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

Blue Peace complete!

Freshly varnished!


11 x 14 stretched canvas, acrylics and high gloss gel medium

Pumpkins Complete!

The finished product is Yummy Pumpkin goodness!  This one was fun and turned out a little cartoonish with the highlights and bold colors.  I really enjoyed painting this pair!

8 x 10 stretched canvas, acrylics and high gloss gel medium

Pumpkins in Progress

My family went to a local pumpkin patch and selected a few small pumpkins for our table decor.  Since carving the small ones was challenging, I chose to paint a pair instead.  The appropriate tool of choice?  A palette knife.  :-)

Fall Pair of Pears

A couple of pears for fall.  I like the composition and I enjoyed using my new round/oval palette knife.


8 x 10 stretched canvas, acrylics and high gloss gel medium

Rudbeckia Family Portrait

The Rudbeckia "family portrait" is finished.  This painting has ALOT of texture, almost like the petals are curling off the canvas.  


8 x 10 stretched canvas, acrylics and high gloss gel medium

Rudbeckia family portrait in progress...

While working on this painting, the color values have become challenging.  The background and the stems are too similar in value (or tone), i.e., you can't see the stems.  In class we tried some lime green and brown, and I want to go shop for a bright or perhaps neon lime green.  Otherwise I could make the background lighter blue.  


Oh, and the bud is one of my favorite parts of the painting now.  :)

What's on my Easel?

More Rudbeckia!  Cadmium Yellow is one of my favorite colors.  I look forward to adding/editing more details and filling in the background soon!  

Golden Pear

The 2nd half of the "Pear Pair" is complete.  Enjoy...I am pumped about this painting!


8 x 10 stretched canvas, acrylics and heavy gel medium

Palette Knife Rudbeckia

To one of my favorite summer flowers.  I photographed the rudbeckia I bought at Harry's a few weeks back.  The colors were outstanding on my patio so I couldn't resist painting them.  I am pleased with the outcome.  


At 5" x 7", this is a small painting.  Small is quick, and challenges me to edit.  I look forward to more smalls...


5 x 7 stretched canvas, acrylics and high gloss gel medium

What's on my easel?

I spy...a pear-in-progress!  This will be my second palette knife painting.  I am thinking to change the light blue to a darker blue to coordinate with the first pear color scheme.  This will make the yellows and golds stand out, as blue and orange are complementary on the color wheel.  

Palette Knife Pear Complete!

I love the finished product!  And a 2nd pear--to make a pair (teehee!)--is next. 

8 x 10 stretched canvas, acrylics

Palette Knife Pear--in Progress

Glossy glossy!

More texture!

I love learning new things.  I watched a palette knife demo and wondered if I would enjoy the technique.  Sure enough, once I took advice to "go crazy" and "sculpt with the paint", I had lots of fun!  Thanks Jill :-)


A lovely pear was my first subject.  Seeing this painting and all the texture I created makes me happy.  I learned something new and that inspires me to create.  Not to mention "palette knifing" (I'll call it) is super fast!  


8 x 10 stretched canvas, acrylics and high gloss gel medium