Cup Glass Jar Rose Hips SOLD

A little more color in the white on white series for a show at Bergamot Home in January.  High key, or light value, with just a small amount of medium value and a few touches of dark.  The rose hips are from the Eglantine or Sweet Briar Rose which survives and thrives in our cool wet climate. 

Cups and Shakers SOLD

More white on white and a little bit of sparkle for added measure. I like the simplification of the salt shakers - it's easy to put in too much detail. 

White Cup Stack

Another white on white subject for the White Show at Bergamot Home in January.  I like how some of the edges are lost and found.  And even though the cups are white and the background is white, the only things that are pure white are the highlights. 

White Cups Blue Teapot SOLD

Another painting of (mostly) white subjects.  I found this lovely little teapot at Granny's.  Thanks to whoever donated it. 

Cup of Tea SOLD

A painting for an upcoming show of "white on white".  The only things that are pure white pigment are the few dots of highlights.  The rest of the whites are all various shades of gray. 

Ferry and Red Hill SOLD

For a few moments the late afternoon sun bathes the ferry and  the north end of Vashon in a warm red glow, turning green to red and making the silver water dance with purple darks.
I just posted this painting for sale on my Etsy shop. Click here to go to my shop.

Green Grapes on Lavender

I bought a scanner to take digital images of my small paintings, but it picks up a lot more of the canvas texture than a photograph does.  I can get rid of some of the excess texture by blurring the photo, but then I have a blurry photo.  Oh well.
I like the spot of light and dark and turquoise in the upper left hand corner.  It keeps the painting from being all about the lavender. 

Pale Lighthouse Pt. Robinson SOLD

How many ways are there to paint the lighthouse?   I think I've done them all,  but then I get a new idea.  A large metal radio tower and fence were built in the 1980's, just to the right of these buildings.  Using my artistic license I moved them just out of the picture. 

Near Willapa Bay SOLD

This is a view of a low lying meadow on Willapa Bay.  I liked the glare on the water and the sun lightened edges of trees.  The road seemed to end at the water.  Perhaps a place to launch a boat?

I just posted this painting on my Etsy shop.  Click here to see.

Blue Water Smoke and Ferry SOLD

Another painting of the Vashon-Fauntleroy Ferry.    When the ferry pulls away from the dock, smoke obscures the trees and steep hills of Vashon.  I like the harmonious effect of the blues and greens, analogous colors on the color wheel.

Three Persimmons and Vase

Three persimmons and the spoon to eat them with.  I like the leaves on the persimmons and the saturated colors of orange and purple.  But I wish I didn't have the end of the spoon pointing out of the painting at the corner of the canvas.  A candidate for my "fix-it" pile. 

Persimmons and Vase 6x8

The persimmons were still good so I rearranged the still life on a different format of canvas: 6x8 instead of 6x6.  I really like the reflected color under the lip of the vase.  It's raw sienna and a little purple - a very dull color but the reflection wouldn't work without it. 

Green Ferry and Smoke SOLD

The Fauntleroy-Vashon ferry with green hills, blue water, sunshine and smoke.  Smoke hangs in the air as the ferry pulls away from the north end ferry dock.

Two Persimmons Purple Vase

I really enjoy the saturated colors of these orange persimmons and the purple vase.    I also like how most of the space is dark, with just a small amount of light value and highlights.

Yellow Orange Cherry Tomatoes

We had a great summer for tomatoes with lots of sunshine in August and September.  I was almost too busy eating the tomatoes to remember to paint them, so here are a few late Sun Gold cherry tomatoes.  I really like the spikey leaves of these tomatoes.

Persimmons and Teapot

I found the teapot at Granny's Attic and knew I had the perfect item to go with the persimmons that have been ripening on my kitchen counter.  When I first got the persimmons they were barely golden, but as they ripened and softened they have turned a deep rich orange. 

Westport Lighthouse

The Westport Lighthouse sits on a dune on the south side of Grays Harbor.  Since the lighthouse was built the trees have grown up around it and now just the top of the lighthouse peeks out to the ocean.  The ocean is to the left of the lighthouse in this picture. 

Lighthouse Beach Trees SOLD

The Vashon - Point Robinson Lighthouse sits on a low lying sandy beach that juts into Puget Sound at the south east corner of Maury Island.  This is a view at low tide looking up at the lighthouse and the Madrona trees of Maury Island. 

Dark Ferry SOLD

This view caught my eye because of the colors.  Tall bluffs and dense trees contribute to the dark shadows on the north end of Vashon.  The late afternoon shines under the clouds and hits the side of this ferry. A nice contrast in cool greenish grays and warm reflected lights. 

Lime Slices on a Blue Plate

These lime slices are half in shadow and half in bright light. I liked the difference between the opaque shadowed parts and the translucent backlit slices.

Jonquil on Blue with Orange Stripe

This was an older painting that I decided to rework.  I liked the composition but changed the cooler blue color to a more saturated cyan color. 

Red Pepper on Black

I bought a bag of yellow and red peppers last week.  I managed to paint this red pepper before it went into last night's dinner.  I like the strong shadows created by the top light.  This composition reinforces my opinion that a limited palette makes a better painting. 

Yellow Pepper on Brown

This yellow pepper is lit on the back and the side leaving just a narrow rim of bright color.  The color in this painting is limited but the bits of red and green make this painting more interesting.  A very dramatic presentation.

Green Onions on Blue

Analogous colors (yellow-green, blue-green and turquoise) are very harmonious.  The touches of pink shadows and gold roots keep the painting from being boring.

