Daily Painting Holiday Card, "Partridge in a Pear Tree"

"Partridge in a Pear Tree"
Holiday Card
Watercolor
Licensing Collection
Click to Enlarge







This is the last post for 2006. I plan on getting back to it early January...2007
Meanwhile, I wish you all a very great holiday, a Merry Christmas, and the best New Year!!!

Daily Painting Holiday Card, "Rumpapumpum"

"Rumpapumpum"
Watercolor
Licensing Collection



Tis the Season....

Daily Painting Holiday Card, "Scotties & Snowman"

"Scotties & Snowman"
Watercolor
Licensing Collection




With holidays approaching and time evaporating, I am going to post three designs for Christmas, this one and two more. At the end of the week I am off on a holiday trip to visit with family and will not be posting again until 2007. Wow...two weeks I will be away from my easel. That has to be a record. I am already feeling withdrawal pangs.

I wonder if, when people look at my work as a whole, they wonder if I am schizophrenic. There are so many various media, subjects, and styles here. "Who is she really," I can hear you ask. I lament this at times. I notice the artists with reputations and followings have a "look." One look. One style. Usually one category, i.e. still life, or landscape, or portraiture.

I can explain myself. Trying to be all things to all people might come close to the answer. Using what was available at the moment might explain it. A journey through life and times might define it. From knitting, to quilting, to calligraphy, to watercolor, to gouache, to acrylics, to oils.... from illustration, to publishing, to commissions, to fine art....you name it. I would love to hear what people think of this string of art on the blog. And should I land in one place? One media, one category, one style? What do you say? What is your favorite?

2007 is coming. Where am I going?

Daily Painting Still Life, "Two Lemons and a Knife"

"Two Lemons and a Knife'
11X14
Oil on Linen Panel
SOLD








I have to say the actual colors in this painting are far superior to the repro on screen. The whites on the plate are more white than I think is showing up here. And I feel obligated to note that each viewer's monitor is different, so I am hoping people will get a really good representation. Anyway, this one is at eBay auctions...so give it a try! Thanks!

Daily Painting Still Life, "One Apple"

"One Apple"
5X7
Oil on Linen Panel
Price: $120.00
Contact Me

Daily Painting Floral Still Life, "Antique Pansies"

"Antique Pansies
5X7
Oil on Linen Panel
Price $120.00
Contact Me
Click to enlarge








One of the great things about living in North Carolina is that we can have pansies all winter long. October comes and I head to the garden shop for the best ones I can find. The last couple of years our closest garden shop has had this antique variety that is just so extraordinary...subtle colors and a softness that the regular ones just don't have. I really do think they are beautiful. So tonight after dinner I ran out to my pots and cut some for this little painting. I think this is about as French impressionistic as I have ever gotten....which is saying something since I normally sit there trying to draw every vein. Ten thirty came and I said, "That's it." "Viva la France!"

Daily Painting Seascape, "Up From the Deep"

"Up From the Deep"
4X9
Acrylic on Paper





Just because I love seashells.

Daily Painting Decorative Package Design, "Quince Blossom Soap"

"Quince Blossom Soap"
Acrylic on Paper
Design for Licensing



I'm doing this one for the rest of the Daily Painters. You see, I painted this Quince Blossom Branch and sat there thinking to myself, "Now who or what is this for?" Do you ever ask yourself that? You've done this thing and now what? Extrapolate, embellish, and voila, you have a package design. All paintings do not work this way, but some of them do....so I am posting this to show you what you might do with some of those paintings that seem to have no reason to exist. I will say this one evolved and involved the help of a friend of mine who knows how to manipulate images with type and layers that I haven't mastered. But she allows me to direct the piece into what I want. It's a great deal of fun and I appreciate her expertise and assistance when working on this type of design work.

Daily Painting Still Life Child's Shoes, "Two New Feet"

NFS
Watercolor





The boy has arrived! Yesterday at 6:15pm, Mountain Standard Time. Matt and Janelle have managed to bring us a big boy...10lbs.7oz.
His name is still pending, but Janelle definitely deserves some kind of award for the biggest baby in our family history!
Happy Day!!

(yes, Alan, here are some baby shoes again....)

Daily Painting Still Life, "Pear 2"

"Pear 2
5X7 Oil on Linen Panel
Click on picture to enlarge






Available
Contact Me






This one is available either framed $125.00 or unframed for $100.00

Daily Painting Seascape, "Gullible"

"Gullible"
8X10
Oil on Linen Panel

Available from the Artist
$350.00 Unframed
$400.00 Framed
Contact Me

It's hard to see the brush strokes and nuances in these little thumbnails. If you are interested in this painting, please let me email you a version with more detail. This would be a great Christmas present for someone whose heart or home is at the beach.

(memo: I retain reproduction rights to this and all of my paintings.)

Daily Painting Still Life, "Grapes & Magnolia"

"Grapes and Magnolia"
Border Design for Licensing
Acrylic on Paper



This is the crossover for the trained illustrator/commercial artist....always trying to put some amount of fine art into the more commercial purpose. With commercial art one is always trying to fit some parameter of speed and space into the art for some other printing application. With fine art, you just do it, without all those other considerations....and then if it works commercially, all the better! In this piece I had all of those parameters in my mind. Now that I have been doing more fine art of late, I find I am happier not thinking of those commercial uses until after the art is finished. Maybe a curse.. because I was in publishing for so long, I look at the fine art pieces and see all of those other applications.

A complicated mind.... putting all of the puzzle pieces together

Daily Painting Landscape, "Bohicket Drive"

Detail view of "Bohicket Drive"















"Bohicket Drive"
8X10
Oil on Canvas
Commissioned by the Owner
Click on picture to enlarge


Does it count if someone in the family commissions a painting for a Christmas present?

My in-laws used to live at Seabrook, in South Carolina. The last part of the drive is through a tunnel of gorgeous live oaks and, on a day such as this one, the sun streams through the trees and makes your heart skip with anticipation of the beauty you are approaching. My husband took a picture through the windshield of the car and this was the sight on the way. Now when I look at it, I can just imagine driving along in a little red sports car to Seabrook for the weekend.

My father-in-law passed away and my mother-in-law had to move closer to children for safe keeping, but she pines for the days they lived at Seabrook. She asked for a painting from me for her Christmas present this year.....so this is what I came up with. I hope when she looks as this painting she will remember the drive and the good life she had there.

Daily Painting Still Life, "Home From the Beach"

"Home from the Beach"
8X8
Acrylic on Paper
Available from the artist








Nope...haven't been to the beach this weekend. This is, once again, an interim piece while I am painting a commission....one ordered up for a Christmas present. This shell collection is also part of licensing endeavors..meant for address book covers, or guest book covers. Hope to have the commission done in a few days and will post it then.

Daily Painting Bird Study, "Not a Turkey"

"Early Bird"
Acrylic on Paper







Here is a companion to the Bluebird piece...another with the licensing projects. Due to the Holiday I will not post again til Sunday evening. I wish everyone a perfectly great Thanksgiving!!!

Daily Painting Still Life, "Speckled Pear"

"Speckled Pear"
5X7
Oil on Linen Panel
SOLD







One pear...a small one to sit on an easel on your desk or table.

Daily Painting Bird Study, "While Painting Pears"

"Bluebird"
Acrylic on Paper




While I am working on painting more of the pears, I am posting a design from my licensing projects. Maybe I should call this, "Song of the South." Hope there is a bluebird on your shoulder today!

Daily Painting Landscape, "Surprise on the Greenway"

"Surprise on the Greenway"
8X10
Acrylic on Canvas
Artist's Collection






This may look a bit fictional....it was from a memory, rather than reality. Walking on a greenway in Colorado Springs, while visiting my son and his family, there were wild hares running about, in and out of the brush. They were really very adorable. The scenery was gorgeous with wild flowers everywhere and foothills in the background. So, I came back to North Carolina thinking of the bunnies peeking up out of the scrub and flowers, and also thinking of my darling little grand-daughter, Ella. I was imagining how fun for our little baby girl to be surprised by these little animals as she toddled along on the greenway with her parents. Peek-a-Boo, Ella! I think I had my mind in storybook illustrations from the look of it.

I might also mention that I owned a stationery company for several years....I designed, published, and marketed nationally....my company name was "Wild Hare." Hmmm...there must be a connection there.

