Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Well-Traveled Asparagus

Well-Traveled Asparagus
6 x 6 in. oil on panel


SOLD











Fortunately for the United States of America and Canada, we have a lot of energy…and we use it freely, easily, and lavishly. If the price of oil were to double, we could cut back…and still live well. We might even live better. Because not everything that contributes to our standard of living contributes to our quality of living.





Take asparagus, for example. If oil is cheap enough, you can afford to ship asparagus from California to Maryland and sell it at a reasonable price. Standards of living go up – at least as measured by GDP. The grower in California earns money…his illegal immigrant workers earn money…the trucker earns money…the grocery store in Maryland earns money – voila, the GDP goes up.
But raise the price of oil and transcontinental asparagus may not make any sense.
We ate the most delicious asparagus in Zurich! Big, white, tender…juicy. “Where did it come from?” we asked our host.
“Why… It’s from Zurich, of course.”
He must have meant the canton. We saw no asparagus grown in downtown Zurich.
It was surely not cheap – nothing in Zurich is cheap. But it was good. Much better than the asparagus you find in the US.
We’re just guessing, but we suppose it was good because it was grown for a local market and did not have to be a variety that travels well. A trip from Sacramento to Philadelphia is tiring for anyone; if your asparagus is going to hold up…it has to be tough.
Perhaps, when prices of energy are higher, our asparagus will not be so well-traveled. Maybe, as our standards of living stagnate, our asparagus will taste better.
Regards,




Sunday, May 29, 2011

Flowers On The Porch

Flowers On The Porch
Summer is made for sitting on the porch and enjoying the view and I did plenty of that this week( in addition to painting on the porch.)  Fortunately, the breezes cooperated and I was comfortable even when temperatures rose.

6 x 6 in. oil on panel















Saturday, May 28, 2011

Hydrangeas In Blue Vase

Hydrangeas In Blue Vase
Bill arrived last night with a large shopping bag full of hydrangeas that he picked at the house, in the rain. Our "Endless Summer" bushes  are weighted down with blossoms and my husband knew how much I would enjoy having some at the beach.  I made several arrangements and decided to paint these this morning. I never tire of these as a still life subject. There is only one shade of blue that tops this one- and that is  Carolina Blue !
6 x 6 in. oil on panel


 

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Curlew Sandpiper

Curlew Sandpiper
This bird is the model for numerous decorative items which remind us of the beauty of nature.  There are carved, wooden versions of this bird and the long bill is always a surprise to me but as I observed some of these guys on my walk this morning I realized that their bills reallyare that long.

6 x 6 in. oil on panel




Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Morning Run

Morning Run
Down to the pier and back is not a bad run from the house-unless you are a short-legged little dog. Sometimes you just have to stop and wait for your human to come back and pick you up when you don't have the energy to keep up
 
6x6 in, oil on panel






























Surf Fishing

Surf Fishing
This is one I painted yesterday-had trouble posting last
night so I will post two today.
I love seeing what everybody is catching on the beach and there are
lots of vacationers here already having fun in this great weather.
I'm planning to go crabbing later in the week!
6 x 6 in. oil on panel


















Monday, May 23, 2011

Pinwheel Parade

Pinwheel Parade

Pinwheels have been a favorite of mine ever since I began painting.  I
want to warn you that I have felt a sudden and irrepressible urge to
re-visit an old favorite.  You will probably soon  begin  seeing them in quantity because now
that I have started, I may not be able to stop. I'll try avoiding them for a few days and see if
the urge goes away!
















































Sunday, May 22, 2011

Pottery From Southport

Pottery From Southport

Yesterday was my monthly afternoon working in the 
gallery in Southport.  Sales were brisk and we had many visitors.
I spent my spare time, when we were not busy, choosing several really nice pieces
from the pottery gallery.  This value study was painted today to put in the
DPW challenge by Carol Marine.
This piece is a beautiful grey Butter Bowl by Carol Lynn VonRadesky.
I am looking forward to painting it in color.

6x6 in. oil on panel









Saturday, May 21, 2011

Beginning of A Portrait

Beginning Of A Portrait

I've had a wonderful week learning from Tom Edgerton.
We had great models, Karen, Caris, and William.
This is the start of Karen's portrait and obviously has much
that will be polished and finished in my studio from the photos I have of her.
Tom is one of the best teachers I have ever worked with and we had
a very talented group of artists so I also learned much from them.
Maybe I'll post this again when I finish it.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Star Of The Apple Act

Star Of The Apple Act
"I don't know why you're complaining about being in the back-
you know I have always been the one holding this act together!"
 6x6 in. oil on panel



This was my musical inspiration while I painted...
















Thursday, May 19, 2011

Staring Contest






Staring Contest
Cats can really beat you in a stare down contest.
No blinking or smirking allowed and this cat could last for a very long time.
Babies are good at staring too but they are also much more fun to stare back at.
Did you know it takes 8.2 seconds of eye contact for a man to decide if he

is attracted to a woman?

6 x 6 in. oil painting





























Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Mountain Moonlight

Mountain Moonlight
A romantic week-end getaway is usually made even better
by the appearance of the moon at twilight. This moon was not quite full, but was
much photographed when it showed up among the pink clouds.  There
was a wedding reception with a great band, and the rocking chairs on the porch
were a great spot to relax and enjoy the music after dinner.


6 x 6 in. oil on panel


Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Sandwich Fixin's

Sandwich Fixin's
I can already taste those delicious tomato sandwiches that I'm
going to be making all summer!

