Haywood County Barn

Haywood County Barn

11"x14" Oil on Canvas

     This is a perfect example of what five years growth in art will do!

     We recently had the interior of our home painted and I have been slowly putting things back where they were and in many cases doing a bit of rearranging to change things up a bit.

     This old barn is in western North Carolina and is across the highway from a cemetery where generations of my family (including both of my parents) are buried.  It is a place I have visited hundreds of times since I was a very little girl.  I did not want to rehang this older painting which I painted several years ago so I decided to paint a new one today and the older, original version is below.  Notice that I went outside the lines a bit on this newer one.  My teacher would be proud!

The Blue Door

The Blue Door

9"x12" Oil On Panel

$325.00

     This is a plein-air piece done in downtown Matthews along the side of Matthews Elementary School.  The more I painted, the more it began to resemble an adobe hut in Santa Fe!  The school really had a bright blue side door but the colors for the brick that I chose made it look more and more adobe-like.  Go figure! It is whatever you want it to be!

Summertime Arrangement

Summertime Arrangement

24"x24" Oil on Canvas

$695.00 framed

     This past Wednesday I attended a one-day still-life workshop.  We spent the morning doing quick value studies from a multitude of set ups ranging from a pair of scissors hung on a wall to red plastic chillies.  For the afternoon session I decided to paint some luscious pink hydrangeas brought in by one of the other workshop attendees.  

     Granted these flowers may not resemble pink hydrangeas but I was pleased that I was successful in using a variety of brushstrokes and palette knife swipes to render the suggestion of flowers.

The Bag

The Bag

6"x8" Oil on Raymar Panel

$125.00 framed

     In my attempt to teach my eyes to "see", I have been trying to focus a little more on still life setups. 

     This is a bag from Tiffany's from my trip to New York City last November with my daughter Kim.  She bought a ring for herself and I kept the bag as a prop! 

Happy

Happy

10"x8" Oil on Panel

$295.00 framed

     I'm back!!!!  I have been off the radar for about a month with this blog.  I think I just allowed myself to get out of the routine of blogging.  I've been in a artistic slump like all artists go through occasionally but I think I am about to the end.  Thank goodness!!  

     During the month of May I have been participating in Leslie Saeta's 30 days of marketing and I have learned SO MUCH.  The amount of information and  knowledge that is out there is totally amazing and it is slowly filtering into my brain.  Thank you Leslie for sharing with all of us artists out here...we have all learned so much this past month.

     This "Happy" painting is my rendition of a handful of posies just waiting to be given to someone.  The energetic brushstrokes just made me "happy" when I look at it so I decided to call it just that! This painting is one of two entries that I have entered into the Guild of Charlotte Artists judged show at Christ Episcopal Church here in Charlotte at 1412 Providence Road.  There are over 80 pieces of artwork hanging so stop by and walk the halls to view some beautiful and colorful paintings.

Collage

Collage

      The month of May is stretching me to expand my technology horizons!!!!!  Leslie Saeta has invited artists to participate in her 30 Days of Marketing Challenge.  Today's challenge is to create a collage of some of our paintings and this is what I created in about 10 minutes!  One of Leslie's favorite phrases is: "It's easy!"  Sometimes she is right and sometimes she is wrong, but this really was easy.  Leslie, I need to trust you more often!  Thank you for making me stretch and accomplish things that I have never done before.

Twilight

Twilight

24"x12" Oil on Linen

Gallery Wrap

$425.00

     I am participating in Leslie Saeta's 30-day marketing challenge.  Our mission today (day 2) is to select a painting that we really like that still has not found a new home.  

     "Twilight" is my interpretation of a grouping of trees in Yellowstone National Park.  The color on my monitor does not show the true colors of this painting but take my word for it, it is unusual and colorful!  Granted, this clump of trees did not have turquoise or lavender foliage but this painting certainly does!

Around the Bend

Around The Bend

16"x16" Oil on Canvas

$500.00 framed

     This is a high-key painting from a photo we took several years ago on a trip to Yellowstone National Park.  We were driving through the Hayden Valley area and came across several cars pulled off to the side of the road - a sure sign something like a black bear has been sighted.  It wasn't a bear but a fox den and when we got our binoculars out we could see mama fox and a couple babies sunning themselves in the bright June sunshine.  

     I took a lot of artistic license with this photo and really changed it up to suit my purpose.  I have painted this photo before and that painting was much more literal.  I much prefer this version with its bright colors.

