Green Apple

Green Apple

I painted this apple for this week's Daily Paintworks Challenge.The idea is to paint an apple in as few areas of color as possible and still have it read as a three dimensional object. Thanks, Carol Marine for issuing another great challenge.

6 x 6 in. oil on panel

Tomatoes

Tomatoes

I painted these tomatoes early in the morning and I am posting them late in the evening because I have been having such a great time with my cousin Mary and her husband Dennis.  They are on their way back to Cape Cod from Florida and stopped to stay with us here in North Carolina.

We always have such fun when we get together but it isn't nearly often enough. 

Now, about these tomatoes, they are not home grown but I am already setting out my tomato plants in the garden so that I will have plenty of them to eat and paint this summer.

6 x 6 in. oil on panel

Blue Butterfly

Blue Butterfly

My daughter was leaving her house in Chapel Hill to walk to class and spotted this gorgeous butterfly on top of some dried leaves in her yard.  She took a photo and sent it to me so I decided to paint it.  I have not identified it yet but I will let you know what kind of butterfly it is when I do.

6 x 6 in. oil on panel

Chick And Bunny

Chick And Bunny

I decided to get out a few of the Easter decorations today and these two little figures struck me as an interesting possibility for painting.  I set them up in my shadow box and painted away. They were on a blue cloth but I could not resist putting a little "grass" on the edges so I could add one more bright color to the scene. 

In other news, I delivered six new paintings to the beautiful and fun store, One Eleven Main.  If you live in this area,I hope you will go and see them when you have a chance.

6 x 6 in. oil on panel

Rooftop In Brantome

Rooftop In Brantome

This is one of my favorite places and I would love to go back to this beautiful village in the Dordogne.

5 x 7 in. oil on panel

Tall Vase, Tall Flowers

Tall Beauties

This is the painting I worked on today.  It is long and narrow and was painted from a still life set up using my very tallest vase. It is going to be available in just a few days at One Eleven Main in Aberdeen. I will be bringing some of  my newest paintings there this week so I hope you'll come visit and see all the great things Betsy, Erin, and Julie have in the store.

12 x 24 in. oil on canvas

framed and ready to hang

Chicken On The Table

Chicken On The Table

This is the second time I have painted this ceramic chicken that my friend let me borrow. It has been so good at posing for me that I may just have to paint it one more time before I return it.

This would look extremely nice in someone's kitchen, don't you think?

6 x 6 in. oil on panel

available framed at One Eleven Main
910-944-1181

Wisteria

This climbing vine is in bloom all over the place right now, spreading  invasive beauty and sweet scent as it climbs up trees and covers everything in its path. I went to a beautiful spot to capture this and I hope to paint more of it while it is still blooming.  It is usually only around for a couple of weeks each spring.

6 x 6 in. oil on panel
available framed at One Eleven Main, Aberdeen, NC
910-944-1181

Best Reading Spot

I am already looking forward to beach reading this summer.  I like to put my chair close to the water so my toes can get wet. I have to move my chair more often but it's worth it.  My favorite time to read on the beach is around five o'clock when things are cooling off and the crowd has thinned out. This painting is being donated to the Episcopal Day School Fundraiser at the Fair Barn in Pinehurst next Saturday.  I have been a part of this event for many years and I love hearing who ends up with one of my paintings.  So please go, and bid on all the great items they have!

6 x 6 in. oil on panel, framed

DONATED to EDS

Daffodils In Blue

Daffodils In Blue  SOLD

These flowers are so bright and beautiful that I wish they could last for a really long time.  I have been putting them out on the porch at night for the cool night air and I hope this affects their longevity. I did not get a really clear photo this time and the colors are brighter and crisper than they appear.

6 x 6 in. oil on canvas panel

Fill The Vase

Fill The Vase

This is the time of year that I like to have flowers in vases all through the house. There is much to choose from right now with so many things blooming in the garden. Tomorrow I want to paint outdoors and find some Wisteria to paint, but there is rain in the forecast, so we'll see.

6 x 6 in. oil on panel

Flowers With Apples

These tiny pink flowers are from some bushes beside the screen porch and they are the most fabulous color.  Today has been another wonderful spring day, with summer temperatures and even a morning rain shower.

6 x 6 in. oil on panel

SOLD

Sweet Scent

Sweet Scent

Today the morning was for painting, the afternoon was for being outdoors.  These Hyacinths have been so enjoyable in the kitchen with their heady aroma that makes me dream of more gorgeous spring days ahead.  My friend and fellow blogger Debbie Taylor has been painting the prettiest florals recently and when I saw her recent Hyacinth painting I just had to try one too. ( Also it gave me an excuse to buy one in bloom, which Bill did for me recently.)

6 x 6 in. oil on panel

Swedish Summer

Swedish Summer     SOLD

This is from another beautiful area we visited in Sweden.  The yellow house was sparkling in the June sunshine. 

