Clementine and Teapot on Black, Dramatic Orange

I wanted the clementine to shine, so I put a spotlight overhead and stuck the black teapot in dark shadow.  Just a bit of reflection and a few highlights add great drama.  This one will be at the Spring Studio Tour.  I'll be showing paintings at Dockton Pottery, 25913 99th Ave SW, stop # 23 on the Tour. Maps are available at http://vivartists.com/viva/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Printable-Map.pdf.  The first two weekends in May, put it on your calendar.  Come see the art. 

Silver Pot and Oranges in Side Light SOLD

This shiny silver pot is such a good subject for reflections.  I used a shield to throw a shadow across the left side of the still life. The shadows add more drama and make the highlights more exciting.  I especially like the red reflection on the rim of the lid.  This painting will be in the Vashon Art Studio Tour the first two weekends in May.  Link to map of Vashon Spring Art Tour  I will be showing my paintings at Stop # 23 in Dockton.  See you there!  In the meantime, this painting is at my ETSY store

Boouquet of Dahlias SOLD

Summer is ending but the dahlias continue to bloom.  These luscious flowers are from a friend's garden.    Most of the flowers were in shadow in this set up; the light was in a small arc in the upper left hand corner of the painting.  To make this painting work I actually painted just a few petals; mostly I massed the values and suggest the colors. The very dark red flowers were like a black hole in the painting and I wound up lightening those flowers and limiting the amount of really dark paint.The fun was trying to make the whole bouquet read together as one thing with light and dark and volume.

Red Sunset North End Ferries SOLD

This is a view familiar to commuters who are waiting at the Fauntleroy ferry dock late on a sunny afternoon. Two ferries are 3 miles away at the north end of Vashon; the sun has gone behind the hills leaving the ferries in shadow and turning the hillside red. 

Jonquil Bouquet on Blue and Blue SOLD

This spring I painted many gray backgrounds; but this one is a little more lively.  I put this bouquet of white jonquils on blue and blue and blue.  These are early jonquils, some of the many bulbs that my daughter planted last fall.  The orange centered ones are small and have multiple flowers on each stem.  I really like the large area of blue and the strong contrasting whites and oranges.
On my ETSY Store

Sunset Creek

I enjoy painting late afternoon and twilight.  The colors are harmonious and the whole scene is shifted to warm oranges and reds.  This is a view of a creek near the Nisqually Wildlife refuge. Painted from photos I took on location. 

Two Tangerines on Brown

Tangerines are a favorite subject, especially when I'm in the grocery store looking at the gorgeous contrast between the fresh leathery green leaves and the bumpy orange skin.  I always have good intentions when I buy them, but somehow it takes me days to get around to painting them, and by that time the leaves are starting to brown and curl up.  These were fortunately painted within the first day or two of acquisition.  A lot of the lights in the tabletop were done by wiping out.  I use a smooth gessoboard from Ampersand which allows me to work back into painted areas and lighten and remove pigment. 

Tangerines on Blue Stripes

Two tangerines on a blue striped cloth.  I really enjoyed playing with the complementary colors.  The blue stripes were very dark, but got lightened up quite a bit in the painting.  If I had worked from a photograph I might have felt constrained to leave them very dark, but since I was working from a still life that I had set up, I changed everything all over the place. 

Sunset Trees and Snow

Another painting that will be in my show at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts starting September 5.  I like the gradation in the trees from light at the bottom to dark at the top.  The touch of light on the snow seems to glow. 18" x 36"

Silver Bowl Lemons Lavender

Another painting of a bowl of lemons, this time on a lavender tabletop.  I placed the bowl on a piece of glass on top of a sheet of paper.  There are some lovely reflections in the silver bowl.
On my ETSY store.

Silver Bowl Lemons and Blue Wall

A bowl of small lemons in the bright light of my spotlight.  I really like the reddish brown of the shadow as it crosses the tabletop.  On my ETSY store

Two Tangerines with Leaves on Pink

Another exploration of deep shadows and top lighting. This time it's a brightly lit pair of tangerines with leaves and stems still attached.  I threw a shadow across the back of the still life setup to create drama and simplify the composition.
On my Etsy store

Glass Bowl of Tangerines on Pink

Another bowl of tangerines or clementines, this time with the light on the side and a lovely purple shadow on a pink tabletop.
On my Etsy Store

Glass Bowl with Clementines

The lighting is directly above these small tangerines, giving strong shadows and bright highlights.  The bowl was hard to paint because  both sides were visible.  I kept going from side to side; trim a little here, even it up on the other side, add some more, take more off. Sometimes when I have a problem I will make a paper pattern, fold it in two and work on it until it is symmetrical and then unfold it and trace it back on to the painting.
On my ETSY store.

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"

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.