Beth

6 x 6

oil on Ampersand

There are so many things to say about my friend Beth.  I painted her and posted it here once before and noted at that time how absolutely photo resistant she is.  She's incredibly slippery and is brilliant at avoiding the camera, something we have in common.  It's a miracle that I had this nice straight on picture to work with since she's usually captured as a blur.  

A month or two ago I posted a little portrait of Beth's husband Roger and she, like him, is a person with a philanthropist's heart.  So much so in fact, that I choose them both to represent an "everyday star" in Ft.Wayne's Murosity Project ( Murosity = Mural + Generosity by highlighting a person or persons who give their time and talents to contribute to the betterment of this community ).  Click here for the website and mural. Hint : My panel is 6th from the left on the second row.  And here is my panel illustrating Beth among some of the critterdom she so loves.

12 x 12

acrylic on canvas

The panels were prepped with the subtle image of the overall painting of the mural, and the task of each artist was to create their painting within the constraints of that image.  

 

I painted Beth this time just for Scott and me and will join the others on my wall of peeps we love.  

Our Bloomers

12 x 16

oil on Ampersand panel

"The Meaning of Spring" is this week's theme on the Daily Paintworks Challenge and midway through this painting, I realized my seasonal floral faux pas.  That is, that lilies and snapdragons are more summer bloomers up here in northern Indiana, but I also threw in a few beards tongue and pre-bloomed Allium to even things up a bit.  Anyway, in my defense, my first thoughts of spring are the brilliant, spectral, fragrant gifts of our garden and I can't wait to see them again.  They're on their way, even though this morning their little green preludes were barely poking through the four or five inches of snow we were blessed with.  But then again, it's water and after last year's drought, we'll take it however we can get it because Spring is here!

Varietal Show

8 x 10

oil on hardboard

My cousin Janice took an inspiring photo of an Italian vineyard while vacationing there and this is a loose interpretation of that scene.  I'd love to go there and experience for myself those dramatic blue mountains and patchwork of grape vines.  I can appreciate why it's been the subject of so may artist.

Precious Cargo

 

8 x 8

oil on Ampersand panel

I was in the park with a group of plein air painters when a woman walked by with her beautiful baby in this old classic pram.  She was kind enough to stop and let us grab sketchpads and snap pictures.  What a photo-op.

Patrick O'Riordan

6 x 6

oil on Ampersand Panel

Just in time for St.Patrick's Day, here's my favorite Irishman, our very dear ,very precious friend Pat.  If you happen to be an Irish whistle (penny whistle) player, you probably already know of him.  He distinguished himself as an internationally known whistle maker and is credited on many albums as such and also has a magnificent tenor voice.  The day I met him was a miracle for me.  He was playing music at a festival with a small group of people that he brought together and simply put, I was memorized, I joined them, and they became my best friends and one of them, my husband! We've been friends and making music together now for 37 years - so far!  I'm so happy this turned out well - it will go up on my wall of "mugs" of the people in my life. 

Juicy Fruits

6 x 6

oil on panel

Another quick, fun painting of one of the fruit and vegetable roadside markets in South Carolina.  I just love the rich, juicy color explosion!

On Her Break

12 x 12

oil on canvas

Sold!

Kitty Pie keeps to a pretty tight schedule of eating, sleeping, cackling at birds, and waking us up every morning at four, making pitiful sounds to be fed.  Here she is taking a little break to stare out the window. 

Fresh Shrimp

6 x 6

oil on Ampersand panel

Sold!

This was one of the many roadside markets we saw while driving though the Lowcountry of South Carolina.  I guess fresh shrimp is the main feature of this particular stand, although I only saw the lovely, colorful fruits and veggies.  Determined to keep my strokes loose, I had to force my hand away from my tiny detail brushes again and again, although I gave in to using it on the signs and a couple other spots. 

Benediction

9 x 12

Oil on Panel

I have been wanting to paint this beautiful statue for some time.  Her serene expression and open arms offer a sense of peace and acceptance that I've always loved.  When a "Statue Challenge" was offered on Daily Paintworks  I was happy to have the excuse to finally get to it. 

I'm All Ears

 6 x 6

oil on Ampersand cradled canvas textured board

I painted this image of Kitty Pie once before on a 20 x 30 canvas, but this time condensed it onto a 

6 x 6 format to paint during the recent workshop using Dreama Tolle Perry's transparent oil technique and a much looser stroke.  It was tricky to get used to using a size 12 flat brush instead of my standby pointy size 1 or 2 on such a small painting, but again - liberating! Even with the broader strokes, I think this captures Kitty's delusion that she's a princess and we're her staff.

As with most child celebrities, she got used to having cameras in her face at an early age.  Not that she cooperates all the time, or usually, since she's, well, ...a cat.

Growing

 12 x 12

oil on Ampersand panel

12 x 12

oil on Ampersand cradled panel

I'm just back from the wonderful experience of attending Dreama Tolle Perry's workshop.  She is an amazing artist and instructor, providing great information for both your artistic journey and for your soul.  I came away feeling more focused, excited, and blessed than I could have imagined and can't wait to get back to the easel.  These paintings the result of the first two days during which the entire class painted the same image. Everyone did a lovely job, each with their own flavor. 

Dreama was incredible.  I'm so impressed by her vigilance and attention to each artist, rounding constantly, providing advice, affirmation, and encouragement, and her own philosophy and business sense.  It was like an artist's revival meeting.

The workshop took place in Carmel, Indiana, in the heart of the Arts and Design District.  It's a beautiful community just north of Indianapolis, with enough galleries, restaurants, and shopping to keep you occupied.  The building we were in was architecturally beautiful with huge windows where we could see and be seen by the shoppers and residents strolling by all day.  The only unfortunate thing was the weather as that part of Indiana got a little sampling of the nasty stuff blowing through the midwest this week, but not enough to slow us down.

For purchase information for Sunbrella, contact The Castle Gallery