"Black Plum and Assorted Fruit" oil on 6x6 board

I had painted this a few weeks ago, but wanted to touch up a few things before I posted it.  I will be out of town for a week visiting and working with a friend.  I'll be back and painting after Labor Day.  Thanks to everyone who follows my blog, buys my artwork and sends their thoughts and comments! I appreciate it sooooo much!! 

"Games for a Rainy Day" oil on 5x5 board

We've had a dry summer so far, and finally we had a long rainy day a couple of days ago, and I stayed in and painted this.  It was a long, quiet afternoon and it made me think of all the different games to play to pass the time while it's raining outside.

"Golden Cherries and Peach" Oil on hardboard 5"x7"

I just can't resist these pretty cherries.  Their colors are so irresistible, but hard to capture in a painting, so I keep trying.  This board has a bit of a different texture on it's surface, because I primed it with an oil ground and used a little paint roller to do it.  Just something different to try. 

and by the way....

Today is "International Left-Handers Day"!!!   So, Happy Left Handers Day to all you fellow leftys out there!!

"Coffee Mug and Cherries" Oil on 5x5 gessobord

This is my entry to this week's Daily Paintworks painting challenge.  The challenge was to paint your favorite mug, and also there was a link to helpful instructions for painting (or drawing) an ellipse shape.  I used this method to paint the top of the mug, and it really helped.  The hint about using a dotted line first is what helped the most.  

"Black Grapes and Cabernet Sauvignon" Oil on 8x6 linen panel

This is a glass of cabernet sauvignon, a dark red wine that I bought so that I could paint a picture of it with these beautiful black grapes.  The grapes were delicious, but the wine... I wasn't fan.  Well, not a big fan, it didn't go to waste.  :-)
I especially like the way the cold wine caused moisture to condensate on the glass.  It was a warm day, and the wine sat while I painted, and that little patch of wetness sweating on the side eventually disappeared as the wine warmed up.  But, I kept it in my picture. 
This is painted on a Belgian linen panel, and has a fine texture to the surface that photographed a little grainy, especially when I decreased the size of the image for posting.  The original looks a bit smoother in person.  

"Cherries, Plum, Banana" Oil on 5x7 gessobord.

More of the golden cherries and black plum.  I thought the yellow banana made a nice contrast with them.