Under the Christmas Roses

14" x 11" Oil on Canvas

Christmas Blessings and Happy Holidays to my wonderful blogging friends.  Thanks to all who visit and leave encouraging comments!  You are appreciated more than you know and I am forever grateful for your support!

May the new year bring you peace, happiness and good health with many creative opportunities.

Beach Baby

                                                            16" x 20" Oil on Canvas

Living close to Gulf beaches is indeed a blessing and watching children play in the sand and surf is a source of constant joy.  Whether building sand castles or wading in the foam, these little ones beam their pleasure and squeal their delight!  This content little boy lost in his own water world was a painting awaiting the canvas! 

Puppy Jade

         

              

Our precious Jade is a shelter rescue.  We found each other just before Christmas almost five years ago.  For my husband and me it was love at first sight.  She was so beautiful standing on the green lawn with her long  hair blowing in the breeze,  the sun giving her a backlit glow.  We were told she was five years old so will celebrate her tenth birthday over the Christmas holidays.   So many times I have wondered what she was like as a puppy - she is so very affectionate now - she must have been a bundle of pure joy!   Since we have no puppy photos this is a just-for-fun fast attempt to paint her as she may have looked on a  6" x 6" gallery wrapped canvas.

Ode to A Robin's Nest

                          12" x 6" Oil on Gallery Wrap Canvas

One rainy morning last month a robin caught my eye outside the studio window.    She was flying to and from the entry deck out front.  I thought she was carrying earth worms to feed  hungry little  mouths but upon a closer look, she was building a nest under one of the  fern baskets hanging over the deck rail!   Oh No - not a good or safe place!  I did not have the heart to destroy  her morning's efforts and neither did my husband.  He did, however, remove the fern basket from it's hanger to show her how exposed this location really was.  As soon as the rain fell on the nest, sadly she left it.  When the rain had stopped and the "start" of the nest dried, I brought it in to  the studio.  She hadn't made too much headway as there was no bottom, mud had not yet been introduced, and weaving was needed.

Since I don't write poetry, this is my "Ode to a Robin Nest" in oil on canvas! We hope she built elsewhere and now has a sweet little family!

NEW POINTE SHOES

                      24" x 18" Oil on Prepared Hardboard

My January post told of the ballet slippers found on E-bay and how much I'm enjoying the challenge of painting these toe shoes, especially the shiny ribbons!  In this piece I have attempted to paint the shoes (shoe) as if they were new.  With nieces and grand -nieces who dance, it's not too difficult to find a model. 

Is this one finished?  I’m not sure so will put it aside for a while and look at it later with a fresh eye.  All and all, I'm pretty pleased with it.

After the February post, my blog comments were spammed so now when you say something and I do so hope you will leave comments, they will require approval.  I'm sorry for the inconvenience but guess it's necessary.  Wonder if any of you have had this problem?

DARK KISSES

                                         12" x 16" oil on canvas


Happy Valentines Day!

 My husband's favorite chocolates!  Recently as  I wondered aloud what I would  I paint next, Frank, with his hand in the candy jar suggested, "Paint these".  The glass more than the sparkling purple and silver  jewels was appealing.  A delicious subject indeed and we are both pleased with this little painting.

Ballet Slippers - A Quick Study

12" x 6" Oil on Board

Just before the holidays photographer daughter Stephanie and I decided we would like a pair of ballet slippers for still life props.  She found a pair on ebay that were just what we had in mind...a bit worn  with lots of character and begging to be (photographed) painted! After Steph took a few pics, I grabbed the shoes!  It's my turn to enjoy them!

Placing the slippers on a shelf with the ribbons hanging made for an easy set up and this little piece flowed.  Oh, but are these ribbons ever going to present a challenge!


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Merry Christmas!

 "Waiting for Santa"
10" x 8" Oil on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

Christmas Blessings and Happy Holidays to my wonderful blogging friends.  Thanks to all who visit and leave encouraging comments!  You are appreciated more than you know and I am forever grateful for your support!


May the new year bring you peace, happiness and good health with many creative opportunities.

In three days we will celebrate the beginning of Jade's fifth year with us and her ninth year of age (so far as we know).  What a wonderful shelter find she was!  This is the first portrait I've painted of her.  Jade's friends are telling  me this is the first time they've seen her mouth closed!  She is very vocal and when not happily speaking to us,  has a toy in her mouth squeaking away!  Now I can't wait to paint her again.  She's a long-haired or "coated" German Shepherd and weighs 92 pounds.  Our darling!

