Mountain Sunset - Color Fantasy

6x6 acrylic on hardboard panel

Something peaceful and soft, now just before the leaves really begin to change and the mountains would have to be done in totally different colors :)

#625

Caffe - Autumn Light

6x6 acrylic on hardboard panel

Very much a black coffee set against white china sort of piece, very simple and glowy... Very fun to paint, with the subtle cools and warms (mostly ultramarine blue and quinacridone gold) in all of the greys. -hugs-
#624

Summer Peach II

5x7 acrylic on hardboard panel

collection of Janine ODonnell

.... and we are right back to summer again. This week, at least, I'm glad to be living in a state that has two seasons- Summer and Other. Other, by the way, includes frequent excursions into Summer, resulting in the occasional New Years party with everyone wearing tank tops... but I digress. Obviously. Peaches totally kick butt in the adorable-summertime-fuzziness department, and I just wanted to paint another one today :)

#623

Hover

30x30 acrylic on stretched canvas

Hm.... this one just would not photograph well. I dunno, maybe the size? Im going to try again tomorrow, at any rate, see how different light helps the situation. Its certainly the biggest painting Ive completed in ages and ages :)

#622

Pink Tulip II

sketchbook

Its always fun, seeing all of the almost-abstract shapes formed when you really zoom in on a flower, even one as seemingly simple as a tulip. Especially one as seemingly simple as a tulip. This is backtracking to springtime, to some flowers I took oodles and oodles of pictures of at the time.... glad I did :)

#621

Plum Sketches

sketchbook

One plum and a set of colors.... it seems I am playing with composition here, always a good thing for an artist to do :)

#620

Red Pear

5x7 acrylic on hardboard panel
collection of Maryann Knipscheer

Long, long day, seems like.... it was fun though :) And my little sister did very well in her volleyball game.... did you know that volleyball games are actually multiple games, and whoever wins three wins? And you play the first four games (if applicable) to 25 points, but the fifth one to fifteen points?

Who makes up this stuff?

Anyways, it was fun to watch, and baby either loved it or hated it one, from how much she was moving around :) And here is my first autumn-ey painting of the year.... there were some wonderful red pears at the grocery store when I went earlier this week, and I just had to bring one home to paint. Hope you enjoy it!

#619

Cappuchino on Pale

5x5 acrylic on hardboard panel

collection of Janine ODonnell

Glowy white coffee cup, morning-light white background, pale frothy coffee.... happy :)

Oooh, and I got Peaches and Pale, and Magnolia on Gold both up in my Etsy Shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7416415), if anyone is interested! And now Im going to run, because Baby seems to be trying to crawl out through my belly button, and that is a bit distracting.... funny little creature :)

#618

Egg IX

5x7 acrylic on hardboard panel

I liked the raw egg on the countertop sketch so much that I came back to the idea again.... included the shell, this time. For sure thats the most difficult aspect of this painting, something about how they have to look so fragile and still be hard-edged and geometrically correct, solid and shaded but still like the light is shining across the outside and onto the inside... and a little bit through the inside and appearing on the shadow-side outside. Fussy little things :) Still, as always, it was fun. And interesting. Rich yellows show up so wonderfully against pale and pale and pale, its so nice...

#617

Cow Sketch III

sketchbook

And back in town again! It was fun, but I am very, very glad to be home :) Apparently being out of town does strange things to my sense of color and fun, because these.... I haven't done much of anything with cows before, they're such funny, ungainly creatures, and somehow the crazy colors seemed to suit. Blue cows, that sort of thing. Hugs to everyone!

#616

Cow Sketch II

sketchbook

#615

Cow Sketch I

sketchbook

#614

Peaches and Pale

8x8 acrylic on cradled hardboard panel

Sitting here with husband and mama and little sister, watching Lewis Black on tv... loving that it is Friday night and happy and at home. Hope youre all having a wonderful night too!

Oh, and.... Im gone for the weekend! So dont worry, baby hasnt gotten here yet, Im just in Virginia, and will be back Monday or Tuesday. Happy Labor Day weekend!