Yellow Pepper on Green

This yellow pepper had light on the side but most of the pepper is in shadow. I like the drama of the side light, the dark yellow shadow, and the dark shadow of the background. 

Red Pepper Pointing Left

They went thataway.   I like the luscious color of this pepper.  Because the pepper is toplit, both the cast shadow and light table top are reflected back up on the bottom of the pepper.  It gives a feeling of volume.

Green Grapes on Green

These large grapes are from the store not from our garden.  The fun is to try to convey the translucence  without overworking each grape.  I carefully painted each grape and then went back and scribbled loosely with a clean brush until it looked much less labored.  The most important part is figuring out what to leave out.

Green Onions on Lavender with Shadow

Our garden is slowing way down for the season, so these fresh green onions came from the store.  I like the harmony of lavenders and greens.  The little touch of sienna on the root hairs completes the secondary triad of purple, green, and orange.  

Gray Day Tahlequah View

The beautiful sunny days have disappeared and suddenly we are back to a normal gray northwest fall.  This is the view from my yard across Quartermaster Harbor to Tahlequah point at the south end of Vashon Island.  Beyond are the hills of the Kitsap Peninsula. 

Blue Tree

Another painting of 4th Avenue in Seattle also showing at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts Gallery in Winslow.

Curb Lane Buses Only

A view of 4th Avenue in Seattle.  This painting will be in the Main Street show in October at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts.

Madison Avenue SOLD

This is a late afternoon view of Madison Avenue in Winslow, Washington.  It will be in a show at the Bainbridge Arts Center starting October 6.

Emerald City

Somehow this view reminds me of the scene from the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy and her friends first see the Emerald city from a distance at the end of the yellow brick road, or in this case I-5.  This painting will be in a show at the Bainbridge Arts Center starting October 6.

Vashon Center View North

A view north along Vashon Highway.  This painting will be at the Bainbridge Arts Center starting October 6.  A morning scene with long shadows crossing the road.

Two Green Apples and Dots

I had to spend a few moments telling the left side of my brain that the polka dots were NOT parallel to the edges of my picture.  Instead they were parallel to the fold between the table top and the background.  I guess "filling in the dots" is a left brain activity and not a drawing skill.

Bainbridge Trees

A scene along Komedal Road on Bainbridge Island.  The sunlight was breaking through towering dark trees.  The lower trees were backlit and turned bright yellow green. A bit of broken sunlight hit the road.   A very northwest scene.  Painted on location on a sunny day.

Sauvie Island Farm Road SOLD

Sauvie Island is an island in the Columbia River near Portland Oregon.  There are several u-pick farms and orchards - and a favorite blueberry picking spot.  This is a view of level fields and distant hills that line the river.

Cup Saucer Two Spoons in Gray

I taught a class on Bainbridge Island this summer and this was one of the demos.  This was done in a limited palette of white, ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, and black.  The burnt sienna gives warm tones, the ultramarine gives cool tones, and together they make the most delicious grays. 

Green Pepper with a Touch of Yellow

A very basic composition made more interesting by the dark shadow which touches the end of the pepper. Throwing a shadow across the scene is a compositional idea made famous by Caravaggio.  Seemed like a good fit for a dramatic pepper.

Garlic and Stems

A very neutral subject - just a hint of green in the stems.  The hard part was trying to get a balance between detail and simplification in the roots.    If you over do one part of the painting and make it tight and fussy, it stands out and takes away the unity of the painting.

This painting is for sale in my Etsy store .

Chickens and Trees SOLD

More of Joe's chickens in his backyard.  I like the light coming through the trees and the soft gray of the ground covered with fir needles.

Road to Tanner Creek

Tanner Creek runs into  the Columbia River near the Bonneville Dam Fish Hatchery.   This road turns into a trail.  The trail follows the creek up a deep gorge and ends at a waterfall.  Even though the sun was shining, the valley was narrow and densely tree covered and most of the trail was in shadow.  A short beautiful hike. 

Near Lake Wenatchee

A view of Nason Creek near Lake Wenatchee.  Late afternoon sun turns the tops of the trees yellow, and reflects in the water.  Painted from photographs taken last year in autumn. 

Suspicious Chicken SOLD

Chickens don't have binocular vision. The field of vision for each eye has only a limited overlap, so in order to see clearly this bird is peering with one eye only.  Another one of Joe's chickens.

Black and White

More chickens.  Painted from photos I took of Cherry's chickens several years ago.    I really like the black tail feathers.  They gleam in the sunlight and reflect the color of the sky. 

White Game Cock

I seem to be painting chickens this week.  This image, however, is from a few years ago.  I am amused by it  so I wanted to share it.  Yes this bird does look naked, but truly, it had feathers --it's just the breed of bird.
This painting is for sale in my Etsy Store

Dockton Road

Looking south on Dockton Road just as the road climbs to the top of Maury Island.  Late afternoon sun illuminates the tops of the trees and leaves purple shadows on the road. I used orange, purple, and green in this painting - they are the secondary triad on the color wheel (compared to red, yellow, and blue, the primary triad)

Joe's Chickens SOLD

These are Joe's chickens, escaped from his yard and enjoying the neighbor's property on a sunny afternoon.  I like the red combs.

Main Street Dockton

A view of Dockton, WA looking North, near my house.  Late afternoon sun creates long shadows and puts a yellow cast into the light. 

Cupful of Cherries and Three on the Table SOLD

Another black and white study with red cherries.  Again the cup and tabletop were white, but I knocked  everything down a value, so that the highlights would stand out.   I like the reflected lights on the undersides of the cherries.