Pink Riot

Pink Riot

12"x12" Oil on Canvas

$350.00 framed

     "Pink Riot" is just a fun little piece that I did with a palette knife that hopefully will catch the eye of someone who needs a little PINK in their life!  What pre-teen girl's bedroom or even a laundry room, kitchen or bathroom couldn't  use some color to brighten up a corner.

     This is one of several pieces that I will have for sale at the 31st annual Charlotte Country Day School Art Sale which will be held at the Cannon Library on the CCDS campus.  The art sale will be held beginning Thursday, April 18 and will continue through Saturday, April 20.  This will be my 4th year to participate in this art show which is their biggest fundraiser of the year-Big Saturday.  Come on out!

Beaufort Marsh

Beaufort Marsh

18"x24" Oil on Linen Gallery Wrap

Donated

     About 1 1/2 years ago, Steve and I spent a long weekend at the vacation home of a patron of mine who used to live in Charlotte but now lives in Beaufort SC.  She wanted a fall scene with the fabulous autumn colors hitting the marshes so we snapped about a hundred photos of various spots around Beaufort.  She loved her autumn marsh scene that I did for her and those photos have given me lots of subject matter for future paintings.

     "Beaufort Marsh" is from one of those many photos.  Recently I was asked by another patron here in Charlotte to donate a painting to a cause she is co-chairing and I have donated this painting to the 60th annual Room to Bloom Celebration which is an annual fundraiser for the Mint Museum of Charlotte.  The silent auction will be held April 17 at Charlotte Country Club.

Backside Barn

Backside Barn

20"x24" Oil on Canvas

$895.00 framed

     I'm sure most of you have painted a total "dud" which you hated but somehow figured out how to resurrect it.  That is what happened to this "Backside Barn".  The demolition started with the front of the barn with an opening which to me was like a bullseye  target so I painted over it and boarded up the wall!  Bringing the sky color onto the walls of the barn changed its appearance immensely changing it from brown tans to these high key colors.  

     I'm not ashamed of this one now!

Winters Gold

24"x30" Oil 

Gallery Wrap

     This cluster of buildings sitting in the snowy woods gives me a real sense of coziness and solitude.  All the cool blues, both in the shadows and on the rooftops, contribute to the comfortable yet wintry setting.  Yet the pops of gold let you be assured that the sun is still shining and hitting the sides of the buildings and warming the insides.  Wouldn't you just love to be holed up in this cozy place reading a good book while waiting for the spring thaws?

Morning Light

Morning Light

16"x16" Oil on gallery wrap canvas

$425.00 

     Have you ever looked through a clothing catalog and see a photo with a color palette that really catches your eye?  That happened to me when I looked through one and came across a photo with a woman wearing a winter coat and hat sitting in a grassy field with mountains off in the distance.  I really thought the colors were so eye-catching that I decided that I would love to incorporate those colors in my painting and that is how this painting was created.  I am rather pleased with how this turned out but I hate to shop and therefore rarely look at catalogs.  Maybe I should to get some more color inspiration!

     Today marks my one-year anniversary blogging.  I don't blog on a weekly basis but feel I need to get more regular with my posts.  I owe it all to attending that fabulous workshop with Dreama Tolle Perry and Leslie Byrd Saeta just a little more than a year ago.  They stressed how important it is to SHARE your art and I must say I love looking at what others share with me via Facebook or through the numerous blogs I subscribe to in my e-mail.  Art enriches my life!  I hope you enjoy some Morning Light!

A Natural View

Jackson Hole Grove

36"x24" Oil On Canvas

$795.00

       

Canadian Wilderness

20"x16" Oil on Canvas

$495.00

     These two paintings were accepted  into "A Natural View", a juried art exhibit presented by The Schiele Museum of Natural History and the Gaston County Art Guild.  The exhibit features artwork that focuses on nature and may include plants, animals or natural landscape native to North America.

     These paintings were based on photos from trips we have taken in the last few years.  Our vacations have taken us to the Yellowstone/Jackson Hole area a couple times and that part of the country offers spectacular views in every direction.  I can't wait to return to that beautiful part of the country.  About three years ago we travelled through the Canadian Rockies aboard the Rocky Mountaineer train on a two-day journey from Vancouver up to Jasper National Park.  We then rented a car and drove to Lake Louise and Banff National Park for the next two or three days.  

     This exhibit will be hanging from now through March 22, 2013, and features dozens of beautiful pieces of  artwork.  I hope you are able to stop and see the exhibit if you can.

Happy Trails

Happy Trails

8"x8" Oil on Canvas

SOLD

     I've never painted cowboy boots before but I decided to borrow a pair from a co-worker and give it a try!  I have worked for a General Surgery private practice for over 19 years and our senior partner,  affectionately known as "Papa Bear", was retiring.  He has lived in Texas and New Mexico in the past and still has many ties to that area.  He also loves all things Southwest so I thought boots would make an appropriate retirement gift.  

