"Bird's Nest" - in progress

12"x12" oil on canvas

It's almost done!! I like how I've toned the blue down. Today I'm using a pallette knife to soften the top portion as I don't like the square shapes. It already looks different then this. I'll post, hopefully, the finished piece tomorrow.

"Bird's Nest" - in progress

12"x12" oil on canvas

I've been working slowly on the background. I'm letting the paint guide me on this, as I don't have a final "look" in mind.

"Birds Nest" still in progress

12"x12" oil on canvas

This piece is taking me longer than it should. I still need to decide on the background. My intention was the nest resting on weathered painted wood. I think this color might be too bold. I have some old shutters that have paint chipping off so I might incorporate that look onto the background.

"Birds Nest"

12"x12" oil on canvas (in progress)

This is a nest that I found out in front of my house this past spring. The bird left it with all its contents, I only have one egg left. I have kids who have friends who poked some of them. Then there is my new puddy tat who ate one. The background will probably change. I've been focusing on painting the nest. I'll give you an update of it soon.

"Heroes" and company - Tag!

16"x12" oil on canvas (in progress)

I've been working on this one on and off for a while. This is from last year's devistating OC fires. I saw this photo and had to paint it. I have some adjusting to do with the figures.

My Bug being a bug.

I've been tagged byJoanne Giesbrecht, http://thistledown-arts.blogspot.com/
Oh, I think she took me off her list on her blog, my name isn't there anymore. Maybe I'm taking too long to do it? Well, I'll continue anyway.

I'm going to do this like artist, Peter Yesis, http://dailypaintingpractice.blogspot.com/. He didn't tag anyone, just listed 7 things. The only reason I'm not tagging is it looks like everyone's been recently tagged.

1. I was born on my father's birthday (my husband was born on his mother's).

2. I met my husband on a blind date.

3. I have a canvas fettish. I can't walk into an art store without coming out with canvases. And yes, my art closet is full of all different sizes, like an art store.

4. I don't like driving to a place I've never been. I think it's a fear of getting lost. I've even made my husband take me to places the day before. It must be a past life thing.

5. I always have a song playing in my mind. I think in song. Sounds funny putting that one down. The songs change with my mood, experiences of the day, etc. I think my daughter has inherited that one.

6. I love thunderstorms and snowstorms. Maybe I should phrase it another way, I miss thunderstorms and snowstorms.

7. What else? Hmm...I'm a perfectionist, argh, did I want to admit that one? I'm trying to break my habit, really I am.

"The Days Afterglow"

8"x6" oil on canvas panel

This is a wonderful sunset that I caught one early evening out my bedroom window. It might have been after a rain storm. Unfortunately, clouds aren't a daily thing here in sunny Orange County. So, when they're abounding, my head is in the clouds. I believe this painting will go to a close friend.

My husband's family is here and I'm thankful he cooks the feast we'll have today. No, I'm not just sitting around, I did all the baking yesterday. Okay, he cooked dinner last night, too! Yes, I'm very thankful he likes to cook! I know I have many things I'm thankful for this year!! Happy Thanksgiving!!

"Field of Mustard Seed Flowers"

8"x6" oil on canvas panel

This came from a photo that I had taken when we lived in Northern California. Spring time brings these wonderful flowers to life. The carpet of yellow is so vivid. I remember having to be careful driving sometimes because I would scope out places that I wanted to take pictures. I took the less is more approach to painting this and I was surprised how quick this painting turned out. I might tweek the sky a bit but I'm pretty happy with it. My daughter loves it and I might give it to her. What a nice mom.

"The Tangled Dance"

10"x8" oil on canvas panel

This painting started from my first oil plein air outing. I went out with a friend to gain a little experience before taking an oil plein air workshop. Of course, the first mistake was we went out late, around noon, when there is no shadows. It actually worked in my favor. The park we went to had plenty of oaks and trees all around and the sun dappled through causing great lighting on the trees and ground. I walked out of there with just a color study. After my workshop I revisited this and it was a lot of fun to be loose with the strokes. I'm very happy with it. I actually took a picture of more trees next to this scene and hope to paint it as well.

"Sunflowers"

10"x8" oil on panel

This is a little painting I've been working on (and off) now for a while. It's for my son's "end of year" teacher gift. I came up with this flower by asking her in September what her favorite flower was and she couldn't ask why. It's almost done. If I leave it alone then maybe it would be.

"Irises"

12"x24" oil on canvas

This is a different style for me. I again, experimented with a black background, adding color onto that letting the black peak through. I enjoyed doing this piece. It was casual and easy and I liked the boldness from something so very delicate.

"Puddytat"

We just adopted an adorable 3 month old boy kitty on Saturday. Here he is with my son, Matthew. The kitten currently has no name, just a bunch of nicknames, see title for one. I've thought of Leo (he was born in August like myself), Tigger, Romeo, Merlot, Dudley, Roo, Bug, Ringo, Cooper, Jasper, Bean...I just can't make up my mind and I have kids that don't like many of the names. I'm sure he will be a painting subject in the future. Mean while he's keeping me company in the studio.