Strawberries in a Cup

12" x 16" Oil on Stretched Canvas
Enough landscapes for a while - back to still life and portraits!  Recently on a Sunday afternoon I selected  a few favorite pieces of glassware  and created "set ups" here in the studio for a photo shoot.  Even with lighting being less than ideal, some of the photographs came out pretty good.  This painting was  started from life and finished using a photo.  Our kitchen has strawberry accents and there was space on the wall just waiting for it!

Summer Workshop

Where did summer go?  Colored leaves are raining outside my window inviting another attempt at a landscape painting!

The three pieces above were painted during the summer paint along on-line classes referenced in the August post.  These were fun challenges and three more  "starts"  from the series are stacked behind the easel that may or may not ever be finished.   While landscape painting will never be my favorite genre, I am now more comfortable diving into nature's wonderful  presentations and have a much better feel for selecting paintable scenes,  handling light and shadow and being ever aware of shapes, clones, and those dreaded "potato rocks"!

Smokey Mountain Mists

                          18" x 24" Oil on Canvas panel

On June 23 I participated in another on line paint along class with award winning master artist and instructor Johannes Vloothuis - Improve MyPaintings.com  The beautiful reference photo provided gave us mist covered rocky mountains to which I didn't particularly relate.  Much more inspiring to look out my studio window and paint these Western North Carolina mountains  so dear to me.  I did use the lower portion of his photo to attempt the underwater logs, fallen trees, etc.  I'm not too pleased with the way these turned out and may return to the easel and make them disappear.  Overall, I'm happy with this one and am learning more about landscape painting with each class.   These classes are inexpensive, at least 6 to 8 hours long and a download is provided for future reference.   Digital downloads are available for past classes for a fee.  Who knows - maybe I might become a landscape painter after all!

Water Lilies

24" x 12" Oil on Stretched Canvas

A spring photo shoot at the Naples Botanical Gardens resulted in a disk full of reference photos and this attempt to paint water lilies with exaggerated water droplets and sharp value contrasts.    As this one progressed, my husband teasingly referred to it as my "shower curtain piece" - Oh well....it's  definitely not ala Monet!

Next maybe it would  be fun to paint  lotus blossoms  with softer edges and a pastel palette. Wait - didn't someone do that already?

LITTLE MISS SPRING

Yea – I’m back at the easel in the mountain studio in Maggie Valley, NC. ! The move is always a bit overwhelming – closing Florida with hurricane shutters and tying all the loose ends! Upon arrival here, there’s family and friends to visit and lots to do in the house and yard…takes a while but we are settled in! Presently surrounded by four "starts" in various stages of completion, I'm enjoying my space!

 A few years ago, the initial inspiration for LITTLE MISS SPRING came from a drawing in my sketchbook - age and source unknown - and a little wicker doll carriage belonging to our daughter in law. Inspiration to now finally finish the painting came with finding a pretty frame and the need for a piece this size for the guest room. 

Grand niece Darian (you've met her before) must have been about three at the time, posed for me while helping her Granna bake a cake. Wearing only Strawberry Shortcake panties (Granna believes in damage control), she stood on a chair bending over the bowl of batter waving a dripping wooden spoon! I did not have her likeness from the beginning and, since this wasn't a portrait of her, didn't strive for it. Maybe this fantasy on canvas is finally finished - am going to look at it for a few days to be sure - and then it's on the wall!

 24" X 30" Oil on canvas glued to masonite

Portrait - Alexis Zibolis

Last year dear friend and award winning fine artist Irene Zibolis flew to Los Angeles to spend time with her lovely, talented granddaughter Alexis, who recently completed her second season starring in the online soap opera DeVanity, winner Best Soap Opera 2011, and who is busy with a number current acting projects!

On her personal website Alexis describes herself as " a silly, vivacious, and unique actress and human being". You can see her resume with lots of photos and video clips here. Via her grandparents I have followed her career since high school beauty pageant days! Kinda makes me feel like a proud "Auntie Rose"!

When Irene asked me if I would be interested in painting this portrait to commemorate their special time together, I jumped at the chance, and grandparents Zibolis are thrilled with their portrait, 20" x 16", Oil on Canvas. Life is good!

Just for Fun

Big Chick
12" x 12" Acrylic & Caran d'Ache on wrapped canvas

Earlier this month I had an opportunity to watch Steven Assael work his magic painting the portrait of a lovely model on a board toned bright red - not burnt sienna but RED! Steven's portraits seem to glow from within and are so very beautiful. Not quite ready to try a portrait on this ground, a larger than life "chicken" succulent rosette was less intimidating! Working in acrylic and without spending too much time, this carefree exercise was fun as I tried not to cover all the red! Who says I'm afraid of color?!!