This little guy has been in my studio waiting to be painted for a couple of years. His time has finally come. I painted this cheery composition for The Birds, the Bees, the Flowers and the Trees exhibit at Firefly Trading Company in Cable. It's a homecoming of sorts for the bluebird — that's where I purchased him.
"Bluebird Vase", 8"x10", oil on linen, Sold
My mom had these shoes in her studio. I'm not sure of their history, but a friend told me they were probably made in India. I'm fascinated by their form. This is the second time they have been the subject of one of my paintings.
"Indian Shoes", 9"x12", oil on linen, sold
We live on a lake in the north woods. Bruce caught these pan fish from our dock. The fish in the foreground is a crappie; the one behind is a bluegill. I tried to capture their iridescent colors and wet surfaces. I was thinking of Chardin's kitchen still life paintings that include fish.
"Pan Fish", 9"x12", oil on linen, sold
This painting was inspired by one of my favorite color combinations — lime green and aqua blue. It's fun to choose a color scheme and then find objects to match. I was happy with the painterly quality of this painting and plan to do a larger version.
"Study in Lime and Aqua", 6"x8", oil on linen, Sold
I continue to explore reflections and the play of light through water and citrus slices. The challenge here was to keep the strong focal point of the light through the lemon slice while making the background a medium value instead of dark. You can compare this to the earlier "Glass with Lime Slice" which has a much darker background.
"Glass with Lemons and Napkin", 6"x8", sold
The plein-air group has been gathering on Monday mornings again this summer. I've joined them a few times. They are good painters and lots of fun. I painted this garden nymph during one of our sessions at Big Brook Greenhouse in Cable. A big thanks goes to owners Scott and Sue for letting us invade their beautiful gardens.
"Garden Nymph", 8"x6", oil on canvas Sold
Periodically I switch from oil paints to pastels. It's a good way to freshen my perspective. With the pastels I work more quickly, focusing on composition and flat areas of color. I like to use black mat board as my surface. I try to avoid smudging my strokes and allow some of the black to show through. It gives the painting a graphic quality I like, similar to a linoleum cut. With this series I decided to try a wide format. I have one of my mom's paintings hanging in the space between the kitchen counter and the overhead cabinets. I enjoy looking at it as I'm working in the kitchen. That space was the inspiration for the proportions of these paintings.
"Apples & Glass Bowl", 8"x18", pastel on board
"Carrots & Tomatoes", 8"x18", pastel on board, Sold
"Peppers & Knife, 8"x18", pastel on board, Sold
"Pots of Primroses", 8"x18", pastel on board
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
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
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