     I had to keep telling myself to paint "what I see" not "what I know" which is the mantra all artists try to go by.  For a bit, these cowboy boots resembled Ugg boots and I had to keep working at them to make them look like what I had sitting before me!!!  For my first try, I was generally pleased with the end product.

     Happy Trails, Dr. Parsons, you will be sorely missed...

Surprise!

Surprise!

12'x12" Oil on Panel

$325.00 framed

     This image may look familiar if you follow my blog.  I originally painted a smaller version of this wrapped box for my daughter as a Christmas present.  In November Kim and I spent three days in New York City having a grand time and while she was shopping in Tiffany's, I was snapping photos of their beautiful display cases!   After I gave the original painting to Kim I felt I needed to do another painting of their beautifully decorated boxes.  It really was fun to do and I got out of Tiffany's without spending any money!  

Waiting to Ride

Waiting to Ride

6"x6" Oil on Panel

$95.00 framed

     This red bike is painted from a photo given to me by my friend Nancy from a trip she took to Key West a couple years ago.  By the way, this photo appears much darker on my monitor than the original painting.  I've never painted a bicycle before and for me the roundness of the tires was the most difficult because I did not want them to appear too predictable or realistic.  Gotta work on that!

Up Close

Up Close

11"x14" Oil on Panel

$395.00

     I cannot believe it, but it has been about seven weeks since my last blog post.  I allowed too many things to get  in my way but I am back in the saddle again and WILL get back to a regular schedule.  

     Once again, here we are at Hunter Farms, the site of several of my other barn paintings. These barns, like some of the others on the property, no longer exist as they were torn down the afternoon after I painted on site.  I took so many photos that day so I will have lots of scenes to choose from for future paintings.   I decided to get a close-up view of the side of these barns and I rather like this composition!  Of course, I had to add some color to it!

The Present

 

The Present

8"x8" Oil on Panel

 

     The weekend before Thanksgiving my daughter Kim and I travelled to New York City with her Meredith College (Raleigh NC) alumni.  We had a fabulous time being tourists and of course doing the obligatory shopping that all women love to do!  We went into Tiffany's on 5th Avenue and I was so excited to see their iconic robin egg blue colored boxes wrapped up and posing for me as a gorgeous still life!  Over a year ago, I bought a tube of Gamblin Radiant Turquoise and it seemed the perfect tube to use to bring this box to life! 

1935 Hay Barn

1935 Hay Barn

8"x10" Oil

$295.00 framed

 

 

     Recently our plein air buds returned to Hunter Farms, which is one of my favorite places to paint.  We had absolutely gorgeous weather again and I scoped out the property and decided to paint this hay barn.  From this angle it looks like the barn has no roof but from my vantage point it didn't!  I think I have an affinity for old barns because of the memories I have of the times spent at my grandparents during the summers.  I remember slowly walking into the horse barn because I just knew I would come across a black snake!  To this day, I still am petrified of snakes!

Lined Up

Lined Up

18"x24" Oil on canvas

 

 

     Someday I will travel to Italy to snap photos right and left of all the colorful images popping up all over the place but for now I continue to use my friend Renee's photos from one of her recent trips.  Fortunately for me she snapped quite a few boat photos and in this painting I tried to capture the rugged-looking boats which have been sun drenched through the years from sitting by the dock waiting for someone to come along and take it out into the beautiful waters.

 

Overflowing

 

 

 

Overflowing

8"x6" oil on panel

$125.00

 

 

     Our Snapfish order arrived today with almost a year's worth of photos in it!  I am still old-fashioned enough to want photos in albums so I can look through them and relive the memories of good times through the years...beach trips, mini vacations, the kids and grandkids at holiday times and all the school activities and sporting events they are involved in. 

 

     Back in March, Steve and I went to Charleston SC for our anniversary.  We had fabulous weather and spent a long weekend wandering the streets and snapped photos of everything we saw.  The flower baskets were "Overflowing" with Spring flowers and Charleston is at its best in the Spring in my opinion.

 

     Earlier today Kathy Cousart put out her blog post of a fantastic window box spilling over with flowers and I told her that she inspired me to paint one of my Charleston scenes and I could not wait for my photos to arrive and look what the mailman brought!

