Getting back to work... hopefully soon!

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I have been away from my studio, and my blog.. and the computer for most of the summer... I just stopped trying to do any artwork with my eyesight giving me so much trouble.  I had cataract surgery scheduled for the end of August, and another in September.  Now, both of my eyes have been done, and still need time to heal, I still have some flickering reflections in my right eye and a bit in my left.  They say it should go away... but I am so impatient, I just want to start doing something! So, I am re posting this painting of cherries, I adjusted the color of the picture now that I can see better.  

Thank you all for your comments, I'm sorry I didn't get them until now, I had a problem with my computer, and I stopped using it, and didn't check the blog.   

Since the cataract surgery, my eyesight has changed dramatically.  Everything is brighter, and clearer than before, it's taking some getting used to.  Another big change is that I can see fairly clearly for distance, but I can't see clearly up close, and need reader glasses for that.  (I used to be extremely nearsighted, so without my glasses everything was blurry for me except up close to my face was clear) So, I will have to learn how to do my artwork looking through the reader glasses, and then looking over them to see my subject further away.   ;-)... I haven't tried to paint anything yet.  I've just been practicing sketching for now.  It's been so long since I've painted anything, I feel as if I've forgotten how!  I hope not! lol...

I'm not sure what the end result of my eyesight will be... it's still a bit blurry in the distance... but it's still early,  they say vision improves during the first month after surgery... I hope so.  Or, I can just get glasses to correct that I suppose... we'll see!

"Assorted Cherries" OIl on 5x7 inch canvas board

I took this photo from above,  with the painting lying on the table beside the cherries.

I've been slowing down a bit with my painting, as I've been having more and more trouble with cataracts affecting my eyesight .Over the last year especially it's been a nuisance,since my eyes are very nearsighted the cararacts just make it worse.  So,the  doctor says I'm ready to have surgery (in late August) to replace the cloudy lenses in my eyes with clear artificial ones.   Hopefully afterwards my eyesight will improve and the glare and cloudiness will be gone, and painting will be a little less challenging!

Purple Iris

I love botanical drawings and paintings. I don't think I'll ever become an expert at it, but I just can't resist when flowers are blooming in the garden.  I used pencil, watercolor and some colored pencil for this iris. 
(not that it matters a whole lot, but I just discovered after I took the picture, I had signed it with tomorrow's date... Oh well..)  I"m sure I'll be doing more of these as more of my flowers come into bloom.

"Cherries and Berries" Oil on 5x7 inch canvas board

This painting was done from a photo I had taken last summer.  I also bought some new cherries to add to the picture and to use as reference. 

 I began this painting a little differently, it is painted on a canvas panel that I applied 3 or 4 extra coats of gesso to, and sanded to smooth out the texture of the canvas.   I thought I would try an acrylic underpainting. so, I loosely painted it in with acrylics, and when it dried, I completely painted over it with oil.  

Below is a picture of the underpainting stage....

Hope you like it! and Thank you for looking at my artwork today!

"Halved Pomegranate" Oil on 6x6 inch board

sold

This is how the painting might look in a frame... (the painting is sold unframed)

"Sweet Strawberries and Creamer" oil on 5x7 inch board

It's a lovely spring day here, and I'm enjoying the longer daylight hours.  I don't feel so limited with time during the afternoon when I get the chance to paint.  So nice.  

Below is a pic of this painting in progress...  the tracing paper drawing propped up there is what I used to transfer my drawing onto the board.  There is thinned oil paint scribbled on the back. 

"Three of Hearts" Oil on 7x5 in board

My pencil sketch

This is how I started the painting, using very thin paint

 This is my little set up, it's been a long time since I've cut paper dolls, it was harder than I thought it would be. I decided to change the clubs to hearts to add some color.

"Reds, Yellows, Blues, Green and Gray" Oil on Canvas, 8x10 inches.

sold

I thought it would be fun to paint a bunch of random things... I especially like the red yarn running through the picture. 

"Chocolate Heart" Oil on 4x4 inch board

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A chocolate heart just in time for Valentine's Day.  To save time, I didn't give this one a week long auction, just a" buy it now" option, that way it can be purchased at any time. Even though it needs about 3 days to dry, it will have a better chance of reaching the buyer before the 14th.

Here is my little chocolate painting and set up, below:

Working on Carnations and a Tangerine...

I had sketched this still life set up in pencil, and I really like the sketch so I thought I would do a painting of it too.  It seemed pretty well planned out, but now that I've come near to the finish of it, I feel like it's not quite right. 

Maybe it's that sharp line dividing the background and table...I kind of liked that line when I put it in though... My sketch has a lighter background... but, I put a darker background in my little value sketch and I liked it,  the proportions are different in my painting though.. and of course, my carnations are completely wilted now... hmmmmm.... a work in progress.....

"Winter Afternoon Snack" Oil on 6x6 inch board

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I had done a few sketches using a cup of coffee and the windmill cookies, you can see one over on my drawing blog- here.  I really like the shape and designs on the windmill cookies and wanted to do a painting.  Also in the painting are  a chocolate dipped spritz cookie and some grapes. 

It snowed here today, and I was looking out the window as it began to get dark, and it struck me that a lot of the snowy landscape colors of blue, violet, and brown were similar to this little still life I'd just done

  . 

"December Rose" Oil on 8x6 inch board

I picked this yellow rose from my yard in December, and began a painting of it.  I wasn't happy with the way it came out, and put it away to continue again after the holidays. (you can scroll down to see the previous work in progress pic) 

I finally sat down and finished it today,  using a picture for reference.  I am much happier with it now. 

