Saint Nick

16 x 20 oil on stretched canvas

Since I haven't painted in several weeks, I thought I would post this (to show I'm still alive).  Actually I painted this 4 or 5 years ago and pull it out every Christmas.  You will notice it isn't signed because I copied a painting that I saw on the internet, can't remember the artist's name,  and just wanted it for my use to decorate.   It was a fun painting and I would love to try one again but with a real "live" Santa as a model.  Most of the Santas around here have on fake beards and somehow they just don't "speak" to me for painting.

Proud Peony

24 x 20 oil on stretched canvas

What to name these????  Anyway, thought I would try something a little different to see how it went.  The stem was an afterthought - reference photo did not have one - but it looked like it was just floating on canvas, so I added it.  A little glare in the wet paint on lower right from window.  It's a beautiful, sunny day in Mississippi!

Charleston Dining

16 x 20 oil on linen

Finally finished!  My camera wasn't cooperating this a.m. (might be operator) so it looks a little blurry.

Charleston Dining (in progress)

16 x 20 oil on linen

This is actually a 16 x 20 vertical but I sliced the top and bottom off because they are more unfinished than the rest.  I have much more work....this has taken longer than I anticipated and not sure how I will finish it.  It has a lot of blank space above and below.  Who knows I might end of cropping the entire painting into this size!

Just Playing Today

10 x 10 on canvas board

Just playing today - had painting group and really worked on touching up other paintings most of day.  I started this about an hour before leaving and I don't know if I will go back to it.  I was trying to paint more abstractly but ended up drawing too much - we'll see!

Just Follow Me

14 x 14 oil on stretched canvas

More chickens.....had to improvise the background....because the reference photo was more green trees and I burned out on the last painting!

Lawn to Pasture Complete

18 x 24 oil on stretched canvas

I suppose this is complete.  I'm through with it whether it is or not for now.  Have I mentioned before how much I do NOT like painting grass and trees?  People, birds, animals are fun but all that green overwhelms me!  This would have been complete yesterday had I been able to easily paint that part.  I'm satisfied for now though.

Lawn to Pasture

18 x 24 oil on stretched canvas

This is after my first session on these horses that I painted on top of "On The Lawn Of The Louvre".  I never liked that painting - she looked like a female Paul Bunyan to me so I set out to eliminate her.  There are still a few traces of her in the background but I think after another session she will be completely gone.  I really enjoy painting animals and the light was hitting them just right.

Practice, Practice, Practice

11 x 14 oil on canvas board - SOLD

I have been practicing the last several sessions on architectural paintings.  I have a long way to go but this attempt looks better than the  last one - trust me!

Paris Cafe - Repeat

16 x 20 oil on mylar

Well - same reference photo and basically the same painting as Sept. 4 with a few small changes.  I wanted to try this on mylar this time instead of canvas and I made a few other changes but not many that are obvious.

Three Cows

8 x 10 oil on canvas board

I thought I would try my hand with cows again.  I tried to make these looser than others I have done.  Overall I am fairly satisfied with them.

Pres - Final

14 x 14 acrylic on stretched canvas

I worked on this a little more this a.m. and it's about all I intend to do.  Acrylic is not as forgiving as oil and it just sits on the canvas - doesn't lend itself to blending much and to me is a harsher look but I wasn't really going for "pretty portraiture" here, just a fun type painting.  I wish I could do caricatures, I love them!

Pres - Take I

 14 x 14 acrylic on stretched canvas

This is after the first session on my grandson.  It will hang with the portrait of my granddaughter I did a week or so ago.   He always makes silly faces when posing (he's 5) and this was taken at the beach with him trying on large sunglasses.    The actual painting isn't this yellow.  I just took it in artificial light at night so the colors don't ring true at all.  I have some more touches for it but I must be finished by tomorrow afternoon since we will be seeing them this weekend hopefully.

Paris Cafe - Day 2

16 x 20 oil on gessobord

I have worked about all I want to on this one, any more and I'm afraid I will overwork and get too tight.    I had to stop myself today from that;  will probably add a few more touches but basically I'm calling it quits.

