Single Eglantine Sport SOLD

These roses have gone wild next to the driveway.  Eglantine are a bright pink and smell like apples, but these are neither pink nor appleish.  Possibly a mutation?

Green Grapes Lavender and Blue Cup SOLD

I wanted the grapes to be light and translucent, but leave room to paint the highlights in white.  So I underpainted the entire panel in yellow green - about the tone of the translucent color of the grapes.  The yellow mixed with the lavenders and blue cup and helped to establish harmony.

Two Purple Iris

Two weeks ago, the yard was full of narrow, delicate Siberian iris.  Each is open for just a day.  Outdoors, the color is deep blue, but with back lighting I saw red violet and purple. They have a lovely sculptural quality. 

Three Half Shells SOLD

The brown eggs came from my neighbor Annie's chickens.  They  produce the most delicious eggs; the yolks are a deep orange.  Getting the shadows inside the shells and then the translucent lights within the shadows is a fun exercise in high key painting.  I even managed a few lost edges.

Single Eglantine Rose SOLD

The Eglantine Rose (Sweetbriar Rose of Shakespeare)  is supposed to be fluorescent pink and smell of apples.  I think this may be a cross or a sport that is from the same parent.  This is one of those paintings that I didn't like when I'd painted it, and then the next day I saw what I'd done and decided it was pretty good!

Ferries and Dark Hill

A view of the Vashon Northend Ferry Dock when the sun has gone behind the hill, but leaves a deep red tone to the shadows.  This painting is on display at Silverwood gallery through June.

Blue Cup and Oranges on Mirror SOLD

I do like the orange slices and blue cups.  The colors are complementary and set each other off.  And then I use desaturated and harmonious versions of the blue and orange to create the background and reflections.  The painting practically paints itself.

Three Red Dianthus SOLD

 These are carnations,  only smaller.   I decided to leave out most of the jar so I could describe the flowers which have long stiff stems.  I like that so much of the painting is in high key with only a dash pure white for the highlights and reflections.  All my best flower arrangements are in Mason jars.

Four Brown Eggshells in a String SOLD

When you run out of subject matter, just look in the kitchen-or in the kitchen garbage in this case!  I did manage to get a bit of glow in the inside of the eggshells and a bit of reflected light on the outsides.  A fun subject in a very high key - it keeps you on your toes to get it right.

Blue Cup Orange Slices with Visual Path SOLD

When composing this painting I deliberately made a gap in the orange slices.  This is to lead the eye into the painting,  through the orange slices and around the cup.  I also had great fun with the orange reflections on the cup.

Three Eggplants Silver Bowl SOLD

Here are those eggplants again - and this time there are three (or are there four?).  I liked the light bouncing off the silver bowl inside and outside.  This is the last one for a while until the next trip to Uwajimaya grocery store to get more eggplants.

One Eggplant and Silver Bowl SOLD

The eggplant in this painting was only about two or three inches long, a deep red-violet and shiny.  It is a tight subject with all those reflections,  so my main aim was to lose some edges and keep the brush strokes broad and simple.   I especially like the stroke of bluish reflection on the bottom of the eggplant.

Waterlilies on Clear Lake

I saw these waterlilies on a visit to the Oregon Coast.  The long ocean dunes create a series of lakes and wetlands inland parallel to the coastline.    This painting is at Silverwood Gallery during May and June