TANGERINE TRIO 6"x6" oil on canvas

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE!

TANGERINES PLUS ONE SOLD

I actually finished this painting a few days ago but am just now getting it posted. I wasn't happy
with the first photos I took of it. This one is a little better but I am still looking for the perfect place in
my studio to shoot the photo. I love painting oranges and tangerines. I have used them in my
larger still life paintings frequently. One reason is the longevity of citrus. It retains the vibrant color
for many days which is necessary when working in a larger format. If any of you have helpful tips
for photographing artwork, please leave a comment.

GRAPE TOMATOES SOLD

This image looks a little fuzzy to me now that I am posting it. I'm still getting used to photographing paintings. I do like the red, green & gold combination. After all, Christmas is on the way ready or not. I have had a real photographer, Jaquelynn Buck take photos for my website in the past. She does a great job but unfortunately for me she has just moved to Valdosta, GA.

My friend Sylvia just called to tell me that she was unable to leave a comment on the blog. I apologize to anyone else who may have had difficulties with this feature. I think I fixed the problem so please try again.

PAST THEIR PRIME 8"x6" oil on canvas

These flowers have been in my studio for more than two weeks. No water for at least a week and they still have some color. Carnations have staying power like no other flower. I am working on a larger painting of pomegranates and I think I passed the frustrating part today. That would be what I call the middle of the process. When I discover the initial marks are incorrect. Then the redrawing and repainting begins.

RED ON PINK 6"x8" oil on canvas

This painting was done on a warm fall day before the frost put an end to the geraniums. It is one of those geraniums that looks irridescent in certain light and is very difficult to match with paints. A little toward purple but not really. I just received some new paintbrushes two days ago and am anxious to give them a workout. I usually use flats but I am going to add more rounds to my supply.

THREESOME 6"x6" oil on canvas SOLD

I planned to paint pomegranites today but decided on apples instead. Pomegranites for another day maybe. It is easier to paint apples that are all one color as opposed to a variety with all those little specks of green and yellow interspered with the red. So I just ignore most of those little specks and hit the main colors.

PUMPKIN SOUP 6"X6" OIL ON CANVAS

This is my pumpkin painting for today. I think I will paint something different. Don't get me wrong. I like pumpkins as much as anyone but all that orange is starting to look the same. I think my eyes are getting blurry from starring at it for so long. Time to clean my brushes and feed the pets.

MORE PUMPKINS 6"x6" oil on canvas

Still painting mini pumpkins and having a great day. Tomorrow I hope to do another small painting for the blog. Probably pumpkins again but with a different background color. Maybe blue. I'm still getting familiar with blogging and I have found it frustrating at times. But I'm sure I will get faster at all this as I do it more often.

PUMPKIN TIME

There are pumpkins and gourds at all the markets this time of year so
it seems the obvious subject for a painting. This one is a mini, very
cute but not so easy to paint.

Wildflowers/Forest Preserve 6"x8"

We were vacationing in Hilton Head last week with friends. While bicyling we discovered this
beautiful Forest Preserve complete with three lakes and an Indian circle made of shells and bones.          
It is reputed to be several thousand years old. My friend and I decided to drive back the next day and bring
our painting gear along. It was a splendid day for painting, in the 70s, dry and sunny. This is one of the
the two small paintings I completed.

Lone Pine 6"x8"

I painted with friends again on Thursday at Duke Park. This time I remembered to bring my brushes and
palette so things went a little more smoothly than last time. This park is fairly new so it has a golf course
feel to it in some areas. Nice long views but not all that interesting.

Pines At Duke Park

On Friday I went plein air painting with my friends. We met at the park, chose our painting
site and proceeded to carry our equipment to the site. I then realized I did not have brushes or
a palette. My friends supplied brushes and a paper palette so I was set to paint. The brushes
were hog bristle which I have not used in years. I was painting on a smooth board so the
paint just kept coming back off the surface as I was trying to add more. I wrestled with it
for two and a half hours and out of frustration, started using my fingers and the other end of
the brush. Here is the result.

Inspiration

This is one view from my studio window looking out to my backyard garden. It is an inspiration
for painting in plein air. We have been lucky this summer with frequent night rains and sunny
days for painting.

Black Eyed Susans 6 x 8" ON HOLD

This is my first almost daily painting of Black Eyed Susans from my garden. It is September 2nd and
things in the garden are changing rapidly now to mostly annuals in bloom. But I found these flowers
today and thought they would make a great study.

Anita Tresslar' Painting Blog Inaugural Address

I've been thinking about better ways to share my imagery with a wider audience, and have discovered this really great painting site, DailyPainters.com, where artists blog while they're working on paintings. I like this approach and so am trying it out starting today.

I'll spend some time figuring out how frequently I can post images, and share my thoughts and experience with you along the way. Let me know what you think...