Unlocked WIP

12"x16"

WIP

Grumble grumble grumble.... the marble needed to change, but I don't think I did the right thing with it, and I lost the wonderful rust on the lock. I love how dark the wood got, though, it really makes the shell come forward.... I think I know what to do next, which is a good feeling... No, I ought to think on it some more. I'll let you know :)

#1270

Unlocked WIP

12"x16"

WIP

Got this all laid out and I'm just tickled with the idea!

#1269

Blue Swirl

4"x4"

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Pale on pale instead of bright on dark, like the last couple of days.... I really love pale on pale when I can pull it off :D

#1268

Lemon in the Light

4"x4"

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Something bright and summery... a survivor from the lemon poppy seed pound cake / lemon massacre this past weekend.

#1267

Lime in the Light

4"x4"

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Looking forward to a good week. Nothing went as planned this weekend, but that's ok, and I'm working on some paintings that I'm really in love with, which always makes everything better! This lime... fun light, and just a small play on words :)

#1266

Two Olives

2"x3"

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Happy Saturday everybody!

#1265

Dandelion II

3"x6"

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I love this one so much I don't really want to sell it, especially for the $20 dailies price... it reminds me of the first time Naomi held a dandelion, how carefully and thoroughly she studied it, touching and looking at and smelling every little thing... and then she popped it into her mouth! Ah, well. I'll put it on etsy anyways, and if it doesn't sell I'll be more than happy to keep it forever. And if it does I'll paint another one :)

#1264

Radish

3"x6"

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It's a late radish, but a beautiful one. I love the farmer's market!

#1263

Shell Sketch

12"x12"

nfs

Just an idea.... but I am so in love with the shadow! I should try this for real sometime.

#1262

Wide Awake

5"x5"

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'nother silly little owl...

#1261

Shooting the Moon

5"x7"

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Back in town again, trying to get back in my groove... I got two wonderful stuffed owls from Busy Little Hands at the last Whimsical Women show, and I think they've inspired me here :D

#1260

texture experiment

6"x6"

nfs

I wouldn't usually share this, but I have had an astonishingly unproductive day... here I had fun with layering translucent browns and other earth tones, and spraying water into them as they dried.

#1259

sketch- Blue Shawl

18"x24"

nfs

I love painting people! It's funny and so amazing what will catch your eyes....

#1258

the Scarf

6"x8"

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#1257

Dandelion Puff II

6"x8"

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I love dandelions! They're getting easier to paint, too.... slowly but surely :)

#1256

Orange Pepper

2"x4"

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Something little and hot and bright and summery!

#1255

Bluebird

6"x6"

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I got this at an absolutely amazing antiques store in downtown Durham ages ago, and I've tried to paint it a few times... this is the first time I think it's worked :)

#1254

Shell and Brown Glass

8"x8"

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All in harmony.... It was that amazing Sadie Valerie painting of an abalone shell that inspired me to try this shell flat on its side, too... there's something really cool and subtle about the idea.

#1253

Artichoke and Red Box

8"x10"

sold

A fun painting, all about drama in the form of a vegetable... heightened by the complementary colors thing. And brought back together by the reflected light :)

#1252

Two Violets

8"x8"

sold

I am so in love with this one! I tried to go for a really high-key composition, but still have the full range of values- which really makes the violets "pop", especially since they're set against that gorgeous little cloud. I want to try this same idea with other flowers, I'm just waiting to see which ones....

#1251

Abalone and the Sea

6"x18"

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I'm so excited about this one! One of Sadie Jernigan Valerie's gorgeous still lifes inspired me to paint an abalone shell flat like this... and of course, extremely horizontal compositions like this can be an awful lot of fun. The water droplets and the gorgeous blue of the worn wooden box are the "sea" in the title, but I think my favorite moments in the painting are the glimpse of iridescence where you see the inside of the shell, and that precarious instant where the shell meets the wood, how it balances itself...

#1250

Shotglass

3"x5"

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I am really liking this clear glass against a black background thing! Which reminds me, I ought to go hunt down those glass chess pieces like I used for the last one- I bet they'd look nice in a proper still life setup...

