Daisies in a Jelly Jar, Summer Bouquet in White and Gold

Painted this summer when the daisies in my garden bloomed. I like the fast brushwork in the background and the simple color scheme.  On my ETSY Store

Car Show

Painting from a car show of a two-tone green antique car with white sidewall tires. On my ETSY store

Pt Robinson Llighthouse SOLD

One of the small paintings I did for the Artist Studio Tour.  The important thing about painting small is to simplify the composition.  Too much detail is very busy in a small size.  I moved the fuel shed, the fence and the large metal light tower a little to the left until they left the picture altogether, and I took out the chain link enclosure on the back of the building.  It still looks like the Pt Robinson lighthouse-just simplified.

Red Grapes on Black and Gray

This is a favorite idea of mine- a backlit subject silhouetted against a dark background.  I like the strong design created by the sharp contrast.  The play of reflected and translucent lights in the grapes
creates a nice feeling of three dimensions in a shallow space.  I also like the contrast of the warm grapes against a cool gray. 

New Paintings at 2016 Holiday Art Tour

I hadn't posted for a while because I hadn't taken any pictures.  These paintings are at the Vashon Holiday Art Tour Stop #32 Pink House painters in Burton opposite the post office.  I took these paintings with indoor lighting so the colors are a bit off.  All these are framed. 

Sailboats at the dock 8x10 - one of several I painted from a scene from the Center for Wooden Boats at Lake Union in Seattle.

Car Show 4 x 6 I do like old cars - to look at, not to drive - I'm not great at a manual transmission.

Cove Beach Shack  A sunny day on the west side of Vashon.

A sailor balancing his small sailboat as it heels in the wind.

Coming up this weekend.  I'll be showing paintings of sailboats, paintings of ferries, Vashon scenes and still lifes. 

Long Legged Bug SOLD

        I collect dead bugs to paint.  I had this one in my freezer for several months because I knew I was going to paint some smaller paintings for a miniature show in December.  Technically not really a miniature painting since it is not smaller than life or 1/6 scale;  this bug is painted life size.  I wound up using a very small brush to paint those very long legs.    This painting is mounted on a gray board and framed in a very narrow metal frame with the outside dimension of 6" x 6" On my ETSY store

Red Grapes on Gray

Not very red grapes; more like pinkish with green and gold and bits of magenta.  I put the spotlight above and slightly behind the grapes which makes them glow from within, and also casts lovely lights and shadows on the grapes and the stems.  The problem was the grapes were very tasty and my subject material kept getting smaller as I positioned and re-positioned the grapes.  I tried to create a "hole" in the middle to allow the viewer to enter into the space.  A slightly smaller painting 5" X 5"  On my ETSY store. 

Blue Teapot with Sunflowers on Gray SOLD

This beautiful blue enameled teapot was a gift and had to be painted.  I like the shape and the color and enjoyed painting the yellow flowers.  I placed this pot at eye level so I had to suggest roundness with shadows and highlights The sunflowers are the last of the season; I chose them for contrast with
the dark blue pot.  This one was fun to paint.  On my ETSY store

Blue Enameled Teapot - Teapot with Flowers - Sunflowers and Blue Pot SOLD

Another painting in a small format - this one is for the masters in miniature show at the Blue Heron -Vashon Center for the Arts gallery coming up in December.  I like the top lighting and the warm gray color that contrasts with the cool blue pot.
This one is 4.5 inches square.

Plums on a Branch - Italian Prunes - Still life of Plums- Blue and Purple Fruit

I painted these plums several weeks ago from the last of the Italian plums that were in the orchard.    There were so many plums that the tree branches were bowed down from the weight and touched the ground.  They looked like clusters of grapes. 
I like the dusty blue and how the dark purple shows through the light blue.  Painted in a smaller format 4x4. On my ETSY store.

Holiday Art Studio Tour

The Holiday Art Tour is seven weeks away and I just got a copy of the brochure cover from the tour manager.  And that's a detail from one of my paintings on the cover, so I'm showing it off and letting everyone know well in advance that I'm showing paintings in December at Quartermaster Cottage in Burton along with Jan Wall and Donna Botten.  Put it on your calendar.  The painting of the red ferry will be at the show - along with other paintings of ferries, island scenes, still lifes, and more.

