Two Green Apples and Dots

I had to spend a few moments telling the left side of my brain that the polka dots were NOT parallel to the edges of my picture.  Instead they were parallel to the fold between the table top and the background.  I guess "filling in the dots" is a left brain activity and not a drawing skill.

Bainbridge Trees

A scene along Komedal Road on Bainbridge Island.  The sunlight was breaking through towering dark trees.  The lower trees were backlit and turned bright yellow green. A bit of broken sunlight hit the road.   A very northwest scene.  Painted on location on a sunny day.

Sauvie Island Farm Road SOLD

Sauvie Island is an island in the Columbia River near Portland Oregon.  There are several u-pick farms and orchards - and a favorite blueberry picking spot.  This is a view of level fields and distant hills that line the river.

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. 

Green Pepper with a Touch of Yellow

A very basic composition made more interesting by the dark shadow which touches the end of the pepper. Throwing a shadow across the scene is a compositional idea made famous by Caravaggio.  Seemed like a good fit for a dramatic pepper.

Garlic and Stems

A very neutral subject - just a hint of green in the stems.  The hard part was trying to get a balance between detail and simplification in the roots.    If you over do one part of the painting and make it tight and fussy, it stands out and takes away the unity of the painting.

This painting is for sale in my Etsy store .

Chickens and Trees SOLD

More of Joe's chickens in his backyard.  I like the light coming through the trees and the soft gray of the ground covered with fir needles.

Road to Tanner Creek

Tanner Creek runs into  the Columbia River near the Bonneville Dam Fish Hatchery.   This road turns into a trail.  The trail follows the creek up a deep gorge and ends at a waterfall.  Even though the sun was shining, the valley was narrow and densely tree covered and most of the trail was in shadow.  A short beautiful hike. 

Near Lake Wenatchee

A view of Nason Creek near Lake Wenatchee.  Late afternoon sun turns the tops of the trees yellow, and reflects in the water.  Painted from photographs taken last year in autumn. 

Suspicious Chicken SOLD

Chickens don't have binocular vision. The field of vision for each eye has only a limited overlap, so in order to see clearly this bird is peering with one eye only.  Another one of Joe's chickens.

Black and White

More chickens.  Painted from photos I took of Cherry's chickens several years ago.    I really like the black tail feathers.  They gleam in the sunlight and reflect the color of the sky. 

White Game Cock

I seem to be painting chickens this week.  This image, however, is from a few years ago.  I am amused by it  so I wanted to share it.  Yes this bird does look naked, but truly, it had feathers --it's just the breed of bird.
This painting is for sale in my Etsy Store

Dockton Road

Looking south on Dockton Road just as the road climbs to the top of Maury Island.  Late afternoon sun illuminates the tops of the trees and leaves purple shadows on the road. I used orange, purple, and green in this painting - they are the secondary triad on the color wheel (compared to red, yellow, and blue, the primary triad)

Joe's Chickens SOLD

These are Joe's chickens, escaped from his yard and enjoying the neighbor's property on a sunny afternoon.  I like the red combs.

Main Street Dockton

A view of Dockton, WA looking North, near my house.  Late afternoon sun creates long shadows and puts a yellow cast into the light. 

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. 

Daisies Curling , on Turquoise

When daisies are almost over the petals curl backward.  I like how the background colors are pulled into the glass jar and I like the delicious pale yellow green reflected light. 

Two Daisies on Turquoise and Blue

Two daisies again.  Fully open against a bright turquoise and blue background.   The petals are starting to curl backwards as the flowers mature.  I like the color of the greenish reflection in the bottom of the jar.

Daisies Front and Back

Another view of the daisies, this time in a round Mason jar.   I like how the daisies are all straight lines and contrast with all the curvy lines of the glass jar and reflection.  The reflected shape inside the glass jar is especially nice. 

Opening Daisies on Gray and Yellow Green

Another painting of daisies as they open under the bright lights of the studio.  I really like the background colors. 

Two Half Open Daisies on Turquoise

We planted Shasta Daisies in the garden but they took over like thugs and became weeds.  Now we chop them back ruthlessly.   These are two escapees that I managed to pick before they were whacked down.  They are still opening and turning to the light.

Vinegar, Fork, Spoon on Gray

Shiny things are fun to paint - all those reflective surfaces!  The red label adds a strong color note and contrasts nicely with all the neutral gray. 

View South Through the Madronas SOLD

This was done out of doors in my yard on an overcast day. We have a large stand of madrona on our property and they all lean out over the hillside.  This is a view south towards Tacoma with the lightest part of the painting the light reflected on the water.  I like the close color harmony created by the subdued light.

Sequim Slough

Another view of Sequim.  The land is low and sandy near the water and this tidal inlet works its way back towards the town.   I like how this painting is opposite of the previous Sequim view - dark in the foreground and light in the back.
This painting is for sale at my Etsy Store

Sequim View SOLD

It's often sunny in Sequim WA on the Straits of Juan de Fuca.  The Olympic mountains (in the background of this painting) catch all the moisture and leave clear blue skies.  This is a view near the ocean looking back at the mountains.

Nancy's Shed and Madronnas

The sky was a deep dark blue and the madronas were dark, with reddish tones from the red bark .  All these darks acreate strong contrast and push the shed forward.

Nancy's Shed and Fence SOLD

Another view of Nancy's garden shed. I like how the strong sunlight is reflected under the eaves and warms the shadow

Nancy's Shed with Lavateria SOLD

This is a neighbor's shed painted from photos taken last summer.  It was late in the summer and the lavateria was in full bloom, the apples were almost ready to pick and the grass had turned golden.  A souvenir of a perfect summer day.

Yellow Daffodil on Mauve SOLD

A painting from this spring.  Mauve is the name of a light purple color that was the first synthetic dye color.  It was created by accident in 1856 by an 18 year old chemistry student, William Henry Perkin, who was trying to synthesize the anti-malaria drug quinine. The name mauve was given to it from the French name for the mallow flower.  The color of this dye is familiar to those of us who remember ditto  machines- it was used in the ink.

Three Cherries Shadows Reflections

How do you make a light intense vibrant red?  If you add white you wind up with pink, so the trick is to make all the dark reds almost black and leave the light reds pure saturated color, straight out of the tube.  When I paint cherries I pick the red ones to paint so that I have somewhere to go with my dark colors.  This suits my family just fine because they like to eat the darker sweeter ones.

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.