The Poets Daffodil

The Poets Daffodil-  Narcissus 

6x6 inches oil on canvas panel $120.

Purchase HERE

Artist Note.

A friend gave me these from her garden.

I was really captivated by the red rim

around the yellow center.

I started off by placing the vase

outside in a bunch of weeds -

just to see the color the white petals

turned with the blue sky 

casting its color down on them. 

I made a few color notes 

then I came back inside

and finished it off with a warm spotlight

imitating the sun.

Have you ever placed a piece of white paper

in the shadow area outside?

It has to be where the sky is directly overhead.

It is AMAZING how blue the paper becomes.

Better still, try placing it half in shadow 

and half in the sunshine...wowzer!

The name The Poets Daffodil - Narcissus
is very appealing. The legend and history
I found interesting. If you have time
see link below
more on Poets flower.

Watering The Glads, Vermeer and a series of changes

Watering The Glads

8"x6" oil on canvas panel

Artist Note

This is the second in the 

month-long focus of 

painting the figure

inspired by, but not copying,

 a famous painting

This one is inspired by

The Milkmaid

by

Johannes Vermeer.

The position is what I am after.

I saw this painting a long time ago

and the milk coming out of the jug

blew me away.

This was the start -
a demo for the class.

First, a sketchy start

 from an image in my mind

of my daughter watering her Gladiolus.

Next 

some interesting changes...

Someone asked what she would be like
if she had a fuller figure... like
Vermeer's woman.
I scraped it down leaving a ghost
and started to paint.

adding some weight on her,
I altered the hat, added
more paint everywhere
and developed the watering can.
Remember this is a demo.
Group opinions!
And then the next remark was
what would happen if I
had a white dress and darker background
Unfortunately, I did not photograph
that one so please pretend the one below
had a white dress first.
Verdict...much to stark
 even though I loved the
colors of her dress in shadow

I went back to the warm
 color harmony but the dark
background changed the light.
Sheesh - all under the scrutiny of
The guild members.
By this time I could have
thrown it out of the window...
except for no window in the studio!

So I scraped it off again and did a sketch

Me in my apron!
and that is what led to this painting

All inspired by Vermeer's Milkmaid.

Guess what...

I scraped this off!

Sorry I did it now, but for some reason

the receding hairline on the woman in

Vermeer's painting fascinated me 

and after class

 when everyone had left

I scraped it off and 

painted this on the same board.

 What did I learn from all these changes?

Lots. 

I did better when I posed myself

in front of the mirror and drew
a value sketch.
(More contemporary.)
Knowing the color harmony
ahead and sticking with it
would have helped and although
coping the idea of a pose from a
master painting
is a great learning experience,
it is not as easy as it sounds.
One thing remained constant
during all these changes...
and that was what blew me away
after seeing the original.
Did you notice it?

Anemones

Anemones

9" x 8 1/2" oil on canvas panel  $225. SOLD

Artist Note.

This is a weird size and 

 I cannot think how 

to crop it in any other way -

so this is it!

This one was fun for me because 

I can see all the colors much

better, and, as you know...

I love color!

Regarding my computer woes, 

(see the previous post)

they were fixed with

a complete close-down. 

I had to download everything

onto a hard-drive and then

install them again.

The IPad was then able 

to get caught up with  

redoing settings after getting rid

of cookie cache and re-setting

Passwords and Accounts.

Not easy and very frustrating

for this computer challenged gal!

Thanks for all the hints 

and support from you guys.

Jennifer hit it right.😊

Video Demo - Landscape!

Artist Note.
I came across this old video of me painting a landscape.
It was painted on Senso linen. 6x8'
It is at a MUCH faster speed than I paint!
Hope you enjoy it.

Flowers and Stripes

Flowers and Stripes
8"x6" oil on linen panel $150 SOLD

Artist Note.
I am always fascinated with stripes.
The hard part is fracturing them
so they are not hard and straight
but still look like stripes..