Three Cherry Tomatoes SOLD

Three cherry tomatoes from my garden - we're having wet and rainy now, but these are in the greenhouse so they're still doing summer.  I like the strong dramatic shadows.  Created from a still life I set up in my studio - in a bit smaller size.  I'm sending three pieces to a small painting show and he frame can only be 6" on the outside so this painting is 4" x 4." I am trying to make the painting simple and readable from across the room, but, because it is so small, I want to pack it with detail to make it interesting close up. 

Six Green Onions on Turquoise - Scallions in light and shadow - Spring Onions - Kitchen Vegetable Art SOLD

These scallions are from the grocery store and have short stubby roots.  The ones we grow in the garden have long tresses that are difficult to paint--it's too easy to get caught in the details and try to paint every root hair.  So I actually like the store-bought ones better (for painting, anyway).  On my ETSY store
 

Pewter Jug and Four Tomatoes - Kitchen Still Life - Metal Pot and Vegetables -Cherry Tomatoes and Reflections SOLD

The season for cherry tomatoes is almost over.  Here are four Sun Gold tomatoes posed with a small metal vase.  I like the glow of the dull metal and the diffuse reflection of the orange tomatoes.  I put a cardboard shield between the spotlight and the jug and threw the back of the painting into deep shadow.  I like the lost edges where the pot disappears into the shadows.  On my ETSY store.

Small Vase of Zinnias Leaning Right - Two Zinnias in Square Glass Jar SOLD

The dark shadow in the background breaks up the space into two unequal parts and makes the painting more interesting.  The diagonal shadow leaning left opposes the flowers leaning right and makes a nice balance.  I like the dark pink centers of these pale peach zinnias.  On my ETSY store.

Pewter Pot and Three Tomatoes - Bright Cherry Tomatoes and Metal Vase

Dark shadows hug a small pewter pot and leave three cherry tomatoes in bright light.  The metal pot picks us warm colors from the tomatoes.  I notice when I paint that sometimes the edges of dark shadows have a halo of orange or magenta.  I'm not sure if it's really there or if it's a product of the lenses in my glasses bending the light at these areas.  I notice it, so I put it in.  But I can't remember seeing this in my youth before I wore glasses or bifocals.  Do other people see this?

Zinnias in a Round Jar with Top Light - Bouquet of Fall Flowers - Autumn flowers in Glass Jar SOLD

These zinnias came from a farm stand just down the road.  They are bright and sturdy with brightly colored centers and they last and last.  Which is a good thing, because I usually wait until the flowers have wilted before I decide to paint them.   Most of the painting is high key (light in value); the small amount of dark intense color is what makes the painting look so light.  On my ETSY store

En Garde - Five Green Onions on Blue Green - Bunch of Scallions - Kitchen Garden Vegetables Oil Painting

En Garde - green scallions posed with swords crossed. 6" x 6" original oil still life painting of 5 green scallions on a blue green background. Painted from a still life I set up in my studio. This painting is sold fresh from the garden and unframed.  On My ETSY store

Golden Onion in Shadow SOLD

Golden Onion in Shadows - Kitchen Onion in Dramatic Light - Thespian Onion Gives Emotional Performance - Audience Cries.  6x6 original oil painting of an onion on a tabletop in strong side light with minimal color and strong shadows.  A dramatic rendering of a kitchen onion with just a bit of crimson on the tabletop to suggest the fate that is about to befall the vegetable.  
A tonalist subject, basically a round ball on a horizontal plane with very little color.  It's all about describing the lights and shadows and making the onion glow.  On my Etsy store.

Zinnias Square Jar Toplight - Summer Flower Bouquet- Vase of Zinnias- Autumn Flowers SOLD

These flowers are from a farm stand just down the road.  They are sturdy and bright and have  colorful centers to contrast with the pale peach petals.  The painting is mostly high key, (that is, light in value); even the background is pale. But the dark shadows in the flowers let you know where the light is coming from and they keep the painting from being washed out and boring.  On my Etsy store.

