Ornaments

Instead of painting on canvas or boards I have been painting on glass ornaments the last couple of days.  I have had fun but both the house and I are coated in glitter.  It's so fine, it ends of landing everywhere! I love using the livelier colors rather than the traditional green and red.

I'm Watching Yall!

6 x 6 oil on gessobord

Thought I would try another Ho-Ho today on a different surface.  I like the smoother texture of gessobord as opposed to cotton canvas for portraiture.  I'm still trying to stay loose - always a challenge!

Pear Re-Do

10 x 20 oil on stretched canvas

I tried to loosen and refresh  this old painting that I have had for years!   I don't even have the reference photo or the pears!   I wish I did.  It's hard to paint without something to go by (it is for me anyway).

Lily Jean

8 x 10 oil on canvas board

Playing around with old canvases again today.....  This is a friend's dog who oozes personality in her photographs!

Ho Ho #1

6 x 6 oil on canvas panel

Not a very good crop on this one...and I'm seeing, now that it is posted,  that the left eyebrow is not the correct value ... will adjust later.  

Heading Home

16 x 20 oil on canvas panel

Another cover-up but gave it a name.  I'm not really sure where I'm headed with this one, still needs work but I want to get it relatively abstract. 

Cover-up #2

8 x 10 oil on stretched canvas

Trying something different today.  This is painted on top of some Canadian geese I did several years back that I never did like.  

Cover-up #1

12 x 12 oil on stretched canvas - NOT AVAILABLE

I am making myself paint landscapes because I need lots of work on them however the only way I will attempt is if I paint on top of older paintings that I consider inferior!  That is why I am calling this painting Cover-up!  Maybe I will start numbering them....cover-up 1, cover-up 2, etc......

Blue Bunny

6 x 6 oil on gessobord

Another paint over because I went to my painting group without extra canvases.   I found an old painting in my art bag and just went after it - a little quickie study!

Reincarnation

12 x 16 oil on canvas panel

This was previously roses that is why I am calling it reincarnation.  I never did like the roses so I decided to make a landscape out of them.  I have quite a few old paintings that I plan to paint over.  I enjoy doing it because they have such a good build-up of paint on them already and the new paint just glides on easily. 

Experimental Landscape

8 x 10 oil on stretched canvas

This was an old landscape that I never did really like so I played around with the palette knife today and like it much better.

Prancing - Complete

12 x 36 oil on canvas

I have struggled with this one - a little larger than I normally do.  A friend suggested I change the background to black to make the dog pop a little more.  The glare through the window makes it look blue gray but it is basically black and the dog is actually a warmer tone than the camera snapped.  My husband says this is a pit bull but I thought it was a terrier.

Prancing!

15 x 30

Blocked this one in yesterday!  I liked the vantage point on dog with tail up in the air--need to find out what kind of dog this is?????  Maybe a terrier of some type...  I wanted to try a larger vertical painting and I thought this angle on the dog would lend itself to that.  I have much, much more to do on it while striving to stay loose.

Crowing About

12 x 24

oil on stretched canvas

They call a flock of crows a murder of crows - I thought about using that in the title but just didn't like the sound of that.  I wonder why they call them a murder of crows????

Light My Fire, Baby!

16 x 16 oil on mylar

A neighbor challenged me to paint a monkey smoking a cigar so I attempted.  This is not the sort of thing I normally do, but I thought....why not?  Anyway, I have some more work to do on his hairy body and other small details but basically I've done about all I set out to do.

The Posse (Dixie National Style)

12 x 12 oil on mylar

Calling it quits on this one - I'm mad at myself for painting so close to the top edge so there is no room to mount, frame, etc.  I have a bad habit of doing that.  I forgot and didn't allow a margin for taping mylar so I used push pins to hold to board and then forgot to allow space around edges - oh well!  I like the looseness of it though!

Thursday Morning

12 x 16 oil on linen board

Playing around today......I love the feel of oil paint on linen.

After Five

16 x 20 oil on stretched canvas

I've been working on this for a few days and decided to just call it quits for now!  

Team Work

12 x 12 oil on board

Trying to stay loose on this one.  I tried to stop myself before adding details in background and foreground.  It started out larger but I had to crop to get the right balance.

Walking the Midway

12 x 16 oil on canvas panel

I haven't painted in so long that I'm pretty rusty.  I went ahead and posted this in order to see if anything jumps out at me.  Many times I see what my problems are once I post a painting.  I have worked and re-worked this WAY to much.  

White Hydrangeas

8 x 10 oil on stretched canvas

Started this one today but not finished......I love hydrangeas but they can sure be tough to paint!  I never feel I do them justice.

Headed to the Courthouse

12 x 16 oil on stretched canvas

Finished this one today - found myself "noodling it" too much so just called it quits.  

Lady Liberty

10 x 20 oil on stretched canvas

I'm basically through with this one - still have a little fine tuning to do but mostly finished.

