Big Yellow

Big Yellow

This week's assignment was to work on "chroma".  Getting the intensity of the color strongest at your point of interest and controlling it from there.  I got some new paint colors and some new linen...Claussens oil primed.  It felt like Christmas!  I was really excited about seeing what I could come up with. 

Big Yellow   oil on linen  12x18"

A Blaze of Roses

A Blaze of Roses

19x29  oc

Michigan has had a hard, cold winter this year.  I love winter but it has been pretty challenging this year.  I needed something to cheer me up so I went to the store for some flowers!  I saw these wonderful yellow and orange picotee roses and thought of sunshine and warmth!  I hope they help you feel that too!

Wishes to you all for a day filled with sunshine!

Picotee and Clementines

Picotee and Clementines

 16x20   oil on canvas

I saw these beautiful frilled picotee roses at the florist and fell in love with them.  I decided to throw some "pizazz" in the mix and try a pink and orange palette.  I wasn't sure how it would work but I really love the colors together!  It's soft and delicate and wild and exuberant all at the same time!

Astromelia and Phlox

Astromelia and Phlox

oil on canvas  24x20

The Astromelia is commonly called a Peruvian Lily.  It is found in florist bouquets a lot.  I suspect because it is so lovely and lasts a long time as a picked flower.  This painting was designed primarily as a commissioned piece, based loosely on another painting I did a while back.  My client liked the colors and "feel" of the first painting but needed something larger and horizontal rather than vertical.  Because I rarely paint from photos...some of the variety of flowers that are in the first painting were not available for this painting so I selected some similar varieties and opted to focus on color palette and mood of the painting to recreate a similar piece for her.  I hope she likes it....if not it's ok, I enjoyed painting it!

The Steam Iron

The Steam Iron

The Steam Iron  o/c  17x18

This was a struggle and I almost gave up on it, but I'm not one that can "quit" very easily so I kept pushing the paint around...wiping out, building up,wiping out again!! Finally I felt something coming together.  In the end I am very pleased with this piece.  It is the second stilllife with an eye level composition that I have worked on.