Friday, May 3, 2024

642 Resting Deer


 Resting Deer
oil on canvas
16x12"
$422

     I looked out and there she was under my window, looking right at me. She hung around while I got my camera and then lingered even longer as the morning passed. I left her alone to let her rest awhile.


Tuesday, March 19, 2024

638 Cherry Bowl


 Cherry Bowl
oil on canvas
8x8"
$140

     This is the final painting of last summer's cherries. I painted this one on an old canvas that had been washed down so many times I did not know if paint would even stick to it. It was pretty slick. I had a little trouble with it because of that, but it turned out that the worn out old canvas was good for something after all.

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

639 Bartlett Pears


Bartlett Pears
12x9"
oil on canvas
$238

     Pears have been a favorite subject of mine since the very beginning of my painting endeavors. They still charm me with their shape, color, stems, variety. Actually, any painting of a pear turns out kind of good no matter who paints it.

Friday, November 24, 2023

637 Ginkgo




Ginkgo
oil on canvas
9x12"
$240

     "I found this on the web:

'The seed of the Ginkgo is used for food, especially soup, the wood is used for religious furniture, and the leaves and nuts are used for medicine. 

What a tree!

In the painting the colors are somber, and there is hardly any point of interest, just one leaf among many. It was hard to do, and I thought about washing it down, but something told me not to. I am glad I listened because now I like it.

Friday, November 10, 2023

Molly Meets the Reindeer


 Molly Meets the Reindeer
Colored Pencil on Paper
about 8x10"
NFS

     Around the same time I made my little book, But Not So, I drew this image. Long time ago. I did not have internet readily available then, and I did not know how a reindeer's antlers went actually. I consulted lots of books and I think I did an honest job. It was interesting to learn that the brow tine that goes down the center of his face is only one. It is not a case of a symmetrical pair of antlers.
     I used Piper and Keely from But Not So as my model for Molly. Molly was just as pretty, but I felt that a more recognizable breed was called for here. The image is in honor of Molly, a very good girl.

You can use the link below to buy reproductions of this image from Fine Art America.

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

635 Fuyu Family


 Fuyu Family
oil on canvas
6x18"
$166

     Little orange fruits! I love to paint them. I was so happy to find these at Trader Joe's all carefully packaged so that their crazy little leaves were not scrunched. Sometimes they dry out and break, ruining their perfect beauty for my painting, but not this time. Even when the leaves turn brittle, the fruit still tastes good. I like mine with a wedge of lime.

Friday, November 3, 2023

634 Cameo Crisp


Cameo Crisp
oil on canvas
8x10"
$176

     When I cut into this apple for lunch, I gasped at the beauty of the colors in its glistening cut surface. So I hurried to take some pictures before I ate it.
     It tasted pretty good. It is a Cameo Crisp (never heard of it before). Fujis are my preferred apple, but I like to try new things, and I am glad I did because it gave me a whole new painting. Thank you.

Thursday, October 26, 2023

632 Murray


 Murray
oil on canvas
8x8"
$140

     When I began Murray (who lives with Georgette and Elizabeth), I thought maybe I would not finish it because the colors were so neutral. Where would the point of interest be? But as I continued I found him just so beautiful, and now I love the neutral colors. They are beautiful too.

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

633 Cherries Three



Cherries Three
oil on canvas
6x18"
$166

     Before I ate the cherries, I poured them out on the table and let them fall where they may. I then photographed them from several angles. Now I have so many images to paint. On that day, I could not take a bad photograph. I love when that happens.
     More cherries to come.

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

631 Spilled Cherries Closeup


Spilled Cherries Closeup
oil on canvas
12x9"
$238

     Summer fruit always yields new paintings. And then you eat.
     Fall is here. I am hoping something beautiful and delicious comes my way.

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

630 Georgette


Georgette
oil on canvas
8x8"
$140

     Georgette belongs to my friend Elizabeth who I met through Zentangle. We get together regularly with others to tangle. Can you really say a cat "belongs" to someone? If not, then Georgette lives with Elizabeth.
     

Friday, August 25, 2023

629 Crayons


 Crayons
oil on canvas
8x8"
$140

     This is the box of crayons I keep in my studio with all my art supplies. They are fun to use and you never know when a budding genius will show up wanting to spend time with you. And, ah, the sense of continuity with the past, knowing Crayola still makes magenta.

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

628 Ball and the Jacks


Ball and the Jacks
oil on canvas
8x8"
$140

     As a little girl I loved playing jacks, playing with others, playing alone. My jacks of choice were fat and heavy and my favorite ball was a golf ball. Had to play on a concrete surface in order to get a good bounce with the ball. That equipment was probably too heavy for my third-grade hands, but it was necessary if you took your jacks seriously.


Friday, June 2, 2023

623 Two Red Camellias


Two Red Camellias
oil on canvas
10x8"
$176

     It looks like flowers will defeat me, and still I attempt to paint them. When I see them in real life, they are so beautiful that I cannot resist the desire to paint them, but so often they end up looking amateurish. I cannot decide if this one is good or not. It seems constrained, uptight. I like the stem in the jar though.

 

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

621 Simone


 Simone
oil on canvas
6x6"
$100

     Simone Simon, such a pretty one. I liked her in Cat People, a scary and psychologically interesting old movie. Her hair was darker in that movie, but she is blondish here in this photo that I found. Hollywood probably made everybody a blonde at least once.

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

607 Deer Gaze


 Deer Gaze
oil on canvas
6x12"
$158

     Although the whole family of deer were in the yard, lying about, they would not let me get close enough for many good pictures. I have moved the bird bath in hopes of luring them closer so that I can have more of a clear shot at them this year.

Thursday, August 25, 2022

611 California Quail


California Quail
oil on canvas
6x6"
$80

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -

How Emily Dickinson expressed the inexpressible!

I think paintings can be like poems. I have recently learned that James McNeill Whistler thought of paintings as musical compositions. I suppose all these means of expression are ways of making connections with others. I hope that is true.

Monday, August 22, 2022

610 Satsuma Branch


 Satsuma Branch
Oil on Canvas
13x8"
$230

     This branch with one satsuma was hanging over the edge of the table. The setup had several oranges and a lovely white teapot, but this little hanging branch is what looked beautiful to me. I especially loved the cast shadow against the table cloth.

Saturday, July 23, 2022

608 Allison's Kitty


Allison's Kitty
Oil on Canvas
6x6
$80

     I love cats and love to paint them. This one belongs to Allison and is so very black. It was surprisingly easy to paint his blackness. I used ultramarine blue and transparent oxide red to get the deep, deep black. The white catchlight against the black pupil really makes his eyes live. It is fun to save that until the end. It is like turning the lights on. Great cat.

Monday, November 1, 2021

603 Milo


 Milo
oil on canvas
24x18"
$855

     I tried painting this image of Milo, who lives at Animal Ark in Reno, many months ago, but I was so disappointed with it that I wanted to give it another try. Cougars have the prettiest face in the world, and my first effort was just wrong, not pretty at all. This one is better.