inspiration strikes!

8"x8" WIP

... now I just have to pull it off. From my imagination. I really need to go out to my parents' house and build some proper boxes....

#1362

almost there.... and yet not quite.

8"x8" WIP

This is proving to be one of those oddball paintings, where it feels good but there's no 'pop' or something... it's just leaving me flat. Any bright ideas floating around in the ether?

White and Gold

6"x6" click here to purchase

I enjoyed yesterday's so much I just had to try it again! And if you're a painter, wanting to work on your grasp of lost and found edges, fish are a great subject. Also, the colors.... so magical. Maybe because they feel shimmer-y?

#1360

Fishy Fish

6"x6"

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This one was amazingly fun to paint- totally worth being looked at like I was nuts for standing in the pet store taking pictures of the fish :) It is also Nugget's current absolute favorite painting, and the forst one she has provided a title for. Since I usually don't like titling my paintings, that may be the beginnings of a trend :)

The Close Up

4"x4"

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Me, my brother, and of course Her Tiny Nuggettness went out to Benjamin's Vinyard, and across from there we saw a horse, which led to walking over and feeding him some grass and taking lots of pictures.... one of which inspired this :)

#1358

Oceanscape - Foam

20" diameter

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Round canvases are awesome. Almost as awesome as painting water... though it does require an awful lot of patience...

#1357

Flower Shadows

11"x14"

.... and here she is again. I really think I made a portrait-painting breakthrough with these two pictures, especially with the colors I use for painting fair skin tones in natural light. There's a Light Portrait Pink I'm very fond of, and mixed with Raw Sienna it gives you a wonderful, sweet, warm color... and then Napthanol Red for where the skin in more flushed, and a little grey or Light Blue Violet to tone it down where that needs to happen...

Wisteria Crown

12"x24"

This is my tiny Angel, my Nugget.... with some wisteria from the yard all wrapped around her little head. I loved doing this painting!

Papaya Half

8"x16"

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I am such a flake sometimes. You know I just accidentally posted this on the Whimsical Women blog? Not sure how I managed that....

But loving the whole papaya thing :) Beautiful colors, rich textures, all sensual and curvy.... what's not to love?

Broken Shell - Twilight

8"x16"

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I finally got my September Studio Newsletter out today! Which means that I can share the pictures in it, which is wonderful fun :)

This one is really so much a portrait of an individual shell, a gorgeous one I found on the beach... it just has so much personality, you know? Or maybe character is a better word. And then the overall effect with the background is so surreal...

Spoon and Shadow

3"x6"

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Too much fun! And they're great together:

#1352

Knife and Shadow

3"x6"

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Yep, knives are simpler than forks. But I still like spoons better- I think I've just got a thing for shiny curved things :)

#1351

Fork and Shadow

3"x6"

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Dude. Forks are hard to paint! I miss just doing a silver spoon... but I've got this idea for a set, a fork a spoon and a knife that will all go together, and you kinda have to have a fork for that. I guess we'll find out if the knife is any easier tomorrow!

#1350

Blood Orange Slices

3"x6"

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Well, if it's going to feel like frikkin' winter outside, at least we can have the bright side of winter as a still life subject- wonderful citrus :)

#1349

Snooty Flamingo

6"x8"

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This one makes me laugh :)
And on a seperate note, what on earth is up with it being winter all of a sudden today? It's not fair! Even though it is supposed to be back up around eighty by Monday, so I guess it's not that awful.... but still. Ugh. Brrrr. I'm going to keep painting my summery things and wearing flip flops, thank you very much, Denial is the key to bringing back civilized temperatures- it works for me every year. Eventually :D

Flamingo - Lawn Ornament Pose

6"x6"

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Having fun with the flamingo thing :) The colors are so much fun, and they're always kindof pushing that line between goofy awkwardness and surreal grace....

Flamingo in Waiting

6"x8"

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Went through some pics from our last trip to the zoo today, and I guess this is a very Ali-Cavanaugh-influenced piece, with the radiant white background.... I love the feel of it! The way the feathers fall on a flamingo's body, though, it's the most fascinating thing... I think I'd have to actually pet one to figure it out. They're really not much like any other bird, are they? But really cool, nonetheless!

#1346

Erin's ear

detail, wip

See what I mean? How is it that I've never noticed that my cousin Erin has those cute little attached earlobes until I decided to paint her in profile? It's the darndest thing...

Anna's mouth

detail, wip

It never ceases to amaze me how much detail I miss on a day to day basis- sometimes it seems like I never get to know someone's face until I paint it! I have something similar to share tomorrow, too :)

#1344

Measuring Spoons

6"x8"

sold

This started as an exercise in shadows- tricky little devils- but of course then you have to get caught up in the little nesting shapes, and the silver. I'm definitely going to be revisiting these guys! Not like I use them often anyways- I just eyeball the teaspoon and tablespoon sort of measurements, it's the bigger ones that I use the cups for. Now that'd be an even more challenging subject...

