"Cup of Wildflowers"

We have had plenty of rain this spring and summer which has been good for the wildflowers. I noticed lots of these yellow beauties along the road in June. I couldn't find them in my wildflower book and was unable to identify them. The next day I received my Nature Watch email written by local naturalist Sue Thurn. There they were... a photo of Barren Strawberries with interesting information about the plant. I like the combination of the delicate flowers in this dainty yellow teacup. 

"Cup of Wildflowers", 9"x12", oil on linen, SOLD

"Nasturtiums in Teapot"

The summer has been going fast. I have been painting, but have not spent much time posting new work on my blog. Earlier this summer I took a break from oil painting and got out my pastels. I painted this arrangement of nasturtiums in oil last summer. I thought it would be fun to do the same subject in pastel. The oil version is below for comparison.


"Nasturtiums in Teapot", 16"x12", pastel on board, Sold

This oil version of "Nasturtiums in Teapot" has been sold.




"White Roses"



I've been painting roses recently. I decided to try these in a black and white composition. I wanted to capture the warm centers of the roses and the cool reflected light on the petals in the shadow areas.


"White Roses", 16"x12", pastel on board




"Teakettle and Mug"



I like the orange, turquoise and aqua palette in this piece. If you are in the Cable, WI area, you can view these three pastels as well as others at Firefly Trading Company.


"Teakettle and Mug", 10.5"x10.5", pastel on board, SOLD

"Baby Bella Mushrooms"

My original idea was to compose a painting of mushrooms using a color palette of browns and creams. At the grocery, I found these Italian mushrooms in a bright cobalt container and my concept changed from muted colors to bright. I added the yellow can of plum tomatoes and the painting became a composition of primary colors with an Italian theme. Sometimes I just have to follow where the objects take me.

"Baby Bella Mushrooms", 12"x 9", oil on linen   SOLD

"Beachcomber"

This girl was totally absorbed in her search for shells and pebbles. I liked the way the wind blew her hair. The yellow bucket added a great shot of color.


"Beachcomber", 6"x8", oil on linen, Sold

"Boy in Life Jacket"

Besides the cute boy squinting in the sun, what attracted me to this image were the orange reflections on his face. I'm happy with the way his hair turned out — looks wet and spiky.

"Boy in Life Jacket", 8"x6", oil on linen, SOLD

"Jane in Mink"

Over a year ago, our niece Jane drove up for a visit. We spent a day hanging out in the studio talking about art and sketching. Jane agreed to pose for me. She proved to be a very patient as well as pretty model. Fun to paint, too! That afternoon I made an oil sketch and took lots of photos, but went no further. I finally pulled out the photos a few days ago and painted this. It has renewed my interest in painting figures. We'll see where it goes.

"Jane in Mink", 6"x8", oil on linen, NFS

"Sunny Breakfast"

I can tell it's spring because I'm in the mood for yellow. I decided to include the coffee pot in this bright composition, but didn't want it to overpower everything else. The dark areas of the coffee cup and silverware help offset the coffee pot. I also tried to keep the values of the background objects darker so the lighter brighter foreground objects have more importance. The spoon handle leads the eye into the painting and to the melon slice, the focal point.


"Sunny Breakfast", 16"x 20", oil on board, SOLD

"Farm Eggs and Tea Cup"

My friend Stacey raises chickens that lay the most beautiful colored eggs. The gray carton was a perfect neutral background for showing off the variety of muted greens, blues, and rosy browns of the eggs. The pale yellow of my favorite tea mug complimented these soft colors. The eggs were delicious, too!


"Farm Eggs and Tea Cup", 12"x 9", oil on linen, SOLD

"Green Apples in Blue Bowl"

"Green Apples in Blue Bowl", 6"x 8", oil on linen, SOLD

"Bottles & Green Apples"

"Green Apples & Bottles", 8"x 6", oil on canvas, SOLD