It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.

6x6in. oil painting on panel





Available framed at One Eleven Main, Aberdeen, NC


Monday, May 16, 2011

Ready For Bed


Ready For Bed

I'm talking about these flowers, and maybe me, too.
I just love it  that so many of the containers  bedding plants
are sold in now are as colorful as the flowers. These Petunias need to be
planted soon but they have kind of had to wait in line.  I think it just might be their
turn tomorrow.

6 x 6 in. oil on panel






Sunday, May 15, 2011

Salt Marsh


Salt Marsh
This is in a very beautiful spot in Maine, The Rachel Carson National Widlife
Refuge in Wells. It is a wonderful area to walk through and catch glimpses of the ocean
through the salt marsh.  You can also see lots of birds and animals.
6 x 6 in. oil on gesso board. 





Saturday, May 14, 2011

Zinnias


Zinnias
This is my favorite flower to grow in the garden
and my zinnia seeds I planted last week are already coming up.
These are some from last years crop. The variations in color
are always so amazing and best of all, they like the heat.

NFS

Friday, May 13, 2011

Hotel-California


Hotel-California
This is a study for a large painting and is one that I have been
planning to paint for quite a while. This gives me a good idea of how the composition
will work and what things I may want to change slightly in the large version.
The flowers are just one of the things I was drawn to.

6 x 6 in. oil on panel










Daisy


Daisy
Spring has come when you can put your foot on three daisies


This is my post for Thursday, May 12, 2011
Blogger has been down for many hours so I was not able to post 
yesterday's painting until now.


6 x 6 in. oil on panel











Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Old Car In Florida


Old Car In Florida
This is the very first of the Daily Paintworks Challenges and I finally
got around to doing it today. This one came before I started doing the challenges.
 Carol Marine took the photo and
put it up for all of us hardworking painters to take a crack at it.
Thanks, Carol.  It was tough but fun.

6 x 6 in. oil painting






Monday, May 9, 2011

Bugs Bunny Treat


Bugs Bunny Treat
Carrots have more sugar in them than any vegetable except beets.
This could be why Bugs loves them so much. 
I chose carrots to paint because the blue rubber band around them is such 
a fine "compliment" next to the orange.

6 x 6 in. oil painting








Sunday, May 8, 2011

Upside Down Stack


Upside Down Stack
Bright colors for a bright and wonderful day!
Happy Mother's Day!

6x6 in. oil on panel






Saturday, May 7, 2011

Up-Beet Spring


Up-beet Spring
There is, in my estimation, only one time of the year better than Spring(and that would
be summer).  Where I live, it gets too hot to enjoy gardening after about June. So you
keep everything watered and just have to hope that all the work you did in the garden keeps it 
producing veggies almost til the first frost. Which of course gives you more time to 
enjoy summer by heading off to the beach every week-end. Just pulled these beets up
this morning and looking forward to having them for dinner!

6 x 6 in. oil on panel







Friday, May 6, 2011

Monastery Chicken

Sold
Monastery Chicken

An added bonus on a visit to a Buddhist Monastery in Bhutan was this lively and entertaining
chicken.   This colorful creature was a favorite of the young monks.

6x 6 in. oil painting on museum quality panel








Thursday, May 5, 2011

Today's Magnolia


Today's Magnolia
Driving home from dinner in Raleigh last night, I jokingly told my husband that
I ought to go ahead and pick a magnolia now so I can get an early start painting in the 
morning.  Next thing I knew he pulled over beside a huge magnolia tree and asked me if I needed the flashlight.  I should know by now not to say anything like that unless I mean it.
I did get a large flower that was fully opened up and had fun painting it first thing this morning!

6 x 6 in. oil on museum quality panel






Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Southern Magnolia


Southern Magnolia
Rainy morning turned sunny early so I did get to go out and pick some magnolias.
This is the one I chose to paint and I achieved exactly what I was aiming for by
doing a very quick study and focusing on the shapes and contrasting light and dark areas.
I did not allow myself to think "magnolia" because I aimed to paint what I saw
and not what I expected the flower to be.
Tomorrow I will do another variation of this.
6 x 6 in. oil on museum quality panel






Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Tulip Tree Flowers


Tulip Tree Flowers
Bill and I were walking the trail around the reservoir yesterday
and lots of these beautiful flowers had fallen from the Tulip Poplars. I brought a few
home so I could paint them.  Their fragrance is very sweet, a little like a magnolia, and come
to find out-the tree is not really a poplar at all.  It's a member of the magnolia family.
They attract all kinds of birds, and the squirrels like them too. Hummingbirds also love the nectar from these flowers.  I'm just glad they were on the ground--I woulda hated to ask Bill to climb
that 30 foot tree.
6 x6 in. oil painting






Monday, May 2, 2011

Feline Friend


Feline Friend
This is Bentley, a delightfully affectionate cat.
He is good-natured and maybe it's because he sleeps a lot.

6 x 6 in. oil








Sunday, May 1, 2011

Family Resemblance


Family Resemblance

Can you tell which two are related?
The Granny Smith just doesn't fit in with the Galas,
who are discussing old times growing up in the same orchard.
They are small with very long stems. When I was a kid we used to twist the stem
while saying the alphabet and whatever letter you were on when it came out was
the first initial of your future husband.  It never did come out on the "B" so I guess
it wasn't a very accurate predictor!

6 x 6 in. oil on museum quality panel