Single Mum and Round Vase SOLD

This is a simple painting of a single flower in a small round vase, but the close values and color harmonies make it interesting.  Most of the painting is a light middle value with a very small splash of pure white highlights and an even smaller splash of dark darks.  Both the flower and the vase dissolve into the background in places.  I like the saturated gold and the cool pink - they make a nice contrast for the white flower.  On my ETSY store

Blue Teapot and Eggshells SOLD

A month ago I painted the teapot, last week I painted the eggshells, in this post I put them together.  I combined warm browns in the eggshells and cool grays and blues in the background and teapot.  The colors are subdued and desaturated so they complement each other nicely.  I like the pale warm color inside the shadow of the eggshells.

Three Eggshells SOLD

A very simple subject matter, painted in medium and high values, with very simple warm/cool contrast.  On my ETSY store

Blue Teapot Blue Cups SOLD

Another painting of the blue teapot but with blue and turquoise cups. All the colors of blue make the painting harmonious, but the wide value range adds drama.  On my Etsy Store.

Camellias in a Pewter Pot

The camellia sasanqua is blooming just outside the front door and cries to be painted.  It has large white single flowers with stunning yellow centers and a tropical fragrance.  I like the stiff dark green leaves against the soft white flowers.  In our garden,  the most fragrant flowers are from this time of year.  Sort of a bonus to offset the short days and rain.

Sweet Cherries and Gold Background

I like this simple compositions, it presents plenty of challenges for me.  I especially like the color of the reflections in the cherries.  I mixed white into the dark cherry color to get a lovely purple tone which my brain interprets as a white reflection.  I like the poses of the stems, they seem conversational.  Painted from a still life I set up in my studio. 

Three Cherries on Gray with Reflections SOLD

Three cherries lined up in a row, but with a little bit of variation; a wider space on the right, a taller stem on the left.  I like the soft edges where the reflections on the cherries are close to the values in the background.  I deliberately lost and painted out parts of the stems so that they would disappear into the background.  It makes the stems look like they are curved toward the viewer.  The cherries cast a shadow to the right, but reflected vertically.  Where the reflection and the shadow intersect is the darkest area beneath the cherries. 

White Cup Stack and Five Cherries

Sweet dark cherries are in the store now and I have to paint them while they are in season.  I really enjoy their shiny surfaces. The color of the reflection in the cherries is actually rather dark; a mix of the local color of the cherry (dark red), the additional darkness from the shadow, and a bit cool white from the tabletop.  

Mini Daffodils and Two Vases SOLD

Both miniature daffodils and regular daffodils fill these two square glass jars.  We planted hundreds of bulbs last fall and surprises are popping up all over the yard.  I like the combination of yellow and gray and even put some yellow into the gray background  to make it all warm and harmonious.  I also like how the big piece of gray in the background follows through the foreground shadows and unifies the whole piece.  There are lots of light speckles but enough solid gray to keep it from being totally jumpy. 

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

White Jonquils, Square Glass Jar on Gold

More spring flowers.   These jonquils have small clusters of flowers on single stems.  Picked from my garden.  I like the brushwork in the vase. On my ETSY store.

Six White Jonquil on Blue

The bulbs that were planted last fall have started to bloom and I have to paint them while the opportunity is here.  This jonquil has a small flower with multiple flowers on a single stem.  I like the blue against the white. 

Daisies - Just Opening

Daisies again - these are just opening and the petals still bend upwards.  I like the glass jar and the way it disappears against the tabletop. 

Blue Harbor and Sailboats

A view of sailboats at anchor on a sunny day in Quartermaster Harbor on Vashon Island.  The dark green hills are reflected in the water and sunlight bounces off the white decks.  I like the overall light and the saturated colors.  (Every now and then it's fund to use the colors undiluted.)  Painted from photos I took on location.   This painting will be in a show at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts in Winslow Washington in September 2014.  Click here to send me your post office mailing address if you'd like me to add you to my postcard mailing list for the show.  (The mailing list will be used for show postcards only)

Daffodil Bouquet on White

A spring bouquet against a white background.  I love the bunches of daffodils in the grocery store.  I bought four bunches (40 flowers) to paint, but when I put them in the vase I found I had to take some out to have some "holes" to make an interesting shape.  Otherwise the bouquet looked like a solid yellow lollipop with a fat green stem. 
On my ETSY store

Green Onions on Gray

Scallions on a light gray tabletop with a darker gray shadow across.  Even though the tabletop is gray, I see green and purple and gold in the neutral grays.  When arranging the scallions I try to come up with a good division of space and some interesting shapes.  
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.

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

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.