Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Brutus - Work in Progress - Stage 3

"Brutus - Work in Progress - Stage 3"
9X12
Oil on Linen

Commissioned

Still working on Brutus' fur, but I have finished the chair and ottoman upholstery and background for the most part. Now the fun begins to give his fur all the characteristics I can muster and make him "pop!"

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Brutus - Work in Progress - Stage 2

"Brutus" - Work in Progress
9X12
Oil on Linen Panel

Commissioned

I spent several hours this afternoon, most of it on that adorable face. He's coming along. Cutest eyes and nose any cat ever had!! :-)
More tomorrow...
Thanks for visiting!

Friday, November 13, 2009

Brutus - Work in Progress

"Brutus - Work in Progress"
9X12
Oil on Linen Panel

Commissioned

Some projects are just too fun ...and this is definitely one of them. The owner of this adorable fellow sent me several pictures from which to choose. All of the pictures were great, fun, cute, and showed the personality of this guy so well that I just fell in love with him. Suffice it to say that Brutus goes wherever he wants to go...into the potted plants, sitting on all of the pillows, perched on the owner's shoulder, etc. But this was the pose I like the most for his portrait. I also chose it for the color combination against his soft grey and white fur. He has the cutest smile and owns his realm, that is for sure. So anyway, here is the beginning of his painting. There is a long way to go, but I thought you might like to see a preliminary stage.

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Rose, the Border Collie

"Rose"
14X11
Oil on Linen
Commissioned

Would tell you more, but then I'd have to kill you. This is a present for someone. Not saying who.

The photo has some glare from the wet paint...sorry about that. I will try to take a better photo when this dries.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Chipmunk


"Chipmunk"
8X8
Oil on board
Available

Contact to Purchase
Click on image to enlarge the view.

The lowly little rodent denizen of our back yard: the Chipmunk. The few we have are fun to watch, scampering about and diving for cover when our dog, Bosley, goes out for the chase. We have predators, too. A large hawk comes through on the hunt every few days. And this past weekend we killed a copperhead that was thinking it was going to make a home in our garage for the winter. Fortunately we saw him just in time and that was the end of him.

I managed to capture this little guy with my camera in hopes to put him down in paint. I don't know if I did him justice here....he is cuter than this.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Hayrolls at Sunset

"Hayrolls at Sunset"
8 1/2X12 3/4
Oil on Board
Available

I did a small watercolor of this scene some time ago, but had saved the photo for just this purpose. As evening falls and sun streaks across the fields, there was this reddish-golden light smack on the rolled edge of the hayroll. The background tells you of the light falling into the darkened woods behind. It seems a metaphor for a good day coming to an end, as if the sun is smiling on a golden treasure which came from hard work. Sometimes the reward is more than just the thing in front of you...it is the light shining on it!

That's what I see....and what I liked about it.
Thanks for visiting!

Friday, October 02, 2009

August Afternoon Barn

"August Afternoon Barn"
16X20
Oil on Canvas
Available

Contact to Purchase

From a photo I grabbed last summer of a North Carolina barn. I love rural spaces in our state and when I am out and about I am always looking for scenes to paint. This is only the second barn scene I have ever painted. This one looks to be more storage than daily use, but it looked pretty sitting in that landscape with the gorgeous trees as its backdrop.
(My camera picked up a glare on the right of this photo.) If interested, I'll do another photo for you.
Hope you like it!
Thanks for visiting!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Feely Toady

"Mr. Toad"
8X6
Oil on Canvas

I apologize for delaying a post for so long, but my back has decided to give me some real problems for the last month. Turns out I have a couple of tricky discs that are playing some gravity game and compressing on nerves. OUCH. I am in the process of figuring which way to go...pains shot and chiropractor? Or just a pain shot and take my chances. I could hang myself upside down, but I doubt my brain could handle the pressure...so...anyway, I will be back to painting as soon as I am up to it again. Hopefully soon.

This little fellow came to our backyard last year and I could not resist attempting a painting of his funny adorable self.

Thanks for visiting!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Little Red Hen

"Little Red Hen"
5X7
Oil on Board
SOLD

Click on picture to enlarge the view.

Contact to Purchase

I drew this out a long time ago as a study for a painting I did at a larger size. But this morning I came across it underneath a pile of papers...don't ask...in my studio and was inspired to take it on. Since it was a little 5X7, I felt I had just enough time today to tackle it. (the other version I did was 9X12, but I like this one better.) This would look great on an easel in the dining room or kitchen! Anyway...if you like chickens, here is a little cutie for you.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Horse Pasture

"Two Horses"
16X12
Oil on Linen Panel
Available

Click on picture to enlarge the view.
By the way..comments are welcome!!

There is a horse pasture just down the street from my house. It's a place I like to walk past as I walk my dogs. So when thinking of what to paint next, it was this horse pasture that inspired me. The interesting thing about this composition is the way the positions of the horses, the tree trunks, and the fence posts all mirror each other....as if two is the theme for the day.

I've been once again stuck with a thousand interruptions, but today I just stayed in my pajamas and locked myself in the studio to get this one done. Not a pretty sight..but now I'll go wash my brushes and regroup! :-)
On to the next thing..

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Cat Oil Portrait

Barnhardt's Cat
16X12
Oil on Linen Panel
Commissioned

Click on image to enlarge the view.