#613

Magnolia and Gold

8x8 acrylic on cradled hardboard panel

All fuzzy around the edges today, not really feeling like myself.... but enjoyed painting this magnolia blossom. I love their rich waxy petals and citrusy scent, their wonderfully summertime, um, aura sounds way too flaky, doesn't it? Ok, blame it on baby brain.... I'm going to run spell check and sign out for the evening :) Hopefully this wasn't too incoherent.

#612

Summer Peach

5x7 acrylic on canvasboard

collection of Maryann Knipscheer

I think I am more proud of this one than any daily painting Ive ever done. I actually got the fuzziness! And the sunlight on the fuzziness... and the colors under the sunlight on the fuzziness. Dude.

#611

Sushi IV - Glow

5x7 acrylic on canvasboard

Hey, I warned you! I do love painting sushi... and, as with seemingly everything that I love to paint, its the colors that draw me in first... and then theres the wonderful shininess, all the rich colors in the fish and the wonderful reflective properties of the seaweed-wrappy-stuff... its kinda funny, raw eggs and raw fish both having that wonderful pull-you-in translucence. Hm.

#610

Teapot

5x7 acrylic on canvasboard
private collection

The last painting for August, I did our wonderful, much-used teapot... it works, though, it was strangely soft and cool today. Beautiful, but not very summery, you know? Ooh, and some more excitement- I picked up some sushi from Whole Foods today, very different visually from the sort I usually eat, so maybe thats tomorrow :)

#609

Overflow

12x12 acrylic on cradled hardboard

Had a whole lot of fun with this one :) The texture on the rocks, the rich greens of the mosses, the glints of light on the water, her all glowy and pale.... I dunno, I wanted something haunting and delicately cool. In-between.

(yeah, just reread that last paragraph.... this is why Im a painter and not a writer)

#608

Calla Sketch

sketchbook

Just doodling today, from my imagination, actually :) Had an idea and wanted to see how it might work, you know? Also, it is officially late summer! I got scuppernong grapes and tuberoses at the farmers market this morning, and Im thrilled that the whole place smells of flowers, and the grapes are delicious. Yay!

#607

Egg VIII

sketchbook

Back to eggs, was wondering how it would look if I just cracked one and left it on the countertop... yes, ick. And yes, my Mama raised me better than that :D Then again, she also taught me how to clean countertops, and it is an interesting result, yes? I love all the yellows!

#606

Yellow Iris II

5x7 acrylic on canvasboard

collection of Katie Gresham

Revisiting my yellow irises... really searching for subtlety this time, for blues and greys and softness. Its so easy for me to get swept away in intense color, intense sunlight, but sometimes other things can get lost in all of that... I dunno, but I really think toning down some of the usual *flower!* elements helped this one to be more about the way irises look so delicate and voluptuous at the same time, the wonderful petals and curves and fragility. I hope so :)

#605

Egg VII

6x6 acrylic on panel

collection of Michael Mitchell

Wish I could figure out why exactly raw eggs are appealing enough to overcome the ick factor :) And wondering what other somewhat icky things would pull through in the same way.... I mean, its the translucency and the shininess, right? The glowy insides and the fragile shell. Contrasts and potential.

#604

Plum Half

5x7 acrylic on canvasboard

collection of Maryann Knipscheer

Continuation from yesterday.... Trying to learn more from the same subject. Well, obviously not the exact same subject, since that one is all gobbled up and not around to pose anymore :) Almost the exact same. I think my favorite thing about the inside of plums is how the flesh reddens so beautifully near the skin (disturbingly animal, words like flesh and skin, but I couldnt come up with anything better using my pregnancy-addled brain. suggestions?).

#603

Plum Slice

5x7 acrylic on canvasboard

Love the colors on this one! Isnt it just wonderful when you discover something new, some unexpected combination that makes a wonderful glowy result? In this case; Naples Yellow, Indian Yellow, Cadmium Red Medium, Permanent Violet, and Dioxine Purple for the plum itself... I love fruit :)

#602

Eventide

6x8 acrylic on canvasboard

collection of Lucille Rice

The beach at sunrise, standing in the surf, the moon still in the sky.... Everything quiet and right.

