Volunteer Job

8 x 8

oil on Ampersand panel

A small painting of my husband in his garden, tending to his volunteer sunflowers and Shasta daisies, which are so much fun to paint. He has lots of tomatoes and peppers as well, sharing space and competing for sunshine, and somehow we always get more tomatoes than we, or our friends and family can use. I was compelled to paint this scene because of the wonderful back lighting around Scott, obscuring his face but creating the warm glow around him and outlining the cool shadows of his white t-shirt. And also because of the cheerful medley of flowers and greenery and their interplay of light and shadows.

For purchase information, please contact The Castle Gallery 

Plein Air adventures

9 x 12

oil on canvas

Plein air is still unconquered territory for me. Last week I went out with friends to paint and couldn't even remember how to set up my french easel. Right after the long and awkward period of setting up, spreading out my copious equipment, and settling in to paint, the bugs descended and I discovered the one thing I didn't pack was bug spray. Additionally, in spite of being a dog lover, the dog that lived on this property didn't love me back. She didn't think I should be there and made her point painfully clear. 

On the upside, it was a beautiful morning with comfortable temperatures, and I found this lovely tree grove dappled with sun and shadows. We were only there for a couple of hours but enough time for me to get down the composition and values and enough information to finish this up at home. I think I'll try it again, someday.

For purchase information, please contact The Castle Gallery 

Summer

Sold
18 x 16

oil on canvas

Sunflowers and daisies grow wild all around our vegetable and herb garden. My husband can't bear to pull up a flower, no matter where it may sprout, so blossoms are bountiful around here. These were so beautiful, back lit by sunshine and against the blue sky, how could I not try to paint them. I loved how it turned out.