Fill Her Up!

5 x 7 oil on stretched canvas - SOLD

After several days of not painting, I was itching to finish this one today.  I started it last week then went out of town.  I really prefer to paint wet into wet but just couldn't do that this time.  The reference photo for this was taken at a local gas station.  The man was filling his tank with gas and I asked if I could take a picture of his car.  I wish I had asked him what kind of car it was....i.t looked brand, spanking new it was so shiny but the style is old???   The highlights on it were bright white because it was around a white canopy at the service station and the car itself was so shiny it reflected the white sharply.  I had to quit adding all those highlights as I didn't want it to look overworked.  

The Final Three

11 x 14 oil on stretched canvas

I painted both Monday and Tuesday of this week but haven't finished either one so I decided to post an older painting that I don't think I have posted before.   Actually I painted these three dogs a couple of years ago in a larger painting with more hounds.  It was interesting the way each dog seemed to have his own little personality.   We will be on a road trip the next couple of days so I won't be able to paint.   I hope to get a new camera soon to eliminate the washed out and blurry look of my paintings.....BUT I will have to learn how to operate it! 

Cardinal II

5 x 7 oil on gessobord - SOLD

The Chatham Art Show went very well this past weekend and I was able to sell quite a few paintings.  I really enjoyed visiting with everyone who came by and it was a fun event.   They had a 3 person combo who played Friday night featuring a fiddler - they were all wonderful!  It really set the tone for the evening!  I decided to post this cardinal I worked on last week.  It wasn't dry enough to take to the show and I wasn't totally finished with it but decided I needed to quit fiddling with it and just leave as is.  He is sort of evil looking, I fear! 

I know I don't have many "followers" on my blog but I do have quite a few viewers.  This is what keeps me painting, knowing that someone is interested in looking at what I paint.   That being said....I have a lot of viewers out there from Russia, Germany and other countries - but mostly Russia - and if I knew Russian, German, etc., I would say thank you in your language but unfortunately I don't.  If you know English, I would like to say (in Mississippi style) thank yall!

Horse Head

5 x 7 oil on linen - SOLD

I couldn't think of a clever title for this one as you can tell.  The dots in the corners are white thumb tacks I used to hold the linen in place while I painted; after it dries, I'll remove and figure out what to do at that point.  This was a scrap of linen that already had many good layers of paint on it from my Mayflower sign that I cropped off in a previous post.  I like to re-use canvasses (sp?) because of the paint build-up, it makes the new paint flow so easily plus I LOVE linen!  This was my contribution to the Daily Paintworks Challenge for the week.

Afternoon at Versailles

 9 x 12 oil on canvas panel - SOLD

Thought I would post this older painting I did last year as I have been busy painting, framing, pricing etc. for a show this coming weekend.  I probably won't have time to paint much this week as I am trying to get about 30 pieces together for the show (some are the small 6 x 6's and 5 x 7's  though). 

My husband and I travelled to Paris 3 summers ago and I took this reference photo in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.   It was a spectacular place.  I didn't tackle the reflections the girls created, there were so many people that had to be edited from the photo - I left well enough alone!!!!  

War Weary

 5 x 7 oil on canvas panel

My husband and I stumbled upon a Civil War Re-enactment at Kennesaw Mountain in Marietta, GA one Saturday and I took quite a few shots.  They were taking a break while we were there but it was interesting to see the period costumes, etc. and how they cooked, slept, ate, etc.  This photo was in deep shade but I tried my best to lighten some of the values without distorting the scene totally.  My husband says it looks like a homeless man with a quart of beer leaning against a tree.  Oh well!?!

Waiting to Sail

 6 x 6 oil on Gessobord panel - SOLD

I'm not real sure where I took the photo for this painting - could be the Mississippi Gulf Coast or the Alabama Gulf Coast at Fairhope.  We go to both areas frequently.  I really struggled on this one.   Editing a scene is very difficult for me which is why I prefer still lifes and figurative/portraiture.  I tend to want to paint everything I see which is not the ideal for painting pleasant scenes - there is always something that needs to be removed.   Mostly I avoid landscapes but realize I need to tackle those things that stymie me!?!

Mr. Rooster

12 x 16 oil on stretched canvas - SOLD

I am fresh out of names for these paintings; not feeling very creative in my painting names lately.  Mr. Rooster caught my attention with his proud stance and beautiful coloring.  He was standing in a yard full of dead leaves so I added more color to complement his coloring.

Fat and Happy

6 x 6 oil on gessobord - SOLD

I saw this Oriole and knew I had to paint him.  He looked so cute perched on the wire with his fat little tummy!   I enjoy painting birds and there are so many beautiful ones out there.   

Throne Chair

12 x 16 oil on gessobord

My latest chair painting - can't decide if I am pleased with it.  I went for a simple background and didn't put it in a "setting".   This is an old chair I found while out "antiquing" one day and I have always loved it.  It originally had some sort of animal hair stuffing in the seat before I had it redone.  I have always loved it and it sits in my breakfast room where it can be a good catch-all!