543 Zhou Xuan

Zhou Xuan

oil on cradled canvas board

6x6"

$100

     Zhou Xuan is a Chinese actress and singer, very popular from the 30's. She is so pretty and delicate. You Tube has a recording of her singing. Hearing it made her come so alive for me.

542 New Bottle with Plum

New Bottle with Plum

oil on canvas

12x12"

$288

     I found the bottle at the Habitat for Humanity Restore. The little vase is a gift from a friend. The plum is from my refrigerator and I thought it picked up the pinkish buds on the leaves so beautifully. I was excited and happy with the set up. I used an old used, failed canvas. (I love rescuing them when I can.) And then when I tried to paint, it was crummy, over and over again. So many false starts, but the set up was so beautiful I could not give up on it. Finally, I had to say that is the best I can do.

541 Deer in the Forest

Deer in the Forest

oil on canvas

12x12"

$288

     Getting the black really black for his eyes and nose is a surprising combination of prussian blue and transparent iron oxide red. Alchemical magic I guess. It also works with ultramarine blue.

     I liked the way his face and long throat showed up in contrast against his body as he looked over his shoulder.

540 Poppies

Poppies

oil on canvas

8x24"

$300

     These are California Poppies that came up in my yard at the beginning of this summer. They grow everywhere. Sometimes they cover a hillside like a thick golden blanket. Sometimes they grow through a crack in the sidewalk. They are dear flowers, but they make painting difficult because they are so simple that your eye does not believe what it is seeing; and their orange and yellow against a blue sky looks almost childish, though beautiful.

     In this painting, I tried for a "surprise color" and surprised myself with the periwinkle blue that showed up in the stems.

539 Gold Slippers

Gold Slippers

oil on canvas

8x10"

$160

     I saw a picture once of Fred Astaire en pointe, so I know men can do it, but in ballet, no. Only the ballerinas. How utterly feminine, satin and ribbons on shoes that enable you to go tiptoe.

538 Leila

Leila

oil on canvas

6x6"

$100

     I have just recently discovered Leila Hyams from the early talkies. IMDb gives her a glowing write up. I think she is adorable and look forward to trying her again a few more times.

     It is funny how when you are painting, you begin to concentrate on one thing or another and forget about concentrating on so many other things. I would have thought it would all be second nature by now, but for me, not so.

537 Coffeescape with Moonrise

Coffeescape with Moonrise

oil on canvas

6x18"

$216

   Edgar Payne, the American painter so known for his western landscapes, says to express your composition in one word. When I looked at my setup, I said, "skyline." I liked that and so I went with it.

     (Painting white on white can sure be a lot of work.)

536 Pear Leaves

Pear Leaves

oil on canvas

12x12"

$288

     I sometimes save the greenery from fresh bouquets. They can be so interesting after they have dried. I found them beautifully delicate as they cast their shadow on the background. And I liked how they had not lost their red stem color even though they were quite dead. Mother's antique pitcher was just what I needed to put them in.

534 Golden Girl

Golden Girl

oil on canvas

16x12"
$384

     This delicate creature is awaiting adoption at the Palomino Valley Wild Horse and Burro Center in Reno, Nevada. She looked straight at me and my camera as if to pose. I loved her right away, but I am in no position to be giving my heart to a horse, so I remained all business and came home with a few good shots for studio work.

     For this one I aimed for her long, slender grace in gold in the key of green.

535 Linda's Toe Shoes

Linda's Toe Shoes

oil on canvas

9x12"

$216

     How good of my dear sister-in-law to loan me her shoes for a few paintings. Ballet slippers have an essence of magic. They make dancers twice as beautiful, and I know that only the chosen few from another world are able to put their toes in that box and be graceful about it.

     Here, I wanted to show the shine on the satin and the nature of the loose ribbon laces. I could not quite paint the magic.

Sliced Red Pears Extreme

Oil on Canvas

8x24"

     In trying to use my new information on composition, I found it liberating to place my central pear right smack in the center of the canvas with other elements radiating from there. Still so much to learn.

Shy Buck

Oil on Canvas

16x12"

$384

 

     My photograph of this deer shows his full body at the edge of the woods as he peeks out looking at me. There was something about the mood of it I knew I wanted to paint, but I did not know how to compose it. I wanted it to be special because I felt he was special, and that made me afraid to begin. After more than two years I have finally put brush to canvas. I think he was ready at last to be painted. I love him.

Girlfriend Flowers

Oil on Canvas

6x18"

$120

     When you have your girlfriends over for lunch, it is a nice touch to have some fresh flowers on the table. (de rigueur) All the better to have something to paint after lunch.

El Santo

Oil on Canvas

14x11"

$308

     El Santo, the jaguar who lives at Animal Ark, was resting in the sun on a log platform, and I could not see quite all of him. When I do see all of him, he takes my breath away because he is so powerful and beautiful.

Gingkos with Blue Marble

Oil on Canvas

9x12"

$216

I like to buy a little bouquet from the market and then see how long it will last. I got some good mileage out of this one from Trader Joe's. The leaves are from my new tree which I love, and the marble is from Bill's childhood Chinese Checkers game. I think ordinary things can be very beautiful.

Cougar Jog

Oil on Canvas

24x18"

$864

     George Lepp, the wonderful photographer and teacher, took the splendid photograph that my painting is based on. I give him full credit for capturing this fabulous creature in mid-lope. Usually, I take my own photographs of cougars at Animal Ark, but this image was irresistible.

     Next month I will be visiting my friends at Animal Ark and hope to have lots of material for painting this summer.

Black Marble

Oil on Canvas

9x12"

$216

     I am not very good at arranging flowers, but I really got a lot of mileage out of those carnations.

Narrow Ribbon

Oil on Canvas

8x10"

$160

     The marbles are getting easier to do, but the ribbon would not cooperate. I finally just let it have its way.

Small Buck

Oil on Canvas

11x14"

$308

     This young deer was drinking at the birdbath with his herd. 

    My first try at painting him just fell flat. I knew it was worth a second try. He was so lined up in such a happy Dynamic Symmetry. I just could not give up on it. The painting went fast the second time around and I tried not to labor over it and ruin it.

Rochelle

Oil on Canvas

7x5"

$100

     I try to do the faces fast. When I struggle with some part, I will, without fail, overwork it. I am learning to wash it down right away and start over. Saves time. I want it to be the briefest expression of the lovely face. And if I do enough faces, I will learn so much about how a face is made. 

     I learned the indentation above the lip is called the philtrum. I love knowing that.