Old Friends

 

Click Here to Purchase - $250 - 8x8in. - oil on panel

Here are two peonies from my garden this year. I cut them when they were first blooming (they were a pretty dark pink) and took a million photos. Then one day I came into my studio and found them looking like this. The colors had changed quite a bit, and they were wide open. It was a whole new look, and I loved it!

We Want the Fancy Tea

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

This is another experiment with the Phillips Hue bulb as a secondary light source. This time I chose a warmer color. It makes for some very interesting shadows inside the cups, and elsewhere.

Color in Cups

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

A recent student of mine gave me the idea of using a hue bulb with my still life. I tried it out here as a secondary light source. The magic of a hue bulb is that you can use an attached app to change the color of the light to anything your heart desires. So I pointed my main, strong (white) light at the cups, and then a less strong hue bulb, further away, from another direction, set to a blue color. And this is the result. An interesting experiment for sure.

Open for Business

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

Peonies might just be my favorite flowers. I have planted a few in my garden, and fortunately the deer don't touch them (they eat everything else!). I spent a frantic few days photographing the flowers this year - both on the plants and inside in jars - with the idea that I would paint them later. It was frantic because they change so fast - opening and closing on a whim, and then changing color as they get older. But I love them, as do the bees, hence the title.

A Sunny Disposition

 

Click Here to Purchase -$700 - 22x12in - oil on panel

WORKSHOP PRE-ANNOUNCEMENT: Hey all, for those interested in taking a still life workshop from me, I will be doing one more this year, in Nashville, October 20-24 (5 days). We will open it up for registration on June 2nd @ 8am, CST (the time zone is important!). At that time you can use this link to register (before then the link won't work). See you there!

A Sweet Gesture

 

Click Here to Purchase - $800 - 20x16in. - oil on panel

Recently I hosted a dinner party for my ladies night group. I had plenty of food so I told them - just bring yourselves! But they're all really nice people, so they brought me a plethora of flowers (awww). They were so beautiful that I spent the next 3 days photographing them in various situations with the idea that I would paint at least some of them. So here's the first one, with a big thank you to my lovely friends!!

I See You

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I was looking through some of my old files the other day and found this cutie. My late friend Bren took the photo. It felt like seeing her again to paint it, as weird as that might sound.

Apples Beware

 

Click Here to Purchase - $250 - 8x8in. - oil on panel

I'm really quite a peaceful person. It's not me who puts the objects into threatening positions. In this case it was the scissors. They jumped in at the last minute. I think I need to put them in therapy.

In a Square World

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

Here are a few more apples. Mostly what I find at the store are giant apples without much personality, These were a bit smaller and very pretty. I suppose apples are mostly grown for their taste, which is so weird. ; )

Vanishing Carpet Ride

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

This past weekend I dipped my toes back into teaching with a 3-day workshop in Portland, OR. You can see my kiddos down below. Unfortunately otherwise I didn't get any photos (too busy teaching).

I was a little apprehensive about how my body would feel since I still have nerve damage that is healing quite slowly, but everything went great! And my students were fabulous - they muscled through a whole day of painting timed apples, and put up with all my rambling. Aren't they adorable?!

I've decided going forward to commit to 2 workshops a year, spring and fall. Now it's just a matter of where, and I have some ideas. Will post those soonish.

ps. I'm in the middle of the group photo, and I made my shirt. : )

Jail Break

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

As spring arrives, we are getting more interesting and good looking produce at the grocery store here in Montana. Which makes this gal very happy! : )

Taking Risks

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I've been thinking about the rules of composition lately. And by thinking about them I mean, the fact that I mostly don't. I compose by feel/instinct. As I'm putting something like this together, I am only asking myself - do I like the way this looks? I'll try absolutely anything. If I land on something I like, then I paint it. If it's almost working but not quite, that's when I consult the rules in case any of them might help. If anything they should be called "potential helping tools" rather than rules. I think if I tried to follow all the rules all the time, my paintings could be pretty dang boring. My opinion anyway.

This Little Piggy

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

This cute little pig loves to painting-bomb (kind of photo-bombing, but requires more time). Fortunately he's so cute that the other props are still nice to him.

A Painter's Cups

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I was shooting for something more painterly here, with a variation of color for every stroke. It can be very fun to paint this way, but also time-consuming, as I spend a lot of time mixing.

New Green Bottle

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I got this green bottle recently at our very cool, 4-story, antique mall. I painted it here, above, trying to make friends with all the other props. And then I got a bug to paint the whole thing again, on a black gessoed panel (below). Two different looks. I'm posting them both because I couldn't decide if I liked one over the other.

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

Loyal Subjects

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

Small cups (and vases) are especially loyal to the sunflower queen. Don't ask me why. They give me all kinds of trouble.

Catchin' Some Rays

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

We've had some beautiful weather here lately in Missoula. I'm really enjoying the sunshine. These sunflowers mirror that feeling. They're just basking!

Standing Proud

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I took a break from sewing to paint a few little sunflowers. My favorite part of this one is the stems in the water. I just love how it turned out.

Hide the Apples

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I bought this fabric a while back thinking I'd turn it into a scarf. I realized today that I can still do that, but just borrow it once in a while for a still life. Duh.

Draped in Purple

Click Here to Purchase - $650 - 10x20in. - oil on panel (click image to enlarge)

Full disclosure: this one is actually just under 10 inches tall. By about 1/8 inch. But it's one of my favorites of late. I've really enjoyed having it in my studio.