Paris Cafe - Day 1

16 x 20 oil on gessobord

This is after my today's initial session working on this Paris cafe scene.  I have at least one more to go, maybe more.  I paint with a group every Tuesday and we all sit at tables and paint from tabletop easels (not my preferred way of painting).  When I stand up I see all sorts of perspective problems.  Today was no different but I was working mostly on establishing my lights and darks as well as establishing the figures I wanted to put in.  There were SO MANY PEOPLE AND CHAIRS!!!!  I had to edit most out.  

Finished Caroline

14 x 14 acrylic on stretched canvas

I have done about all I set out to accomplish on this one.  I wanted to do a "fun" portrait for the children to hang over their beds.  Caroline has pinks and purples and other warm colors in her bedding so I decided to make the portrait in those colors.  She is not a red head but rather a warm blonde!  I tried to stay graphic and caught myself trying to over-work it so I just quit!!!!

Initially Caroline

14 x 14 acrylic on stretched canvas

This is after my first session on my granddaughter.  I wanted to do a fun portrait in wild colors that she likes like pinks and purples, and then the oranges and reds I favor  so I decided to try acrylic.  I bet this is the first time in 30+ years I've attempted painting portraits in acrylic.  I see many areas that need work, the main being I either need to raise one eye or lower the other....what to do????  Anyway, I have a long way to go but it's a start.   

City Streets

 20 x 24 oil on stretched canvas

Playing around with cityscapes today......  The reflections attracted me to this photo!  As I look at the photograph of this painting it appears to be leaning to the left when actually it's straight.  When I photograph paintings, especially large ones,  I have trouble getting the camera at the correct angle with the painting.  I end up tilting the camera to get the entire pic in.

Sanders' Hydrangeas

5 x 7 oil on hardboard panel - SOLD

This is a new painting from last summer's photograph of my pink hydrangeas.   It is mostly the same painting except with an additional year's practice at the easel.  My niece wanted the original but it had sold so I painted another for her.   There is a glare on this photo in the middle on the left side that isn't there in real life - late afternoon sun coming through my studio window.   The sun is shining brightly today - temp 98 degrees with a heat index of 105 - 108; it's HOT and HUMID!!!!!

Koi Galore

8 x 8 oil on stretched canvas - SOLD

A friend suggested I try painting some koi.  They are beautiful to see but tough to paint.  I see areas I need to work on as I view this on my computer....funny, how you see them then but not while painting.....!?!

Blue Hydrangeas

 5 x 7 oil on linen panel

Back to painting today - first time in a week!  I love hydrangeas but they are bugaboos to paint - so many petals!!!!   Mine were beautiful this year but have lost most of their color and are either drying out or just greenish looking.  These were from earlier in the summer.

Finished Ben

I have declared this finished because I'm tired of working on it; the more I work the more over-worked it becomes!!!!   The right side has a bit of a glare due to the late afternoon sun in my dining room.  It looks like Ben so I'm satisfied with the likeness.

Still Working.......

18 x 24 oil on stretched canvas

I'm still struggling on this one.   Much tougher when you are painting your own family member and if I could pay someone to paint the sky and grass for me that would be great.   Landscapes are a challenge for me and the background on this is no exception.....all that green and blue.....  It's just not "geehawing" for me with the rest of the painting.   I still need more work on figures and haven't put in golf clubs yet.  Hopefully I can complete in another session! 

Preliminary Ben

18 x 24 oil on stretched canvas

This is a VERY rough block-in of my son with his caddy at St. Andrews.  I have been posting unfinished paintings lately because I haven't been doing as many small ones and these just take longer.  To show that I haven't been totally idle, I'm posting this today.  I already see issues with it and even with the canvas.  I do not like stretched canvases but don't really have an alternative for the larger or odd sizes.   Also some canvas panels are too absorbent.  If I was a plan-ahead kind of person, I would have some pre-primed but that's not me.  I just jump in and start painting......  Hopefully I can get the caddy blocked in during the next session.  

Finished One of a Pair

10 x 20 oil on canvas panel

Finally finished my parrot today.  We have been out of town and I haven't painted in a couple of weeks and I'm feeling a little rusty!!!  Glad to be back at the easel.

