"Garlic Press" --- SOLD

Frank Gardner posted a comment on my blog yesterday asking to see something "really different" from what I usually do. I looked and looked all around my house (you've got to remember I'm tied to the house since I paint while my son naps) to find something different. I came up with my cool new garlic press and a bulb of half-used garlic. I enjoyed the angle and getting a little more detailed than usual. Thanks for the challenge, Frank!

"Three on a Shelf" --- n/a

Sometimes I see compositions in my mind ahead of time - most of the time I have some stuff and I arrange it and rearrange it until I come up with something I like. It's pretty fun actually. I enjoy the process. Sometimes though it's a bit frustrating because I've done a thousand (ok, not QUITE that many) compositions with the same stuff and I run out of ideas. : ) But then something new comes along that opens some new doors and I suddenly have a ton of ideas. I'm still waiting ...

"Grapes in a Cup" --- SOLD

I really enjoyed the colors on this one. I found this cup at the same antique store as the pitcher from yesterday. I was with a friend of mine - we both saw it at the same time and said "oooh, a green cup!"

"Morning Tea" --- SOLD

I found this pitcher in an antique store in Burnet, TX this past weekend. I love it's elegance. You're sure to see it in some larger paintings very soon.

Thanks to everyone who gave me feedback about studio colors/lighting. I'm rethinking my future studio design so it has high north windows and ... not sure yet about the color of the walls. My husband and I own 25 acres of beautiful land in Missouri and will be moving there and building our own house/studio as soon as my youngest step-daughter is graduated from HS (5 more years).

"Apple Plated" --- SOLD

I am a member of Plein Air Austin and we currently have a discussion going about the best wall color for a studio. I've always assumed white, but everyone else is saying warm gray. Any thoughts on this? Also, what's the best position for windows besides being on a north wall? Up high? Skylights? Low? Big? Small? Lots? A few? Someday (in about 5 years) I'll have the chance to build my own studio and I appreciate any info I can get on this subject. Thank you in advance!

"Tulips Shadow" --- SOLD

This was my second attempt of the day. I wiped the first after I did this one because I liked this better. The tulips are from a larger painting I did yeseterday - my favorite yet, actually.

"Frazzled" --- SOLD

"Frazzled" is how I feel today after not enough sleep last night and a frustrating day of painting. I did this painting yesterday and ran out of daylight to photograph it. Today I did a lot of wiping. Ugh.

"Solitude" --- SOLD

I heard this great quote by Steve Martin the other day. He said: "Consistent work enhanced my act. I learned a lesson: it was easy to be great. Every entertainer has a night when everything is clicking. These nights are accidental and statistical: like lucky cards in poker, you can count on them occurring over time. What was hard was to be good, consistently good, night after night, no matter what the circumstances." Don't we (artists) all strive to paint that perfect painting? Well this daily painting thing has convinced me that it's not about that one - it's about all the others - it's about the process and the life as an artist. The experience. Going into our studios day after day and doing what we love - but doing it.

"Tiptoe into Lavendar" --- SOLD

I have to admit these are my favorite types of paintings - simple compositions with fruit and shadows (& sometimes cups). I see them in my head all the time. Sometimes when my husband is talking to me I slip off into netherland and don't hear a thing he says. When I saw "what - can you repeat that?" he says "were you painting in your head again?" Yep. By the way, the title of this piece is courtesy of said husband. : )

"A Stranger Among Us" --- SOLD

What do I do when I forget how to paint? I return to familiar subjects - fruit & cups. : )

"Salt on Blue" --- SOLD

I haven't felt well the last couple of days, and unfortunately haven't been able to paint at all until today. I glanced at this salt shaker down in the kitchen as I passed by on my way up the studio and couldn't resist the wavy salt (actually almost empty). It didn't turn out just like I had hoped, so I'll probably give it another try soon. It always takes me a little while after a break (even 2 days) to get back into the groove. Sometimes I even feel like I've forgotten how to paint. Sound familiar - anyone, anyone???

"Triad" --- SOLD

My husband took my son camping for a couple of days and rather than use the entire time painting my b*tt off - I got burnt out and stopped early. Ugh. I did this painting yesterday and then took today completely off. It was nice. We went to see a movie and otherwise did a lot of nothing. At this point I'm ready to jump back into painting tomorrow!