I was playing around with  leaving
the natural linen color as a border.
It didnt work for my style.
Bummer!

There is a wonderful artist
who does this very effectivly.
Check him out  - see link below.
  Click on
one of his landscapes to enlarge
and see how effective it is.

Jeff Cochran


A little aside for those who know
what is going on in my life.
The house was just appraised
on Tuesday by the VA. We have no idea
how long before we get the results.
Fingers crossed!

Mums, Picasso & Cherries

Mums, Picasso & Cherries.

8"x6"  oil on linen panel  SOLD

Artist Note.
 The cherries are still
inspiring me, so I went into a 

different color palette

and am happy I did.
I find the color harmony
in this one very appealing.

This is an extra personal painting
because I used 

an old and much loved
Picasso top
as the background.

The challenge of this was

how to do a "busy" painting

but still manage to

keep a focal area.

It was fun to paint.

Peacock Feathers With Roses

Peacock Feathers With Roses

7x5in oil on canvas panel  SOLD

Artist Note

The beauty of the rose always astounds me,

but place it next to a peacock feather and real

competition for the top spot happens.

The real dilemma for the artist is deciding

which one wins.

Rose or Peacock Feather?

This is a pick-up from an older post.
Still swamped!

New Mexico Sunrise

New Mexico Sunrise

6x6 oil on canvas panel $110. SOLD

A gorgeous spot in northern New Mexico.
It really is
The Land Of Enchantment.

Artist Note.
I have been having major
computer problems and
had to acquire a new one...
oh boy, now I have to
get used to
Windows 10.

 PLUS... unfortunately,
my usual way
of answering Blogger comments
is not working.
HELP!
I type away with
a complete comment
and
when I click PUBLISH
I am asked to
please choose a profile. 

It happens on every artists 
blog I try to comment on 
including my own.
I can answer from my phone just fine,
but then I cannot see the whole blog.

I have tried every single one
of those  listed to no avail.
Everything I have typed
goes into never-never-land
Can anyone help me please?

Golden Light

Golden Light
14x11in  oil on canvas SOLD

Artist Note.
This was a demo I did last month.
I started with a charcoal drawing
and scrubbed a coat of
Indian Yellow (transparent)
to cover the canvas. Adding
a little Alizarin and
Transparent Brown Oxide
as I worked out from the light
Keeping the paint transparent
as long as possible was my goal.
I mixed Ultramarine Blue
with the yellow to make
a transparent green
and Alizarin, Ultramarine
and Transparent Brown Oxide
to make
the dark of the Ravens.
I fractured everything with
the tool and
went back in and reinstated
and started with using
some opaques by adding
Naples Yellow to
Indian Yellow and greens.

Following the principle
of warm light/cool shadows
I introduced the cooler
blue/greens at the end.
They look more blue on the
screen than they
actually are.

Lucky Me!

Lucky, lucky me!

 These are the
 four paintings
I have in

Nita Leland's New Book

Exploring Color.

Click on link above to see a

short flip through.

I highly recommend this book.

Not because I am in it, 

but the information she

shares is invaluable 

for any artist working 

in any media.

Watermelon and Cherries

Watermelon and Cherries

10"x10" oil on panel Gifted!

Artist Note.

This was started as a demo during the 

June workshop. 

I finished it a few weeks ago.

It is bright and cheerful and 

given as a wedding gift 

to a very dear friend's

granddaughter.

AND...

I did it!

I hibernated from all distractions
for over a month.

No visiting blogs or writing them.

I found I went thru 

major blogging withdrawals.

I went off social media, too,

and immersed myself into
painting for my November show.

I emerged with seven 

completed paintings from
48"x39" to 9"x12"
and 

several good starts.


I am now back in the classroom
and my busy, but stimulating
 life starts up again.
Can't wait to get around to
catch up on everyone's blogs.