5 x 7 in. oil on panel

Fantasy Fish

Fantasy Fish

This is yesterday's daily painting which I was not able to post until today.  I even got up especially early in the morning so that I could paint before the day got too busy. This one may look a little scary and mean, but I detect a smile from this make believe sea-dweller.

6 x 6 oil on panel

Daffodils

Daffodils

I am so happy to have a husband who often buys flowers for me, especially when he knows that I will love painting them. I worked on a couple of large paintings today and decided to paint this still life this afternoon.  I finished it just in time to watch Carolina play Vermont. 

6 x 6 in. oil on panel
available framed at One Eleven Main, Aberdeen, NC
910-944-1181

Plums

Plums

I love tablecloths, especially those with  stripes. This painting is quite large and I like the fact that the canvas is square and the table is oblong. I really enjoyed painting this still life set up while I was in the workshop in Florida with Alice Williams. I used cobalt blue and white for the stripes and I think that gives it a very fresh and lively feeling. This painting will be going to One Eleven Main as soon as I frame it.

36 x 36 oil on canvas

Olund House

Olund House

This is Yvonne's house in Sweden, on the island of Olund. She is a wonderful artist and we had the pleasure of visiting her on the island while this house was being redone so that she could move into it. We were there for Midsummer Holiday and there were almost twenty four hours of daylight.

I love the houses in Sweden and also the people. My son's wife, Kim, was born in Sweden so we traveled with them and met many of her delightful family members.

5 x 7 in. oil on panel

Eternal Vigil

Eternal Vigil

This painting is going to an exhibition that will be a part of our local arts festival, The Palustris Festival.  The show is called "Double Takes" and is a collaboration between the Sandhills Photography Club and local artists. I chose a black and white photo taken by a member of the club and the results of the joining of our inspirations will hang side by side at Eye Candy Gallery in Southern Pines during the festival, March 22-25. (and will continue to hang until April 14th)  Palustris is from the Latin name of the longleaf pine and was chosen for this annual event because of its unique connection the the Pinehurst and Southern Pines area.

11 x 14 oil painting

Catch Of The Day

Today's a travel day and here's one more from my sketchbook. My time in Florida has been enriching,inspiring, and invigorating-wow, what a mouthful. I really enjoyed being with my terrific artist friends and learning so
much.

Demo Painting

Demo Painting

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of watching Alice Williams paint this gorgeous painting, not quite finished in the above photo. Alice is a wonderful teacher and I learned so much during this demonstration. This painting is 40"x 30".   I will post the painting I did yesterday soon.

Charming Fish

This fish is swimming in the right direction and headed to an underwater party.

Hooked On Fish

I have been doing a lot of drawing and fish happen to be a favorite subject for me to embellish with my pen. I always have to add a little color, too. I hope you enjoy this and the others that will be coming up.

Giraffe On The Fence

I love drawing exotic animals and I have not done so for quite a while.  This is one that I met when we were on a family outing, driving through an animal park near Charlotte. Kim's grandmother was visiting from Sweden and we had such a good time feeding the animals the food that was provided. We did get spit at by the ostriches along the way but all the others were very friendly and gentle. We later found out that ostriches will spit if you look them in the eye.

6 x 8 in. watercolor

Summer Boats

Summer Boats

I am posting a favorite from the past and thinking about summer. Right now I am preparing to take a workshop with  Alice Williams and looking forward to studying with her again. There is also a lot of great basketball coming up this week-end!  Go Heels!

6 x 6 in. oil on panel

Flower sketch

This was very quick but also very FUN to do. I was planning on just pen and ink drawing but decided to add a little color! Today is our anniversary so we are dining out tonight just like a special date night.

Sign Of Spring

Sign Of Spring

We all know it's spring when the bright yellow forsythia begins to bloom everywhere and it is just beginning to do that here.  There is a huge bush of it in my neighbor's yard, just close enough to the edge that it almost looks like it's in ours, so we get to enjoy it too. We have some others that come out a little slower because they are not getting quite enough sun.

8 x 8 in. oil on archival panel

Deep Point Marina Terminal

Deep Point Marina

This is the terminal where you can catch the ferry to Bald Head Island.  The previous terminal was also in Southport, but it became too small and crowded.  This one is beautiful and has lots of space and amenities.  During the season it is a very busy spot.

 6 x 6 in. oil on panel

Pansy Jar

Pansy Jar

There are some things that call for one of my grandmother's antique blue jars.

I usually do not pick any of the pansies, but it's nice having this specially chosen bloom to enjoy in the kitchen.

8 x 8 in. oil on archival panel

Big Blue Cup

Big Blue Cup

Simplicity can be very comfortable sometimes and I enjoyed painting this because of the clean lines of the cup and the lack of additional elements in the painting. Every time I look at this I feel compelled to go make myself a cup of coffee or tea in this cup.

6 x 6 in. oil on panel