"Silent Swirl"

8 x 6 inches

oil on wooden panel

It snowed again last night and more today. The snow flakes so small and falling so softly, they managed to pile up on our wind swirls. I have never seen that happen before, so that's what I had to paint today . . . sitting in the house with hot tea! 

Click on image to enlarge.

"Nice Socks"

8 x 6 inches

oil on wooden panel

This coffee/tea house is near the end of our favorite trail walk. We almost always stop for chai before heading home. There are always fun painting possibilities here. This person must have been reading a good book because she never took her eyes off the pages. Somehow her right hand always knew just where the dish and mug were. Amazing. The color in painting is much richer than it appears here.

Click on image to enlarge. 

"Juicy Fruits"

6 x 8 inches

oil on wooden panel

I spotted these little delights at a local specialty shop. I bought several more to paint as well . . . these were delicious! And I admit, I purchased everything else in the painting, including the silver tray - with the wonderful reflections, because I wanted to paint them as well!

Click the 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. 

"Orange With Lemon"

8 x 8"

oil on gessoed museum board

I find blue and yellow so cheerful together. After being given some wonderful lemons, this painting was a natural. I added several orange slices for color. The colors reflected in the deep blue of the tea pot and cup are always exciting to capture in paint.