"A Shady Path"

20"x16" oil on canvas (in progress)

This is another painting I've decided to finish. Again, it's from when I lived up north. I'm not exactly sure why I stopped painting it at the time, but I suspect it was my insecurity of knowing how to capture it the way it was in my head. I do like how the grassy dirt road brings your eye into the painting. I need to rework the green oak in front, there is too much detail and needs to be softened. Please feel free to leave a comment. I learn a lot from other artists.

"Pumpkins"

16"x20" oil on canvas

I love how this came out. I espectially like the stem of the front pumpkin. It has uncanny resemblance to a witches hat. I actually finished this last fall, but I just signed it. I'm thinking that last year I must not have believed it was finished. This is that perfection thing that hangs over me. Well, I got over it. It's done! In fact, now that fall is upon us, I've put it on my fireplace mantel.

"The One and Only"

24"x12" oil on canvas (in progress)

I started this painting when I lived in Northern California. I just loved the soft hills there and the wonderful old oaks. In summer the hills are red and in winter they are various greens. I must confess that the photo did have another tree to the left on the distant hill. I originally included it only to remove it later. I also exagerated the color. It was just something fun and different for me to do. It's very close to being finished.

"The Colors of a Summer Night"

"20x16" oil on canvas

I believe I've finally have finished this one. I should have posted the actual photo of this to show that I didn't exagerate any of the colors of it. Now I just need to finish the typtech I started of this same subject.

"a Pair of Pears"

5"x7" oil on paper

I had these two frames that I bought at a great price. I didn't have any 5"x7" canvas panels so, I thought I'd experiment. I took scrapbook paper that I cut to fit. The paper absorbed the first coat of oil paint but once that dried it was easier to apply the next coats. I was very pleased with the results. I'm sure I'll be painting on paper again. I just need to go visit the scrapbook store to get some interesting paper.

"Lucky Shirt"

8"x6" oil on panel

I did this one a while back and forgot to post it. I had fun with the rusty texture of the old horseshoe.

My First Plein Air Paintings

13"X10" Watercolor on Yupo Paper

It has been a long summer because I haven't painted as much as I would have liked. Having a 10 and 13 year old has kept me busy. I'm looking forward to them returning to school next week so I can concentrate on painting. I did, however, take my first plein air painting workshop this past week. I painted in and around the Laguna Beach area and met some fun people! I truely enjoyed myself. It was a different medium for me, watercolor. The paper was different as well, Yupo plastic. It has forgiving qualitites, as you can remove paint and fixing things later. I've posted my two favorites which weren't anything like his. These were done towards the end when I needed to have aritstic expression. I loved playing with the water!

The talented instructor was Kevin Davidson. You can visit his website and see his wonderful paintings at www.watercoloryupo.com

"Peonies"

8"x8" oil on canvas (in progress)

I've been distracted from painting this past week. I hope to paint more on my peonies this week. I again experimented by painting the background black. I like working on the dark background. I see my strokes differently. The family and I head out Friday evening for our two week annual summer east coast trip to the Adirondacks.

"Pink Peonies"

24"x36" oil on canvas (in progress)

Happy summer!! The kids are keeping me busy. I have been working on a large painting for my mother. I did start this a while back but became overwhelmed by it's size. Then about a month ago I found peonies at Trader Joes. These don't grow in Southern California so as you can imagine they were on the pricey side. It's a good thing that they are one of my favorite flowers. The sacrifices one makes for the sake of art. I've truely enjoyed painting these from life. I did take a lot of reference photos, which I'm now using. I'm not sure about the back ground color. I'm also working on two 8"x8" single peony paintings. I've been taking photos as I work and will hopefully post them tomorrow.

"The Colors of a Summer Night"

20"x16" oil on canvas (in progress)

This is nearing completion. I need to work on the water a bit more. I still have to finish the dyptech I started of this as well.

"These Boots Were Made For...Flying"

10"x8" oil on canvas panel

I believe I have finally finished these boots. I might tweak them a little bit, but for the most part they are done!!

Now for the rest of the story...

My greatest friend and neighbor, who happens to be an awesome teacher, has an Uncle Bill. Yes, William H. Dana, a test pilot who flew in the early 1960's in the hypersonic X-15 research aircraft and flew the rocket-powered vehicle 16 times, reaching a top speed of 3,897 mph and a peak altitude of 307,000 feet (nearly 59 miles high), which means he obtained his astronaut wings in these boots!! He was the pilot on the final (199th) flight of the 10-year program...yes, he broke the sound barrier!!! He's actually in the Smithsonian. My friend's mother and father knew many of these guys (including Neil Armstrong) and had them over on the weekends, casually. How fun is that!!

Great boots, but what a wonderful legacy!

"These Boots Were Made For..."

10"x8" oil on canvas panel (in progress)

The top photo is a reshoot of the boots in my new photo taking area. The photo came out much better. I'm still working on them, they're fun to paint. Hopefully the next time I post them they'll be done and can give the scoop behind these boots and what they were made for.

