Ruby Phlox    14x18   o/c

The heat and dry continue here.  The flowers are struggling in spite of regular watering.  It's not the best year for my flower gardens but there are still lots to choose from!  The little green/blue jar is new...I loved painting it!  I think you will see it in more paintings!

A Two Fish Vase   14x18 o/cb

Todays painting is ablaze with color!  I love the vibrancy of it..overall I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.  The vase with the bas relief fish on the front was a bit difficult.  After struggling a while on it  I'm very satisfied with it!

Please share your thoughts with me....I'd love to hear from you. 

Phlox and Bee Balm          16x20   o/c

Orange Trumpets     12x12

Well, some reevaluation led me to make a few changes in the painting from yesterday...I felt the composition was stiff and the focal just wasn't "popping".  I'm still not sure that I'm satisfied, but it's an improvement. Hope you like the changes I made!

Yellow Daylilies...(revised) :)

Yellow Daylilies         14x18  o/l

I've been studying work by Laura Robb.  Her stilllifes are wonderful!  Her style is very loose.  She leaves large areas just unfinished with wild color and brushstrokes.  They are so vibrant...I decided to incorporate some of her style in this weeks painting.  It is not a far stretch from my usual direction that my painting has been going, just pushing it a bit further.  I've been trying to develop the backgrounds to the paintings to work on some issues I've been unhappy with also.  Dan Beck recommended some color and temperature variations so today was a day to take on challenges!

Thank you for viewing my art!

Bee Balm and Lily   14x18 o/l

I tried to keep today's painting from becoming too dark.  I feel it was successful but now I wonder if the background is too intense?
It's a hot week here in Michigan but beautiful if you love summer and sunshine!  The flower beds are lovely, but it has been very dry and I have to water everyday.  I don't like doing that but, you work so hard to make the flowers grow, and in Michigan you only get to enjoy them for a short time before it's snowing again!  I hope to capture them in my paintings in a way that will last a lifetime!

I had so much fun painting the balloon flowers on tuesday I picked some more and painted them again. This time I did a much more high key (lighter colors), than tuesday's painting.  I mixed in some coreopsis and a few blanket flowers to give some dashes of contrast.
Thank you for viewing my art!

The Gravy Boat     11x14   o/.b

Today's painting is all about color.  The flower gardens are alive with painting options!  I bought a new vase last night( love the shape!!), and chose the flowers that I felt worked with the color.  When I had the stilllife set up I was wowed with the colors together!
I'm pleased with the painting, although noone does it better than Mother Nature!

Dianthus and Balloon Flowers      14x18  o/l

Saturday was a perfectly sunny Michigan summer day!  The PAAWM group joined with the GLPS and Merizon Studio to create an event that was wonderfully enjoyable!  The Merizon Farm sits in the country hills, rolling with wildflowers, overlooking the city of Grand Rapids in the distance.  It is beautiful.  The plein air event was very well attended and the day was weather perfect.  I had a hard time choosing a subject amongst so many options, but eventually planted myself in front of the old gardens and painted the hollyhock.

Merizon's Hollyhocks     7x12  ob