Treasure Hunt

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel - starts at $100

My cherry tomatoes often end up looking like little red candies. And so I'm letting you know that these can be anything you want them to be. ; )

Packing for a Journey

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel - starts at $100

In addition to this little still life, I'd like to show you a portrait I did near the end of last year. It's quite a bit bigger, and features McCoy and Alita, two very confident and sweet kiddos, brother and sister. They posed like this totally spontaneously, and I thought it communicated them perfectly.

NFS - 24x24in. - oil on panel

This one was ridiculously difficult to photograph. I tried everything I could think of and still there was glare. So I took two cell phone pics of the faces at slight angles. They are a little wonky (and lighter), but you get the idea. It looks SO much better in person (my broken record).

I used a knife on the a lot of the background for some fun texture. Here's a closeup of the bit right above her head.

Secure the Perimeter

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel - starts at $100

In case you don't know, Daily Paintworks (the website my husband and I created and run) has a monthly contest with cash prizes! There are only 35 entries so far this month, so there's a real chance to win. Please consider entering soon (it can be any 2-D fine art, and you don't have to be a member). The top 15 picks get a free month and a featured spot on the front page.

Cup Envy

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x8in. - oil on panel - starts at $100

I painted this darn cup three times before I got it right. After the first two, I walked away for a couple of days because I was so discouraged. But it was probably the break I needed to come back to it fresh. I'm really happy with this version.

And, Cut!

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel - starts at $100

That's a wrap for the roses. I hope they enjoyed their stay at studio Marine.

Distracted Rose

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel - starts at $100

This rose isn't bored - she's just playing it cool. The cups are starting to talk about other things. The spoon is still a dedicated admirer.

Watching the Weather

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel - starts at $100

And now a look at the weather, from our local captain and his little mate. And their stack of bowls...

Visiting Rose

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel - starts at $100

Wherever the roses go they seem to attract attention. What will my dishes do when the roses fade? I might have to hold therapy sessions.

Let's Stick Together

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x8in. - oil on panel - starts at $100

These two lovebirds decided to perform a duet. There were quite a few onlookers.

Casting Shadows

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x8in. - oil on panel - starts at $100

I love interesting shadows, and somehow finagled two into one composition!

Fans of Rose

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel - starts at $100

Recently an article that I wrote came out in Artists Magazine, the Jan/Feb issue. It's all about experimenting, and is one example of many exercises that I created for my "Just Try Sh*t" online tutorial series that you can find on the tutorials page of my website.

If you've done any of them yet, please consider posting in the Just Try Sh*t Facebook group. I started it last year, but so far no one has been brave enough to post. Be the first!

Your Rosy Highness

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel - starts at $100

I can't always find flowers that want to be painted, but I got these gorgeous orange roses that were just screaming at me. They were definitely ready to be stars. I told them, "One at a time, please."

Regulation Dots

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x8in. - oil on panel - starts at $100

This comes to you from chilly Montana. It is negative 23 as I write this (feels like -40 with windchill). Yikes! I can't tell you how happy I am to hibernate up in my cozy studio with my cups and vases.

Holding it Together

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel - starts at $100

Of all my still life subjects, cups are the most cooperative. They don't have the big egos like apples do, for example. They don't mind if they're just a supporting character in a painting.

Pink Undertones

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil (& acrylic) on panel - starts at $100

I found this panel toned with pink acrylic paint from an experiment I did a while back, wiped, and then forgot about. Ha. It happens. So I thought I'd try a still life on top (in oil). I chose several green objects to complement the pink, and I like the result.

For those of you who wonder, my understanding is that you can paint with oil over (dry) acrylic, but never acrylic over oil (it'll peel off).

Mixed Bag

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel - starts at $100

I made "monster cookies" for a book group I'm attending tonight, and this painting reminds me of them. I guess it's the color of the m&m's. All I'm missing is blue. But I have to admit I'm kind of in love with the colors of this one. I heard someone say recently that color is their love language, and that's so true for me as well.

Relaxing Red

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x8in. - oil on panel - starts at $100

I noticed that I was leaning towards "cool" collections of objects, so I forced myself to go "warm" for a change. Someone told me many many years ago that warm paintings sell way better than cool ones, which is absolutely NOT why I did this experiment. But I wonder if that's true. What do you think?

Stand Up Straight

Click Here to Bid - 6x8in. - oil on panel - starts at $100

I'm really enjoying these little "formal" collections of objects. They seem like family portraits to me, and it's fun to pick out all the participants. Though if I'm honest it feels more like they are choosing.

Vitamin C

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel - starts at $100

Here's one last citrus painting, for now. I always seem to circle back around to every subject eventually.

A Little Birdie Told Me

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel - starts at $100

Every once in a while it hits me anew that realism painting is just illusion. We take sticks with hair on the end, dip them in colored goo, and wipe them around on flat surfaces to create the illusion of 3-dimentional things. Such a fun thing to spend time on.

It's Getting Warm

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel - starts at $100

This is another scene from Florence, Italy. These two were walking through a main square, and I just happened to catch her taking off her red rain jacket with the sun shining through bits of the other side.