No. 721 My Mom's Bowl

My Mom's Bowl

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

My mom was hot and heavy into throwing pots for several years. She studied ceramics at Everett Community College and had a small potting studio in her backyard. Once she made so many pots she ran out of people to give them to, she kind of lost interest. A shame really because she was getting quite good.

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No. 720 Carol's Geraniums

Carol's Geraniums

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

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I find my students very inspiring. This is a case in point. One beautiful spring morning we held class in my backyard. Carol chose to put geraniums in this pot on a red piece of fabric. After everyone went home I couldn't resist giving it a try myself. Thank you, Carol!

The class in action:

No. 719 Olympics Over the Anique Barn - Plein Air

Olympics Over the Antique Barn

Plein Air

Oil on Linen Panel

5" x 7"

The first of the two plein airs I painted for Mother's Day. It was a gorgeous morning at the Pacific Rim Institute on Whidbey Island. Wild roses growing next to the fence provided a lovely scent for me and great food source for many, many happy bees. I was surprised to see many varieties of wildflowers growing hidden amongst the grasses.

No. 718 Meerkerk Gardens 2016 - Plein Air

Meerkerk Gardens 2016

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

I hope all you moms out there had a wonderful day today. I had a grand time celebrating Mother's Day yesterday on Whidbey Island. It was a beautiful day and I had the opportunity to paint not one but two plein air paintings. I've still got a smile on my face!

Some photos of the rhododendrons

in Meerkerk Gardens on Whidbey Island...

No. 717 Blocked In Tulips

Blocked In Tulips

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

This painting started as a demo on "blocking in the big shapes" for one of my classes. I've gotten pretty fond of this method which I learned in the Dennis Perrin workshop.

A few more photos from my new class/painting studio....

You can just barely see our studio mascots here, the crows Toulouse and Lautrec.

No. 716 Missing Roses

Missing Roses

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

Oh, my poor neglected blog! I've been looking through my files for paintings that have been missed. This is one of the Perrin rose series. My very own roses are getting close to blooming. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. I can't wait to paint them using what I've learned.

We've had some beautiful weather here recently. It's been unseasonably warm. I took my Monday class for a plein air session. They took to it like ducks to water!

Peggy working on a thumbnail sketch of the view.

The whole class working hard. Costco beach umbrellas to the rescue! Thank you again to Carol for the ice tea. It was much appreciated!