I've been having a busy month with relatives visiting, major projects here at home, and then fighting off some dastardly cold virus that hit both my husband and myself this past two weeks. Still not over it...but finally have been able to get back to painting this week.

This little adorable cat is no longer among us, so this commission is to celebrate her life. Her owners adored her and I can see why....she seems to be so sweet in this pose. I had to do some fictional background because the photographs had window glare and black shadows which made it really tough to see the details. But I think this has turned out well and I hope her owner will be pleased. This painting will allow them to look at her and remember how much she meant to them!

Friday, July 03, 2009

Nature's Fireworks



"Highway Flowers"
8X8
Oil on Canvas Panel
Available

Happy 4th of July, America!! At the risk of sounding like a socialist, which you all know I am no where close to that label, I have to say I do like the flower program that Lady Bird Johnson began in the 1960's. Quite possibly, other than military defense and interstate highways, this is the only Federal program I do like. It's definitely not necessary. It's totally socialistic. Taking tax dollars to plant flowers on the highways is so frivolous, especially during bad economic times. But it is innocuous, too. It doesn't take away your choice of doctor or take away your choice of energy consumption. It isn't draining your bank account in order to give more power to the politicians who take your freedoms away. If we can afford it, it is nothing more than a little icing on the cake. Being an artist, I always admire the sweeping areas of bright flowers along the highways....and I am always looking for nature's beauty to remind me that there are still some of God's gifts I can enjoy under a totalitarian American government. Nature is my only refuge from man-made oppression.

So call me a hypocrite just this once. But don't try it on any other day.

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Watermelon

"Baby Watermelon"
8X10
Oil on Board
Private Collection

I recently read another blogger's description of the Green movement. He compared the movement to the watermelon...green on the outside and Communist Red on the inside. I agree.

I hope my fellow artists will love freedom more than they wish to attach themselves to this insidious "green" movement, which has nothing to do with saving the planet. It has everything to do with taking away the freedoms and independence that I so cherish and that benefit the creative spirit of any artist in America. It has everything to do with enriching some very evil people who, honestly, don't give a rip about the environment. Check out Al Gore, Goldman Sachs, General Electric, T. Boone Pickens, Nancy Pelosi, and others. All this Cap and Trade bill will do is ruin our economy, do nothing to enhance the environment, and tax the American public to death. Please email your senators and tell them not just NO, but HELL NO on Cap and Trade. Please do this today!!!! And while you are at it....tell them HELL NO on Nationalized Health Care which is another death sentence to America.

On the domestic front...It has taken me the last two months to get my Dad settled into assisted living, which I have discovered is both a huge relief, but also not complete absolution from my duties. It is better, however. Then, on top of that has been the organization and disposition of his household belongings. This has meant multiple trips to donation centers and reorganizing my home to accommodate some of the furnishings that, hopefully, my children will want someday. I've cleaned out three closets and made trips to the attic. The good thing about this, albeit very time consuming, has been the purge of things we needed to get rid of in our house anyway. And next up on our agenda, our daughter-in-law and three grandchildren are coming for a visit next week. This also means getting the crib ready, the high chair out of the attic, prepping the house to be child friendly as much as possible, and food planning! I am very excited to see them! It has been a year....except for skype. They are visiting from South Korea where my son is stationed..protecting the U.S. from the insanity of the North Korean nuclear threat.

So between my Dad, my kids, the house disruptions, and most of all, my dedication to attempt to save us from this Fascist/Socialist government headed up by the fraudulent usurper in the White House....I've written letters to the editor, letters to Congress, and kept up with writing on my other blog regarding government....a lot has been going on here. But not as much painting as I wish. I have finished three commissions in this month and another one is waiting on my art table. It's difficult to paint beautiful paintings while our country is being wrecked and stolen from us. My heart aches for these darling grandchildren and my children who are going to suffer mightily from the selfish and corrupt government in place today. Please speak out, write letters, and do your part to stop the insanity.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Bluebird On a Pine Branch

"Bluebird On a Pine Branch"
12X9
Oil on Canvas Panel
Commission
Click on picture to enlarge the view.

This is the second Bluebird painting...since I have a client who loves them and another client who wanted one...I ended up doing two. They are similar, but different..heads turned different ways and the pine branches are configured differently. We are so lucky here in North Carolina to have many of these adorable birds. They are the color of sky in flight...and quick as anything. I think there is a poet who said they wear the sky on their backs. We love them...and it has been fun to paint them!


Perched in a frame for example....

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Dog Portrait, Poncho, the Miniature Doberman

"Poncho"
10X8
Oil on Canvas Panel
Commissioned

This guy has a story...so the owner tells me. He was brought here on a plane in a shoe, being a small fellow of under one pound, all the way from South America. The painting is commissioned for a birthday present for the lady of the house. Poncho is a well loved and apparently happy guy with quite a personality!! A challenge to paint and fun to get to know his cute face!!

After weeks and weeks of work, moving furniture, selling stuff, donating stuff, more Dr.s appts., filling out forms, working on financial arrangements, etc. etc., we finally have gotten my Dad settled into a very nice assisted living facility not too far at all from us. This isn't the end of my obligations for him, but it is going to save me from every day care, so hopefully I can get back to painting more frequently. I do still have a lot of his belongings to either dispose of or store for family, so I am still under it...so to speak. But we are getting there slowly.

On to the next one...stay tuned!