Daffodill in Green

6 x 6"
oil on panel
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Yellow has to be the most difficult color to paint. I love yellow - don't get me wrong - even though I can't wear it without looking seriously ill. You just have to be really careful to keep it separate from the other colors on your painting, and to keep your brushes clean while you're working with it - not always my strong suit. All that being said, it's a challenge I enjoy.

Daffodills in Blue

5 x 7"
oil on panel
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It's been a long time! Since my last post, we've renovated and moved into our new house, and things are finally getting back to normal. Well, as normal as can be with a baby on the way. I'm 22 weeks along now (more than halfway there), and feeling great. It's really nice not to be sickened by the smell of absolutely everything anymore - especially the smell of oil paint!

Citrus Bowl

6 x 6"
oil on canvas on panel
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I've had money on the brain lately, what with buying a home and getting ready for tax time. I added up all the numbers, and was pretty surprised to see how much money I spent on art supplies in 2008 - somewhere in the realm of $1500, in fact! Many people have told me over the past year that my prices are too low, and in what I consider a mild response to that, I've raised the price of my 2009 paintings on this blog to $60 a piece - a $10 increase. Ebay auctions will still begin at $49, and 2008 paintings will remain at their original prices, available through this blog, and through my Etsy store.

Four Oranges

6 x 6"
oil on canvas on panel
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I painted these oranges very slowly and carefully, with a small brush. By contrast, I painted the brass vase loosely, with a larger brush. I loved putting the splashes of orange in the reflective surface of the vase.

Red, White, and Gold

6 x 8"
oil on canvas on panel
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On bright, sunny days it's not only easier to take better quality photos of paintings, it's easier to create paintings full of vibrant color.

Tulips and White Rose

6 x 6"
oil on canvas on panel
$60
$5 s/h

It's been quite a while since I've had anything to post - but it hasn't been for lack of trying! Life has thrown several wonderful distractions in my path in the last month, and to say the least, my focus has been elsewhere. Jesse and I found out that we are expecting our first baby in August - and we are also in the process of buying (and renovating) our first house! Many thanks to those of you who have emailed to ask if everything is OK - everything is perfectly fine - but my posts may be a bit sporadic in the coming weeks as I continue to deal with all the tiredness and other fabulous physical symptoms of early pregnancy. I'm really looking forward to moving into my new, much larger studio, and doing lots of painting in the coming year.

Floral Blues and Whites

5 x 7"
oil on panel
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I struggled with this a little, but I like some things about the way it turned out. The vase and pitcher have a solid presence on the panel, and there's some lusciously thick paint in spots - particularly the bottom right hand corner - that I like looking at.

New Video: November Paintings

A quick compilation of all the paintings I did last month. Those of you on the email list may need to click this link to view the video. Enjoy!

White Lilies and Irises

5 x 7"
oil on linen on panel
$50
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The splash of bright yellow on the petals of these Irises is so arresting to me. One of my earliest art teachers once had me draw an Iris just like these from her garden. I thought it was impossibly hard - but back then I mainly used colored pencil - no wonder I thought it was hard! (I still can't do anything with colored pencil twenty years later.)

Speaking of the past, here's a painting I did back in September (30 paintings ago) that I was reminded of while painting today. It's still available - here's a link to the original post, and purchase info.

Red Teapot, Blue Pitcher

6 x 6"
oil on panel
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Is anyone else thinking, "Superman?"

Teal Vase with Ornaments

6 x 8"
oil on canvas on panel
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It's been about a week and a half since I last painted, so I'm surprised that I like the way this turned out. It wasn't as much fun as it normally is, though - because instead of feeling like I was falling back into every day's familiar, comforting routine, I had to remember how to do it all over again. I was mixing my basic colors before starting to paint, and I thought, "Why does this feel wierd?" Then I realized that it was because I was standing up, when I am usually sitting down at that point. As David Darrow always says, in times of intimidation, you simply have to let yourself not be afraid to fail.

Green Stack

5 x 7"
oil on panel
this is a sold commission piece

Jewel Tones no. 2

8 x 10"
oil on panel
This is a sold commission piece

Another fun ornament painting, for a collector who wants to make a grouping of them on her wall. This one even includes several mini self portraits - my reflections in the ornaments!

Crescent Lake

6 x 6"
oil on panel
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I miss summer already! We weren't exactly warm on this vacation, as I recall - even though it was August, Crescent Lake is at 5,000 feet elevation, so the campfire was very welcome. I can't wait to go back next year.

Vanagon on High Street

6 x 8"
oil on canvas on panel
$50
$5 s/h

Eugene, Oregon has to be the world capital of VW buses. I enjoyed painting this crisp fall scene - especially the leaves in the street.

Cut Pomegranate

6 x 6"
oil on panel
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The background of this painting appears to be grey, but it's really a blend of reds, greens, and blues. I do actually have a tube of grey paint, but I mainly use it to tone down other colors, and not as a color in itself. Most of the greys in my paintings are mixed from complementary colors. In art school, professors often used the term "muddy" to describe paintings that had gotten beyond the student's control color-wise, with complements blending into each other on the canvas and giving everything a greyed-down feel. Frequent washing of brushes during painting, and using separate brushes for separate colors while painting were some suggestions for avoiding mud. However, there is a school of thought in painting that using the same brush for the entire piece helps achieve better color harmony - since a little of each color is present in all the rest. The moral of the story really is that there's no wrong way to paint - as long as you come out with a result that you like.

Rosy Outlook

5 x 7"
oil on panel
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I like to listen to NPR podcasts while I paint, and most of the news is grim these days. Even the weather is grim. But there are good things to look forward to, and lots to be grateful for, and I try not to forget it.

Persimmon with Green Ornaments

5 x 7"

oil on panel

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I think I'm entering pre-holiday freakout mode, in which I run around like a chicken with its head cut off, shedding scratched-over to-do lists as I go. And I'm not even hosting this year...

Christmas Persimmon

6 x 6"
oil on panel
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Persimmons

5 x 7"
oil on canvas on panel
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Just when I thought the yard was going to call it quits for the season, we get persimmons. I've never eaten one of these, and something about the rock-solid feeling of these particular ones is telling me that I'm not about to start. They're gorgeous, though. I kind of wish they were wax fruit so I could keep them around all winter.