CONTEMPLATION

10"X8"

OIL ON BOARD

This is a painting I worked on in the Karen Jurick workshop in November. I went back to it and made a few changes to get more detail in the skin tones. Karen had all of us working on this same photo on the second day which  made it quite interesting to walk around and see everyone's version of this lady. Sorry about the lack of posting but it is that time of year when every day is designated to getting ready for the Holidays.

CAT WATCHING

5"X7"

OIL ON BOARD

This is my granddaughter watching one of the neighborhood cats. The photo is bad but you will see this painting again. I have more work to do on it. Funny thing but when a painting is photographed all the flaws stand out. I will post it again after I make some changes.

KUMQUATS

6"X6"

OIL ON CANVAS PANEL

PRICE $100

Painting kumquats is like practicing painting oranges in small bits. They are one of my favorite things to paint. Too bad they taste so bad. My son told me you eat the entire fruit, skin and all. He may, but I don't think I will try it again. They are very oily. I wonder if the food network has ever used them in a food challenge show?

HOLLY TIME

6"X6"

OIL ON CANVAS PANEL

PRICE $100

I would like to say that I'm all ready for Christmas but all my friends and family would know I'm lying. I am a major procrastinator when it comes to the Holidays. I do as much as possible online because I hate to shop. I hang out in my studio and act like I have all the time in the world. And one day I wake up in a panic and
realize I'm down to the last week and have barely done a thing. This year will be the same I'm sure. Today I am painting, posting, bird watching and ignoring everything else.

WRAPPED UP

This is the progression of a small painting.

6"X6"

OIL ON CANVAS PANEL

PRICE $100

PINK

6"X6"

OIL ON CANVAS BOARD

PRICE $75

These carnations have been repainted so many times I thought about calling it reincarnation. I find open carnations hard to paint. What to do with all those petals? I finally stopped looking at the setup and things worked out better. They are easiest to paint when first opening up or dying.

For any of my classmates who are struggling with Elements 8, I just figured out how to best straighten a photo of my paintings. Go to image, rotate, free rotate layer. You can then go to the corner of the photo and pull it in line. Maybe I'm the only one who was having a problem with this but I was certainly happy when it worked.

SPICY

6"X6"

OIL ON CANVAS PANEL

PRICE $100

I am still moving slowly this week. Just can't shake this sinus problem since the Hilton Head trip. I think my body(allergies) liked it better in S.C. Coming back to OH must have been a shock to my system. These jalapenos remind me of our trip to Santa Fe a few years ago. After eating all that spicy food there, I came home and made a huge batch of chicken tamales. Lots of work but worth the effort. That is, if you have a few free days with nothing else to do. We won't be having them this year.

A GOOD READ

8"X8"

OIL ON BOARD

A woman at Forest Beach very engrossed in her book. I have been working slowly and sporadically lately due to a nasty cold. It has been so long since I've had a cold or flu I forgot how miserable it is. Most of my weekend was spent in bed watching T.V. or reading. I am caught up on Iron Chef episodes.

TALKING IT OVER

8"x8"

OIL ON MASONITE

I painted this in the workshop last week and worked on it a little more after I returned home. I took several photos of this cute little girl so you may see more paintings of her later on. The beach is a great place for people watching and taking reference photos for paintings. What a fun week it was. This is an altogether different approach to painting for me and a bit challenging. Working in a new way generates new ideas. Always a good thing.

BEACH POOCH

6"X6"

OIL ON MASONITE

A soggy, friendly dog just coming out of the ocean from a swim. This is one of my paintings from the Karin Jurick workshop I attended last week in Hilton Head. Karin is a great artist and fantastic teacher. I have a link to her on my site so check out her blog.