Two Cherries and White Cup SOLD

This is a high key painting - most of the values are light with just a small amount of dark value in a few shadows and in the dark shiny color of the cherries.  The high key makes the painting feel like a dazzling sunny scene, though in this case it's a dazzling bright spotlight to the right of my still life setup.  I like the looseness of the highlight on the lip of the cup- it feels as if the atmosphere around the highlight is vibrating with the light.  This one is going to Bainbridge Arts and Crafts in December.  

Black Cup Orange Slices and Magenta Wall

Another paintingh of a cup with orange slices, but this time with a little touch of magenta toliven up the color scheme.  I like the mirror on the table; it reflects the orange slices and the cup, but it is also obscured by bright light raking in from the right.  The light catches dust on the mirror surface and lightens the reflections.   I like the purple reflected on the right edge of the cup.  On my ETSY store

Stiped Towel and Orange Slices

This is a slightly larger piece, so I thought I'd try some pattern.   I found a piece of blue and white striped towel and kept the colors simple, everything blue or white except for the orange slices.  I  subdued the reflections in the dark blue vase and the coffee cup because the striped pattern was taking over. I also lightened the fabric to reduce the contrast and simplify the painting.  A fun exercise.

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.

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. 

Green Coffeepot on Green

Probably a coffeepot, but since there are teabags in the painting, I suppose it could be a teapot.  This was a thrift store find so there was no label.  

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

Cup of Cherries

A strong down-light illuminates the rim of the cup and saucer and casts dark shadows.  The cup saucer and tabletop are white, but the shadows are quite dark, and only the highlights are pure white.

White Cup Cherries on Gold

I kept the palette simple to unify the composition. This still life is toplit, so the rim of the cup and the tabletop are light. And the light is reflected back up under the cup and under the cherries too.

Cherries Cup and Bowl SOLD

A study in black and white and gray with some tasty cherries thrown in.  I especially like the white bowl which is painted light gray except for a few strokes on the rim of the bowl.  But it still reads as white!

Yellow Cup and Yellow Peppers on Yellow

I was kind of carried away with the intense yellow theme.  But yellows are fun to paint - how do you make a dark yellow? If you add black pigment, yellow turns green.  You can add the complement, purple, and that makes a warm brown.  So somewhere between the two is where I aimed.  I may try this one again only using less saturated color.

Yellow Cup, Red Peppers on Red

This painting is full of saturated color.  The sweet red peppers on top of a red tabletop threw a lot of red tone into the yellow cup.  It was a lot of fun going for strong colors.  The painting to look at when you need a cheery color to wake you up.

Yellow Cup, Red Peppers on Gray

These colors really sing against a neutral gray background.  I like the spots of reflected red in the cup. Cropping the cup in the top of the painting puts the viewer closer to the subject and creates interesting shapes.