"Lemon"

Oil on 5"x7" Ampersand Gessobord
Painting this cut lemon, I had such a craving for some lemonade. I think summer is just around the corner. I can't wait.
I've painted lemons before, but this time I used just 3 colors and white. Ultramarine blue, Alizarin Crimson, and Cadmium Yellow. I think using only a few colors makes painting a bit less confusing for me, and easier to understand.

Asters and Iris (finish)

Oil on 8"x10" Canvas Panel
When I started this painting, I had my usual few colors out that I like to work with, but I just couldn't get the bright pink/red color of those asters right with the alizarin crimson, or cad. red. I tried some winsor red, then some rarely used tubes of perylene red, scarlet lake, and magenta. They were still too warm of a red, and the magenta wasn't helping. Then I remembered a small, 1/2 used tube of permanent rose that I had bought years ago, and every so often I still see it in the bottom of a shoe box that contains some tubes of paint that I lost interest in, or just don't like for some reason. I pulled that out and tried it, and it was perfect! I also started using it instead of the other reds in my mixtures and I have to say, I don't know why I ever stopped using it????? All of a sudden it's my new favorite color, I'll have to go out and buy a new tube!!!

Asters and Iris (in progress)

These pretty dark pink flowers came in a mother's day bouquet, I think they are some sort of aster, and I added the iris from my garden. The live bouquet looks a bit tired in this photo, probably because it's a few days old, and the original iris wilted and a new bud bloomed, but it's still good enough to paint by. I took some reference photos just in case.
I'm painting on an 8"x10" canvas panel, it seems so much roomier than the usual 5"x7" that I've gotten used to. I like the little bit larger size and want to try to do more of them from time to time.

"Spring Reds" Oil on 5"x7" panel

I love how all the reds in the tulip and strawberries look together, and the red reflecting into the shadows. This is painted in oil on an Ampersand Gessobord.

Violas and Violets, Better Image

I spent some time exploring photoshop, and experimenting with all the color adjustments. I finally found a way to change one color at a time in the image. Yay! I only wanted to tone down the blues, and maybe warm up the background color a bit. It seemed as though each time I tried to do that, the whole image was affected. I learn a bit more everytime I use it, maybe one of these days it'll get easier to adjust my pictures when they need it. This new image is closer to the original painting. (at least on my monitor it is, I'm sure it won't have quite the same appearance on each individual monitor.)

"Violas and Violets" 5"x7" Gessobord

I wanted to try these flowers again, on a lighter background. The blue in the violets (flowers) kept photographing so bright, I don't know why, but here is the photo anyway. The rest of it seems fine. I'll see if I can't get a better image with a more accurate blue/violet color.

"Spring Bouquet" Oil on 5"x7" Canvas Panel

A Spring bouquet of violas and violets. They are such cheerful little flowers. I am thinking I might like to do another painting of them.

Spring Bouquet (in progress)

Oil on 5"x7" canvas panel
This is a little bouquet of violas and violets. They come up every year in my yard. The violas are especially interesting, with all their many different color combinations. I finished this painting late today, and didn't have time to take a picture of it. I'll have to wait til tomorrow.

"Dandelions" 5"x7" Oil on Canvas Panel

I'm sure just about every mom has received a dandelion bouquet from a child. It's the sweetest thing. My kids are grown, but in the past, I had many little bouquets like this.

"Sunny Spring Day on the Pier" (finished)

Oil on 6"x8" Canvas panel
I had scraped the excess paint off this painting, and let it dry. When I began painting again today, it was much more enjoyable. The surface wasn't completely dry, but tacky, and the new paint stuck to it much better. I felt like I had more control. I liked the sketchy look the painting had after I'd scraped it down, and left a bit of that texture here and there.