Blue Ribbon Cow

This painting was in a previous post....this photo doesn't do justice to the colors. You can see a better version of the painting on the October 20th posting. I don't every day get a chance to make a point about being an "award winning" artist...it's not the sort of thing you go around saying to people. Like, "Hey there, I am an award winning artist!" For one thing, I find it's all in the subjective opinions of judges. Eye of the beholder and all that. For another thing, as an artist, I find the process of painting very humbling. It's not as easy as it looks. I am always thinking to myself,...well, it took God seven days to create this entire universe we enjoy (evolutionary theories aside for a moment), and it takes me days to attempt to paint one small piece of it. If you want to be amazed at creation, just try to draw or paint one leaf, one flower, one person, one "oreo" cow.

Anyway, I won a blue ribbon!

Daily Painting Still Life, "Autumn Pears"

"Bronze Pear, Yellow Pear"
9X12
Oil on Linen Panel
Available from the artist
Price: $350.00
Contact Me









My first art instructor showed up at the very first class with a table full of pears. He told us to choose one for ourselves and paint our pear. That pear painting lesson lasted several weeks...several pears....lots of fun. I haven't yet grown tired of painting pears. And since the store is now abundant with them, I think I will be painting pears for a time, again.

My friend and "other mother," Claire, encouraged me to take that class with her. So I always think of her when painting pears.

Daily Painting Pet Portrait, "Butte"

"Butte" 11X14
Oil on Linen Panel
Commissioned by the Owner

This is the dog with "the eyes!!!" He is a mix between Golden Retriever and Malamute or Australian Shepherd....and a very good dog he is. A husband commissioned this painting for his wife's birthday. I had the delicious fun of being invited to the party and unveiling the painting for her. This being the first experience of that kind for me, I was just a bit nervous and when pulling the veil I realized I had placed the painting upside down. Can you imagine my red face?? In front of a room full of anxiously waiting friends?? I quickly turned it upright and begged for another glass of wine....


All ended well. I think she was surprised and pleased. He looks great in the frame!

Daily Painting Still Life, "Not Just Sunflowers"

"Not Just Sunflowers"
6X6
Acrylic on Paper
Available from the artist
$125.00
Contact Me






Began as a product illustration....now available for purchase. This design, Southwestern in color and feel, is meant for licensing, on a trivet, a linen towel, a card, etc. Think hot peppers, tacos, fajitas. (note: I retain reproduction rights.)

Daily Painting Still Life, "Sucker for a Pretty Dish"

"Sucker for a Pretty Dish"
12X16
Oil on Canvas
Price: 425.00
Contact Me





Well, I could have called it, "Rome Apples in an Italian Dish." Italy...Rome....get it? The dish is the latest splurge at the monthly antique extravaganze. When someone buys my paintings, I just go looking for more fun stuff to paint....sort of a circular exercise, I admit, but it feeds the painting fool. I'd be healthier if I actually ate the apples instead of painting them.
Hope you like them!!!

Daily Painting Pet Portrait, "Must Love Dogs"

"Bailey" 11X14
Oil on Linen Panel
Artist's Collection














This is the one and only Bailey. He was our true and wonderful Scottie, no longer with us, the precursor to Bosley. As you can see, he had a happy smile and was the best of company. He owned the place and we were happy to share it with him. (Bosley is improving greatly and we actually went for a walk today!)


I have "hit the wall" for just a couple of days. I'm going to take a short break. Every now and then one has to "sharpen the saw," as they say. Stay tuned!

Daily Painting Still Life, "Autumn Reward"

"Autumn Reward"
8X8
Oil on Linen Panel
Available from the artist
Contact me






Two Dahlias surviving before the frost...
I grabbed them before they were gone. The mums are just coming along.

Daily Painting Landscape, "Nursery on Rt. 321"

"Nursery on Route 321"
6 1/2X12
Oil on Canvas
Artist's Collection




There is this plant nursery by the side of the road on the way to the mountains from here. We passed it many times and always someone in the car would make the comment, "Isn't that such a pretty sight!" Finally, camera in my hand, I said, "Stop the car, I'm taking the picture!"
And this is the result..
Hope you like it!

Daily Painting landscape, "Down the Street"

"Down the Street"
5X7 Oil on Linen Panel
Available from the artist
Contact Me











For Laurie....
She moved away to Maryland several years ago, my next door neighbor, friend, and dog walking partner. This is the view down the street as we would leave to go on our walks and what it looks like on a beautiful Fall day. As I painted this, those walks and taking off with our four footed friends were foremost in my mind. Thanks, Laurie!

Daily Painting Still Life, "Dahlia & Bud"

"Dahlia & Bud" 5X7
Oil on Masonite
Available from the artist
Email Me







Still have my head in the garden.

