Composition with Trumpet

I painted this for the "Northern Fanfare" exhibit at the Shell Lake Arts Center in Shell Lake, WI. It's the first time I've included a trumpet in a painting. To continue with the musical theme, I added sheet music and CD's. The pine boughs were a nod to our north woods.

I'm always struck by the number of terms that are common to both music and the visual arts — harmony, composition, rhythm, tone, movement to name a few. In college an art professor told me to "make music" when I painted. All these connections came to mind as I created "Composition with Trumpet".

"Composition with Trumpet", 12"x 16", oil on linen, sold

Bowl of Strawberries

After the dark background in "Tulips & Pewter", I decided to go the opposite direction and paint a high key composition. All the dark values are in the strawberries. I enjoy finding the warm and cool colors in white folds. I like the warm shadow under the fold in the lower right corner. It feels like warm light is traveling through the cloth. This painting is part of the "Small Art with A Big Heart" exhibit at Firefly Trading Company in Cable, May 3 — June 30, 2012.

"Bowl of Strawberries", 8"x 10", oil on linen, Sold

Tulips & Pewter

This is the last painting in my Southpaw Project. I started it with my left hand and finished it with my right. During the first week in March, I got the ok to remove my splint and begin using my right hand. Yeah!

The tulips and pewter reminded me of a traditional Dutch still life. I decided to use a dark background and white drape to strengthen that idea. I've had this coffee pot for a number of years. I like its swirling sculptural form, but have had problems painting it in the past. This time I think I was able to capture it.

"Tulips & Pewter", 12"x 16", oil on linen, sold

Southpaw Project

2011 ended with a bang when I fell on the ice and broke my right wrist on December 21st. I had surgery on December 28th to patch it back together. My wrist is on the mend, but my right hand has been out of commission for seven weeks and will be for a few more. 

Of course, I'm right-handed and couldn't imagine weeks without painting. I decided to try painting with my left hand. My husband Bruce has dubbed it the "Southpaw Project". It has been a good learning experience. Once I got my studio and easel set up for a single-handed lefty, I discovered it wasn't all that different than painting with my right hand. The most important part of painting is looking. I still deal with all the same issues of composition, values, color, etc. The big difference is that I can't paint details with my left hand. That can be a good thing. It has forced me to concentrate on the big areas of value and color as I paint them with broader brush strokes. I like the direct painterly style of these paintings.

Below are the first five paintings in the Southpaw Project. I have posted them in chronological order. Once my right hand is working, I will sign them. I still haven't figured out how to write with my left hand.


#1  "Hopeful Pomegranates"

I wanted to start with a fairly simple composition, but wasn't sure I could capture the translucent quality of the tissue. I felt encouraged when I was able to achieve that. A palette knife helped me pull out some of the crisp edges of the tissue.

"Hopeful Pomegranates", 8"x10", oil on board, SOLD


#2  "Lemons on Tray"

Next I tried a more complicated set up with reflections.

"Lemons on Tray", 9"x12", oil on linen, Sold


#3  "Jugs and Egg"

I like the color palette of warm browns and the tranquil composition of this painting. However, I realized I was gaining more control with my left hand which meant I was smoothing out brush strokes and refining edges. I was moving away from one of the goals of the project: a painterly technique.

"Jugs and Egg", 12"x9", oil on linen, Sold


#4  "Sugar Bowl and Lemons"

These objects were back lighted by the north window of my studio. North light is cool which means cool highlights and soft warm shadows. I usually light my set up with a warm lamp which results in the opposite effect: warm highlights and hard cool shadows. These brush strokes are more painterly.

"Sugar Bowl and Lemons", 8"x10", oil on linen, Sold


#5  "Colorful Peppers"

Bright colorful peppers are a favorite subject of mine. I tried hard to keep from overworking the painting. I'm happy with the resulting painterly technique. This painting achieves the goals of the project.

"Colorful Peppers", 12"x9", oil on linen, Sold

Skates with Pom-poms

This seems like a good image to post on a cold January day. I painted this in October. It was commissioned for a friend's birthday. My friend grew up in northern Wisconsin where winter activities for kids revolved around ice skating on outdoor rinks in parks. Getting new skates for Christmas and decking them out with pom-poms was a high point of the season. I used my childhood skates in the set up.


"Skates with Pom-poms", 16"x 20", oil on linen, SOLD

Glass with Lime Slice

I continue to explore the translucent qualities of slices of limes and lemons. I went for maximum pop by using the dark background. The challenge continues to be capturing the subject with the fewest brush strokes.

"Glass with Lime Slice", 6"x 6", oil on canvas, sold

Ball of String

This fall has been busy with travel and painting commissions. Ok, those are my excuses for not posting on my blog for two months. Between commissions, I've done a few small paintings to record ideas. I've looked at this ball of string for a long time. The solid machine-wrapped ball contrasting with the loose willy-nilly string is interesting. In my minds eye, I saw a high key painting with back lighting. It seemed like a simple idea, but I wiped and restarted three times before got what I wanted. 

"Ball of String", 6"x 6", oil on canvas, Sold

Cans #2

At last, my second can painting. After painting "Cans #1", I decided to do a series. It has taken me almost a year to get back to it. In the mean time, I've assembled a great can collection! Unlike "Cans #1", I set up a strong value contrast in the background and added a big rectangular turpentine can to the round cans in this painting. Reflections still were the dominant theme. I continue to be excited about this subject. It would be fun to experiment with color in the background and how it reflects throughout the set up. I'll keep you posted.

"Cans #2", 16"x 16", oil on board

Plein Air Painting

For the first time in many years, I joined some friends to plein air paint this summer. We scheduled the sessions for Monday mornings and took turns choosing the sites. It was a great experience. I enjoyed the camaraderie of my fellow artists and learned a lot from painting with them. 

We decided to paint the lupines that were abundant in our area this spring. One of the biggest challenges for me in plein air painting is dealing with the natural light. Unlike the steady bright light I shine on still life subjects in my studio, natural light is always changing and often overcast. That morning the sky was gray with very few cast shadows. Instead of painting, I decided to take some reference photos and do black and white value studies on location. I went back to the studio and using the photo and sketch above, created "Morning Lupines".

"Morning Lupines", 20"x 12", oil on board, SOLD

The following two paintings were done almost entirely on location. The garden wagon was done during our last session in artist Diana Randolph's garden. Notice how these "landscape" paintings are looking more like still life paintings. I'm not sure I'll ever be a vista painter. After we finished painting in Diana's garden, she treated us to a delicious lunch. She is a wonderful cook as well as a great artist.

"Milk House", 8"x 6", oil on canvas, SOLD

"Garden Wagon", 8"x 6", oil on canvas, SOLD

Blue Moon Art Tour

On Labor Day weekend, we held our 5th annual Blue Moon Art Tour. Approximately 350 folks visited my studio over the two day event. It was fun to chat with old friends and meet new ones. My friend Melisa Morales photographed my demonstration. I showed how I begin painting a floral still life of nasturtiums, my favorite flower. The block-in is on my easel. I'm holding a completed painting of a similar set up. You can view more photos of the tour at www.bluemoonarttour.blogspot.com


Thanks to Melisa for the photos, my husband Bruce for manning the refreshment table, friends Jody and Kathi for helping me greet visitors.


Mark your calendar for next year's Blue Moon Art Tour — 
September 1 & 2, 2012

"Glass of Nasturtiums", 6"x 8", oil on linen, SOLD