One of a Pair

10 x 20 oil on canvas

Good start on my macaw to accompany the one I painted on June 19.  Hopefully I can sell them as a pair but failing that I have a special spot in my dining room for them.  I have much more work on this as the bottom is too "busy" for me right now and I need to work on tail feathers, etc. but overall I am pleased with today's progress.

Daily Paintworks Challenge - Hands

6 x 6 oil on canvas panel

This was the Daily Paintworks Challenge for the week and was it a tough one.  Hands are THE hardest thing to paint for me.  I started off real tight and tried each time to loosen up.  After I had finished I was trying to juggle my IPad and the painting and dropped it, smearing the top right hand - I was too tired after all of the struggle to go back and "clean it up".  That was the hardest hand for me also :(   

People Practice

8 x 8 oil on stretched canvas

Practicing faces today - saw this in a newspaper .  The color in paper wasn't good so I tried to add a little extra -- fun session at easel today.  I love to paint people, just wish the skin tones were easier for me....practice.....practice.....practice!

Finished Parrot

10 x 20 oil on stretched canvas

Finally!  I was able to finish my parrot today.  We went to Atlanta for the weekend but prior to that, the day I started the parrot, I came home from painting and found that my refrigerator/freezer had quit working and it was jammed packed with food.  The frozen had already mostly thawed (I was gone all day) so I had to start cooking.   Between that and packing and getting ready for Atlanta and shopping for the "grands", I was worn out and had no time to finish.  I like the way the parrot turned out but had to just make up the background because the actual photo was way too busy.

Initial session on parrot

10 x 20 oil on stretched canvas

I started this today but it needs one more session and hopefully I can complete tomorrow.   I spent most of this session getting the parrot's colors down and his body shape in proportion.  I haven't decided what to do with the background yet, whether to stay with photo reference or make something up....

Behind the Scenes

11 x 14 oil on gessobord

In a slump - just experimenting......

Red Purse

18 x 24 oil on stretched canvas

This morning was a total wipe-off;  then after wiping off I sort of liked the effect.  I should have left it alone but I went back, added a few highlights and now I'm sick of it and probably will leave it to sit in a corner while I try to decide how to salvage.  I always learn something from my failed efforts so all is not lost.....

Poker Face

11 x 14 oil on canvas board

I had an old canvas board with at least two previous paintings on it that I pulled out for this exercise.  I love to paint on previously painted boards - so much smoother to work with.

Taking a Break

16 x 20 oil on gessobord

Another figurative sketch of a street vendor in New Orleans.  He was having a lull in business and took the opportunity to smoke a big, fat cigar!  These are the types of figurative studies I like to do, just quick color sketches of random people - I don't fuss too much with detail, background, etc., I just like the process of trial and error.  I learn something each time I do these.

Blitz

11 x 14 oil on gessobord

This is a study I did today of my husband.  It is not completed as it needs some serious work on the hand - it's too small and not at the right angle.  When I paint sitting down I have distortions that I don't see until I stand.  Anyway I just wanted to post something but it needs another session.   5-7-13:  Worked more on it today and will probably leave it as is.  I posted on top of the previous photo I took last week.

Signs of Spring

12 x 16 oil on stretched canvas

More hydrangeas.....can't wait for mine to start blooming!

Madison Landing

12 x 16 oil on linen - SOLD

This family was out watching boats come in at the landing near our house.  It wasn't a very sunny afternoon but it was one of the first pleasant days we have had in a while.   The canvas I used had accidentally gotten folded over and there is a vertical crease in it almost in the center of the painting.  Hopefully it will stretch out if I decide to do anything with this one.

Easter Bonnet

11 x 14 oil on stretched canvas

This is a painting from about 5 years back.  I have been getting ready for an art show this weekend and haven't had time to do any more painting, just the yucky part of pricing, labeling, varnishing, etc.   The weather has not cooperated for the varnishing so hopefully they will all be dry before tomorrow night.   I really should have posted this one on Easter!

"It is finished!"

11 x 14 oil on mylar

The debt of sin was paid on the cross.  I was conflicted on whether to try and paint a picture of Jesus dying on the cross....I mean who am I to try and depict Him.....I don't know what He looked like and....Is it even appropriate for me to do?  Then I thought, why not?  I have always wanted to try to paint Him and have tried several drawings before.   I know I didn't do it near the justice He deserves but, here it is.