This was the first time painting oil on archival masonite. Hmmm. Good point is, I don't get that underlying grid from the linen. The paint slides around a lot more and seems more painterly in effect. Both the linen and the hardboard have their attributes. The difficulty is finding really fine linen, so I may use this archival masonite a bit more often. I have used it before for acrylics when I needed very tight line work.

My daughter keeps telling me to "loosen up." I tell her I don't drink enough wine to be "loose." She says I'm too precise.."Loosen up, Mom!" "Slap that paint on there and don't worry about it!" Anybody want a drink?

Maybe the oil on masonite will work wonders!

Daily Painting Still Life, "Lemon Quintet"

"Lemon Quintet" 9X12
Acrylic on Canvas
Artist's Collection

You would think that an extra hour this weekend would have netted some serious painting time, however, dust bunnies were turning into dust elephants... picture that! Pretty Scary! Soooo.....something had to be done before someone called the health department. Consequently, this painting, which hangs in my kitchen, was finished last spring. There is actually a sixth lemon hiding in the bowl, but I didn't feel like calling this the "Sextet." It isn't a moral issue....I just thought the other one didn't show up enough to make the title. Sort of like the extras in the movies. They are there, and really important, but they don't make the credits.

Lest you think I neglected my art entirely, I did do some framing for an up-coming show with entries due on Tuesday. Back to the brushes tomorrow..

Daily Painting Still Life, "Peel Me A Grape"

"Peel Me a Grape"
5X7 Oil on Linen Panel
Contact me







Pouring rain today. A good day to be inside the studio....
Grabbed these grapes at the store the other day and then came home to find out they are not seedless. Oh, no...a mouth full of silly little hard things. I guess that makes them better for painting than eating. All I could think of was that fabulous rendition of "Peel Me a Grape" by Diana Krall.
The picture turned out just a little blurry compared to the actual painting. Was I jiggling as I shot the picture?

Daily Painting Pet Portrait, "Bosley" Finito

"Bosley at 9 Months" 8X10
Oil on Linen Panel
NFS

O.K., it wasn't easy. Halfway through my paints were really "gooky" from having to start and stop so many times. I think this makes for a coarse texture and frustrates the heck out of me... But, the rascal now has his portrait for the family history. If we live through the next 4 weeks of convalescing without killing each other, we'll be off on walks again. Who could get mad at that face?????

Bosley In Progress

8X10 Oil on Panel
NFS




Well, you see, Bosley is the reason his painting is unfinished. In his short little life, Bosley was thrown out on the street, lost, picked up by the pound, saved by the Humane Society, neutered, micro-chipped, placed on "petfinder.com," adopted by us, and is now recovering from (expensive) leg surgery due to elbow dysplasia in his left foreleg. I took the picture before the surgery about four weeks ago. The surgery, they tell us, will take at least eight weeks to heal completely. Since then we are carrying him around, trying to restrict activity and doing our best to keep a spirited puppy from romping and chasing squirrels. No easy task. Our guess is that he is about ten months old now. Since he is restricted from too much activity, he looks to us to keep from being bored...and no I am not into "crating," or "caging," so I am having to put the paint brushes down with frequent interruptions to attend to our little guy. Once we get past this hard time, I am hoping we can once again go for a long walk, play ball and run like the wind. (Bosley does the "run like the wind" part)

So there's the story of Bosley and the interruped artist. Productivity slows in this case for a good cause. I promise to post the finished painting when it's done.

Daily Painting Landscape, "Oreo Grazing"

"Oreo Grazing" 5X7
Oil on Linen Panel
Available for Purchase from the artist
Contact me



This is the third version of this guy that I have painted. I have to blame my daughter for this. Seeing things through your children's excitement is always an inspiration. I don't know if her fascination is because of the name, "Oreo Cows," or if they are just so unusual that she can't help but admire their presence in the pastures. Truthfully, I have to say I do love looking at them, too. And he is fun to paint due to the black and white values.

Daily Painting Still Life, "Ironstone and Strawberries"

11X14
Oil on Linen Panel
Framed and Available for Purchase from the artist....
My email

Once, some time ago, I ate strawberries and cream for breakfast at the Coronado Hotel. Need I say more?

Daily Painting Still Life, "Before the Tart"

"Red Delicious" 5X7
Oil on Linen Panel
Artist's Collection

This one is a companion to the previous painting.

