysteries of the Sea

Okay, so I have been painting - just not always in my studio.  Here's a fun, unexpected project I got to help with last week.  My niece participated in her school's "Mystery Museum" project.  Her theme?  Mysteries of the Sea.  She worked very hard researching unusual sea creatures as well as mysterious events like the disappearance of the crew of the Marie Celeste (hmm...I wonder why she picked that one?)  She memorized an interesting speech and each time a visitor tapped her on the shoulder, they were treated to the lively discussion.  Of course, we wanted to make her board really stand out, so we painted Bella in her underwater gear deep below the sea pointing out some of her fascinating facts.  Bella, her mom and I had a great time getting creative and messy together!

Patio Geraniums - A Pastel Painting

"Patio Geraniums" - Pastel with Watercolor underpainting on 12 x 9" Wallis Paper
(See Available Works Page for Purchase Details)

Back in the studio finally after much time away - you know Spring calls for lots of home projects, gardening, etc. I mean really, who wants to be inside when outdoors is calling?  After all, I gotta have time to plant things to paint, right?