Ferry From Southworth SOLD

Sun shines through the clouds and turns the water silver-blue-gray.  This is a view of the north end ferry as it crosses in front of Blake Island on the trip from Southworth to Fauntleroy in Puget Sound.

On my ETSY store

Wooden Boats

From the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle.  I think these are both small wooden sailboats, one with a mast, one the mast taken out, used for rentals and lessons at Lake Union.  I like the lines and shapes of boats - the curves are very subtle and fun to draw.
6 x 12 oil on panel
On my Etsy store:

Lake Gertrude Summer

When we lived in Kodiak we would picnic at Lake Gertrude at Fort Abercrombie.  Now, the brown bear population has increased in the area so you might think twice about a nice walk around the lake.  A summer view from the beach back towards the hills. 
6" x 12" oil on panel

Two Garlic on Gold

A small painting of sprouted garlic.   The sprouts enliven a very neutral subject.  I set the subject on a sheet of glass to have a bit of reflection to paint, too.
4" x 4" oil on panel
On my Etsy Store

Six Garlic on Gray and Gold

These garlic were from a huge bargain bag.  But because we can't eat garlic fast enough, they were starting to sprout.  So I get a new painting subject.  I like the gradations from dark to light in the background and foreground.

Tangerine on Red

Another small tangerine painting.  Highlights show the pebbly texture of the fruit and the smooth leathery shine of the leaves.  I like the harmonious colors.
Click here to see this on my ETSY store

Tangerine on Black

Another small painting (4" x 4") of the tangerine with its leathery green leaves and slightly pear shaped body.  I like the leaf shadow on the round tangerine

Click here to see this on my etsy site

Tangerine on Gold

This tangerine has been sitting in my fridge begging to be painted.  I like the leathery green leaves.  This one is painted in a smaller size than usual - 4" x 4"

Ninilchik Church in Spring

A view of the Russian Orthodox church in Ninilchik, Alaska, with early spring grasses hiding the brown fireweed. 

Cup on a String

Not it's not sideways,  the cup is hanging from a string.   One of six paintings at Bergamot Home this December.  I like that turquoise reflection on the foot of the cup.

Cup on Orange with Polka Dots

Another painting of the scarlet and turquoise paintings for Bergamot Home this month.  Love that polkadotted background.

Prize Winner!

I won second prize in the Daily Paintworks November contest.  "Daisies and Bachelor's Buttons" is 10" x 10" oil on panel.  Painted this summer when my daughter's cutting garden was in full flower.  (Thanks, Annie!) I painted the front daisy with detail, but tried just to suggest the rest of the flowers.   I also liked how the background colors work with the limited palette of the bouquet.  So even though the colors are cool, the composition seems light and lively.
 Click here to see this one in my Etsy store

Cup on Orange Stripe

Another painting for the show at Bergamot Home.  I like back-lit subjects, especially since the cup is actually white but instead picks up the colors of the tabletop.

Cup on Blue with Polkadots

Another cup for the show at Bergamot Home.  I like the dark background paper with turquoise polkadots. 

Cup on Blue Stripe with Orange

Another exploration of turquoise and scarlet.  At Bergamot Home for December. 

Cup and Orange Corner

One of six similar paintings on display in December at  Bergamot Home (23927 Vashon Hwy SW, Vashon)   The theme was scarlet and turquoise. 

Three Persimmons Silver Pot

I like the leaves of the persimmons.  They are flat and leathery and dull in color and it's easy to put in too much detail to try to make them look like leaves.  So I struggle to simplify the shapes, leave it unfussy, and still convey the idea.  That's what makes painting fun!

Three Persimmons Gold Wall

A persimmon painting with a dark background.  I like the shiny silver pot - fun to paint and a nice contrast to the matte surface of the persimmons.  8" x 10" oil on panel

This one will be in Bergamot Home on Vashon for the December show.  Located at 23927 Vashon Hwy SW, Vashon, WA 98070 

Persimmons on a Windowsill

Painted in my studio from this year's crop of Fuyu persimmons.  I like the minimal colors and the reflections in the silver pot (a thrift store find given to me by my daughter)  6" x 12" oil on panel.

