Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Flowering Apricot Tree


Flowering Apricot Tree
These trees bloom in mid winter or early spring before the leaves come onto the branches.  It is really magical to see something in bloom this early, although not as surprising this year since we have had such a warm winter here in Zone seven.  I took quite a few photos of these gorgeous trees last week at a church not far from my home.  Most of them showed the trees from the ground up, but then I remembered the wonderful painting I saw in Philadelphia at the Van Gogh Exhibition. The title of Vincent's painting shown below is "Almond Blossom" and it is one of my new favorites.

6x6 in. oil on panel







Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Through Women's Eyes


Through Women's Eyes, By Women's Hands

This wonderful painting is by Jane Filer, a North Carolina artist whose work I love.  This will be part of the exhibition Friday night, March 2 in Chapel Hill.  I am excited to have two small paintings there also.  It takes place from 7-10 pm in the Great Room at Top Of The Hill. Tickets are $50 and all proceeds benefit The Women's Center of Chapel Hill. The painting above, "Fox Trot" will be part of a live auction

Monday, February 27, 2012

Gentleman In Orange Hat


Gentleman In Orange Hat
This man is leaving after having lunch at one of our Pinehurst restaurants which is patronized mainly by locals. The popular spot closes at 2:00, and you can tell it's late because the parking lot is normally crowded. 

6 x 6 in. oil on panel






Sunday, February 26, 2012

Tulips In Delft


Tulips In Delft
It's fun to have these tulips sitting under the skylight in my studio and reacting to every change in the weather  outside.  The day they arrived was stormy and pouring down rain and they were closed up tight. I may paint them again tomorrow because they look different after today's sunshine.
6 x 6 in. oil on archival panel




Saturday, February 25, 2012

Lemon Trio


Lemon Trio
This was an experiment making a very dark background where none of the light was hitting.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Window Glow


Window Glow
This is another window from the old church I mentioned yesterday. I have always been fascinated by stained glass windows, both the simple and the ornate.  I especially love seeing them at night when driving by a church, all lit up from the inside.

6 x 6 in. oil on panel





Thursday, February 23, 2012

St. Phillips Window


St. Phillips Window
This church was built in 1891 in Germanton, N.C. and is in very good condition. It is on the market and may become the "new" church for a fortunate congregation.  I have some nice photos of it and I will be painting more soon.

6 x 6 in. oil on panel




Wednesday, February 22, 2012

City Traffic


City Traffic
I painted this for the challenge which was posted by Terry Miura on his blog Studio Notes
The scene in the photo provided was very complex and the directions were to simplify as much of the information in the photo as you could.  There were other guidelines provided by Terry which 
were very helpful.  Thanks, Terry, for the interesting and fun challenge.

6 x 8 in. oil on panel






Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Crab Louie


Crab Louie
This little guy is named after an old-fashioned recipe that my grandmother used to make.  It is a salad with all kinds of good things in it- crabmeat, of course, avocado, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, asparagus, and a tasty dressing and probably a few more things I can't remember.

6 x 6 in. oil on archival panel






Monday, February 20, 2012

Crabby Abby


Crabby Abby   SOLD
Driving for a couple of hours, sitting in a long gallery meeting in Southport, picking up paintings from my gallery that is closing on Bald Head Island, and then, finally, painting. Getting in front of the easel is not usually preceded by so many other things, so by the time I got to paint, I was ready to make it playful.  It  became kind of an improvisation of a crab with an impatient personality, since I was so impatient to dip into color and have fun.

6 x 6 " oil on archival panel




Sunday, February 19, 2012

Trip To Philly


Trip To Philly

This is where I was yesterday morning when the museum opened.  We had tickets to see"Van Gogh Up Close" at the Philadelphia Museum Of Art. We spent some time perusing the European paintings, had lunch in the cafeteria, and then headed to the main attraction at our appointed time.  This is a very special exhibition which reveals  much about the artist and his passionate engagement with nature, particularly in this work created during the last four years of his life. It is almost as if he felt time was running out. Many of the works seem to have an electricity that is hard to define, as if something powerful passed from his eyes to his hands, then to the canvas.
The exhibition travels to The National Gallery Of Canada when it ends here on May 6.  I highly recommend it as it brings viewers much closer to the essential Van Gogh.

Here is a link to a slideshow and article about this exhibition which was published by The New York Times. 

I think it was really worth the trip, even though we were pretty tired when we came out the front doors to this scene around 4:30. You can see a bride in the lower right corner.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Yellow House Windowbox


Yellow House Window Box
I am a fan of window boxes because they look so cheerful beneath a window and you can enjoy them from inside the house or outside.  We have not ever had them but I think I will do some on the deck railing this spring.

 6 x 6 in. oil on museum quality panel















Friday, February 17, 2012

Vineyard Study


Vineyard Study
I did this to try out a composition for a larger painting. I think I will paint this in a similar way
when I do it the next time but it should be easier now that I have done the study.

6 x 6 in. oil on panel






Thursday, February 16, 2012

Oranges In A Bowl


Oranges In A Bowl
I found this pretty bowl on sale at Target, it has butterflies on the inside, too.
I am on a kick to eat lots of citrus fruit and it comes in handy for painting as well. I did this in Charlotte at my son's house and used one of Kim's animal print throws to set it up on. It was fun to paint.
6 x 6 in. oil on museum quality panel




Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Spring At The Beach


Spring At The Beach
This is the painting I worked on today.  I have painted this before in a square format but I  have been wanting to do it again a little larger. The seashells were difficult so I think when I go to the beach next week for a gallery meeting I will plan on painting more shells.  This is not quite finished but I don't have much left to finish-I want to make the spaces between the porch railings a little darker value and tweak one or two other things.
Thank you for viewing my paintings!

