Warm Thoughts for the New Year

On this New Year's Eve, the temperatures are chilly but our hearts can be warm!  I enjoy staying warm and toasty with a blanket and some hot cocoa.  Beachside is also a favorite warming spot--feeling the sand under my feet and between my toes is a favorites!

This painting is from a photo I took at the Outer Banks this past spring.  It was only 60-65F outside but the sun kept us warm.  I love the gnarly wood pickets and how the shadows twist out over the sand.  

Happy New Year to you and yours!  May we all create something beautiful in 2013!

12 x 16 acrylic on stretched canvas

Coneflowers Four

A dear friend shared several purple coneflower plants from her garden.  She moved away and we lost touch but I think of her and smile each time I see the blooms.  

8 x 10 acrylic on stretched canvas

Also available as a lovely framed print or greeting card

Pleasant Clouds

A small watercolor painting courtesy of a lovely sunny day.  My camera phone captured the inspiration image...I love the ability to snap the moment and paint later!

3" x 4.5" watercolor on 140lb cold-pressed paper, ready for frame

Black-eyed Susans on the Green

My three favorite rudbeckia friends are vibrant against a green gradient!  A tiny round tip brush provides the colorful accents. 

8 x 10 stretched canvas, acrylics

This image available as a lovely print or greeting card...check it out here!

Take a Dip in the Surf

This tiny beach scene was inspired by a recent watercolor class. I have worked lately to loosen up my painting and like my progress. Watercolor seems to be a good medium to practice letting go of control! It forces me to allow the blobs of color and water to flow as they will and use these flowing blobs as part of the creation process. Bottom line...I had fun with my little watercolor kit!

Colorful Daisy Trio

I love this piece...and what I learned from the process!

I wanted to loosen up my painting, but struggled with how to do so. I found artists with styles that inspired me and studied their brushwork and composition. I realize now I was analyzing too much and delaying the action!

So this piece is the "action". Enjoy!

 

Acrylics on 5 x 7 stretched canvas

Plein Air Patio

I have a "plein air patio"!  The lilies are blooming beautifully and the lantana is lovely.  I enjoy planning and planting in pots, in the ground, anywhere!  

Perennials for full/part sun are my favorites because of their vibrant colors, but it's hard to beat the beauty of a shady spot filled with lush green hostas.  This year "Endless Summer" hydrangeas will blanket the back corner of the yard.  They are small now but in time will grow large and produce abundant blooms.  I can't wait!

Rose from the Garden - SOLD

A lovely rose as my first commission was quite the task!  I love how the shadows developed to show the folds of each petal.  The client was very pleased with the creation!

I enjoy working on custom creations--contact me to start yours today! 

12 x 12 wrapped canvas, acrylics

Ready for S'more?

My mouth watered while painting this s'mores cupcake! 

Using my palette knife made the marshmallow peaks stand out--almost like icing the cupcake!  The graham cracker crumbles were challenging, but using more heavy gel medium in the paint was key. 

I am proud of the look I achieved for the cupcake paper liner.  I used the edge of my palette knife to create stripes using burnt sienna/titan buff, then created the "scoop" at the top of each stripe.

Oh, and the cupcake was tasty :-)  Enjoy!

12" x 12" wrapped canvas, acrylics, heavy gel medium

Good to be back...

Hi to all and apologies for the couple months of hiatus.  The happy news is first/second trimester sickness is mostly over!  :-)  I have finished a few paintings--including a commission!--and will post them soon.  Thank you for your continued support!

It's okay for practice to not make perfect.

I have never enjoyed practicing.  Anything.  I want what I do to be done and perfect when I do it.  First time.  Done.  Perfect!

Okay, back to reality.  It's true I have never enjoyed practicing.  I also am a recovering procrastinator.  So how to break through these barriers and continuously improve my creations?  Just do it.  Make the supplies simple and keep them in the main room of my house.  I use a 9" x 12" newsprint sketch book and willow sticks.  Sketch anything that doesn't move for a few minutes...like that plush dog sitting on the floor.  Oh, that was fun and looks good!  I'll turn it this way.  Now that way.  Nice...Rinse (the charcoal off my hands) and repeat the next day.  

What's important is that I practiced sketching, not how the sketch turned out.  Having the materials at hand, objects to sketch in my view and releasing the notion of perfection is what works for me.  


What works for you? 

Beautiful Cupcakes

My food theme continues into the New Year!  An art class buddy brought these gorgeous (and tasty!) cupcakes.  So I took pictures for future paintings of course!  Stay tuned for a series...