Three Shy Apples

oil on panel
5.5" x 6"

sold

One apple is peeking out, and two are seen behind a jar of water.

Yesterday I finished an intensely detailed still life, which I won't post because I find it insufferably dull.  Today I decided to keep it loose, and I had a good time painting again.  I'm resisting the urge to clean up edges and add more detail, and that's a challenge.

Submerged Rose and Green Bottle

oil on board
5.5" x 6"
purchase

I'll be honest- I dislike the last painting I posted.  I felt that I was getting too nit-picky, too logical and worried about everything making sense.  By "making sense" I mean I was too worried about edges and boundaries and how everything fit together, instead of just observing color and light.  I tried to be a little quicker with this painting of a white rose under water, and I'm happier with it, but I still think I need to loosen up some more.  It may look like a quick painting, but it took me two days.

Red Leaf Lettuce Crop (2nd day)

oil on paper
5.75" x 7"
bid
I really did think I was finished, but this morning I headed back to make a few changes.

White Turnips

oil on board
6" x 6.5"
sold

I had thought that I might be finished with painting vegetables for a while, but that was before I started helping out at a local CSA farm, and bringing home freshly picked, organic produce each week.  I couldn't resist painting these turnips.  I had to begin with the leaves, knowing they would wilt quickly.

Trees Obscuring Oil Tanks

oil on paper
5.75" x 7"
purchase

I love painting on paper, and for some reason find it the supposedly casual aspect of the surface very freeing. Although the paper is smooth, I don't sand the gesso much and so there is a nice tooth to the surface that grabs the paint so nicely. I use a good quality archival paper (currently Stonehenge) with several coats of gesso.  As long as the painting remains flat (don't fold it!) the finished product is just as stable as a painting on canvas or board.
A steamy day today, the humidity already softening edges and colors. Summer is around the corner.

Radicchio Lettuce

oil on panel
5.5" x 6"
sold

Cactus in Red Pot

oil on panel
6" x 6.5"
bid

I bought this cactus plant to paint many weeks ago, and it seems it's been glowering at me for some time now to get on with it.

Grapefruit

oil on panel
6"x6"
sold

Oil Tanks Behind State Road, Late Afternoon

oil on gessoed paper
5.5"x7"
sold

I'm still entranced by this view of three tanks, but this time late in the day. I'm happy with the way this turned out, but had some bad luck while working on it. I backed up to get a look at my painting, bumped into a large rock, twisted my knee and now can barely walk! It doesn't hurt too much, just doesn't do what a knee is supposed to do- bend! Painting outdoors never seems to be simple.

Packaged Strawberries

oil on board
6"x7"

sold

I've never painted strawberries before. I enjoyed this, but it was a challenge to get the right red colors and to include some of the detailed surface patterns without going overboard.

Upright Carrots

oil on board
6"x6"
sold

This is my third painting of carrots this spring, and I'm finally happy with what I've done. Whew!

Miniature Daffodils in a Jar

oil on board
6 and 5/8" x 5"
sold

I enjoyed this one because I was successfully able to avoid much detail- always a struggle for me.

Upright Artichoke

oil on panel
6"x6.5"
sold

I've never looked so hard at an artichoke before. They are beautiful but complicated little devils.

Three Leeks

oil on board
6.5"x6"
sold
I like finishing my paintings in one day, even if it takes me 8 or 9 hours, because then I am not so likely to get bogged down in worries and over thinking. These leeks just gave me too much to do for a one day piece, so this morning when I went back to them I tried my hardest to keep it feeling fresh.

Daffodils on Kitchen Table

oil on board
6"x6.5"

sold 

I spent the morning painting the glorious insides of a purple cabbage split in half. Unfortunately I didn't know how difficult it would be! It seemed so hard to simplify, and impossible to put in all the detail without going fairly crazy. So I wiped the painting off and spent the afternoon on this kitchen scene instead.

Large Turnip

oil on board
5.5"x6"
sold

Guess what's for dinner?

Three Beets

oil on board
7"x5"
sold

I spent all day on these. I didn't find them easy to paint, but the colors were subtle and beautiful.

Bok Choy

oil on board
5"x6.5"
sold

I had to paint quickly to beat the wilting of the leaves.

Radishes on a White Plate

oil on board
6.75"x5.75"
sold

A friend of mine suggested yesterday that I try and paint vegetables. I slept on the idea, and woke up ready. I went to the supermarket at 7 to get a subject, and painted these babies all day. I tried to stay loose, and had a lot of fun with it.

Two White Flowers

oil on board
5"x6"
sold

This morning I spent two hours trying to orchestrate an interesting composition, but wound up with just this very simple one.