No. 406 The Larger Version

The Larger Version

Oil on Canvas Panel

9" x 12"

I liked the painting in the last post so much I decided to paint a larger version. It's been a long time since I've painted a 9" x 12". As you can see the tulips are starting to open....

No. 405 Not So Quiet Tulips

Not So Quiet Tulips 

Oil on Ampersand Gessobord

7" x 5"

Okay, here we are back to the bold color I can't resist. Did I ever mention that I love red? It appears orange or red/orange it way up there too because I'm pretty darn happy with this little painting.

A primrose display at Molbak's Nursery. This was actually hanging on the wall. Would you consider this wall hanging "mixed media"?

No. 404 Tulips in the Morning

 

Tulips in the Morning

Oil on Canvas Panel

7" x 5"

 

A quieter tulip painting than I usually do. At first I felt the colors weren't bright enough and found it very disappointing. Today though, I find it gently reflective and well suited to this morning's rainy spring weather.

 

 

Some slightly soggy photos taken during a morning walk with my neighbor

Melissa and my dog Loui.

 

  I really like the above photo because it captures a daffodil in four stages of opening.

 

 



No. 403 Primrose Encircled

Primrose Encircled

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

I've been having a lot of fun recently working with folds of fabric, using the folds to draw the eye into the painting and to repeat shapes from other parts of the composition. Also there is, of course, the challenge of painting the folds themselves. Many, many possibilities here.

More iPhone fun. I simply can't resist collecting primroses this time of year. The price is right and you can't get a nicer hit of color after a grey winter. They smell just like spring too.

No. 402 Tulips in Creamer

Tulips in Creamer

Oil on Canvas Board

7" x 5"

Click here to view auction.

Goodness, tulips definitely have a mind of their own. Stems, petals, everything on a tulip moves from one moment to the next. Open, close, droop or not, it can really prove to be a challenge to paint them. Now a good old fashion mandarin orange, there is something that knows how to hold a pose!

No. 401 Tulips and Gold

Tulips and Gold

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"
Click here to view auction

The tulips are here! The tulips are here! I'm not exactly sure why I'm so excited because tulips can be really difficult to paint but excited I am! Central Market carries my favorite cut tulips with beautiful colors, large blooms and sturdy stems. So here we have my first batch with a really cool golden teapot I found in an antique store in Snohomish.


I used my Iphone to take the photos below....... 

Don't you just want to roll in all that color?

No. 400 The Hellebore Series #5

The Hellebore Series #5

Oil on Canvas Board

7" x 5"

The last and quite possibly my favorite of the hellebore series. I'd like to thank my neighbors again for giving me these beautiful models to paint. What a wonderful subject to gaze at for hours on end.

No. 399 The Hellebore Series #4 and a Little Fortuny

The Hellebore Series #4 and a Little Fortuny

Oil on Canvas Board

7" x 5"

One of my two favorites in the Hellebore Series. I finally figured out my upload issue! The above version is much closer to what I wanted. The version below is what I posted last night. It turns out Picasa has an auto adjust feature I wasn't aware of. Since any photo placed in a Blogger blog is processed through Picasa it didn't matter how I uploaded it. This is the first time I've had an issue so in most cases it must work fine.

The background in this painting is a rich burgandy black. I tried to upload the photo, which looked great on my Ipad, with three different programs. Each time it lightened the whole image, especially the background. Honestly! (I throw my hands up in extreme frustration) I'm giving up and going to bed.

No. 398 Mini Irises

Mini Irises

7" x 5"

Oil on Canvas Board

SOLD

Oh my, flowers are popping up everywhere. Too many choices! I meant to paint

these irises several times but only got this one little painting in before they passed their prime.

No. 397 The Hellebore Series #3

 

The Hellebore Series #3

Oil on Canvas Panel

5" x 7"

 

If you think you've seen this before there is a reason for that. It is very similar to the first painting in this series. The silver cup is different and the flower is coming in from the left instead of the right. Which one do you prefer?

No. 396 Fabulous Fortuny #1

Fabulous Fortuny #1

Oil on Gessobord

7" x 5"

A little over a month ago my friend Renee invited me to a talk on Fortuny at the Bellevue Art Museum . This talk was in conjunction with an exhibit of  Isabelle de Borchgrave's work inspired by Mariano Fortuny's fashion designs and textiles. It was a beautiful exhibit, an interesting talk and all in all very inspiring. 

Elizabeth had been encouraging me to incorporate fabric patterns into my still life for quite awhile. These gorgeous fabrics seemed to be just the ticket. Fortuny fabric is made in Venice with a top secret process. In other words, it doesn't come cheap and isn't sold to the general public. So how to get some? Thank you Ebay!  I now own a 8 1/2" x 11" swatch of Fortuny fabric.

The only problem now is finding still life props elegant enough to hold their own next to the Fortuny... 

No. 395 The Hellebore Series #2

The Hellebore Series #2

Oil on Canvas Panel

7" x 5"

An entirely different composition with those lovely hellebore.

And another photo of hellebore floating in a ceramic bowl. Check out the wonderful variety my neighbors the Feuersteins have.

No. 394 The Hellebore Series #1

The Hellebore Series #1

Oil on Canvas Panel

5" x 7"

I'm super fortunate to have neighbors that are just crazy about growing flowers. They very kindly gave me a handful of lovely hellebore to paint. Normally these flowers tend to face down so it is a little difficult to see how amazing they are.

In recent years they've become a very popular plant. The variety available now is stunning. They really caught my eye when I saw a photo Shelly took of them floating in water. Of course I had to try that out too. :) 

No. 393 Spring PAWA Paint-In

Paint-in Party

Oil on canvas board

7" x 5"

Another great party with the PAWA group. It's a great having someone else design the still life. All you have to do is elbow your way in for the perfect view. :)

If you'd like to see a short slide show I created of the paint-in party click here

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No. 392 and more.....

The Allium Collection No. 7

Oil on linen panel

5" x 7"

Couldn't resist yet another onion....

I have big plans for taking my little paintings on the road his summer. By that I mean participating in an art fair or two. Now, believe it or not, is when you sign up for the fairs in August. So I've been working hard putting a booth together for that all important booth photo to submit. A big thanks to my neighbor Melissa for her discerning eye and knowledge of putting up tents. A huge thanks to Don for building the displays I designed to hold all those little paintings. Check it out......

 

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