Jessie II

On my easel today.  I've been busy with collage and sketches but felt uneasy about not having

painted lately.  So today I fixed that.  Jessie needs the final touches still especially the eyes.  I start

by painting the eyes as a point of reference for the rest of the painting but the final touches are

saved for last.  

First Painting of 2014

and it feels good to be painting again.  I've already almost finished the second one and it will be a somewhat snowy Saturday afternoon so I will complete a third this weekend.  I will post better photos when I take photos in the light of day.

Petunias Revisited

Petunias Revisited

6" x 6" x 1.5" 

Oil on Wood Cradled Panel

$90.00

This is the last stage before I put the finishing touches.  Photographing it and even posting it here before really calling it finished helps me to see the areas that need tweaking and right now, although I really like the flower in the lower right corner I see that the interior of the flower is too vibrant and should be slightly less saturated...
This is from a series of photographs I took last year and I painted one other of this series with a higher view point.  I thought it was worth revisiting.  From the 3 foot square painting of the last post to the diminutive 6" square, it wasn't quite the adjustment I thought it might take.  The two and a half hours breezed by compared to the time it took to complete the last one.

Another View

6" x 6"

Oil on wood panel

Brass Scissors on Patchwork II

Here is the other version of the brass scissors painted in oils completed about ten days ago.  I was encouraged by the gray version and decided to paint them again.  

Happy Easter!

This was painted last Spring of 2012.  Not wanting to miss out on this year's

early Spring flowers, I've been photographing all the lovely Easter flowers that are around.  Happy Spring and Happy Easter to all of you.

Brass Scissors on Gray Fabric

Brass Scissors on Gray Fabric

6" x 6" Oil on wood

My favorite hand crafted scissors.  I posted a photo of a painting completed last month on a more colorful background but this time the gray background

enhances the brass.  Fun to paint but I really should do a grouping soon.

Side note:  I literally cringed when I posted this title but I figure it would take me forever to come up with something clever so I decided to just get on with it!

Revisiting

Generally there are so many photos to be inspired by, that I don't often do repeats but this painting was one of the first few I did when I started these small formats.  I was curious to see how it would compare to the first one done about a year and a half ago.  I didn't strive to make it different from the first.  This is simply how I painted it now within my comfort zone.  And lo and behold, it is significantly different.  I have adopted this more painterly approach after almost 100 small format paintings and am pleased to have evolved.  This was the point after all.

A Painting for the Children of Africa

Over at the Daily Paintworks website they have started a "Children of Africa" challenge and this is my entry for this auction.  Bidding started today and will run for a week.  It's nice to know that there are ways we can help (if only in small ways) and DPW is making this happen.

I've been working on my smaller format paintings again but haven't been posting.  So here is my latest. (sorry about the glare)  His name is Kodi.   The painting is a wedding gift to a friend of my son's whose wedding took place a few weeks ago.   I've tackled a few cat portraits but this is only my second dog.  Fur is still a challenge especially with the short haired variety.  I wish I could do my two miniature dachshunds but they are both predominantly black and unless I get lucky with the lighting, they may never get their portrait painted.  A Yorkie may be next.  Lots of long hair and beautiful brushstrokes to describe it.

Kodi

6" x 6" x 2" Oil

Wood cradled panel

Radishes.....

I really should find more backgrounds.   I seem to always reach for the gingham fabrics.  They do seem to set off the more organic lines of the subjects.   But I recently painted a silver spoon on a damask fabric and I just may stay with the ginghams!  I'll post that one later.  Until then, here are some radishes.....

Radishes on Green Gingham

6" x 6" x 1.5"

Planted.......and Painted

Unbelievably, it is already the 13th of June and my first blog of the month.  So I'm making up for it by posting three.  There have been other subjects painted this month but I thought it was in keeping with my last post.  I have no illusions about painting each of the flowers in my garden as they come into season but some I must try at this smaller format for my daily paintings.  I love peonies but they are somewhat similar to the colors of these Dahlias so I will pass in favor of doing some lillies and I've been photographing them as they bloom.   All three measure 6 x 6 x 1.5 inches on wood cradled panels.

Dahlias and Wicker

6" x 6" x 1.5" Oil

Dahlia I

6" x 6" on masonite

Dahlia II

6" x 6" x 1.5"

Daffodils

In case you haven't noticed, I'm terrible with titles, with my blog entries as well as the paintings themselves.   Some people can be so clever with naming their work.  Lyrics from songs are an interesting source, although I can't recall any songs about daffodils??

I knew working with yellows would be a challenge.  A third of the way through I thought ... "Okay, remember to stay away from anything predominantly yellow.  But once I figured out how to subdue this vibrant color to create the contrasts, it started to pull together and I quite liked it.

Working with this small format (6" x 6") though, I actually felt confident enough to do another one.  Only this time I would simplify the group and remove the flower on the right and enlarge the huddled group.  Tomorrow I'll post the newer version.

....."And the Daffodils Look Lovely Today"!!!!  There...I did it.  I looked up lyrics with "daffodils"

in it.  And that is what I found.   I guess this works.   Song by the Cranberries.

And the Daffodils Look Lovely Today
6" x 6" Oil
SOLD

Not the most organized palette but it did look lovely too with the sun streaking across the brilliant yellows.

Back to painting......

I'm never very far away from my easel anyway but I haven't posted new paintings for awhile so here is a little 6x6 oil painting...  Seeing it here, I can see there is a little tweaking to do here and there....

Blue Pot with Tangerines
6x6 Oil on canvas