Zinnias Square Glass Jar - Fall Flowers Bouquet, Vase of flowers, Pink Zinnias SOLD

These zinnias are from a farm stand just down the road.  These hardy flowers are going strong even though it has been dry and warm.  The petals expend their energy on color on the face of the flower, the backs are pale and tan  and reflect the strong side light.  I like the strong pink color, and the pink centers.

Sailing around Quartermaster, SOLD

Sailboats in Quartermaster.  Enough of a breeze to unfurl the sails and take advantage of the wind.  A nice day for a sail.  I like the light and shadow on the sail.   This one is at my show at PSCCU Credit Union here on Vashon through October.

Sailboat with Red Transom

A sailboat with a red transom plying the water between Vashon and Tacoma.  There's enough breeze to fill the sails and put some waves on the water.  A great day for a sail.  This one on display at  PSCCU credit union here on Vashon - through October.  Reception is October 7.  6" x 12" oil on panel.

Blue and Greem Summer Madronas

The view from my yard: from the top of the hill, across the valley, down to the water, and up the hill on the other side of Quartermaster Harbor.  The madronas grow with a twist to the trunks and lean out over the hillside to catch the sunlight that reflects from the water.  A larger painting, 36" x 48", on display during September & October at PSCCU credit union here on Vashon. 

Red and Gray Winter Sunset Madronas

This painting is going in a show of my work that I'm putting up today at PSCCU Credit Union in Vashon (Location: 9928 SW Bank Rd, Vashon, WA 98070)  A few years ago we had a snowfall in the yard and I happened to take a photo of the sun as it set just over Tahlequah.  The colors of the earth and the trees were all dark charcoal from the wetness of the snow with just a bit of red where the sun glowed through the trees.  You can't see the snow, but it influences the colors and the mood.

Night Ferry Southworth - View from Colvos Passage - Vashon Fauntleroy Ferry

The Southworth ferry dock is seen from the west side of Vashon.  This is a view looking north along Colvos Passage.  In the summer the sun sets far to the north; the sky glows above Bainbridge Island.  The lights of the ferry and the ferry dock are bright in the twilight.  Painted from photographs I took on location.  This painting will be showing at Dockton Pottery this weekend,  stop #19 on the Vashon Island Art Studio Tour.  The tour is the last two weekends in June, from 10 to 5 on the 18th, 19th, 25th and 26th.

Surf Fishing - Gray Day at Pacific Beach - Painting of Fishing for Surf Perch in Washington SOLD

Painted on the Washington coast in May after a morning of clam digging.  The digging was over for the day, but chest- wader attired fishermen were standing in the surf casting for surf perch.  It was a gray day so the colors were very harmonious.  I used a cool gray for the sky and water, but  the waves picked up the  beach sand as they broke and turned a warm brown.  On my ETSY store.

Copalis River SOLD

A view of the Copalis River on its path to the sea on the Washington coast.  It was the last opening of spring clam tides and we parked next to a guy who was selling clam guns.  His season was over so he was in a chatty mood.  We both agreed this was a million dollar view.  

Gray Day Roosevelt Beach

Last week, we went clam digging on the Washington coast on the last open clam tide of the spring.    It was a gray day with headlands obscured in clouds and mist.  This was painted on location at the end of Roosevelt Beach. The bluffs are steep and formed of barely compressed orange sandstone.  The orange sandstone color lends a warm tone to the sand of the beach.  I like the lost headland. On my ETSY store

Spent Rose and Two Rosebuds

These roses were left overnight in the studio and in the morning the open rose was starting to loose its petals, but the rosebuds were starting to show some pink.  I like the soft gray background color.

Madrona Study

A small study, 6 x 12, of the sun setting through the madrona trees in my yard.  The bark of the madronas is smooth and red brown on the upper limbs, and rough and lavender gray on the wide  trunks.  So when the setting sun shines through the trees, it sets the red bark afire.  A view I see often in the winter when gray clouds break at the horizon to let a sliver of sun shine through.  