"New Year Tangerine" Oil on 5x7 inch board

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A new year, and a new painting...  I chose this tangerine to paint because I felt it was something I'm already familiar with painting, and that would be a good subject to start off with, after being away from my easel for a few weeks.  Now that the Holidays are over with, I can start taking more time to draw and paint again.
Even though this started off without too much thought other than getting the peel to curl in an attractive way-  after it was done, the image of the opening tangerine seemed like a symbol of the opening of a new year to me..... and I like that thought :-)
Below is an in progress shot....
Thank you so much for stopping by to view my artwork!  and Happy New Year!

rose painting fail

A few days ago, I had picked this one and only blooming rose from a rose bush in my front yard.  I was so excited to have one last rose in December, and I wanted to paint it.  I started off very optimistic, but the painting I saw in my mind was not the painting I wound up with.... I fussed around with it, and scraped paint back and re painted... finally deciding to put it away and look at it another day.   Another day came, and another, and another, and I repainted countless times, each time trying something different in my paint mixes and always winding up with a mess.  In the meantime, of course, my rose wilted and died, and I am left with a photo of it to work from, but, such a static, one dimensional image is hard for me to find exciting to paint.  Now with so much reworking done, any hope of a fresh looking painting is lost.   So, today, was my last try.... I took a quick picture of the most recent try, and scraped it down once more.  I am ready to just throw it across the room, so disappointed and confused.  I suppose there is just too much on my mind lately.   

"Candle with Ornament" Oil on board 6x6 inches

sold

I enjoyed painting this Christmas ornament and candle.  It is my first Christmas themed painting I've done this year.  I hope to do some more.

Just a little side note:  I've been signing my paintings with my name rather than just initials lately... I'm not sure why, just thought I'd try something different.   

Just for fun, I've added this virtual framed look, to see what it might look like in a frame.

The actual painting is not framed.

"Persimmon, Pear and Tangerine with Cranberries"

This is still the same persimmon from the last 2 paintings!  I'm getting alot of use out of it...
Here are a couple of "in progress" pictures...  I added the cranberries at the end, that's why they aren't pictured in the set up.
Thanks for looking!

"Persimmon, Cranberries and Oak Leaf" Oil on 6x6 inch board

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I spent some time today arranging different items, and sketching... I liked this arrangement of persimmon, cranberries and oak leaf , I sketched it in pastel, and liked it so much I decided to do an oil painting of it too. You can see my sketch with the set up on my drawing blog here

It was a cold and rainy day today, but I had a lovely time in my studio, painting such nice warm colors.

The hardboard panel I used, is "Jack Richeson" Toned Gessoed panel.  It comes already toned a nice warm gray. 

"Persimmon with Blue Bottle" oil on 6x6 inch board

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I think one of my favorite color combinations is orange and blue.
I took this photo before I'd signed the painting, (oops :)  but, it is signed with my initials in the top right corner. 

"Two Pears" Oil on 6x6 inch board

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"Pumpkin Gourds" Oil on 5x7 inch hardboard

The seasons have definitely changed, the weather has turned colder... and these little pumpkin gourds seemed like just the subject to paint.  

"Fruit Plate with Lemon Halves" Oil on 6x6 inch board

I bought this plate and vase at a thrift store, I always find interesting things there to use in still life paintings.
The painting is signed with my initials in the upper right corner, not visible in this photo,  I took this picture before I signed it.

"Black Plums" Oil on 5x7 inch board

"Blue Vessels and Cherries" Oil on 6x6 inch board

 

A picture of work in progress.

"Day Lily, Mango and Cherries" Oil on 10x8 inch board

Day Lily, Mango, and Cherries... work in progress....

The colors in this mango are just right with the mix of cherry colors, I added a day lily from my garden and it all looked perfect together! 
A little about the technique....
Earlier in the day I was coloring with my pastels, and I wondered... why couldn't I start an underpainting for an oil painting with the pastels?  I wouldn't have to mix any paint, all the colors are right there to choose from and I'm not a pastel artist, but I know there are techniques using pastel with turpentine, or odorless mineral spirit (oms) to spread and mix them with a brush. 
So, I used a panel that already had a dried wash of turp. and burnt umber on it, I drew my design with pastel pencils and colored it in with pastels, and then used a brush and turpentine to wet it and spread it around.  It made a very nice start to work from.

My daylily was slowly fading... a good thing I took a picture of my set up before I started.   Maybe I should have painted the lily in first.  Although, there's always a new day lily to take it's place, as the first one wilted, a new one bloomed.

This was about 5-6 hours of work....   just have the lily left to paint in, and cherry stems.

"Daisy, Petunia and Grapes" Oil on 6x6 inch board

 

Here is a work in progress picture...  I started this painting last week but didn't quite finish.  So, when going back to work on it, I needed to pick a new petunia, and replace the grapes, but the daisy stayed good! I was thinking about adding a cherry, since I had just bought some... but decided not to. 

"Strawberries and Creamer" Oil on 6x8 inch board

I found this little creamer and oval plate at the Goodwill Store, it's a fun place to go to find new still life subjects to paint.  

"Plums and Marigolds" Oil on 6x8 inch board

 

One red plum, one black plum and some marigold flowers, I loved these colors together.

It was hard to get a good photo of this, the darkness of the plums on the light background made the plums look too dark, there is a bit more detail between the two when seen in person.  

Work in progress below: