"Peach with Cherries and Grapes" Oil on 6x6 board

I wanted to change the angle of my set up, so I set this fruit up on a lower table, and stood to paint.  ( I usually sit).  I noticed that when I stand, my palette is further away, and my arm isn't as steady when I reach for it, and I use more paint to mix with.  It's much more comfortable to sit, but standing seems to cause my painting to come out with a looser look.  Which is the effect I want.  And, standing can only burn more calories than sitting, so that's an extra bonus.  :-)

"Pansies" Oil on 6x6 in. board

Pansies are some of my favorite flowers, I love their cheerful little faces.  I planted some in my garden this year, and put some of them in this little metal pitcher to paint.

"June Roses" Oil on 6x6 Gessobord Panel

We've been having beautiful weather here the past couple of days, and my rose bushes are full of these dark red roses.  I painted them with a teacup a couple of days ago, and I wanted to try them again.

"Melon and Berries"

Oil on 5x7 hardboard panel

"June Roses and Tea Cup"

Oil on 5x7 hardboard

I've been trying to focus on putting more thought into the arrangement of values in a painting, and keeping them more defined from each other.   I usually start out ok, but somewhere along the way my values get muddy.  I think it happens when my palette becomes too messy, and all my paint becomes too mixed, and that's how the painting turns out. (In other words, I just get lazy)  This time, I made a little value study on my palette, and focused on sticking to it.  When my palette became too messy with mixtures, I cleaned it off and started with fresh mixes.   I was very happy with how this painting came out.  I'm especially happy with the looseness of it, because it's just the way I envision a painting- not too tight, not too loose.  Every so often I get one that I think is just right.  :-)

"Petunias and Cherry"

Oil on 5x7 inch hardboard panel

I thought I'd try painting these petunias again on a light background.  I set them in a small white bowl, and added the cherry in the corner where it seemed a bit too empty.  I don't usually paint flowers and it's really deceiving how much they actually move while painting them.  It isn't noticeable until you go back to a certain flower and it's in a different position than before, and it's in a more interesting position, and you have to decide whether to leave it alone or change it!  These petunias were fun to paint though, with their interesting shapes and unusual color.

"Forget-Me-Not and Petunias"

Oil on 5x7 hardboard panel

This is my grandmother's china, it's called "Forget Me Not",    The petunias are from my garden, I bought them because of their deep purple/ almost black color.  They are so velvety pretty with a thin pinstripe down each petal.  I was looking for something to add to the cup and saucer in the picture, and now that flowers are blooming, they made a nice addition.  Too bad I don't have any forget me nots!