Delta Cotton Fields

8 x 10 oil on canvas panel

Seems I've forgotten how to paint over the holidays. :(  This was a tough one mainly because I didn't feel I did justice to the beautiful cotton fields in the Mississippi Delta.

Bluebird of Happiness #2

5 x 7 oil on mylar - SOLD

Birds, birds, birds!!!!  I am tiring of all these birds and need to come up with something else.  This will probably be my last post until after the holidays - too much cooking to be done - so maybe I will "refresh" and try another subject.  

Oriole Repeat

6 x 6 oil on mylar - SOLD

I know this is a repeat of Oriole #1; I used the same reference photo, just changed the background color and made him larger.  I wanted to try something easy for my first experience painting on mylar.  I like the feel of the brush as it pulls over it as I prefer smooth surfaces for painting.  It has a few downsides though and the drying time is much slower.

Delta Sunflower Fields

5 x 7 oil on canvas panel - SOLD

More sunflowers......but.....still trying to achieve looseness in what I see and paint.  

Bluebird of Happiness

6 x 6 oil on gessobord - SOLD

Mr. Bluebird is my first attempt at painting in about a week - I haven't touched a brush.  We went to Atlanta for an early Christmas with our son and his children - loved seeing them - just don't get to visit with them often enough.  I'm not sure I'm finished with this painting, I think it needs a little work still but wanted to go ahead and post since I haven't lately.  

On the Lawn at the Louvre

18 x 24 oil on stretched canvas

This is not one I'm particularly proud of.  First of all, I took the reference photo when we were in France a few years ago and it was washed out with not much contrast.  I loved the scene but just couldn't get a good contrasted image ..... and all that grass!!!!  Anyway I decided to go ahead, cut my losses and move on with this one.  Maybe I'll revisit it some day when I can figure out how to create light and shadow where there is none.

Field Aglow

8 x 10 oil on canvas panel - SOLD

This field of sunflowers is painted looser and more impressionistic than my earlier one - just going for the feel this go around.  

Autumn Travel

8 x 10 oil on linen - SOLD

I love autumn with all of its wonderful colors and the clear blue skies.   It rivals spring with all of its fresh green - not sure which I like the best.  They are both beautiful times of year.  I haven't been painting much lately, just haven't been motivated with all the distractions of the holidays and busyness that happens this time of year.

Oriole #1

 6 x 6 oil on gessobord - SOLD

For my birthday my wonderful husband gave me an IPad.  I have been wanting one to use for painting and this was my first try with it.  I still have a few kinks to work out, especially how to prop it up to view my reference photos as well as just general knowledge of how it works!!!!????  I have an IPhone and have "issues" with it also - just can't teach an old dog too many tricks, so it's a S-L-O-W process.

Pigeon View

8 x 12 oil on linen panel

I believe the hardest part of having a blog is trying to come up with a title for each post.  This is the best I could do for a title today.  I know pigeons are nuisances but they have such pretty colors which are fun to paint.   We don't have many out where I live but we do have them downtown. 

Crappie Fishing

8 x 10 oil on gessobord SOLD

This is a scene I see almost everyday where I live.  About the only thing I enjoy about walking is passing by all the people who come out to the Reservoir to fish.   Crappie (pronounced krop-pi) fishing is very popular on the reservoir and is considered to be a good tasting food fish.

Something to Crow About

8 x 12 oil on linen panel

I suppose he is crowing about his recent weight loss.  This rooster is rather skinny by rooster standards, to me.   I found him in a magazine and thought the photo would adapt well to this vertical piece of linen that I had.   Funny how you can really see your errors once you post your paintings - they just jump out at you!  I might have to fine tune him a bit.

Big Sis, Little Sis

 8 x 8 oil on stretched canvas - SOLD

The shadows on this one are what attracted me to it.   When I painted it originally, there was a mother in the painting with the little sis but I decided she did not add to the picture; her position was awkward looking so I painted her out into the concrete!  Oh well, artistic license.  

