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.