Thanks for all the
encouraging comments on my last post.
You are great!

Peony Arrangement

Peony Arrangement
6x8in oil on canvas panel $140 SOLD


Artist Note.
The last of the peonies
until next year.
I watched a gardening program
about the peony losing favor in
British gardens and how
one woman is determined to
restore it popularity.
I hope she is successful.
They are so beautiful.

It is summer break and

yesterday I started to clean 

my home studio.

No easy task. I am messy.

My first job was rounding

up all the failures

to destroy with

black roof tar.

Nope - I am not allowed 

to burn trash in the city.

My dear hubby patiently wiped

tar on nearly 150 paintings today!
Three plus years worth of rejects.
I keep them thinking I can tweak
them to make them right,
but nothing is successful that way.

Why tar?
Non-removable that's why.
I actually have had people take
my paintings from the trash.

Now I disguise the trash bags 

with garden clippings

because if you look carefully

you can see the shapes 

of the canvases. 

We have professional 

trash hunters come round on

big trash day when the grappler

is due. 

Once bitten -  twice shy!

Happy Fathers Day 

to all the wonderful

men who take on that 

responsibility with 

love and pride.

Birth, adoption, 

and step fathers alike.

Our daughter is coming in

to be with her "Daddy" 

Red Teapot and Van Gogh

Tea With Van Gogh
6x8" oil on canvas panel  SOLD

Artist Note.
Good to be back painting after
being hit with a nasty virus.
I am still coughing and living
in a whirl of
tissues and nose blowing.
From now on it is fist bumps
for greetings
instead of handshakes.

A good friend came back from a
trip to Europe with a gift of two
tablecloths  - both with images of
Vincent van Gogh's work.
This one had his gorgeous"Irises" painting.
see detail below.

I have set up a couple of 

still life displays using 

the tablecloths as the background.

They are rich and exciting.

I decided to use the red teapot

to see if I could balance out

the power of the colors 

in the cloth.

The next one has fruit

in a clay bowl.

You can just see a tiny bit of it

at the right side

I started this before
Mr.blanky blankVirus
decided to form an
intimate relationship
with me and
managed to complete it today.
Yea - on the recovery road!

Market Day - and handy hints.

Market Day

6x6in oil on canvas panel  $100. SOLD

A family enjoying our award winning Farmers and Craft
Market here in sunny Las Cruces, NM


Artist Note.
This is another re-post.
This one is from three years ago.
I am recovering from a bug but thought i could pick
up some old posts with good information in them.


The monthly focus is the Figure in Landscape at the
Artist Guild this month. We are a mixed group so
to help the ones without much access to live models
I find it easy to use the tried and true "Stick Figure "
method.
It is easy to find figures in magazines or newspapers to

use a magic marker and do the following
exercise. You can use photos you care
about by placing a piece of glass over
them and draw on it. ( I use a photo
frame piece of glass and tape the edges)
When you do a couple a day you get
used to the basic proportions of the
body - the spine, where the elbows
and knees have a joint,
and the important line of action.
(The movement angle)


I have an exercise where I draw
the stick figure in different positions and
then show how easy it is to use a simple stroke of 
the brush to make the clothes.    

First the drawings.
I spray fixative
over the charcoal
so it can be used
many times and
washed off
afterwards.

Add the paint
using single
strokes for arms
and pants. I paint
a stroke to a joint,
say elbow, stop,
and then start again
I press harder so
the brush gets wider
for the torso

Add all the clothes,
shadows,
and background
and you have a decent
painted figure to go
into a landscape

The artists all
take turns to
paint over the
figures on this
same canvas.
They choose the
the clothes and
background.


This is not about perfection, but it is about finding
a way to grow an understanding of the basics of placing
a figure in the painting.

The top painting was a demo starting with stick figures.

Sorry about not being able to remove the old comments.

All MINE!

All MINE!

6x6in oil on canvas panel SOLD

Artist Note.

