Persimmons with a Branch

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

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I picked these today in my mom's back yard. I was a little late getting to them - most of the fruit on the tree had been mangled by a creature with an enormous, human-looking bite. (My mom swears it was a squirrel.) I still got a bagful, and left plenty for the creature.

Pomegranate Orange Christmas

 

6 x 6"

oil on panel

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I really have to give a shout-out to Debbie Becks-Cooper, whose gorgeous paintings gave me the idea to try painting cranberries. And I am totally loving them - in her art, and in mine! You might remember that over the summer, I tried strawberries because of her, too. Debbie, you rock!

Fall Lineup

 

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

$100

purchase

This is a tiny pumpkin! It's the one the pumpkin farm gave my toddler for free, just for showing up. But it looks pretty giant here next to the lowly cranberry. Maybe I should have titled this one "The Lowly Cranberry." It's the phrase that pops into my head every time I look at it!

Rebecca in Red

14 x 18"

oil on canvas

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If I hadn't worked so hard to capture her likeness (probably 70% of my total painting time was spent on the face and hair), this painting would be all about the sweater! Isn't it great? I don't know if I could really wear it, but I LOVED painting it!

Cranberry Orange Christmas

 

6 x 6"

oil on panel

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 I have a theory about artists: since our "work" consists of doing what we love most, some of us have some pretty grueling hobbies. For example, here's what two artists did for fun over the weekend. We must be nuts!

Pomegranate Orange Cranberry

 

8 x 10"

oil on canvas

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These look like they should be the ingredients for some delicious Thanksgiving side dish! To see a photo of this piece next to its still life setup, click here.

Red Fruit and Ornaments

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

$100

I used three different reds and a purple on my palette for this painting. I used to be a purist when it came to paint colors, but I've discovered - partly through painting brightly colored, shiny things like ornaments - that a few extra tubes of paint can really help. Purple is a great example - I used to mix purple from Ultramarine Blue and Alizarin, but now I use Dioxazine purple instead, and I feel like I'm not "wasting" so much of that precious Ultramarine!

Pomegranate and Cranberries

8 x 8"

oil on canvas

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It's getting dark so early now, but the glow of these brass vases and the subtle highlights on the fruit give me a cozy feeling! Almost like looking at a burning fireplace....although I admit that our living room "fireplace" is a digital app.

Winter Squash and Apples

8 x 10"

oil on canvas

$75

 

My 2012 Calendar is finished! Below is the calendar back - a little preview of the year in art. Click the picture to see it bigger - and click here to view the calendar on Zazzle.com.

White Christmas Cactus

 

8 x 10"

oil on canvas

$150

I am, to put it mildly, a houseplant enthusiast. I have two of these Christmas Cacti - and some twenty-odd other plants. I guess this one should really be called a Thanksgiving Cactus, since it's blooming in November! 

I'm very proud to present you with a link to my first ever blog review, by Tony at Art.Blog.Critique. I really appreciate the exposure, and the nice things he has to say about my work! Check out the other reviews on the site if you have time - some of my personal favorites are included.

Christmas True Colors

6 x 6"

oil on panel

$100

purchase

This one was a little bit eye-popping (like in the upper-left-hand corner), but really fun to do. In years past, I've gone really tightly into all the details on these reflective round surfaces, but so far 2011 has found me letting my hair down and getting a lot looser with them - and enjoying it just as much!

Christmas Teacup

 

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

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There's something about a Christmas ornament still life setup that is absolutely irresistible to cats as a napping place. At least I have a guide for rearranging them if the painting is well underway!

Granny and Gold

 

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

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Hey, it's November! Wow, the holiday season is approaching - I recently heard that Costco puts its Christmas merchandise out in August. Doesn't make me feel so bad about getting the itch to paint ornaments two months before the holiday!

There are more Christmas ornament paintings in my Etsy shop.

"Faraway Look" - Portrait Figure Oil Painting

 

11 x 14"

oil on canvas

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Last night I had the pleasure of painting with my new friend and neighbor, Carol Marine. I couldn't think of a better way to welcome a new artist to town than to take her to my favorite figure painting night! She was lucky, too, to get the lovely Miranda (best model in town) on her inaugural visit.

Halved Acorn Squash

 

8 x 10"

oil on canvas

The colors of the Autumn trees and sky reflected in the foods we eat this season.

Delicata

 

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

$75

purchase

For a limited time, get free shipping on any item in my Etsy shop - just use the code SARAH at checkout.

Pumpkin in the Middle

 

8 x 8"

oil on canvas

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I bought this bowl at a Pottery show a few weeks ago - it's big and creamy and the texture is really great. I'm lucky to live in an area that not only offers tons of interesting produce (ie: these lovely squash), but is also home to many many talented artisans of all kinds.

Squash in a Bowl

 

8 x 8"

oil on canvas

$150

We visited a pumpkin farm over the weekend, and I fell in love with the colors of fall all over again! The enormous bins of different squash are so tempting, with their eye-popping patterns. Although it was grey and foggy, it was nice to be out in the country, and we came home with a trunk-full of new painting subjects - AND a thirty-pound pumpkin for the little boy that lives inside my husband.

Natasha - Portrait Nude Figure Model Painting

 

14 x 18"

oil on canvas

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Same pose as last week, when I painted just her head. After focusing so closely on her face last session, I was able to spend very little time on it last night, leaving me free to concentrate on the body. That's the only explanation I can give for finishing this one in less than three hours.

Oregon Pinot Noir Grapes

 

8 x 8"

oil on canvas

$100

purchase

It's been a while since I went into my studio and painted - a couple of weeks, which to me, is forever. Luckily, I have these very inspirational grapes, which we picked at my mom's house over the weekend. This vine is so tenacious, it is growing - and full of fruit - halfway up a tree! Way too high for us to reach by ladder, but we got plenty of lower-hanging fruit for ourselves. Squirrels get lucky this year!

I wanted to share what I'm currently reading, as it made the color-mixing phase of my work so much more enjoyable today:  (click the pic for more info)