No. 684 Stargazer

Stargazer

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

When I picked these lilies up at Safeway the other day, most of the flower buds were closed. I had no idea how spectacularly lovely, fragrant and long lasting they would be.

I'm enchanted. :)

No. 683 Little Jar and Rose Petals

Little Jar and Rose Petals

Oil on Linen Panel

5" x 7"

I rediscovered this wonderful little jar in my prop collection the other day. I first painted it holding roses. Then it occurred to me it might work even better with just a few petals.

No. 682 Red and Silver

 

Red and Silver

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

 

 

I read somewhere recently that fresh flowers are strictly a luxury item.

Well, thank God for life's little luxuries!

 

 

No. 681 The Return of Peggy's Jar of Spools

 

 

The Return of Peggy's Jar of Spools

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

 

What a fun still life subject. Thank you, Peggy, for the loan of your awesome jar of spools!

 

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No. 680 Squash, Books and a Little Persimmon

 

 

Squash, Books and a Little Persimmon

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

I admired the shape of this wonderful, white squash for a long time before I figured out how to use it in a still life. Then, one day in class, we were stacking items on top of books. Eureka!

 

 

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No. 677 Don's Blue Bottle #2

 

 

Don's Blue Bottle #2

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

 

Okay, I couldn't paint that fabulous blue bottle just once, could I? :)

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No. 676 Don's Blue Bottle

 

 

Don's Blue Bottle

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

My husband, Don, found this super cool, blue bottle for me. He likes to haunt thrift stores too. How lucky am I?

 

 

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No. 675 Peggy's Jar of Wooden Spools

 

 

Peggy's Jar of Wooden Spools

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

One class a month is what I like to call "party day". We set up still lifes and have class in the morning, then walk to a nearby restaurant for lunch and return to paint some more afterwards. I get to take off the mantle of teacher and join in on the fun during the post lunch session. Best idea ever!

Peggy designed this still life set up. I fell in love with her jar of wooden spools.

No. 674 Missing Those Roses

 

 

Missing Those Roses

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

I discovered this in a box of paintings the other day. It occurred to me that it had never been posted. Feeling very wistful about my backyard roses right now....

 



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No. 673 Pomegranate with Silver

 

Pomegranate with Silver

Oil on Linen Panel

5" x 7"

 

Had a wonderful Thanksgiving today with family and lots of yummy food. I hope you did too.

Tomorrow we exercise! 

 

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No. 672 Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Oil on Linen Panel

5" x 7"

 

Wow! I have so much to be thankful for I don't even know where to start. A wonderful family, a comfortable home and a beautiful place to live are my foundation. Then there are three years of daily painting and all the blessings that has brought - a growing business, new friends, recognition and last but not least an opportunity to teach a wonderful group of students. Oh my, I think I'm going to have to find some tissues!

Oh no, I won't forget about you! I'm so very thankful that you take the time out of your busy day to read my humble blog. It means the world to me! Thank you.

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

 

No. 671 Persimmons, Sunflowers and Sugar Bowl

 

Persimmons, Sunflowers and Sugar Bowl

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

This is a variation on a sunflower still life I painted earlier. Those persimmons sure are cute!

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No. 670 Sunflowers with Fall Fruit

 

 

Sunflowers with Fall Fruit

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

 

Just a few more days to enjoy those fall images than it's the big switcheroo! Big bouquets of sunflowers are harder and harder to come by so I guess it's all for the best...

 

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No. 669 U-Pick Dahlias

 

 

U-Pick Dahlias

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

So sad to see the farmer's stand close it's gates for the season.  And I was just getting into the dahlia painting groove! Sigh. I guess it will be something to look forward to next year.

 

 



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No. 668 The Cinderella Pumpkin

 

 

The Cinderella Pumpkin

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

Love the intense color of the Cinderella pumpkins. All the different types of pumpkins you see these days are amazing. One farm we stopped at had a display of 50 different varieties. Who knew?

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No.667 Plein Air in Tadcaster

Plein Air in Tadcaster

Oil on Canvas

5" x 7"

So what do you do when you finally have the opportunity to paint in plein air, you pack up all your gear and hike to just the right spot only to find you've forgotten your brushes? You've got it, you use your palette knife! You know, the one you normally only use for mixing paint. I once heard an artist say she used her credit card when she found herself without brushes or palette knives.

