Daily Painting Still Life, "Dahlia & Bud"

"Dahlia & Bud" 5X7
Oil on Masonite
Available from the artist
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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He was so nice to pose for me while he was fishing for lunch.











"Dunes at Seabrook" 16X20 Oil on Canvas
Framed and Available
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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."