"Egg with Salt and Strawberry"

Oil on 5x7 hardboard panel

I was getting ready to eat a hard boiled egg one day and had it sitting on the counter, when I decided it looked interesting with some of the things nearby... so I pushed them together and took a few pictures, and then ate my egg. Today, I was going through my picture files looking for something to paint, and decided to try this. I started with a toned board, and tried to keep the paint thin, and keep details to a minimum. I like how it came out.

"Two Strawberries"

This painting is done on a tiny stretched canvas, it measures 4x4 inches.

"Tea Cup with Lemon and Strawberry"

Oil on 6x6 Gessobord panel

I think my favorite part of this one is the strawberry, lots of different shades of red, pink and orange. I had a lot of trouble with the lemon, since it is sitting on a silver tray there is quite a reflection coming up from underneath taking out the shadow. I tried to keep the painting loose, but.. somehow, I find I tighten it up a bit in the end. Gotta try not to do that!

"Sweet Evening"

Oil on 6x6 panel

I set up this little still life, and then didn't have time to paint it until later at night. When I was finished I thought I would give it a name other than "strawberries and grapes". So, that's where the "sweet evening" came from. It was a sweet evening. Nice and quiet and peaceful with the aroma of strawberries under the warm light. The fruit even looks like it's tucked in for the night.

Oil on 6x6 in. Gessobord panel

Reflecting Cup and Strawberries

(wip) Oil on 6x6 panel

I painted 3 paintings in the last week. The first two didn't excite me very much, I kept trying to change colors and add things to see if it would help. I set them aside, and chose something new to paint. Some strawberries, a cup, a cloth and a mirror underneath to try something different. And, I finally got excited!! I like this one! Hopefully I'll be able to get a good picture of it tomorrow.

"Clementines and a Sunburst"

Oil on 8x10 in. canvas

I decided to try something a bit different. I rearranged my room to change the position of my easel and subject. I pushed my chair back, and stood to paint. It made a big difference. (plus, standing burns a few more calories than sitting, and I could sure use that!)
These are some clementines and a sunburst tangerine, sitting on a silver platter, with a vase of green leaves and white cloth. I was attracted to the deep green color and orange together, and the dark wood of the table top. I enjoyed painting the cloth with all it's folds, I think I will do that more often in the future.
Thank you for all the lovely comments everybody!

Oil on 9x12 hardboard panel (nfs)

Well, I'm finally getting back to normal after that stubborn virus I had. I didn't intend to be away from painting for so long, but now that I'm feeling better I have been getting some things done. One of them is this portrait painting. It was done from a small photo of 3 girls who are family friends. When I saw the picture, I really wanted to try and do a painting of them. I have only done a very few portraits, and as I was painting this one, I remember why. They are so challenging for me. It took 3 months, and many trials and errors to get this painting to look right. I still see things in it I would like to improve, (values in flesh tones mostly) but I just don't quite know how to do that without creating more problems to fix. So, I will leave it as it is.
I learned a great deal in doing this portrait!! Especially about flesh tones and value!! Wow!! It was really far above my skill level... I have such a huge respect and awe for portrait painters!!