Opening to the Light

"Opening to the Light"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$350

On Hold

When I walked into the studio yesterday morning, I was immediately captivated by these daffodils - the way the blooms move from almost closed to completely open. I knew that was not going to last long once I turned the spotlight on them! So I painted the flowers first, and by the time I'd finished the rest of the painting, quite a bit later in the day, they were all wide open.

Thirsty

"Thirsty"

8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$250

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These flowers were only thirsty for a little while - I popped them into the glass once I finished this painting, and we all breathed a sigh of relief.

Hope

"Hope"

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

$350

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I thought I would counter yesterday's sorrow with some of the antidote. A quietly sunny spring painting. 

The Tarot card in this piece is also a hopeful one - the Ten of Cups, symbolizing emotional fulfillment. Not sure how it works when it's sideways - I'll leave that to the experts! :)

Go Green... and Yellow!

 "A Dish of Green Olives"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

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Interrupting my stream of residency paintings to post a piece from one of March's Still Life Open Studio sessions. Is it a coincidence that I'm posting this very green-and-yellow painting on the eve of the big Oregon Ducks final four basketball game (green and yellow being the U of O's school colors)? 

 Yes, it is. 😉

These two daffodils took a turn as daily sketch subjects the next morning, looking fresh and rested, even after their rigorous evening modeling session. The lemons, too. Troopers!

I Get Romantic

 

"Springtime Romance" 

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

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We've all heard of spring fever - and it's not just for Turkeys! I see this still life as a simple bouquet picked on a walk to the beloved's house - the pink paper a love note scrawled on an index card, read avidly by its intended, pressed quickly to their lips and put face down on the table, to be picked up and read again and again, while gazing abstractedly at the yellow flowers....

Are you feeling spring-like today?

It Was All Yellow

 

 "The Gifts of Spring"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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As a transplanted Midwesterner, I still have trouble getting my head around the concept of Spring coming in March, but I like it nonetheless. From now until December, I'll be painting off the land - surreptitiously snipping branches, blossoms, and fruit as I go about my daily business and bringing them back to the studio. So, lock up your flowers....or send me your address!

In an effort to save $ last time I was at the art store, I bought Daniel Smith brand Lemon Yellow. I should have known, but my innate thriftiness got the better of me. It's a very weak paint - a much weaker tinter than the Cadmium lemon I ran out of. Hunting for a solution (and not really feeling able to paint daffodils without lemon yellow, maybe a personal problem, I don't know), I found tubes of Azo and Hansa yellow in my box of randoms. The question of just what exactly the deal is with these two colors has been lurking for some time, so I decided to attack it scientifically:

 It seems to me that Hansa is closer to lemon and Azo is just a starving artist's poor man's Cadmium. Sure, I could google it, but that would rob me of my mixing fun. I ended up mixing the Hansa and the wimpy lemon together, and happily proceeded to paint my daffodils.

Wanted to share another gift of Spring I saw today: it's Wild Turkey mating season in my neighborhood. Always an impressive display.