One Rosebud - Single Rose in Square Glass Jar

From a flower that grew in my garden. This rose comes from the root-stock of a grafted rose.  The rootstock is very vigorous and now there are two different species of roses growing from the same plant.  This is probably rosa Canensis, or dog rose.  The rose is a pale pink and has a single layer of petals.  I like the pale gray green background and the softness of the shadows.   
On my ETSY store

Sailing Around Vashon SOLD

The sun is shining and this sailboat is heeling from the wind.  Nice way to spend a sunny afternoon. I like the way the sail disappears against the bright sky.
On my ETSY store

Yellow Rose Bouquet - Jar of yellow Roses, Father Hugo Roses in a Glass Jar, Spring Roses,

Another painting of the Father Hugo roses.  These roses are single - meaning they have only a single layer of petals.  The roses are also simple and clear in their pattern of lights and shadows.  The only difficulty is making a shadow in yellow - I usually aim somewhere between raw sienna and lavender, with perhaps a touch of green thrown in.  This one is a little larger 9" x 12"

Yellow Roses Glass Jar on Gold

The Father Hugo rosebush is blooming again.  Two weeks earlier than normal, and covered in small yellow single roses.  This is a species rose, originally found in China.  The small roses have a short blooming period and a delicious fragrance with perhaps a hint of cloves. I painted this from a still life I set up in my studio.  I used a spotlight and cardboard shields to throw the back of the still life into shadow and add more drama.

Three Chickens SOLD

These chickens were painted form photos I took of Joe's chickens several years ago.  I like the dark iridescent feathers with glints of orange and blue.
On my ETSY store

Oregon Headlands

A hazy sunny day along the Oregon Coast.  Tall cliffs and headlands with sandy beaches between.  I like the distant headland dissolving into the sea and sky.  Painted from photos taken along the coast. 

Daffodils Three Vases

For this painting, I used a palette knife to create sharply defined areas of white.  I wanted to mass the whites and the grays to create a clear pattern of light and shadow.  Slightly larger 12" x 12". 

Apple Blossoms Square Glass Jar SOLD

Another painting of crabapple blossoms.  I started painting this and was interrupted.  The painting sat drying for two days and by the time I got back to it, the flowers were gone.  But I realized the painting, though barely started, was almost done.   I had done a good job of massing the darks and lights into large shapes.  It took only a few minutes of adding several flowers, a few petals and the details of the stamens and anthers and I was happy with the result.  It has a loose feeling because I didn't overwork it.   On my ETSY store

Apple Blossoms and Jelly Jar SOLD

Actually I think these are crabapple blossoms; they're a little early for apples, and the flowers are smaller and more abundant on the stem.  These were a gift - a few of my apple trees have started to bloom, but I hesitate to trim any of my flowers because that means less fruit in the fall.  I like how the flowers are suggested rather than individually painted.  And I like the quilted design in the jelly jar.   On my ETSY store

Daffodil Bouquet in Top Lght

A bouquet of yellow and white and orange and white daffodils for spring. We have hundreds of daffodils popping up; enough for weeks of painting.  The yellow-centered ones are fragrant and the small orange-centered ones are an old fashioned variety with multiple flowers on a single stem.   The strong top lighting enables me to group the white tones and simplify the composition.  I like the yellows against the gray-it's a lovely combination.  On my ETSY store

Daffodils in Two Vases

Early spring is often a mix of these colors, gray, yellow, green, and white.  The first of the daffodils are here and of course they need to be painted.  16" x 12"  On my ETSY store

Dolphin Point

View from the Vashon -Fauntleroy ferry.  I like the last tree on the point--it is very distinctive- like the dot on an exclamation point!  The day was hazy, the  Northwest version of sunny.  8"x10" 

Dockton Marina Low Tide

A view of the Dockton Marina and Quartermaster Harbor at low tide.  Early in the morning the water is pale and calm and the pilings are reflected in the still water.    From photographs taken on location.
On My ETSY store.

Crabbing at Low Tide SOLD

When I first saw these guys out with rakes at low tide, I thought perhaps they were digging clams, but they were in water too deep.  Turns out they were looking for crabs.  Painted from photos I took on location.  6" x 12"On my ETSY store

A view of Tramp Harbor on Vashon Island.  Sand and Mud flats are exposed as the tide goes out, and often they are covered in soft green seaweed.  I wanted the flats to show the sparkle of sunshine and painted the vertical strokes to add a sense of vibration to the painting.  24" x 24"