The flowers in my gardens are almost done for this season.  There are a few Mums left, but even those are getting pretty straggly looking.  I Found enough to put together this set up and added the fruit for some color.

The Bunny Bowl       16x20 o/c

Yesterday was a beautiful day to go plein air painting!  PAAWM had their regular scheduled paint out and this time I was able to go and the weather was perfect!  The location was at the home of one of the plein air artists.....24 acres of woods and water!  There was no limit to the painting options.  I haven't painted a landscape in a while.  I've been focusing on the still lifes...but it was fun to get out and do a landscape again!  The owner of the property is Joy, so I named the painting, "Place of Joy".  Seemed appropriate.

Place of Joy      20x16  o/c

Mums and Little Green Tomatoes     20x16

Another painting based on the minimal colors used in the set up.  This time shades of white and tones of green.  It was hard to create the "daisy like" mum flowers so that they were accurately explained without being too defined.  More experience with this will help me work a little more confidently with it.  Thank you for taking time to view my painting!

I tried something a little different in yesterdays painting in regards to color harmony.  I've been studying other artists color choices and thought I'd try a very limited color range on this one.  I rather like the neutrals but I feel the red is a bit too similar throughout.  It has been a good study though.  The neutral tones appeal to me, I think I'll try this again with something other than the red.

Red Mums in a Green Vase   20x20

A similar color scheme as the painting I did last tuesday.  I lightened the overall values in the piece.  I used different kinds of flowers, but so many of the fall flowers are yellows and golds.  I had a few Zinnias left from the garden and they added some real vibrancy to the focal point.  The copper tea kettle was fun!

Zinnias and Marigolds           20x24  o/c

Apples and Yellow Mums       24x30  o/c

I really focused on this one!  It is the largest still life I have done in a very long time.  I wanted to paint these mums but a smaller format just didn't seem to be making the statement I wanted them to make.  It was very tiring...I wanted to bring it as close to completion as I could while the paint was still fresh and workable.  I may decide that it needs some more work once I've stepped back from it...but I feel very satisfied with what I accomplished in a days time.  

This painting was a bit more involved than the smaller studies I have been working on recently.  It is 18x24 and was worked on over the course of several days.  I framed it in a very nice looking "beaten black" w/gold accents.  I tried pushing the atmosphere and exaggerating the soft edges.

Autumn Joy Sedum              18x24  framed o/c