On My Easel This Thursday Evening

Well Halloween has come to an end.  The last of then trick or treaters have come and gone.  I'll do a little bit more on this painting tonight and finish up tomorrow.

A Trio of Pumpkins

Many years ago I painted the top image with my cat named Heidi.  She had this one lazy eye and the good one looked menacing so when I saw her perched beside the Halloween pumpkin, I knew I had to take that photo.  I'm happier with my painting style now.  It is, as I had hoped,

a little more interesting as far as the brush strokes are concerned.

Pumpkin on Blue Gingham

Pumpkin

9" x 12"

Oil on Wood Cradled Panel

The finished version...There's something appealing about painting pumpkins.  It has colour and wonderful texture with shadows and highlights.  Having said that though, I think my favourite part was the leaf that fell onto the pumpkins.  Now I'm thinking I have to get out there and collect some beautiful leaves before they've all been raked away.

On My Easel This Sunday Morning

Pumpkin on Blue Gingham

9" x 12"

 Oil on wood cradled panel

Digging through my files I discovered some photos I had forgotten about and discovered just in time.
I'm just approaching the last stages where everything starts to make sense (hopefully).  For example, right now the pumpkins is just floating and needs to be settled into place with the use of shadows where it meets the gingham cloth and then maybe some value adjustments.

I used the photo and did a little digital collage too....just for fun....but the quote really speaks to me.

Simply Complicated

Single Geranium in Glass

$85.00

What a deceptively simple flower.  A single bloom but it contains many smaller florets with variation of depths of colour throughout.  Not too simple, not too complicated.  Just nice.

Art Work to Fabric

I feel like I haven't posted much lately mostly because I've been sewing up some artwork.  Printing my toile designs I started last year in color and on different fabrics has kept me busy.  The first three are commissioned and use sketches made of this family's waterlilly garden as well as local scenes that depict our hometown.  The next four are printed on a tan velveteen and incorporate patchwork using rich damasks, velvets and suede.  One idea lead to another and....well, I'll be looking forward to creating more.

     

     

        

              

Geraniums in Silver with Apple II

6" x 6" x 1.5"

This was a spur of the moment painting using the paint left over from painting the larger version.  (see previous post)  I felt I needed to paint the previous image larger than the usual 6x6 because of the multi petalled geranium but perhaps because I was now familiar with the approach I decided to try the smaller version.  Sometimes simpler is better?

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/joanna-olson/geraniums-in-silver-with-apple/174238

Geraniums II

Geraniums in Silver with Apple

10" x 10" on wood cradled panel

$275

My latest painting as of this morning.  As I mentioned earlier, I did enjoy painting silver and this particular arrangement intrigued me.  The warm glow of the reflections in the silver was my motivation.

I'm anxious for the paint to dry as you can see the matte/glossy paint in the background does not make for a very good photo.  I may finesse this one a little bit more once I've had a day or two away from it.

I do have another version of this that I'd like to do with the apple cut into smaller pieces.   I was afraid the apple was too much competition for the arrangement.  We'll see once I've painted the other one which one works better.