Marietta Creek

6 x 6 oil on hardboard

When we were in Marietta recently, I took this reference photo of a creek near my granddaughter's school.  It was a peaceful looking setting and I thought I would again attempt a landscape (although on a very small scale).  The morning sun washed out the right side of the painting when I photographed; and I had put up my camera by the time I discovered it.  I might go for a better copy later.

Fat and Happy II

6 x 6 oil on gessobord - SOLD

This is a "remake" of an earlier painting for a customer's husband.   The earlier one had sold and she wanted hers to look just like the original.  I tried hard but I'm sure there are  differences in the two as no two are ever identical.   I loved painting this bird both times; the colors and contrasts appeal to me.

Sisterly Love

8 x 8 oil on hardboard

The body language here says it all.  I wanted to paint this just as a gestural study because I loved the pose so much - one twin giving a reassuring peck on the cheek to the other before heading to school.   These are my great nieces (sp?) and they are 2 1/2.   I wasn't interested in a likeness so much as I was the posturing of the two.   

Field of Sunflowers

5 x 7 oil on canvas panel - SOLD

We have lots of sunflowers in Mississippi and I love them.   I have never attempted a field of them before - much different than an arrangement of them.  With all the yellow and green, it was a challenge to add more color.  I like the way the blue sky reflects off the green leaves and attempted to recreate that in this painting.

Pumpkin Time

16 x 20 oil on canvas panel

I don't think I have posted this before; if I have, I apologize.   I haven't done a lot of painting lately because I've either been out of town or getting ready to go out of town.   Gluten free on the road is not the easiest!  These pumpkins came from our local produce stand and were actually fun to paint.  I love the warm colors of fall!  I didn't take these outside to photograph; they are just in a window and there is a glare on the left side.

Mississippi Mockingbird

5 x 7 oil on gessobord

I am feeling very rusty, it's been so long since I've painted.  I've wanted to paint our state bird for some time and decided to give it a try today.  We have lots of these in Mississippi.  Although they can be mean birds, they have a beautiful sound and mimic other birds' sounds. 

Balcony View

11 x 14 oil on stretched canvas

The last two days have been so dark and dreary with the storms from Hurricane Isaac coming through so I wasn't able to photograph outside in the natural light.   That must be why I chose such a "bright" subject to paint because this is definitely out of my comfort range!  

Through the Kitchen Window

8 x 8 oil on stretched canvas

It sure felt good to get back to painting again today.  This is the first time I have painted in two weeks and I have really missed being at the easel.   Thought I would start back with a cheerful bird!   I love painting birds - there are so many varieties with such beautiful coloring.

More Black-Eyed Susans

8 x 10 oil on hardboard - SOLD

My husband said my black-eyed susans from my last post looked upside down so I lifted them a little this time.  Actually they grow that way,  at least in my yard,  but maybe  they could use a little lift! 

Blooming Now!

 9 x 12 oil on hardboard

These are some of my Black-Eyed Susans that are blooming right now around my back patio.   I love their bright colors and wish that they would bloom all year long.  They do multiply though and I have a flower bed full of them.

Daytime on Bourbon Street

11 x 14 oil on hardboard

This is one of the waiters outside Pat O'Briens on Bourbon Street.  I sneaked a pic while he had his head turned watching for potential patrons.    

Pres' Tam O' Shanter

12 x 20 oil on canvas panel

This is my grandson, Pres, posing in his Tam O' Shanter (sp?).  He struck this pose one morning when he came into his parents' room and leaned up against the wall with his juice bottle.  He is real funny and very serious about his clothes - hence the knit shirt with the collar standing up.  He has been wearing his shirts like that since he was about 2.  My daughter in law had her IPhone and snapped this one and sent to us.  The actual painting has richer colors but I still am having difficulty in certain light situations getting the photo to mimic the actual painting.

DPW Rose Challenge

 6 x 6 oil on gessobord

The Daily Paintworks Challenge for the week was this rose.   The photograph was posted on their website and each artist did their own rendition of it.  My personal favorites are the watercolor ones, they just have a delicate, more realistic look to them.  That being said.....this is my oil version - tough to do!  The petals were killers;  this rose was yellow in the middle transitioning to pale pink on the tips and in dramatic lighting!

