WHISPERWOOD IN SPRING

Ok, I think I'm finished with this painting. I'll have to look at it for a few days to be sure, though. This is such a beautiful place and a place I love. I hope it shows in the painting.

Work in Progress, 20x24, oil on canvas

This is a painting I've been working on the past 2 days. I'm still not finished, but I thought I'd post it anyway. I'll post the finished painting when I'm done. The colors are a little darker on the painting than on this photo.

Two Studies oil on canvas, 2x3

WHISPERWOOD IN MARCH oil on canvas, 2x3


MISTY LANDSCAPE oil on canvas, 2x3

I've been trying to decide what subject to paint for an upcoming show, so today I did 2 studies. I painted them in oil on a scrap of unstretched canvas on which I had drawn several 2x3 inch rectangles. I like both studies, but I'll probably paint Whisperwood in March first.

It was nice doing these tiny paintings! I used a #4 bristle flat brush and burnt siena to lay down a value sketch. Then, I painted on top of the value sketch, leaving the burnt siena showing in places. I don't remember ever painting this tiny before, but I like it. It's a great way to plan a larger painting.

WATER STUDY oil on board, 6x6

This is the same creek I painted Thursday. I like painting water, especially shallow water. In shallow water, you can see the bottom and there are usually ripples where the water flows over objects in the water. I didn't paint the tire that was a little further down stream from this...

FACING EAST oil on board, 8x10

I saw this scene with the sun coming through the trees one morning, but I didn't have my camrea with me. So, I went back to this location the next day and got several pictures. It was such a pretty day! I think that a lot of my paintings are of the effects of light. I'm fascinated by abstract light and shadow patterns. And this grabbed me. This one is really me.

Someone asked why I paint. Because I have to. It hurts not to.

CEDAR CREEK oil on board,10x8

I took a picture of this stream early yesterday morning when the light was coming through the trees. Today, I took the picture and hung it beside my easel and painted it. I left out a little foilage so the stream could be seen easier.

DIANA oil on board, 6x4

This is painted from a photo called Companion of Diana on the Different Strokes site. My painting has a good bit of subtle color which doesn't show in this photo.

TIGER EYES oil on canvas, 6x6

I borrowed this pot of Tiger Eyes from my neighbor--the one with all the beautiful flowers in her yard. I've painted her flowers many times in the past. She had just bought these and some other plants to add to her flower garden, so I brought these over and put them on the table by the window in my studio. It was such a pleasure to paint them! Now, I'll have to return them to her.

RED GRAPES ON A PINK PLATE oil on board, 4x6

These are the grapes I bought a few days ago. It's hard painting all the colors in red grapes because the dark colors aren't always on the shadow side and the light colors aren't always on the light side. And, there is orange and purple and blue and green besides all the variations of red. It's fun and enlightening.

RAINY DAY PUDDLES oil on board, 4x6

We've had thunderstorms and buckets of rain since yesterday! I like rain, but I didn't want it to rain today. I had planned to set up in the street for a downtown festival today, to display some art and paint en plein air. Of course, it didn't happen. Hopefully, it will be rescheduled for the near future. This is the view across the street of my neighbor's house with rain falling onto the already soaked ground.

THREE OF A KIND oil on canvas, 6x6

I went grocery shopping yesterday and lingered in the produce department! I came home with these luscious apples and some red grapes...maybe tomorrow's painting. Painting shiny, colorful things with light and reflections is lots of fun. I really like painting on canvas much better than painting on a gessoed board. This is a board that I glued canvas on. I've been painting on gessoed boards a lot lately just because it's easier to gesso than to cut and glue canvas. I need to get back to gluing canvas on my boards. I like the feel of the brush on canvas so much better. The gesso absorbs the paint too much and it just doesn't feel the same as canvas.

APRIL SUNRISE oil on board, 6x6

What a beautiful day this is! I just had to paint outside today to enjoy the air and sky. This is a plein air painting done from my back yard. It's cool--about 60 degrees and mostly sunny.

URBAN WATERFALL oil on board, 4x6

I saw this pretty waterfall in Tyler a while back. I like the way the water falls over the different layers of rocks. I painted this from a photo I took.

WHISPERWOOD TRAIL oil on board, 4x6

My mother, a poet and a retired college English teacher, liked to name things. The woods at their farm she named Whisperwood and she used to love to ride her four wheeler and, later, her golf cart on the trails my dad cleared for her. This is a view of one of the trails near their pond. I painted this from a photo I took March 16 after her funeral. I sure do miss her.

ENJOYING THE SUNSHINE oil on board, 4x6

What a beautiful day this is! I went outside to find a subject to paint and this little guy was sunning on the back of my house. I took pictures of him since I knew he wouldn't sit still for me to paint him, and then I studied him until he ran away.

TULIP AND LILLY oil on board, 6x6

This was painted from a photo I took of the flowers in the pink vase. I'm glad I took pictures before the tulip lost its petals.

DRAKE oil on board, 6x6

I painted this from photo I took a few months ago.

PINK VASE oil on board, 6x6

This beautiful vase of flowers belongs to Danita, but she loaned it to me to paint. And, they smell as good as they look. I set the flowers in front of the window in my studio and thoroughly enjoyed painting them. There was a tulip in the arrangement, but it lost it's petals before I painted this--they're on the table.

BOUQUET OF ROSES oil on board, 8x10

I painted this from a photo I took of some Valentine roses my mother received. They were so pretty! I loved painting this. I'm thinking of doing a larger painting from the same photo.

DAY AT THE BEACH oil on board, 6x8

This is a painting I did for the Different Strokes from Different Folks website. My favorite part of the photo was the reflections in the water, so I tried to emphasize those in the painting. I love to paint water.

This was a beautiful day. It was sunny and the temperature was about 68 degrees. I wanted to paint en plein air, but the day was over before I got a chance to paint. Maybe tomorrow...