This painting, by the way, was from my wonderful trip to England this summer.

No. 666.5 Glass Painting Demo

 

 

Glass Painting Demo

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

 

The September theme in the oil painting class I'm teaching was "Learning How to Paint Glass".  Wow! We had some great work come out of that class. We started the month painting upside down, black and white photos of glass and ended painting from life. This was my "painting from life" demo.

 

 

No. 664 Stanley Park Plein Air

 

 

Stanley Park - Plein Air

Oil on Linen Panel

5" x 7"

 

I had a fantastic birthday this year in Vancouver, B.C. We chose a hotel right next to Stanley Park. I had hoped to get out and do lots of plein air painting but the weather just wasn't cooperating. I did take hundreds and hundreds of photos though. :)

 



 

The fall color was simply fantastic!

 

The totem poles are some of my favorite features of Stanly Park.

 

This handsome fellow was right next to the walkway in the park.

 

 

 

And here is my handsome fellow. Thank you, Don, for a very special birthday!

No. 663 Pansy Bouquet

 

 

Pansy Bouquet

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

 

They had the loveliest pansies and violets at Molbak's this fall. One led to another until I came home with a whole flat of them in a glorious variety of colors and sizes. Sadly, this was the only picture I painted before the cold, fall rains took their toll.

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No. 662 VanDusen Water Lilly

 

 

VanDusen Water Lilly

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

This was painted from a photo I took at the lovely VanDusen Gardens in Vancouver this summer.

  

 



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No. 661 Persimmons and Pomegranate with Sunflowers

 

 

Persimmons and Pomegranate with Sunflowers

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

This is the first time I've ever painted or even purchased persimmons. Interesting looking fruit. I'm going to have to Google how you eat them because I haven't a clue. :)

 

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No. 660 Valley Sunflowers

 

 

No. 660 Valley Sunflowers

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

 

Some more flowers from the U- Pick patch outside of Snohomish. I tried to stop there today after class to refresh my stock. I was very disappointed to find it was closed for the season. I had visions of sneaking in to cut some of the few remaining flowers I could see from the road. Then reason returned...

                                                                                        Sneakily,
                                                                                               Susan

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No. 659 Bailey's Pumpkin Truck #3 - Plein Air

 

 

Bailey's Pumpkin Truck #3

Plein Air

8" x 10"

Oil on Linen Panel

 

The last of my little pumpkin truck series. I hope to paint you again next year my friend!

 

Happy Halloween everyone! - Susan :)

 

 

No. 658 Bailey's Pumpkin Truck #2 - Plein Air

 

 

No. 658 Bailey's Pumpkin Truck #2

Plein Air

Oil on Linen Panel

5" x 7"

 

This is an amazingly peaceful place to hang out - during the week. A slight breeze, migrating geese flying overhead, house sparrows chirping in the barn and the occasional family strolling by looking for the perfect pumpkin all make this a wonderful place to paint.



 

 

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No. 657 Bailey's Pumpkin Truck #1 - Plein Air

 

 

Bailey's Pumpkin Truck #1

Plein Air

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

I can't tell you how much I love this old, pumpkin covered truck. I love it so much I painted it three times in the last couple of weeks. This is the last of the three...



 

 

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No. 656 Imported Pitcher

 

 

Imported Pitcher

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

Thrift shopping is a family thing. Renee found this fabulous brass pitcher for me in a thrift shop in England. What a find! Thanks again, Renee!

 



No. 655 Birthday Flowers

 

 

Birthday Flowers

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

My daughter found these on the doorstep. The card addressed to me. What a wonderful birthday surprise! Sent by a very thoughtful sister. Thank you, Renee!

 

 



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No. 654 Pumkins with Sunflowers

 

 

Pumpkins with Sunflowers

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

Click to Bid
 

 I went a little bonkers the other day. I stopped at a farmers market on Marsh Road just outside of Snohomish and discovered U-pick flowers were only 20 cents a stem. What a deal! Many flowers came home with me...