Caroline and Friends

6 x 12 oil on linen panel

This is my granddaughter at her 6th birthday party (a swimming party) with her good friends enjoying pink cupcakes.   They were having the best time chatting and eating.  I wasn't going for a realistic rendering, just a gestural study actually.  Those are my favorite to paint.  I had to stop myself though to keep from overworking and making everything exact.  Now that I've posted this and reviewed, it's amazing how much better you can see features in the photo when you click on it to blow it up.  I worked from a 4" x 6".    I'll have to remember that in the future:   enlarge photo and then paint!

Lean on Me

8 x 10 oil on hardboard

This was painted quickly today because I really worked most of the day on a small portrait study of my granddaughter and some of her friends at her birthday party.  I still haven't finished that one but took the reference photo for this when my daughter still had all of her wedding gifts on display.  I placed the pears on a copper platter she received.  I loved the glow of the pears on the rich copper color but didn't want to render the platter - just used some of the colors.

Beach 2012

10 x 12 oil on canvas panel

I wanted to try to see if I could "suggest" the people in the water and it's ok to me.  The photo was not very good (no lights and darks).   I love it when you can get a good snapshot and the lighting is right.  Those paintings seem to paint themselves.  I re-worked Monday's painting after seeing it on the blog.  The background looked too stark so I added a little more detail and,  to me,  it works better.

Restaurant Study #1

12 x 12 oil on stretched canvas

I don't know what is more difficult - painting the picture or naming it.  I can't come up with good names at all - so I tacked on a boring title!   The scene appealed to me because of the back lighting.  I had my IPhone with me and snapped it while we were in a restaurant a month or so ago.  

Beach Bird

6 x 6 on hardboard

Today has been gloomy and rainy so I decided to paint this seagull on a sunny beach.  The day I took the reference photo there were hundred of these birds on the beach in Fairhope.  They were swarming around the beachgoers wanting the expected bread that they always feed them.  After I painted this I dropped it face down on the carpet so I have a little retouching to do tomorrow and some major spot removal for my carpet - Thalo Blue is tough to get out,  it's such a strong color but I love it!

Who's Got An Attitude?

12 x 12 oil on cradled gessobord

These chickens appealed to me because they both had personality!  I haven't painted much lately but had wanted to try these to get the feel of thicker paint again.  

Pointe Work

8 x 10 oil on canvas panel

I have been working on these for 3 days!  After this little exercise, I think I will leave satin alone.   While painting it, I found myself overworking for a realistic look - something I really don't want to do at this point.

Docked at Phillips

6 x 6 oil on canvas panel

I finally got back with my painting group today after being away for several weeks.  I really get inspired there but I am SO rusty.  I just haven't been in the groove lately for painting and I have had many wipe offs!   I finally decided to just keep going with this one.  It needs a little more work and I see, after photographing, that I must have scratched the surface on the lower left some how so it will have to be repaired.

Fairhope Beach

14 x 18 oil on canvas panel

Another try at a landscape.  This photo was taking along the beach at Fairhope, Alabama.  It is so pretty there with ducks, geese and sea gulls congregating in the area.  

Hydrangeas II

 12 x 16 oil on stretched canvas

Still working on painting hydrangeas.....and still haven't gotten it yet.  They are blooming so beautifully now, I wish I could capture their subtle color changes.

Canton Tomatoes

11 x 14 oil on stretched canvas

These are some tomatoes that my daughter's father-in-law grows and generously shares with our family as well as many others.  He has a large garden at his house and grows squash, tomatoes, okra, cucumbers, eggplant - you name it - and it is all so good.   I painted the sides of this canvas before I photographed it and what a mess I am - covered in blue paint plus I have dropped it several times also.  I won't do that again; I'll photograph it first!

Summer Planting

8 x 11 oil on canvas

I spotted this lady looking for bedding plants at one of our local garden stores and basically "stalked" her from the parking lot.  Luckily my new camera has a good zoom lens so I was able to get her from far away.  The scene attracted me with all the colorful flowers (complimentary colors) and her yellow blouse.

You Got Any Change?