This one will be in Bergamot Home on Vashon for December.  Located at 23927 Vashon Hwy SW, Vashon, WA 98070

Red Sunset Hills and Ferry SOLD

The north end Vashon Ferry seen from the Fauntleroy side. A late afternoon view when the sun is low and turns the hills red and throws the scene into shadow.  I have tried to paint this view previously without success, so this time I did a rendering in black white & gray and then applied multiple glazes of red, orange, brown and even a little blue.  The black & white start allowed me to control the values and the drawing without having to solve the colors at the same time.
6" x 12" oil on panel
On my Etsy store at https://www.etsy.com/listing/169045095/red-sunset-hills-and-ferry

View near Crockett Lake

I made a trip to Whidbey Island this summer.  This scene is near Crockett Lake and near the Admiralty Head lighthouse which is somewhere out of sight on the hill that I painted in the background.  I liked the sense of sunshine coming at me. 
12" x 7.25"

Dockton Harbor SOLD

The tide is out and the marina floats are resting low in the water.  Lots of verticals and horizontals.  I kept painting the posts in and then taking them out again to try to balance the tightness of the middle ground against the looseness of the foreground.
8 x 10 oil on panel. 

Oregon Beach

A view from a trip down highway 101 following the Oregon Coast;  high bluffs, sandy beaches, and rocky headlands make for beautiful scenery.  This was probably near Ecola State Park just north of Canon Beach. 

Cosmos and Zinnia

Although it's getting cooler, the flowers in the garden are still going strong and the sweet autumn clematis has just started to bloom.  So I picked a red zinnia, some deep pink cosmos and some white clematis for this fall bouquet.  I worked hard to keep it loose - the flowers are suggested, but I did paint the zinnia with a little more detail.

10" x 10" oil on panel

Evening Vashon Ferry

A late afternoon view of the Vashon-Fauntleroy-Southworth ferry at the north end of Vashon.  Light  touches the ferry at the end of the dock, but leaves the hill in shadow. 
8x10 oil on panel

Calf with a Red Earring SOLD

A painting of a curly haired bull calf with a red tag earring.  I did this as a paint-along demonstration with a class that I taught recently on Bainbridge Island.  We used a projected image, photographs and grid lines to transfer the image to our canvases.  It was a struggle to get the proportions right, but we did some great paintings, and had a lot of fun. 

Three Orange Tomatoes

Most of the tomatoes are over, but the cherry tomatoes are still producing.  These orange tomatoes have lovely sharp leaves and saturated color. 

Ferry Dock

The Vashon-Fauntleroy-Southworth ferry on a sunny day.  Mostly white and green and blue.  I like the architecture of the drawbridge and I especially like the brushstrokes in the sky.
16 x 16
At my ETSY store.

Ferns and Foxglove

Foxglove and bracken ferns filled the meadow on my neighbor's property.  It is a  non-native flower that likes our cool climate.  It is beautiful in early summer when it blooms along roadsides and in open areas. 
30x30 oil on canvas

Dappled Madronas

One of my favorite subjects: the madronas in my yard, with a view towards Talequah. A large painting with a strong green-gold hue dominating much of the painting.  I like the sense of light.  Painted in my studio. 
36" x 48"

Yellow Sunflowers on Gold

How much more of this gorgeous weather can we take?  The sunflowers are begging me to paint them.  And the dahlias and cosmos and bachelors buttons and calendulas.  Thank goodness, the daisies are spent!

10" x 10" oil on panel
to purchase

Twisp River Farmhouse

This is a warm sunny autumn view of a farmhouse near Twisp.  Last year we traveled Highway 20 on the last sunny days of fall and this painting was from a late afternoon side trip up the Twisp River Road.  The next day the skies were overcast and snow chased us home. 
6" x 8" oil on panel.

Big Tree

From a trip to Whidbey Island; this is near Crockett Lake.   It could be a spruce or a fir, maybe a cedar.  I liked the pattern of tree limbs and spaces. 