I may prefer to paint nests but

I have loads of bird pics

and sketches.

I find them totally fascinating

and can watch them for hours,

Anyone out there relate?

I find crows are great to paint 

and somewhat easier too

because of their strong

shape and color. 

This guy is scurrying 

away with his treasure

but, look who is watching him...

Yep, he didn't have it for long!

I have been trying to work 

on a painting of the

American Goldfinch 

I see at my feeders,

but the painting got 

looking too much 

like a greeting card.

Not what I wanted so I

kept scraping it off.

Got a great abstract 

out of it though!

I am going to keep trying.

All my 

American Goldfinch

disappeared overnight.

last weekend - it seems too soon.

(they only winter here)

Wouldn't you know it ...

they left the very day

after I paid big bucks for

a nice quality bag of

 Nyger seed.

sigh.

.

Yellow Roses & Fruit

Yellow Roses & Fruit

8x6in oil on canvas panel SOLD

Artist Note.

I loved painting this one

and am thrilled it turned out well.

The light was just right.

Yellow roses for 

Valentine Friendship

were a gift and I gathered 

the other items easily.

I am back

 to doing still life paintings,

and it feels very, very good.

I think they are my favorite

for a couple reasons...

I get to choose items I respond 

emotionally to, and the 

biggest plus...

I can set it up,

and it stays in one place.

Yes, I do have to paint 

the flowers first before they droop,

but other than that 

I can come back and do a 

bit here and there.

I have several displays

set up in 

my studio at home and it 

is a wonderful feeling

to walk into the studio and choose

which one I want to paint

that day.

Lemons & Tile

Lemons &Tile

8x6in  oil on canvas panel $140. SOLD

Artist Note.

I have this beautiful old tiled area 

with a shelf and have not painted 

it for a while. 

Back when I painted more 

realistically

I would really get into painting

all the the details so 

I felt like I was actually 

painting the tile itself...

but now I can suggest the pattern

 with imperfect

suggestions of color and shape.

I am not sure why, but it 

takes even longer somehow

than when I used to  

tightly render the details.

Now, it is all about the 

light and mood 

I love being an impressionist!

Seeing Red!

Poppies

6x6in oil on canvas panel $110. SOLD

Artist Note.

Classes have started and 

it feels good to be back into 

a daily routine.

Just as it felt good to be taking 

a break before the holidays.

This is a fun-to-do painting.

No pressure of complexity...

just capturing the impression

of flowers without 

getting too detailed.

The difference between this

and the one 

in my previous post 

is quite pronounced.

Yet it  is the same 

subject matter

 - flowers in a vase -

playing with warm and cool 

colors and paint texture.

Main difference?

This one is missing 

the full range of values

the previous one had.

Next difference?

This is a contemporary

viewpoint, 

and the previous one 

was traditional.

See previous post here

I like them both for 

different reasons, 

but most importantly

I enjoy being 

able to do both.

Reeds and Reflections

Reeds And Reflections

 6x8in oil on canvas &135.

Purchase HERE

Artist Note

I like the simplicity in the design

on this. Guess what is underneath...

yes, two Koi!

When I started the painting

 this is the path I was on.

I was trying to get the 

shafts of light on the water .

I couldn't quite get what I wanted and 

I realized I had repeated the pattern 

of two fish swimming together...

been there - done that 

type of thing. Scraped it off.

(left a neat ghost.)

No Koi,.. no Waterlily...

just the reflections and reeds.

I like it. It's different for me.

Yellow Crocs - Santa Fe.

Yellow Crocs

6x8in oil on canvas  $135. SOLD

Artist Note.

I saw this lady with the

bright yellow crocs

catching the rays in Santa Fe.

When I asked if I could take a photo 

she said, "sure" but she never looked up 

from her writing...

and her dog's eyes 

never stopped watching me.

The dog had a purple leash

and next to the yellow crocs

my heart was captured.