 

 

Bon Appetit

    

Bon Appetit

24"x24" Oil on Canvas

     For the past three years, I have attended weekly art classes with Curt Butler and this most recent five-week session was "photo-free".  Usually we work on landscapes, etc. from our own photos but our challenge was to work solely from life, in this case, still-life.  Curt tried to introduce us to Cubism and Abstract art and this is my effort in that direction.

     I must say I really enjoyed the process causing me to experiment more with drips, to be more ambiguous with the shapes and to stretch my sense of adventure playing with the oil paints.  Working larger is so freeing and I have already started another piece, a 24"x30", here at home and am really having fun with it.  Stay tuned!

French Cafe

French Cafe

18"x24" oil on canvas

$695.00 framed

     Back in the Spring of 2003, I "lived" in France while I was attending a ten-day oil painting workshop with Connie Winters.  It was a fabulous experience and we had several daily excursions into little villages throughout Provence on days when we were not painting.   This is a lovely cafe in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue where we had a delightful lunch after wandering through this antique-lovers paradise where canals dart in and around the village.  I have been looking at this photo off and on for over nine years and finally decided to give it a try.  

Summer Bouquet

Summer Bouquet

12"x12" Oil on canvas

$325.00 framed

     So glad that I cut these blossoms and painted them before the intense heat hit here in North Carolina like it has in most areas of the country.  Hydrangeas are such beautiful shrubs in the correct location in your landscape and mine have performed beautifully up to now.  When I cut these flowers, I made sure to select slightly different colors, some are more lavender and some more blue-green. 

     I played with my transparent paints with this one and I am starting to use them more and more.  I think the colors are much more vibrant and I am pleased with how this one turned out.  Paint something beautiful from your gardens before the summer heat takes them away!

The Bings

The Bings

6"x6" Oil on Raymar Panel

$75.00

     Here's another simple composition using complementary colors with summer Bing Cherries against a sap green background.  Simple, but sweet!



Peachy Keen

Peachy Keen

6"x6" Oil on Raymar Panel

$125.00 framed

      I love simple paintings like this where opposite colors on the color wheel can POP on the canvas!  In this case I've contrasted summer peaches set against a cerulean background. 

     This is my second entry in the Guild of Charlotte Artists show hanging for the month of June at Christ Church Gallery at 1412 Providence Road here in Charlotte.  If you are in the area, I hope you can stop by to view more than 70 pieces created in oil, watercolor, pastel and drawing by the extremely talented artists in our group.

Bobbing Along

Bobbing Along

Oil

12"x12" 

$325.00

     This painting will be one of my two entries that I will submit for a juried Guild of Charlotte Artists show this coming weekend.  The show will hang at Christ Episcopal Church Gallery here in Charlotte for the month of June.  My friend Renee spent a couple weeks in Italy this past Fall and she took hundreds of gorgeous photos and she has graciously shared her images with me. 

     "Bobbing Along" was done completely with a palette knife which is a tool that I really enjoy using.  This past February, I took a workshop in Atlanta with Leslie Saeta, and of course, we painted boats which is one of her favorite subjects.  So for this upcoming show I decided to do another boat palette knife painting.

Sprinkles

Sprinkles

8"x8" oil on panel

$150.00 framed

     Ever since my recent workshop earlier this month with Dreama Tolle Perry, I have been wanting to paint a cupcake using all my transparent oils.  Dreama always has photos for us to paint from during our musical easels time on the last day of the workshop  and several other artists chose the cupcake.  They all turned out so well that I wanted to try one.  My friend/family member Asheley told me about a store only three miles from my house that runs a $2 special every Tuesday.  Off I drove to SAS Cupcakes and bought this creamy cupcake with sprinkles.  Guess what's for dessert tonight!!!

Autumn

Autumn

24"x18" oil on canvas

SOLD

     I feel like I have been missing in action for the last three weeks!  I have not been very diligent in posting to my blog lately but I have been very busy painting, entering shows, attending art classes and attending my second Dreama Tolle Perry workshop in Cary NC.  It was a fabulous three-day workshop and I learned so much from such a giving teacher.  If  you love color and lots of it, I highly recommend her workshops but you have to act fast because they sell out as soon as they are posted! 

     This painting was entered into "A Natural View", a yearly juried art exhibit presented by The Schiele Museum of Natural History and the Gaston County Art Guild.   I have been fortunate enough to have at least one of my two entries accepted each year for the last four years.  Both of my paintings were juried in this year and this painting was purchased by one of the five sponsors.  In the last few years, Steve and I have visited Grand Teton National Park two times and each visit has given me hundreds of photo references of some of my favorite things to paint-trees.  This grove of trees is near the Gros Ventre Slide area of the park near Jackson Hole, Wyoming.