"Marley"

8"x6" oil on panel

Marley is finished! This was a fun painting to do. I want to experiment more with black toned canvas. I'm a very slow painter so this was a quick painting for me. I also found the perfect spot (finally) to take great pictures!! You notice that Marley isn't blue like the previous post. My husband and I put under cabinet lighting in our bookshelves to give them a gallery affect. I don't like to use flash because of the reflection so, I thought I'd try here with all the light and to my surprise it worked.

"Marley"

8"x6" oil on panel (in progress)

I decided to paint my neighbor's dog on a pre-painted black board since he is a black dog. I've seen another artists' blog that always starts on a black background and thought I'd give it a try. Wow! I was pleasantly surprised by how quick this little painting came together. I like how I stayed loose with the brushwork. Unfortunately, the photo came out blueish. I have just a few retouches to do.

"These Boots Were Made For..."

8"x10" oil on panel (in progress)

These boots are an unusual item to paint but seeing them for the first time they screamed "paint me"! These wonderful boots are 40 plus years old and they look as though their owner is still wearing them. There is a great story behind these boots that I'll post when I'm finished with this painting. I like how I've kept it loose so far.

"All Wrapped Up"

8"x6" oil on canvas panel

This is just a small study that I enjoyed doing. The pear had a lovely glow that reflected onto the fabric. I hope you enjoy it!

New Desk

30Dx71Lx31H "One of a Kind" - Mission Table from Santa Barbara Mission

I found this table in a small shop in San Juan Capistrano. I don't know for sure if it actually came out of the Santa Barbara Mission, but I do know I LOVE it. It was the perfect fit between my bookcases. The top has two boards, the front board slides off completely to expose a storage area. I plan on putting under the counter lighting on the top portion of the bookcases to give it a gallery affect. It's been fun reorganizing my studio, but it's time to get back to painting.

Call of the Wild - Adirondack Mural

(work in progress)

I'm back working on my son's mural. I realize he's not getting any younger and before I know it he'll have out grown this theme. The view is mimicing an open tent and a menagerie of animals are peeking in. I forget how hard it is to blend acrylic paint. It dries so fast. I'm definately an oil painter just for that reason. I still have a ways to go on this. I'll keep you posted if anything drastically changes with it. It seems like I paint and paint and nothing changes. I am having lots of fun!

"The Colors of a Summer Night"

20"x16" oil on canvas (in progress)

I finally worked on this yesterday late in the day. I'm liking how it's coming together. I'm not sure why but I haven't felt like painting. I first blamed it on a cold I had now I'm not sure what my problem is. I moved my painting station last night and that seemed to help. I moved it again this morning back to my studio so I'll see what happens today.

"The Colors of a Summer Night"

36"x18" oil on canvas - Diptych (in progress)

As much as I wanted to jump back into painting after vacation, I unfortunately caught a bad cold. The art fog is just starting to lift. I'm posting some paintings that I started a little while back. Again, the subject is 4th Lake, Adirondacks, New York. Our wonderful summer home! This is a planned painting for my dining room. My husband suggested I do a smaller piece to give to my mother-in-law. Which I was happy to do. I have a ways to go with these but will post my progress, this will be a first for me. I usually just show finished works.

20"x16" oil on canvas (in progress)

"After The Storm"

16x12" oil on canvas

detail

This is from last summer's annual trip to the Adirondacks. My husband and I enjoy kyaking together, it's very peaceful, and the kids can't find you. I not only enjoyed painting the clouds but I loved painting the water, too. I especially like how it came out around the boat area. The toughest was painting my husband's head. The actual size was roughly 1" so to get his likeness and stay loose was hard.

"Hugs and a Kiss"

14x11" oil on canvas

The family and I spent a long weekend in Santa Barbara for the first time in 2006. It's a beautiful area and we had great time! The beach that we were in walking distance to was full of rocks, first time for us to see this. I took lots of pictures and encountered many wonderufl weathered rocks. I incorporated several pictures for this painting. A fun study.

"Clouds I"

16x12" oil on canvas

Here's another cloud study that I have been working on. I need to move on and I thought by posting it that it would make it a done deal! Maybe, I always like to tweak it some after seeing it posted. All feed back is welcome, thanks.

"Happy BIrthday"

My son, Matthew, painted this at school. We're lucky to have a great art program at his school called "Meet the Masters". They learn about an artist then paint in the same style. I thought this came out great! Matthew turns 10 today-my baby is double didgets, yikes!

"And The Cow Jumped Over The Clouds"

6x8" oil on canvas panel

I captured this shot during a summer storm on 4th Lake, Old Forge, NY (the Adirondacks). It's funny how we all see things differently. My daughter was the one who saw the cow, I on the other hand had a different interpretation. Hers was so much more obvious. I'm still tweeking it here and there. I think I need to add a little pink or yellow to the clouds to add some warmth. Yes? I haven't painted many clouds but LOVE them so I've been working on a few studies. I'll post more soon.

"Growing Up Together"

6x8" oil on canvas panel

I went a little tighter with this study. I loved how the green tops went in different directions and casting fun shadows on the tops of these tomatoes. I think I'm done with fruit for a while.