"Brenna"

7 x 10 inches

oil on wooden panel

I went to Fishermen’s Terminal in Seattle this morning to paint. So many wonderful subjects there! The weather was perfect - sunlight shimmering on the water, light breeze, very pleasant. Two painters were already at work when I arrived so I stopped to visit. They had been here the day before and so enjoyed the experience that they were back again . . . I think the same thing is going to happen for me! 

Next time I will pack my Titanium White. Used Ice Blue instead today and mixed it into almost everything - because it was the lightest color I had with me. The proportions of my subject in are a bit strange, color too, but the day was so wonderful I am posting my painting anyway. 

Color Notes

I use Safari as my browser program. Earlier this week I opened this site in Firefox and was shocked to see the difference. Firefox does not display color in the same way. Opening this site in both programs and displaying them together on my monitor, the difference was shocking! 

I realize that different monitors will display the colors differently, but when the same monitor is used to show the same site, opened to the same image so both visible side by side, one opened in Safari - the other opened in Firefox, the difference in color was astounding.

When using Safari, clicking to enlarge the image gives color very much like the actual painting (on my monitor) while the smaller images on this site seem very pale in comparison. However, in Firefox the color does not improve. In fact it looks even more washed out when clicked to enlarge. Rich, warm colors do not show up at all and the image looks slightly our of focus. Same for Internet Explorer. I would be interested to know if any of you have found the same to be true when viewing your paintings.

"Theater Rehearsal"

8 x 6

oil on wooden panel

During an early rehearsal on stage I was struck by the light and dark quality of the figure and background. I also delighted in Yum-Yum turning her head to match the painted figures behind her. Great fun to paint!

This vessel is part of a collection of large "vase and jars" I painted for the Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society. In this little painting I was able to capture the blue figures once again. My 10 July 2008 posting shows this and several other large vessels on stage.

Click on image to enlarge and see color more like the painting.

"Two Little Maids"

8 x 6 inches

oil on wooden panel

On stage in Act I of the Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society’s Mikado. I enjoy watching the way the cast members interact with each other as the story unfolds. The color in the painting is much richer than it appears here.

Click on image to enlarge.

Edward B. Gordon's "Summer-2"

Look what has arrived at my door! I am the happy owner of another one of Edward B. Gordon’s blog paintings. This is “Summer-2” Edward lives in Berlin, Germany. He began posting a painting a day in November 2006. I enjoy his work and this little painting instantly became another one of my favorites.

Edward B. Gordon's #499

Look what just arrived at my door! It is Edward B. Gordon’s blog painting #499. Edward lives in Berlin, Germany. He began posting a painting a day in November 2006. I enjoy his work and this little painting is one of my all time favorites. The presentation was so beautiful, I had to photograph it as I opened the package.

"Sweet"

8 x 6"

oil on gessoed wooden panel

Something else I bought because I wanted to paint the shapes - a pewter cream and sugar on a little tray. I admired these in a local shop for weeks before deciding to buy them. When they came home I put them on the kitchen table where we have been using them. Today they went to the studio to be painted. The chocolates were a gift from a friend and they are very good!

Click image to enlarge.

"Two + One"

7 x 6.75"

oil on gessoed museum board

I painted this a while ago. I liked it at the time but it really didn’t excite me. Several days ago I took it out to have another look. Suddenly it was so obvious! I darkened the outside of the tea cup - the center section closest to the viewer - from the little rose-colored flower at the top to the base of the cup. Now it is just right! This section is darker than the photo shows.

The photo does not capture the rich colors very well either, but it does give a good idea of the actual painting.

Click on image to enlarge.

"Tea with Grapes"

6 x 5.75"

oil on gessoed museum board

SOLD

I seem to never tire of the wonderful discoveries in nature and the objects around me. I always find something new. As light and shadow patterns move, the objects they touch change color right before my eyes. I love watching these changes and catching them in paint. 

Here I was most fascinated with how the light gave from to the grapes, where they became dark and where they became much lighter. They turned orange, purple, rose, and almost black and gave rich shadow colors to the dish. 

"Twilight"

30 x 40"

oil on canvas

Twilight falls over Puget Sound casting its magical glow and the sound of silence. I do love this time of day.

“Twilight” is the largest of the paintings I delivered to an exhibition today. I usually paint much larger than the work shown on this site and just wanted to share this one with you today. The colors are much brighter than they appear here. There are rich shades of gold, peach, rose, lavender and many greens.

Click image to enlarge.

"Waiting For The 4:45"

8 x 6"

oil on gessoed wooden panel

I spotted this man as I was walking up 4th Avenue in downtown Seattle. Waiting for the bus, reading the news, bright sunlight catching long shadows of people walking by, this was just too good to pass up! Instantly I knew I had to paint him.

Click on image to enlarge.

"Orange, Red and Yellow"

6 x 8"

oil on wood panel

This painting went up on my blog Tuesday, January 29, 2008. I have added again to announce that it is now on my ebay auction site. I have also added a close up to show the brush strokes.

Click on image to enlarge.

"Morning Walk"

6 x 8"

oil on 1/8" gessoed wooden panel

This is a popular walking path in Seattle. It has skaters, joggers, walkers and bikers in almost any weather. Sun is best and I love the long shadows of early morning and late afternoon.

Click on image to enlarge.

Click here for the auction page and a chance to place your bid.

"Bailey's Irish Cream Chocolates"

4 x 6"
oil on 1/8" gessoed wood panel

Several months ago I was asked to write an article about the practice of daily painting for Women Painters of Washington, a group of professional artists in Washington State. I began a series of small paintings for this purpose. This painting was the first in this series. It opened by blog, and it now opens my eBay store.

Colors are brighter than they appear here. Click on image to enlarge.

"Shelf Life"

8 x 6 inches

oil on wood panel

It didn’t look like the kitten would fit in here to me, but take your eyes off her for a moment and he could show up just about anywhere. My guess is we both enjoyed the view.

"Bing Cherries"

7 x 6.5"

oil on gessoed museum board

This little glass dish belonged to my grandmother. It appears in several of my cherry paintings. I enjoy painting the shadow it casts as much as the glass itself, and I always like painting the many colors in cherries. When the stems are still attached, well that is the best! 

"Text Messaging"

6 x 8"

oil on wood panel

Another “Sunshine: Dog Days” painting. Here the man was so interested in his phone, nothing else seemed to exist for him. The dog, on the other hand, was interested in all the people walking by. Once again I wanted to paint the long shadows. I also wanted to paint the sunlight shining thru the dog’s tail and the hint of gold on his legs and along his back. 

"Sunshine: Dog Days"

8 x 6"

oil on wood panel

The sun is out in the Northwest again and it seems everyone who has a dog has been out on walks. This one was so good I had to paint it. The long shadows were as much fun as the light on the people and the shape of the dog just sitting there waiting for the conversation to finish.

"One Rolled Out"

6 x 5.75"

oil on gessoed museum board

SOLD

I like the little yellow dish - and of course - more cherries!

"Mahjong Cherries"

6 x 8"

oil on gessoed museum board

These are such great models, they can be painted many times before being eaten! I still have some cherries with stems attached and will continue painting them until they are gone. Some have been painted five times before eaten! Such restraint . . . but still, each day the number in the refrigerator grows smaller.