Kiwis and Glass Jar on Green

Kiwis have such lovely color on the inside; intense chartreuse.   The outside of the kiwi is not exciting -brown and fuzzy but the skin is thin and light will go through - like the translucent skin of a grape.  I like the contrast of greens and the loose painting of the jar.   On my ETSY store

Two Eggplant Silver Cup SOLD

This still life was the result of a shopping trip to Uwajimaya grocery in Seattle.  There they have the most amazing variety of produce, including these beautiful little round eggplant.  The stems are a soft fuzzy yellow green which is a delicious color to paint.  I like the reflections in the tabletop. 

Glass Bowl with Limes in Light and Shadow

Some subjects I paint over and over.  I love the translucency of glass bowls.  How do you paint glass?
You paint what's behind the glass, or what's in the glass first.  Then create the shape of the glass bowl by wiping out lights, especially along the rim and foot, and then add shadows and reflections. Last come highlights and bright whites. 

Limes and Pewter Teapot SOLD

The soft glow of the pewter occupied most my time on this painting.  It was actually fun to try to represent the dull shine.  It opens up a whole new window for painting subjects.  Painted from a still life I set up in my studio.  This one will be at Plum Lodge Painters on the Vashon Art Studio Tour on December 5th and 6th  and December 12th and 13th. Plum Lodge is located at 14210 SW Reddings Beach Rd. 

Pink Camellia on Gray

Another pink camellia painting.  The flowers are so dense and soft and the leaves are so stiff; there's a lot of textural contrast.   I like the lights in the glass jar.  These flowers last only a day or two in a bouquet, but will stay on the bush for a week.  They are among the first flowers of spring.

Pink Camellia on the Table

Spring has come early to Puget Sound.  The camellias are putting on a show.   The flowers remind me of roses (but no scent) and the leaves are waxy and stiff.  When the weather gets wet, as it often does in spring, the petals turn brown almost instantly.  12" x 12" On my ETSY store

Westport Marsh View South

A scene near Westport, WA - one of many inlets and sloughs on the south side of Gray's Harbor.  I like the many different shades of greens.  The colors are cool and soft, and show it was a hazy day near the ocean.  This will be in a show at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts Gallery in September. 

Yellow Daffodils on Gold

A bouquet of spring daffodils to mark the season.  Rather than paint each individual flower I tried to paint the whole bouquet with light values, middle values, and dark values grouped together, to give a better sense of the volume of the bouquet.  It is hard to make a dark yellow - if you add black to yellow, it turns green, the secret is to add a bit of purple which is the complement of yellow.
On my ETSY store

Silver Cup Green Grapes on Gold and Purple

I like the translucence of green grapes, they can be such fun to paint.  And I love the brown shadow in between the tabletop and the wall.  What is that color?  It just works.
On my Etsy store

Yellow Green Grapes on Teal with Purple

I put these yellow green grapes on a piece of glass on top of a piece of greenish paper on my tabletop.  This gave me interesting reflections as well as dark shadows.  I used a cardboard shield to throw a dark shadow across the back of my still life.  And I trimmed the cluster of grapes to make the shape of the cluster more interesting.  And then I ate the trimmed grapes. 
On my Etsy Store

Green Grapes, Glass Reflections on Lavender

When I paint grapes, I do a bit of trimming with a pair of scissors in the clusters of grapes so that I have "holes" to paint.  These empty spaces add interest and give the viewer a path into the middle of the action.  I put a piece of clear glass on top a piece of lavender paper for the tabletop.  And I used a cardboard shield with my lamp to throw a dark shadow across the back of the set up.
 On my ETSY store

Lime, Lime Slices and SilverBowl

I'm experimenting with deep shadows and top lighting.  I like the way the silver bowl melts into the shadows. 6" x 6"
On 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"

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.

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. 

Artichoke, Square Glass Jar. on Black

One of Joe's artichokes.  They keep well if you put them in water.  I like the reflections and colors inside the glass jar. 

Three Radishes on Gray

The second painting with the same bunch of radishes.  The leaves are starting to lay down.  I like the color harmonies in this one, the grays are a little bit warm.