#601

Sky Study V

sketchbook

Happy post number 600! Dude, hard to believe.... at least it is for me :) Im making sure to get this posted in the morning, because weve got a party to go to later, and goodness knows, when I go somewhere social in the afternoon the chances of me posting that night go waaay down. So, here we are- happy, scattered clouds scudding across the sky, and a church on the hill.

Woohoo, Saturday!

#600

Sky Study IV

sketchbook

Pretty skies, pretty clouds :) Edited this one waaaay down, like picked this one, um, area of clouds out of a sky full of them and just showed that against the clear blue sky. I really like the effect! Lets see, anything else going on? The leaves are starting to change on a few trees, which is kind of freaking me out- too early for that!- and its Friday- yay!- and today I am officially eight months pregnant. Kind of wild.

Hope everyone is getting ready for a wonderful weekend!

#599

Egg VI

5x7 acrylic on panel

collection of Frank Tranfaglia

And heres a subject we havent seen in a while! The incredibly golden yolk, the transparent-gold of the egg white, the translucent sort of glow of the shells... Haha, and the bubbles, here and there. I love bubbles!

#598

Olive Shot

6x6 acrylic on panel

collection of M. Faith Angell

Happy! The glass, the weird way the olives refract through it where they touch and leave little wet marks, the bright white highlights and the grey-blue reflections... just fun, you know? I was just going to do it all centered, just the olives in the shot glass, but that odd one in the background came into the composition at the last minute and just seemed to add something to the whole. Fun :)

#597

Pina Colada

5x7 acrylic on panel

Yay, fruity drinks! You do have to love pina coladas, seriously... its funny, because I dont really like coconut, but its the texture that gets me, not the taste, you know? Which of course means that this sort of thing is perfectly fine :)

#596

Sweet Tea

5x7 acrylic on panel

collection of Breedlove Publications

My first attempt at painting ice- geez, that stuff is tricky! Frozen water, how bad could it be, right? Nuh-uh. But thats why we do this daily painting thing, to grow and improve and expand horizons, that sort of happy stuff.

#595

Morning Light II

8x8 acrylic on cradled hardboard panel

Really happy with the feeling on this one, the pale light and the way the cup and saucer feel so heavy and warm. And 8x8 is such a comfortable size, you know?

Ooh, and this one and the apricots from Friday are in the Etsy store now! :D

#594

Pink Tulip II

sketchbook

Having fun with the pretty flowers.... wondering why I almost never do white backgrounds with this sort of thing. I think the idea is for the really brightly sunlit petals to be all high-contrast-y against a dark background, but it doesnt necessarily loose that sunniness when its white on white, and I dont know why. Any ideas?

#593

Apricots V - Sunbeam

12x12 acrylic on cradled hardboard panel

Decided I needed to go ahead and get this posted- otherwise it will be another oops-its-after-midnight sort of evening, and then I wont have posted anything for today, and that would make me sad :( So its here now, in all of its sunshiney glory, and should be up in my Etsy store (thats a link, click on it) soon, though most likely not tonight.... Happy Friday, everybody!

#592

Oceans Edge

6x6 acrylic on panel

collection of Wilhelm Holler

Wet sand reflecting the sky, faint sand tracks and bubbles from the last waves still clinging to the sides of the shell... summertime really is my favorite season :)

#591

Pale Gold

5x7 acrylic on panel

Hard to believe we are almost up to post #600, isn't it? This is revisiting something I tried a while ago, just experimenting with overlapping translucency and complimentary colors.

#590

Shaken, not Stirred

5x7 acrylic on panel

collection of Jennifer Herrick

Still occasionally obsessing over alcohol. Obviously. But I wanted something dramatic, tilted at kind of a drunken perspective, and I had just watched Quantum of Solace... dumb name, if you ask me, but I'm a sucker for shoot-em-up type movies and James Bond is awesome. I loved it :) So, ladies and gentlemen, a three olive martini! What is the big deal with shaking versus stirring, anyways? And how on earth could it be right to have a drink that could have olives in it, much less a piece of onion? Seriously?