"What's for Dinner?" --- SOLD

You can consider this an after-study of the large painting I did yesterday. It includes some of the same components, and the same basic color scheme. I got these "heirloom" tomatoes the other day. They had more orange in them yestereday - as they get more ripe they turn red. The big one also has some green/red ones, and some leeks too. As soon as I get a good photo of the big one I'll post it on my website - for now it's still too wet. One thing I did with this one and the one yesterday that made painting the tomatoes easier - I used both cad red and cad red light. The light is more orangy. I get so impatient mixing a slightly orange red. Red is soo overpowering compared to cad yellow so it takes a ton of yellow. It's nice to have one step down that is already mixed.

"Jarring" --- SOLD

Well, ok ... so I wanted to try it again. : ) Glass is fun.

For a while there I got very into the Munsell color wheel and stuck on using complimentary colors schemes. I got to where I was using the same combinations over and over ... and got a little bored with it. So a few weeks ago I decided to create color combinations purely by instinct first, and then check them against the color wheel - or not. I find I like this approach so much better. I actually did a large painting today with a combination of colors I would have never thought of - but it's maybe my all-time favorite painting. It's a great feeling!

"Behind Glass" --- SOLD

I've always enjoyed how things get distorted through glass, so this was fun. 2 people have asked me recently about the brushes I use. I used to go on and on about Windsor & Newton Monarch flats, but even though I LOVE them, they wear out fast (at least in my studio!) and they are very expensive. My new favorites are Silver Bristlon brights (their flats are way too long). They stand up to my abuse (perhaps b/c they are synthetic) and they are a little cheaper than Monarch's.

"Caught by the Heat" --- SOLD

I came up with this title all by myself! I've very happy with this one. I'm not sure why but it just speaks to me.

I posted a picture of my still life setup the other day and got lots of questions. Today, while painting large, I had my stepdaughter take a break from watching my son (yes, she's our little nanny 2 days a week and it's working out splendidly!) to take a picture of me in my studio. Someone asked if my setup is tilted back at all, and as you can see here it is. It's a happy accident, and I didn't even notice until someone asked. My palette is to the right on top of a big red rolly thing (as I call it). My easel is way high tech - I have to prop my panels up on old stretchers to paint. Someday I'll have a better one. I have plenty of room to back up and do so regularly - every few strokes! And in case you're interested, I listen to Radio Paradise exclusively while I paint. Please forgive my pajama bottoms.

"Iris Shadows" --- n/a

I bought these irises yesterday for a larger painting when they were still closed up. I really liked them that way, but when I came into my studio today and found them open they had a whole different appeal. What a crazy flower. I fought with the composition but am happy with the way it ended up. I had time to do 2 today, which is good since tomorrow is a big painting day, so I will post the second tomorrow.

"Square Dance" --- SOLD

I find I really enjoy the challenge of 2 colors in shadow. The title is another of my husband's. He's good, huh?!

Two people have recently asked for a picture of my still life setup. I've posted it before but I guess it's been a while. I've had 2 so far. The first was made of wood and very heavy. Then my clever husband decided to try one out of pvc (for the structure). This is my current one and fairly light. It sits atop a (Home Depot) stand that adjusts up and down (down for the top-down views I get). The box itself is open on 4 sides (front, top, left & right) for plenty of lighting options. I have it covered with a white cloth to keep my shadows somewhat light. I put a black cloth over this so the light I paint by doesn't affect my setup too much. I've very happy with this setup but eventually I would like a stand that adjusts with a crank or foot-pedal. As it is I get my back into adjusting it and it can be precarious.

"Tomato Center" --- SOLD

I broke a cardinal rule here and put the tomato in the center of the painting. But ... now that I'm looking at it again, I think it works because the most interesting part is more the reflections on the cup or even the handle. Not the tomato. Hmmm ... well I thought I broke a rule. Dang, and here I thought I was being so daring. : )

"Blue Shadow" --- SOLD

I swear the colors were really like this. Ok, maybe I exaggerated a "wittow" (as my son would say) ... but not much. The red of the ground was reflecting off the side of the cup making it a bit purple, and the yellow/orange light bounced around on the inside of the cup and spoon making what would have been blue a bit gray.