Lady Liberty - Beginning

10 x 20 oil on stretched canvas

Feeling patriotic today so thought I would start on Lady Liberty.......   I spent most of my time cooking and preparing our Memorial Day meal but had a little time to start this; hope to complete tomorrow.

Saxophonist - Complete

8 x 10 oil on hardboard

Finished this one today.  The colors don't look as bright as "Day 1" in photo but I took this late afternoon and it really made a difference in the colors.

Saxophonist - Day 1

 8 x 10 oil on hardboard

Started this today and have more fine tuning to do.  I plan to try to paint this in a larger format.

Mother's Day Flowers, Modified

24 x 30 oil on stretched canvas

A few changes to this one.  The right side background looks muddy in the picture but it's not, must be the late afternoon shadow cast on canvas.

Flowers for Mother's Day

24 x 30 oil on stretched canvas

A large one for me, I have been working on this one the last couple of days.   It is not totally finished as I see several areas I want to re-visit; for one,  I haven't completed the bottom or the vase.

Counter at Brent's - Final

12 x 12 oil on gallery wrapped canvas

Finished this one today.  I might work on the floor just a bit more but basically I'm calling it complete.  I had to delete a figure and add another.  The first figure just wasn't working.  I didn't want to put a lot of detail in facial features on first one and reference photo was not very good with no contrast at all.  This is a local drugstore with the original soda fountain from back in the 40s or 50s.  It has stayed open continuously and is a popular spot for Jacksonians!

Geranium Re-Do

12 x 12 oil on stretched canvas

I am always re-working old paintings that I discover in the back of my storage closet.  A friend asked for a donation to Catholic Charities and I haven't painted too much lately so I thought of this one.  I drug it out (it had already been framed) and re-worked it eliminating some of the flowers that were on the left side of canvas.  I like it better now.

Counter at Brent's - Session 1

12 x 12 oil on stretched canvas

This is my initial lay-in--still unsure of how to deal with figure on left.  I don't want to put in too much of the features - trying for looseness!  This one will take a while I think.

Long Day

12 x 16 oil on linen

This is from a reference shot I took of my neighbor after she had been on a long business trip.   She had been on the road all day and graciously posed for me.  I tried a little palette knife on this one although I still don't feel comfortable using one.  I love the texture that results though.

Hippity Hop

8 x 10 oil on canvas panel

With Easter coming, I thought I would try a rabbit - not too original title but that was the best I could do!

Mobile Bay

5 x 7 oil on canvas panel

We love to go down to Fairhope, Alabama and usually go every 2 or 3 months.  The town is quaint with many cute shops and it's fun to just stroll through downtown.  The beach road (old Hwy. 98 is beautiful too and we like to get out and walk the beaches - this painting is from one of those beach walks.

Downtown

12 x 16 oil on wood panel

Quick study of more city streets.  I'm not sure where I took this photo but I am always hanging my camera and head out of the car trying to take photos while my husband is driving - some work and some don't - many are just blurs!

Guitar Man

6 x 6 oil on Raymar panel

A little quick study for today.   I really like painting musicians, saw this photo and decided  to play with it for today.

More Koi

 8 x 8 oil on stretched canvas - SOLD

Same reference photo as an earlier painting but painted with a different approach.   I love the koi and wish I had more photos to paint by.  I keep pulling the same one out, they are so colorful and beautiful! My cropping on this photo isn't so good :(

Late Afternoon on the Rez

8 x 10 oil on canvas panel

Another painting of the scene I see everyday by my home.  I love to see it,  especially in the late afternoon, with all the colors of the setting sun glowing through the trees and on the water!

Combo

9 1/2 x 10 oil on wood panel - SOLD

Just a little abstract quickie I did today for an art show next week.  I will probably fine tune it a bit but basically I don't want it to be too "real" looking.  2/11/15:  Realized I left off the top of the upright guitar so I had to add that back in.  Amazing what you see once you post your work!!!  The frame shadow is running down the left side since I took photo after it was framed.

Catamaran - Complete

16 x 20 oil on linen

Finished this today!  It's amazing how the overall color changes depending on what time of day you photograph your painting.  I snapped this at around 5:15 p.m. and the tone looks totally different from the block in yesterday around 3 or 4 p.m.

Catamarans - block in

 12 x 16 oil on linen

This is after my initial block in of the catamarans.  I have much more detail to add - like the masts - which are shown reflected in the puddle of water but not in the main part of the painting.   The reflection is actually why I was attracted to this scene.  I think I can hopefully finish in one more session.

Reservoir Re-Do - 1st pass

 12 x 16 oil on stretched canvas

This is another take on a painting I completed in a workshop back in November.  I thought I would try again (solo).  I still have fine tuning to do with water and lawn but am almost there.  This is for a charity auction next month in Jackson.

Charleston side street

12 x 16 oil on linen panel

New one I painted today - it's been a long time since I even picked up a brush.  I don't think I have painted for the last 3 or 4 weeks.  The reference was taken for this when we visited Charleston for a wedding in the Fall of 2013.  I had never been before and what a treat for the eyes the town was--so picturesque!