#589

Gold and Glass III

6x6 acrylic on panel

collection of Diane Saslaw

This was a fun one.... yes, youve seen this cup before, but I made a few changes to it for this painting. everything is rounder, cleaner- I really wanted it to just be focused on the glowing tea and the sunlit glass. And the tea part was working out fine, but the glass just wasnt there, and just wasnt there, and just wasnt... and then, when I put the pale-blue-grey reflections on the side of the teacup, all of a sudden it was there. Most paintings have that moment, the step that really makes them sing, but for this one it was so pronounced, you know? Makes me happy :)

#588

Cherry on Dark

sketchbook

And more of the same :) Trying to get it to feel rounder, more touchable, you know? More immediate.

#587

Cherries on Pale

sketchbook

Just having fun :) Alizarin Crimson and Cadmium Red Medium for the cherries, I love that combination... and the pretty highlights, of course. Happy Saturday to everyone!

Oh, yeah, and I went to a informal sort of horse show today and got some cool reference photos! Exciting, though I need to finish a few other pieces before I start on the new ones in my head... always a dilema, but a good sort of one, right?

#586

Erin at the Ocean

8x8 acrylic on cradled panel

collection of Rhonda Pritchett

Worked up one of the sketches into something much more finished, and I love it, even though parts did just about drive me crazy! I think my favorite thing is how her skin tones turned out... and then the absolute hardest part was the face and hair, I always struggle with faces from this angle, and she has this wonderful thick blond hair that was just crazy in this light.... Anywho. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

#585

Tuberoses II

5x7 acrylic on panel

Summertime colors, and one of my favorite summertime flowers. I dont know what it is about creamy, delicate white flowers, the ones with rich waxy petals, heavy with fragrance, but I am an absolute sucker for that sort. Everyone has their quirks, right? And so far as it goes, thats not a bad one. Like, dancing naked in a rainstorm... that could get you arrested. Or struck by lightning. Flowers never hurt anybody :)

#584

Silver Spoon

5x7 acrylic on panel

collection of Candy Johnsey

Trying to challenge myself with the perspective on this one- tricky, most definitely, but I feel like I pulled it off :) Got the idea from the Beer Stein piece a little while back, the way light plays over metal is just amazing, isnt it? Something you can go forever without noticing, but once you do... id like to try some copper soon, but I dont have the right piece yet. And Im a bit scared of it. Lets make that a by-the-end-of-the-year sort of goal, yes? Penalty: forty lashes with a wet noodle :)

#583

Midmorning Blue

6x6 acrylic on panel

collection of Andrew Klemens

You know, this one did not photograph well at all... so many little colors :) And the funny perspective, Im enjoying that.
And if you want the weirdness high point of my day, it was seeing a commercial for- seriously- vibrating mascara. Am I the only one to find this wonderfully absurd?
#582

Tangerine on Blue

6x6 acrylic on panel

Seem to be intent on driving myself absolutely crazy today. Like this morning I was totally in love with this painting Ive been hard at work on for a couple of weeks.... and suddenly it doesnt seem any good to me at all and I just want to pitch it over the balcony. No fun.

So Im feeling all melodramatic and angsty, and feeling stupid for feeling all melodramatic and angsty, and even more stupid knowing that its probably hormonal and everything will be all better in the morning. Or even sooner.... like in fifteen minutes when suddenly Im in a different mood. Ugh. Dont know how I put up with me, much less how the husband and the cat manage it!

Oh, and Im completely deaf in one ear. Since like Friday- its the oceans fault. But well worth it.

And I had someone threaten me with a holy hand grenade in the grocery store today. Well, not really, but the lady was absolutely glaring daggers at me. In her defense, Im visibly pregnant and was buying wine. In my defense, its for cooking, and its none of her freaking business anyways.

Sorry for the tirade. I should probably delete it, since I feel that mood shift coming on already... all sparkles and cuddly fuzzies :) Same mood I was in when I did this tangerine this morning, come to think of it...

#581

Study of Cassie II

sketchbook

And for tonight, my little sister... it seems that Im fascinated by the people aspect of our beach trip, at least for the moment :) Dont worry, we found some beautiful shells, and Mama and I took some gorgeous pictures of sunrise/sunset pictures while we were down there. Ooh, and with some shells we took and set them in the sand at the edge of the waves, and Mama took pictures while I fielded them, chasing down the shells that tried to escape into the ocean. Very entertaining for all onlookers, hehe.

#580

Study of Erin

sketchbook

#579