I've just learned that two of my pieces have been chosen to hang at the Visual Harvest Show, our local guild show for autumn. "Moss Roses" and "Two Lemons and a Knife' are the two paintings, which are available for purchase through the guild. The show will be open from Thursday evening, Oct. 19 through noon on Dec. 8. The exhibit is sponsored by Gaston College, the Jeanne Rauch Gallery, and the Gaston County Art Guild and is open to 4 other surrounding counties, including Mecklenburg. Should you have the opportunity, I hope you will go to see the exhibit!

Daily Painting Still Life, "A Pear and a Bowl"

"A Pear and a Bowl" 5X7
Oil on Linen Panel
Artist's Collection

A friend gave me two linen kitchen towels recently and that is what inspired me to paint this. Not a huge story, but a dear friend. I'm one of those people who eats to live, rather than lives to eat. My confession is that I buy fruit and vegetables at the store and look at them so long, while I think about painting them, that they rot before I ever get to the intended recipes.

Daily Painting Floral, "Lost in the Petals"

"Gardenia Blossom" 5X7 Oil on Linen Panel
Available for purchase from the artist.
Contact me

I keep thinking I can just whip out these little ones, but three days later I find I am still lost in the petals. I guess I'm just not "fast and loose"... Though sometimes I would really like to be. (painting, that is.)

I have also included a picture of this one framed...just for the purpose of seeing how it looks in a frame. It's amazing what a difference frames make...truly.

Daily Painting Floral Still LIfe, "October Zinnias"

"October Zinnias"
8X10 Oil on Linen Panel
Available for purchase from the artist.
Contact me

I waited all summer through the stifling heat and now, just as the cold weather threatens, my zinnias give me their best show. Better late than never...as they say.

Daily Painting Water Lily, "Treasure of the Lake"

"Water Lily at Bass Lake"
Oil on Linen Panel
Artist's Collection

As we took the path around the lake, this was the last of the water lilies of the year. It was painted in the studio from a photograph I took.

Daily Painting Pet Portrait, "One Fine Dog"

"Bo" 11X14 Oil on Linen Panel
Commissioned by the Owner

Yes, I do dogs!!! (and cats, too.) If you would like to have a portrait of yours, please email me.

My original intention was to paint the background. Bo was leaning across the arm of a green leather chair. But as I painted Bo, the chair disappeared....after all, the painting is about Bo and not the chair. Sometimes the subject directs the finished piece. That is definitely what happened here.

Daily Painting Still Life, "Pumpkin Study #2"

"Little Pumpkin #2
5X7 Oil on Linen Panel
Available
Contact to Purchase

This is another small study of the little pumpkin from the grocery. The blues in the dish in the painting are actually much bluer..sometimes the camera doesn't pick up the intensity of the colors. I'm working on correcting that, so you will see a better representation. Most of the time this doesn't happen, but In this case the blue against the oranges of the pumpkin are more striking than shown here.

Daily Painting Landscape, "Two from Johns Island"

"Eminent Domain" 12X16 Acrylic on Watercolor Paper
Framed and Available
Contact to Purchase

He was so nice to pose for me while he was fishing for lunch.











"Dunes at Seabrook" 16X20 Oil on Canvas
Framed and Available
Contact to Purchase

Sand in my shoes, walking back from the shore, this was the view.

Daily Painting Still Life, "First October Pumpkin"

"Little Pumpkin#1
5X7 Oil on Linen Panel
Purchase from the artist.

The grocery is full of goodies for my easel. This one just jumped into my cart and said, "Paint me, please."

Daily Painting Commissioned Home Portrait, "The Pearson's Beach House"

Commissioned by the Owner
16X20 Acrylic on Masonite

Daily Painting Floral Still Life, "The Pink Dahlia"

5X7 Oil on linen Panel AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE PRICE: 120.00 plus s/h
Contact to purchase: cpass@carolina.rr.com



My Dahlias love September. Consequently, I love them.

Daily Painting Floral Still Life, "A Reminder of Summer"

"Moss Roses" 9X12 Oil Framed and Available Price: 350.00 plus shipping
Contact me at cpass@carolina.rr.com to purchase

This planter hangs outside my studio door. Certain times of the day the sun shines on it like a spotlight, casting the most wonderful shadows. I hope you like it. The frame for this painting is a very beautiful gold plein air frame.