"Apple and Oak Leaf" Oil on 5x7 board

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I found this oak leaf while on a a walk, I liked the shape and color of it and wanted to paint it. 

"Fruit and Flag" 6x8 inch oil on board

Available on Etsy, $55
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I love nectarines, they sometimes have such striking swirls of color like this one.  I had the cherries, strawberry, grapes and nectarine together, and then decided to add the little flag since 4th of July is right around the corner.

"Crackers, Strawberries and Cheese" Oil on 5x7 board

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I placed the crackers, strawberries and cheese on this striped round cheese board, thinking about how I could create patterns with them.   I love the swirl of pattern the crackers create, and the circular shape of the composition against the stripes.   (there is a bit of glare lighting the dark background in the upper right corner of the photo,  I couldn't seem to be able to correct it.)

(the painting is not actually framed)

"Eggs and Basket" Oil on 7x5 board

Available on Daily Paintworks Auction
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I can't wait for Spring, and I'm excited to see the daylight lasting longer, and the time change will really make a difference!  The sunshine is brighter, the days are warming up, the birds are singing and Easter is just around the corner.  We've had a fairly mild winter here, but even so...Spring can't come soon enough for me!

"Garden Angel" Oil on 8x10 inch Linen Panel

Available on etsy
I've been feeling a little cramped painting on the smaller panels lately, so I thought I'd spread out a bit, and pulled out an 8x10 inch panel to paint on.  I've had this angel for a few years, and I've always thought of painting it, so finally I gave it a try.  The flowers from my garden are some hydrangeas, bachelor buttons, and the deep pink one in front is a cosmo.

"Baby's Shoes"

Oil on 8x6 hardboard panel

These baby shoes belonged to my youngest son, who is now 20 years old. I remember taking him to the shoe store, where the clerk measured his foot and tried these shoes on him. He learned to walk in them... it doesn't seem that long ago! I've always loved this classic style of white baby shoes, they are ageless.

Spring Masquerade... revised

Oil on 6x6 panel

Every time I looked at this painting once it was posted, I couldn't help but think that something about it was bothering me. The space around the forehead area looked so empty, like it needed something. I finally realized it was because I hadn't completed the black design that decorates the eyes and runs up onto the forehead. Even though it was already posted on ebay, and "Fresh Paint Daily Painters", I still wanted to change it. So, I added the design, and now I am happy. I've changed the picture on my ebay listing and also on Fresh Paint. That's the first time I've ever made changes to a painting after it was already finished and posted! But, this time, I just couldn't leave it the way it was.

"Spring Masquerade"

(work in progress)
Oil on 6x6 panel

I had fun painting this mask, so I wanted to try it again. I was thinking it would be nice if I had a flower to add next to the mask, but I didn't have a flower and thought I'd use my colored tissue to make a flower! Well, my tissue flowers didn't come out too good, but they added lots of color. Cheerful and pretty Springtime colors, just the thing to brighten up a gray winter day.

"Banana with Strawberries and Grapes"

Oil on 5"x7" Ampersand Gessobord panel
I wasn't too excited about this painting, until I had an impulse to add the blue across the top and include the same color in the shadows. That really made a difference!! I like it much better now.
(I will post this to ebay later this evening. )

"Sand Dollar and Friends" 6x8

Oil on 6"x8" Linen Panel
I tried another still life using some of the same items as last time. This one is on a 6"x8" linen panel that I had made. I had put about 3 or 4 coats of gesso on it, and sanded it before painting. I think the extra gesso made the panel smoother, and better to paint on. My husband thought I should name this painting, " Sand dollar and Friends". I don't usually think up very imaginative titles for my paintings, so I thought this time I'd take his suggestion. It sounds better than, "Butterfly, Hyacinth, Shells, and Ribbon Still Life." :)

Painting Practice

"Fruit on Cloth" oil on 8"x10" linen panel (above)
"Cloth" oil on 5"x7" hardboard panel
I had trouble painting the cloth in the fruit painting and kept wiping it out, so I finally decided maybe it looked just fine the way it was, a bit unfinished. I signed it, but, I'm still not sure if I'll go back to it.
Then I spent a few hours making small drawings of the cloth. I tried to focus only on the shadow shapes while closing one eye, and squinting. It made it much easier to map out those shapes first and then connect them with more detail afterward. I know this, but fail to remember to actually do it most of the time. I did this a few times, changing the position of the cloth after each drawing. I enjoyed that so much, I decided to do a small painting too.
I read this quote on a blog once, I wish I could remember where, but it said this...
"Draw every day for five minutes, and if you don't feel like it, then draw until you do." -Unknown
I sometimes forget how valuable drawing is, until I spend some time doing it.

Windy April Day at the Beach 6x8 canvas panel

This is a view of the Lake Ontario shore, from Charlotte Beach near my home. It was a cold windy day, and there were not many people out, but it was a great day to fly a kite. I had a hard time painting this picture, even though there doesn't seem to be much in it. It was a good lesson in color mixing for me.