Apple on Damask #3

Here is the last of the apples for awhile, though moving into apple season there will probably be many more to come.

Apple on Damask #2 SOLD

Well, back to the apples. They are so basic, but there's a million ways to paint one.

Black Lake #2 SOLD

Black Lake

Back home at last. New York was amazing. We were in Syracuse where it rained almost every day. Big fat drops. More rain in one drop than 5 minutes of rain here in Southern California. And the greens! As beautiful as Ireland. Just wonderful. Here is a view of Black Lake in upstate New York where we visited a distant cousin who gave us a boat tour of the lake.

Apple on Damask

Here's an apple on one of my favorite things to paint, a damask table napkin. These old linens have so many different colors going on, it's endlessly challenging to try and get it all or to endlessly interpret it all. There happens to be a beautiful floral pattern woven into the napkin which I haven't even tried yet, but I am so tempted and know I'll try to do that someday soon. Maybe just a portrait of a napkin.

This may be the last post, of a painting anyway, for a little over a week. We are off on a trip to visit my Dad. If I can manage it I may post some comments and photos from our trip, otherwise I'll be back online on the 25 or 26th. Bye for now.

Tarnished Silver with Lemon

Something new today. A spoon. An old tarnished silver spoon. It drove me nuts. This is another 2 day painting because I just couldn't get the spoon. But today, after a lovely lunch out, I tackled it again and painted it into submission. I think. If I look at it just right though it also looks like it could be turned over, done, instead of lying gently open waiting for some gentile hand to lift it to stir the sugar in her tea cup.

I will definitely tackle that spoon again.

Lemon with Plum and Bottle

I went with a slightly bigger format, 6 x 8 inches, and it feels HUGE compared with the

5 x 7 inch size. Funny. Anyway, I added another element, the bottle, and I'm fairly pleased with it though not 100%, so probably will do it again.

BTW, I saw "Julie & Julia" with my Mom last night and we both loved it. As was mentioned in this film about a blogger, I know what it feels like to be writing this without knowing whether anyone outside the couple of people I've shared it with is reading it. I plan to go public when we get back from New York in a couple of weeks and then I will feel like I actually have a wider audience.

So far this experience has been a bit of a revelation. I find that I have so much more excitement to paint than I did when I was painting for a show. Even thinking about painting outdoors has a different attraction than before the blog, because now it feels like I'm painting for myself and not for an external obligation.

So, lucky me to have decided to do this.

Two Red Plums #3 - SOLD

Here is the latest of the Plum Series, though I'll leave it for a while since they are getting too ripe to paint.

I'm off to Laguna Beach this evening to visit the various summer Art Shows; something I really look forward to each year.

Also I figured out how to add an Email Subscription widget for anyone who wants to receive my paintings in their email inbox each time I post one.

Two Red Plums #2

I love painting these plums. More to come.

Two Red Plums

I bought these because of the wonderful glowing reds and purples, looking forward to painting them just as glowing as they looked to me. What a challenge. It took me 2 days to finish this little painting, and I'm finally happy with it.

Surfing at Doheny

Here's the second painting I did at Doheny Beach. I just turned my easel around and painted the view looking north. The sun was out with just some wispy foggy strands of clouds, a light breeze, and lots of surfers.

Doheny Beach - SOLD

Back from a week long family reunion and I managed to do 2 paintings the day we spent at Doheny Beach State Park in Dana Point. I'm posting the first one today. It's been overcast most mornings but clears at about noon, which it was just starting to do when I did this one.