#1249

Hot Pepper

4"x4"

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Summer really is here.... and it feels like it's going to be an exceptionally hot one. I'm hoping for rain this weekend, though!

I had fun with this one- the halo effect isn't something I've used lately, but it can be very pretty, especially with the right colors.... You have to be careful doing it in acrylics, though, the drying time is so much quicker than with oils!

#1248

Blue Crayon

2"x4"

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I love having my little girl around 'helping' all the time.... and sure appreciate it when she loans me things for still life subjects!

#1247

Daisy Shot

3"x6"

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Nothing interesting going on in my head this evening, that's for sure.... oh, well, if I was good with words I'd be a writer and not a painter.

Blue Marble and Cloud

6"x8"

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I've seen a couple of other artists paint this idea, the still life object against the sky.... and I really like it :)

#1245

Gentle Wisdom

16"x20"

commissioned piece

This one was a joy to paint, and a joy to deliver. The quinacridone gold gives a wonderful glow to the background, and I had such fun with all the little wrinkles on the elephant's face, and then the ear is so wonderful and smooth next to all that textures.... I'm so glad I got to do this!

#1244

Sugar Pea

2"x4"

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And I did it before they went out of season! Had a heck of a time with it, though- my little girl kept trying to eat the subject matter!

#1243

Cork

2"x3"

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What? All the other painters have done one.... :D

Clothespin

2"x4"

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Beautiful day, but it is definitely summertime now! Oops, and kindof late at night- sounds like it's time to take the tiny angel off to bed :)

#1241

Asparagus

2"x4"

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You know, after I painted the amaryllis I got to thinking- I meant to paint some asparagus too! Thankfully, it still is asparagus season in some parts of the country, even if it is summertime already here.... Just looking at this brings springtime back, doesn't it?

#1240

Halved Apple

6"x8"

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Another re-working. I love that shade of blue :)

#1239

Abalone Shell - WIP

6"x18"

Something I'm really excited about :) Honestly, Sadie Jernigan Valerie did a breathtaking painting of an abalone shell, you know with the waxed paper all arching up over it, and actually with hers the exterior of the shell was polished too, but that painting inspired me to try one lying flat at eye level like this, I wanted to play up that rough exterior and how it contrasts with just a peek of the iridescent insides.....

#1238

Amaryllis

4"x4"

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One of those things I really wanted to paint during the winter when it was blooming, but I never really got around to it. Thank goodness for digital cameras, huh?

#1237

Egg XXIX

6"x8"

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The Roman Numerals are starting to get confusing.... had to look up a chart online to figure this one out :) Can you imagine trying to do math with those things?

Loving the just-cracked egg idea....

#1236

Egg XXVIII

6"x8"

sold

#1235

Fried Egg with Fork

6"x8"

sold

#1234

Fried Egg with Chives

6"x6"

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#1233

Soft Boiled Egg

6"x6"

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#1232

Deviled Egg

6"x8"

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#1231

Eggplant XI

6"x8"

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Another reworking of an eggplant painting..... I'm looking forward to these guys coming into season!

#1230

Eggplant XII

6"x8"

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Just reworking an old painting... I wanted to play up a kind of purple and gold thing, the complementary colors and all :)

#1229

Artichoke WIP

8"x10"

Just something that I wanted to share- I like how it's coming along. It's amazing how much drama you can get out a vegetable, sometimes :)

#1228

The Frog Prince

2"x4"

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I know the idea is a cliche, but I enjoyed painting it so much I don't care :) I think I'm starting to feel better, too....

#1227

Red Thread

6"x8"

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Just a silly little something out of my stuffy, woozy head. Gr. Hope Nugget and I get to feeling better soon!

#1226

Giraffe on White

2"x4"

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Otherwise known as "the disappearing giraffe"

#1225

Flamingo on Black II

2"x4"

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My poor little princess might be coming down with something... but she's holding this painting now and talking to it, seems like it's making her feel better :)

#1224

Flamingo on Black

4"x4"

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It's funny, I got these little canvases so I could do life-sized paintings of little bitty things.... and now I find myself wanting to do things from our trip to the zoo on them. Oh, well. I do love flamingos. Hm. Flamingoes? Nope, spell checker says the first one is right :)

#1223