 

Dreamily,

Susan



No. 653 The First of Many

 

 

The First of Many

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

 

Ahhh yes, it's that time of year. We've been painting pumpkins in class and I've been painting them at home. They are not easy to paint. It's all those ridges. I love pumpkins but curse the ridges!

 

Slightly frustrated,

Susan



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No. 652 Ronald's Quilt Barn - Plein Air

 

 

Ronald's Quilt Barn - Plein Air

Oil on Linen Panel

5" x 7"

 

This funky old barn is in Ronald, a tiny town outside of Roslyn on the east side of Snoqualmie Pass. I just love to paint in this area. The vegetation isn't as dense as it is here on the soggy, west side. A wall of vegetation doesn't make for a very interesting painting so the open spaces of the east side are quite a breath of fresh air. 

No. 651 Eureka! I've Found It!

 

 

 Eureka! I've Found It!

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

 

I have been on a quest to find these ceramic bottles for a couple of years.

One of my favorite artists, Alexander Zimin, uses them beautifully in his still lifes. This summer I was thrilled to discover them while shopping with my sister. There they sat glowing in a window display of a thrift shop on the island. It was meant to be.

 

                                                       Fondly,
                                                                       Susan

 

No. 650 Renee's Hydrangeas

 

Renee's Hydrangeas

Oil on Canvas

7" x 5"

 

There were so many wonderful things to see and do during my visit to England this summer that I completed just a handful of paintings while I was there. This was one of them. Thank you, Renee, for letting me steal some of you beautiful hydrangeas and this lovely art deco vase. :)

 

Some photos from my sister's home town of Tadcaster, England...

 

 

Irises in Renee's garden.

 

Some views from our daily walk through town.

 

The church Renee and Andy were married in three years ago.

 

Not a bad place to get some exercise, right?

 

Yours truly,

Susan

No. 649 Van Dusen Gardens Water Lily - Plein Air

Van Dusen Gardens Water Lily - Plein Air

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

After each major event since the beginning of summer I think, "now things will slow down". Ha! That certainly hasn't been the case. I still remain optimistic that soon I will return to a more consistent blog posting schedule. This was painted late this summer after dropping my sister off at the airport in Vancouver, B.C. It's my first attempt at painting water lilies in plein air.

VanDusen Garden is well worth a visit for a pleasant afternoon stroll. You can even purchase a picnic in the onsite café to enjoy on the lovely grounds .

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No. 648 Fresh Paint Dahlia Demo

 

 

Fresh Paint Dahlia Demo

Oil on Canvas

11" x 14"

 

The demo from the second day at the Fresh Paint festival in Everett. The dahlias are a spectacular variety from my backyard. I don't know what possessed me to take on a complicated flower like dahlias as a public demo, but there you have it.



No. 647 Fresh Paint Doughnut

 

 

Fresh Paint Doughnut

Oil on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

12"  x 12"

 

 

This painting is a demo from the Fresh Paint Festival in Everett.

I've been pleasantly surprised at how popular my doughnut and pie paintings have been.

So I thought it would be a fun subject for the festival. I received lots of offers to add

interest by taking a bite out of my prop. I didn't take up any of the offers

because I was afraid they wouldn't stop at just one. :)

 

 



No. 645 Farmer's Market Sunflowers 2

 

 

Farmer's Market Sunflowers 2

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

 

I am thoroughly enjoying the Everett Farmer's Market.

There are three or four booths bursting at the seams with locally grown flowers. It is a

 blast wandering from booth to booth looking for the perfect bouquet. :)

 

This week was the beginning of my Monday evening class. Lucky me! I have not one but two wonderful groups of students to teach.

 

 



 

Jill blocking in her pear.

 

Emily painting with purpose and finesse.

 

Shannon on fire! Her second painting of the evening.

No. 644 Our Island Paradise

 

 

Our Island Paradise

Oil on Stretched Canvas

11" x 14"

 

A demo painted during the Coupeville Arts Festival of our cabin on Whidbey Island. One year we had an amazing number of volunteer Fox Glove blooming along the front pathway.

 

 

No. 643 Farmer's Market Sunflowers

Farmer's Market Sunflowers

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

Oh yes! It's that sunflower time of year.

I picked up these huge beauties on a bright, sunny afternoon

at the Everett Farmer's Market.

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