Oh, I almost forgot-I am happy to say this is the 300th painting I have posted on my daily painting blog

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Pink Roses


Pink Roses
I love painting shadows on the wall behind my still life set up.  This blue vase has an unusual shape and  sometimes makes me think it is going to tip over because it is so skinny at the bottom.
SOLD
6 x 6 in. oil on museum quality panel
available framed at One Eleven Main, Aberdeen, NC
910-944-1181



Monday, February 13, 2012

Headed To Cape Cod


Headed To Cape Cod

I am very pleased that this painting, which I posted recently, has been juried into a show in Barnstable, Massachusetts.  Maybe some of my cousins who live nearby will get a chance to go and see the show.  It will hang from February 23-March 19, at Cape Cod Art Association.

6 x 6 in. oil on panel

Thank you for viewing my art and supporting my blog with your comments, which are always welcome!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Zimbabwe Elephants


Zimbabwe Elephants
I am still going through some old photos and finding more that I want to paint.  Most of these are from a time before I had a digital camera so I had really forgotten about them.  It's hard to even remember taking photos and dropping them off to be printed.

6 x 6 in. oil on museum quality panel







Saturday, February 11, 2012

Toucanet


Toucanet
Sometimes the colors in a bird's feathers are so amazingly vivid. I began looking through some old photos and I am surprised at how many bird photos I have.  

6 x 6 in. oil on museum quality panel






Friday, February 10, 2012

Romantic Evening


Romantic Evening
I received my Valentine roses a little early, along with a lovely bottle of wine. We will be  celebrating Valentine's Day tomorrow, with a special dinner and spending the day together.
Thank you for viewing my paintings!

6 x 6 oil on museum quality panel


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Thursday, February 9, 2012

Nowhere To Hide


           Nowhere To Hide
This pear is not as bold as yesterday's pear.  This one declined a spot in front and prefers to remain mostly in the shadows. I am once again experimenting with color and it's fun with all my painting props to try different combinations.



On a somber note, one of my galleries is closing and I received a message yesterday to come and pick up my paintings at the Woods Gallery on Bald Head Island.  It has been wonderfully managed for BHI incorporated by Shawn Best and I wish her the best in what she endeavors next.
(Hopefully she will have more time for her own painting, as she is a wonderful artist)

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Pear Stack


Pear Stack
Painting this stack of cups was really fun and I really like the way the shadows were behind the cups.  The best part is: now I can eat that pear that I have been wanting!

If you would like to see the Daily Paintworks Auction for this painting, please click above on"click here to bid". This does not obligate you in any way to bid but it does allow you to see any bids that have already been placed and to follow the auction if you are interested in this painting.

As always, thank you for viewing my art!

6 x 6 in. oil on panel




Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Afternoon Tea


Afternoon Tea
I received a tin of tea for Christmas that came from Charleston Tea Plantation and it is really good.  The tea is grown on Wadmalaw Island off the coast of South Carolina. I have a little teapot that I purchased in a shop in Beijing and it has a little clay insert for loose tea leaves.  Next, I decided that there must be a reason these little candles are called tea lights so I made things festive by lighting it.

6 x 6 in. oil on panel
NFS



Monday, February 6, 2012

Enjoying The Paper


Enjoying The Paper
What more could you ask for than coffee, the newspaper, and a spot in the sun to enjoy?  This is my entry for the Daily Paintworks Challenge "Seated Figure".  It was fun to paint, I especially enjoyed the sunlight and shadows.  Click.HERE to see more of the challenge paintings.

6 x 6 in. oil on museum quality panel




Sunday, February 5, 2012


Living On The Wedge

I must say that I love shoes and there are some great shoes for spring already in the stores, most of them are unique variations of the wedge sole. Here is one with lots of color and shine! I am so ready for spring to arrive. 

6 x 6 in. oil on museum quality panel




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Comments on my paintings are always welcome!

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Pottery Stack


Pottery Stack
These are a few of my favorite pieces and I am realizing just how much I enjoy painting shiny objects. I was pretty happy with the way this one turned out.

 6 x 6 in. oil on museum quality panel
contact artist for price

Friday, February 3, 2012

Artichoke Halves


Artichoke Halves
I bought  artichokes to cook for dinner and the first one that I cut did not have the pretty purplish red coloring in the center that is usually found there.  So... I cut the second one open and found it to be really beautiful inside.  Since I had just gotten this pretty new table-runner from IKEA, I decided it would be the background and I set it up in my new shadow box. I am getting much better shadows this way.

6 x 6 in. oil on museum quality panel




Thursday, February 2, 2012

Sunset Ferry



Sunset Ferry

This is the ferry I love to take... Southport to Bald Head Island.  It is just a twenty minute ride but there's a lot to look at on the way.  I always try to sit up top for the best view with the wind blowing my hair. Once you are on the island, there are no cars, just golf carts. The view to the left is the yacht basin and marina at Southport and you can see one of  my favorite restaurants, Provision Company.

5 x 7 in. oil on museum quality panel
contact artist for price