Channelling Spring

Pink Tulips

6" x 8" Oil on Canvas Board

$90 (framed)

I painted tulips while it looked like this outside.... 

I have a cheery yellow frame with linen liner to go with this painting and is included in the price.  Can't wait to do more.  I'm not sure if tulips suit my painting style or vice versa but they are a joy to paint.

Color combinations...

As I'm writing this, a chickadee just landed on the feeder outside my window,
re-inforcing the Spring theme for me this morning.  I love pinks and oranges so this painting was more about the color combination than the tulips themselves.  In the background is a painting started yesterday of one of our
newer cats (Zoe).  She has the widest, roundest, clearest eyes of any cat we've ever owned.   I'll post these as they're finished.

Re-arranging the studio space....

and found these in a drawer, looking up at me as if to say, "where have you been?"  At the moment I've been working mostly in oils but these two faces were done in acrylic on watercolor paper.  Somehow I'm going to make time to do more.  I had fun working with a mixed media approach, creating interesting backgrounds and working in layers.  These early months of a new year are great for experimenting and playing and if I'm really enjoying myself, some of the discoveries become part of my body of work for the rest of the year

My new interest.....

Enamel on Copper

5" x 5" 

I was going to say passion but it may be a tad early to say it with that much conviction.  Having familiarized myself with glass work and using a torch and kiln to create glass beads, put me in a good position to try my hand at enamelling.  I have experimented with small pieces to use in creating jewelry but this is the first time I have created this size (5" x 5").  I am intrigued and have plans for more.  I love this stage of learning something new.  A sketchpad is always close at hand to plan out ideas (although I seem to come up with great ideas in the shower)   .

Funny anecdote about this piece.  Because I create jewelry out of copper, I needed a small bit to make a clasp and sawed off a piece in the upper right corner.  This was before I decided to try my hand at an art piece.  When the
time came to look through my stash of copper sheets, I chastised myself for
hastily using a perfect 5" square sheet when I could have easily found something in my discard pile.  And that's when the idea came to me to add an embellishment and interest to the piece.  At first it was going to be a little copper bird but I decided on making a leaf. It is not yet fired in place but soon will be and I am now planning to do this to others as soon as I purchase my new kiln.  It does look like this could become a new "passion".........  .