 8 x 8 oil on canvas board

I took this reference photo in Crystal Springs one Saturday when we drove over to their local meat market.  The photo itself was sort of "blah",  in shade with no real pronounced light source so I had to make it up.  I also had to crop off the entire right side of the painting otherwise it would have been an 8 x 10.  That is a recurring mistake of mine, composition!  I end up with one-sided paintings.  Hopefully I am learning as I go - I really need to pull out my viewfinder.  

Teeny Diva

11 x 14 oil on stretched canvas

This was a toughie because the photo was a hard read.  The gesture was awkward (with her trying to balance in those high heels) and just overall difficult for me to execute but the child was adorable walking in her mother's heels!  

Happy Father's Day

8 x 10 oil on canvas board

Thinking about my Dad today.  He died on New Year's Eve in 2000 and I still miss him.    I painted this picture of him 34 years ago and I shudder when I look at the colors I used in this and how I tried to make it so smooth,  but it does look like him or how I remember him.  Happy Father's Day to all you Dads out there.  

Hydrangea Practice

 5 x 7 oil on gessobord

The title says it all!  I need major practice on flowers - something I love but have difficulty painting.  I get hung up on all those little petals :(   Two summers ago I bought what I thought was an "old fashioned" hydrangea bush but in reality it was some sort of miniature hydrangea and it only has pink blooms with tiny clusters closely knitted together.  I really wanted the older version that I remember from my childhood  that has blue, purple and pink all on the same bush!

Beach Time

 8 x 10 oil on canvas board

This is my entry for the Daily Paintworks Stripe Challenge.  We had to submit a painting with stripes.  I looked everywhere for something different to paint but could only find this beach umbrella.  Stripes are tough to render realistically.  I don't like the "drawn" look to mine on these small stripes.  The larger ones are easier.  

Feathered Friends

 6 x 6 oil on canvas panel

Back in the saddle again after a week of not painting!  I hate to be away from painting this long but I LOVE going to Atlanta to see my grandchildren.  They change so much in 3 months time!  I went to my painting group today and painted these parrots.  I have been wanting to paint them for a while.  I will probably work on them a bit more - especially their talons/claws but wanted to go ahead and post since I haven't done so in a while.

Twist of Lemon

5 x 5 oil on hardboard

My beverage of choice for the heat we have been having these last few weeks.  It has been 96 degrees for the last several days and humid!  This is water with a twist of lemon.  I really don't know why I attempted this today, it is far more detailed than I like to do and I ran out of steam on the cut glass.  I think I will leave this kind of project for the realistic painters out there (and that is not me).  We are headed to Atlanta again this week so I won't be painting for the remainder of the week - going to see our grandchildren for their birthday party and baby William's christening.

Rosie the Riveter

 8 x 9 1/2 oil on hardboard

The Daily Paintworks Challenge for this week is polka dots.  I was looking for someone wearing a polka dot Du-Rag in Google but ran into Rosie instead and thought I would try her.  This is my very hurried take on her.  I have been busy today cooking and shopping with little time for painting.  Her eyes are bothering me right now so I will probably go back and adjust when I have more time.    Our daughter and her new husband are coming over for dinner so I've got to get those casseroles in the oven!

Old Glory

8 x 10 oil on hardboard

Happy Memorial Day to all.   Old Glory's stripes gave me fits today.  Initially I had about 15 stripes drawn in and I knew that was WRONG, so I whittled away on them and didn't even attempt the stars!  Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.  

Proud Ellie

 12 x 16 oil on linen panel

This cutie belongs to one of my Facebook Friends.   I saw it when she posted it and loved her cute little expression on her face so I asked her mother if I could paint her.   She had just graduated from 3 year old pre-school and had such a happy,  proud look on her face.  I love figurative painting and don't really go so much for an exact likeness as I do for a gestural or personality sketch.   She was fun to paint and made me smile.

Amsterdam At Night

 8 x 10 oil on hardboard

This particular scene was a challenging one for me.  I have wiped it out several times in my attempt to capture the beauty of the canal.  The photo was of a night scene on the canal and night scenes are difficult for me .... as well as buildings.  I finally decided to emphasize the canal and suggest the buildings.