Flying Cupcake II

6"x8"

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... continuing with yesterday's fun idea. I'm wondering if my work is getting more playful just in anticipation of the Whimsical Women Show on November 19th, or if it is a more permanent movement. I hope it is the latter :)

Flying Cupcake I

6"x8"

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Allright, it seems that silliness is invading from all sides lately. I like that, though! Flying cupcakes... the bonus of that being, how could anything so 'light' possibly be bad for you?

Little Piggies

6"x8"

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Something sweet and playful and very silly! The 'grownup' pig is a terra cotta one that hangs around the studio, and the baby one I made up on a whim because it seemed like that painting was missing something, and who doesn't love a baby terra cotta pglet playing peek a boo?

Day and Night

just a doodle....

and another WIP

20" diameter

wip

Another one I recently started. I do so love the water... and these round canvases are so cool. I'm hoping that by the time I finish this one it'll feel like the water is about to splash right off the canvas at you :)

dreaming....

8"x16"

WIP

The idea is a raven's feather floating in front of a wodden box full of smooth river stones. It's proving to be devilishly tricky to pull off- it's that 'floating in front of' illusion that's mostly throwing me, I think :-/

in the beginning.....

8"x16"

wip

A painting I'm working on.... that I'm really excited about :) It's a broken shell I brought home from the beach, and then in the background the shore at twilight, with the pier lights way far away and a couple of stars just coming out....

Little Green Acorn

2"x4"

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One of the acorns blown off a big oak tree in our front yard by Hurricane Irene. Nugget is fascinated by them, so we seem to have started a collection :)

#1335

Kitty

18"x18"

commissioned portrait

Animals are so much fun to paint- got to love the fluffiness! And isn't Kitty's coloring just amazing?

Dixie

18"x18"

commissioned portrait

What a fun painting to do! I'll be posting a one of Dixie's "sister" tomorrow :)

Flying Away

6"x8"

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Wow. The last day of August.... just wow. Happy almost-the-end-of-summer, everybody!

#1331

Turning

6"x8"

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Something new, for me- a little bitty figuritive painting. It was a lot of fun to do!

Dandelion Floating

3"x6"

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More fun with shadows.... and of course one of my favorite flowers... because the tiny princess picked this one for me! This is probobly the last dandelion painting of the summer!

Green Bottle

6"x8"
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It was a stunningly beautiful day today, all the more so coming after yesterday and Hurricane Irene! And I'm super excited about this one, mostly because of the shadow- shadows are so important, and so very hard to get right!- and the glow of the glass :)

Tequila Shot V

2"x3"

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A shot of tequila for your hurricane party! It sounds like Irene is causing a lot of trouble down east, just kind of settin' there on the coast....

#1328

Just Cracked

3"x6"

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Back to my old standby- raw eggs. Weird, but fun, and somehow a very pretty subject.

#1327

Violet and Gold

3"x5"

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You know, I've never tried a flower just floating like this... what is it? Surreal? I think I like it, though.

Oh, and in case you didn't hear, we had a freaking EARTHQUAKE on Tuesday- it totally freaked me out! Some egghead at State said it was the equivalent of a 3.0 in this area, which I know is nothing to folks who are used to that sort of thing, but I have never felt anything even a little bit like it, and hope to never again. Hurricanes I'm fine with- if I had the gas money I'd drive down to the coast Friday to get reference photos as Irene comes in, but earthquakes.... *shudder* But, everyone here is fine, that's the good news. And if we follow the pattern history has set forth, I'll be dead long before another one hits the area.

#1326

Orange Daylily and Three Marbles

8"x8"

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Happies!

Green Water

9"x12"

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just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming swimming swimming....

Yes, I'm singing a song on my blog. One from Finding Nemo.

Two Strawberries

12"x12"

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Aren't these just the most delectable little representatives of summer?

The World Reversed

8"x8"

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If you're wondering where the title came from, look in the marble :)

Isabella in White

12"x12"

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Sorry I've been AWOL this weekend! Things have been crazy, and they may have just gotten crazier, since I'm currently trying to decide if yahoo just sabotaged my studio newsletter! Grumble grumble grumble....

Ballet Slipper

4"x4"

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One of my recent favorites that I reworked, making the background more vibrant and having fun adding some texture :)

#1320

Teabag and Shadow

4"x6"

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Something quiet and contemplative after yesterdays dive into the heart of a seashell... perfect for your favorite tea-drinker :)

#1319

Shellscape

4"x6"

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This one was so much fun to do! You know I've got a thing for seashells anyways, but this crop feels like, I dunno, maybe a Georgia O'Keefe vision of this seashell? *happies*

#1318

Marigolds

3"x5"

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Something different... I really like the idea of flowers suspended in the air, for some reason, so I wanted to give it a shot here!

#1317

Old Blue

6"x8"

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On loan from my tiny angel :)

Asparagus Tip

2"x4"

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I know this is totally the wrong season, but I was going through some older daily paintings and I decided I really wanted to rework this one! Maybe someone in the southern hemisphere will buy it... or just a hardcore asparagus lover :)

#1315