Whidbey View

I went to  Whidbey island last week to study at a workshop with Michael Workman.  We painted both in the studio and en plein air.  This was an effort from early in the week, the Methodist Church steeple on Anthes Avenue.  I like the light in this one. 

Daisies and Bachelor's Buttons SOLD

These are from my daughter's cutting garden.  I like how loose I managed to leave the flowers - most of the flowers are just suggested except for the center daisy which is painted fully.  I also like the colors; blue and white are so summery.
10" x 10" oil on panel

Plum Tree in Bloom

At the far end of the yard is an Italian prune plum tree that we planted many years ago.  It managed to survive years of neglect and predation by deer and now is producing a fine crop of plums.  This view was from spring when the plum was one of our early flowering trees. 

Twilight Madronas SOLD

A large painting - 48" x 48".  This one will be at Bergamot Home for an August-September show starting this Friday.  This is from my yard - looking across Quartermaster Harbor to Tahlequah, late in the day.  The sun is far north and very low on the horizon and all of the trees are in deep shadow except for a few leaves which get the last twinkle of light

Lighthouse Keepers' Houses SOLD

These are houses built by the Coast Guard for the keepers of the Point Robinson Light House on Vashon in Puget Sound.  Both the light and radio beacon are automated, so these two houses are no longer staffed by lighthouse attendants.  They are now part of the Vashon Parks System and are available for short term guest rentals. 
6 x 12 oil on panel

Four Cipollini

These were from the garden - when they were new we picked them as scallions, but now they're in an in-between stage on the way to becoming cipollini.  I like the red color. 

Cool Day Madronas

Even though we've been having incredible sunny weather for the longest time,  when the plein air painters from Bainbridge came for a visit, it was cool and overcast.  We painted the trees in my yard.  This is the view looking south towards Tacoma through a hillside of madronas.  I demonstrated how I spend equal time applying paint and wiping away the paint I just applied.

Cove and Colvos Passage

A view of Colvos Passage and the Kitsap Peninsula  from Cove on Vashon Island in Puget Sound.  Bright sunshine turns the distant hills blue.  A perfect summer day at the beach. 
6 x 8 oil on panel

Daisies in a Row

More of the daisies- they're growing too fast to paint them all but I keep trying.  I like the lineup of vases; I enjoy the stripe of light tabletop connecting all the glass jars 

Daisy Triplets

Summer is here and everything is ripe and ready at once, including the daisies.  I really like the crisp whites against the pale color of the aqua blue background.

Tangerines, Silver Bowl and Green Background

This was painted a while back (tangerine season has passed) but I did some changes to it just a few days ago.  I like the top light which throws small shadows directly down and which makes interesting reflected lights in the shadows. 

Daisies in a Square Glass Jar on Burnt Sienna SOLD

The daisies come from my garden and threaten to overrun it.  What can I do but ruthlessly cut them and paint them and paint them.  Lots of paintings. 

Gold Centered Daisies on Yellow

The daisies are weeds in the garden - they have to be mowed down just to make a pathway.  So John ruthlessly whacks them down. I persuaded John to leave just a small patch of them to paint, and now they're blooming.  I know what I'll be painting for the next few weeks. 

Artichoke on Plum and Brown

Another one of Joe's artichokes.  I like the cool lavenders in the shadows, and the warm yellow greens where the light shines through the leaves. 

Red Scallions

We are growing red cipollini onions in the garden.   I  picked this bunch before they got large because I thought they'd be exciting to paint.  I like the bright red plum color. 

Cove Motel

A view of Cove on the west side of Vashon - one of the stops for the mosquito fleet boats that served the island before roads were built.  This view shows the old motel building (now apartments), the water of Colvos Passage and the Kitsap Peninsula beyond.

Onions in a Jar

These little red cipollini onions can be picked before the bulb is large and used as scallions.  I kept them in a jar with just a little bit of water until I could get around to painting them.  Then I realized that the jar of onions was an interesting subject and so I painted that.