Lake Ferguson backroad

8 x 10 oil on mylar

This is a view from a road leading to Lake Ferguson's water front.   The twist in the road appealed to me and I wanted to try a landscape on mylar.  This is going to be in the Saint Richard art show next weekend in Jackson.

Street Music

16 x 20 oil on stretched canvas - SOLD

This is one of my older paintings I have been attempting to reinvigorate.   It still needs work to suit me but I just can't figure out WHAT!!!!  I might have fiddled with it too much.  These are New Orleans street musicians that you see playing down in the French Quarter in the square around the St. Louis Cathedral.  I love to hear them when I go down there - the sights and sounds of N.O.!!!!

Backyard Cardinal

6 x 6 oil on gessobord

This Cardinal flew in the other day and landed on my curly willow.   I had to hustle to get my camera ready before he flew away.  Birds don't stay long in my teeny new tree.   After completing the painting, I was trying to photograph it and dropped it in a plastic garbage can and totally scraped off the front of his body.  Paint literally scrapes off these gessobords very easily, leaving you with  a big smear.    Note:
Backgrounds give me fits.  I have changed this one 3 times and still can't get the effect that I want.  I love Elizabeth Blaylock's bird paintings.  She has such lively, colorful backgrounds. 

On Stage

11 x 14 oil on stretched canvas

I love when the values paint the picture for you.  This was a fun project that I painted over some old ships from a few years ago.   Painting over old paintings really makes me more aware of shapes and values and I love the build up of paint on the canvas.

Floral Fantasy

12 x 16 oil on canvas board

Sort of a goofy name, I realize,  but that is really what it is - fantasy!  I can't say what flowers these are because they are just "imagined" flowers that I started filling in with.    This was an old painting of stalks of larkspur but it was too "stalky" and purple to me so I started making up flowers as I went along.  I LOVE to paint in the negative so this was fun for me.

Man on Grand

14 x 18 oil on canvas board

I just had to quit on this one!  Grand pianos are tough to paint when your reference is about 2" x 2", in a dimly lit room and obstructed on the end by a singer!  Oh well, it was a fun challenge!  

Half Shells

8 x 10 oil on canvas board

It has been so long since I have painted, I thought I would post an older painting instead.  Somehow when it is gloomy and dreary outside I have a hard time motivating myself to paint.  Instead I have to get out of the house!!!!   Hopefully I can get inspired again real soon because I have a show coming up the first part of April and really need to get in high gear and start painting again.  

One Cow Down

6 x 6 oil on gessobord - SOLD

Finally attempted my first cow face and now that I've seen it posted,  I don't like all the vertical strokes.  I'll need to make some adjustments.   I have been looking at this reference photo for a year or so thinking I would try it.  I'm glad I did but I see the value of varying my brushstrokes.   This is what I like about painting, you learn something new each time.

People Practice

11  x 14 oil on stretched canvas

Actually this painting looks better viewed from across the room or at least 10 feet away.  I am always drawn to scenes with people in them and there is nothing I enjoy more than "people watching" - mannerisms, dress, etc.   I was attracted to this snapshot I took in Savannah, Georgia of art students out sketching on one of the squares.  There were about 20 students and I edited many out of this.  Unfortunately, the one in the dead center had his face in full shade and I painted, wiped off and painted again in an attempt to make it look ok but I'm not happy with it.  Actually the photo was taken from a distance and zoomed in and I lose a lot of detail when I zoom in on my camera.  It was good practice though.

Good Eats!

 8 x 10 oil on mylar - SOLD

Although I have not completed this one, I thought I would post what I've done thus far since I haven't posted in so long.  This was a scene I shot when we were in The Hague several years ago.  These people are eating pickled herring, I think.  We were told that when it's in season that it is a real treat and the locals buy them from street vendors spread around town.  I know they had a lot of business the day we were there.   I can't imagine what it would taste like and it certainly wasn't something I was willing to try - doesn't sound appealing to me at all.   This one needs at least one more session.