Eggshell Committee Meeting

                                         Eggshells Committee Meeting


I painted these eggshells looking down on them. That made drawing them really difficult. Probably I need to review my rules of perspective. Once I got them all in place, though, it was fun to work on their interesting shapes and delicate colors.

The Coffeepot Stands Alone - sold

                                                    The Coffeepot Stands Alone


This beat up, old coffeepot is a family heirloom. The metal reflects what's around it and all the irregularities produce interesting shapes to paint.

Ten Minute Challenge

                                      Ten Minute Challenge


This series of paintings (on two 6" X 6" canvases) is my response to a challenge on the Daily Paintworks website (www.dailypaintworks.com/Challenges). Each painting had to be completed in ten minutes. After each painting, I could see what I missed - incorrect value contrast, shapeless shapes, wrong brush for the job - and the next time I tried to remedy the problem. I learned a lot and it was fun to do.

Little Yellow Teapot

                                        Little Yellow Teapot


This little yellow teapot is very smooth, round and uniform in color and the light just seemed to
curl around it.  I struggled with finding the shadow shapes that create the roundness of the form.  Still, the teapot in real life is perfect for one cup of tea.

Daisies In Glass Bottle

                                          Daisies In Glass Bottle


Simplifying a cluster of daisies in order to paint them quickly was difficult. I wanted to spend more time on each one, but following my time limits meant I had to mass them together. 

Cozy Cream And Sugar

                                         Cozy Cream And Sugar  

                                         Oil on Canvas       5" X 7"

These objects were part of a larger still life work. I have been doing "close ups" of parts of that work, rearranging the light or mixing up the relationships of the objects to experiment with

changes in scale and perspective.

Left Behind - sold

                                                      

                                                      Left Behind 
                                                      Oil on Canvas       7" X 5"

This little guy almost remained unnoticed in the garden.  I experimented with a worm's eye view - the wilting flower with the big sky behind it.

Dahlia Hiding

                                           Dahlia Hiding
                                           Oil on Canvas       8" X 8"                                 


The Jerusalem Artichokes completely took over this painting or you could say they are protecting the delicate Dahlia. I tried to capture the stiffness of their petals.

Sunflowers #3

                                        
                                         
                                          Sunflowers #3
                                          Oil on Canvas       8" X 8" 


My two sunflowers have gotten droopy, but they posed for one more portrait. 

Sunflowers #2

                                         Sunflowers #2
                                         Oil on Canvas       8" X 8"


Yesterday I brought my sunflower a companion. They were energized by being together, but I think they miss being out in the sun.

Sunflower #1

                                         Sunflower #1 
                                         Oil on Panel       6" X 6" 


This is my first blog post. It's the first painting in what I hope will be a regular schedule of daily paintings. My usual painting process involves many painting sessions, so completing a painting a day is going to be quite a challenge. And, this sunflower is the first live flower I have ever painted. It's a beauty, so I hope it lasts a few more days.