Wes' Favorite 6x6 oil

My son Wes loves avocados. He likes to eat them. I love the beautiful rich green skin, strong branch stems and their form. What was most important in the set up was where the shadows landed and the blue light that was being cast through the blue glass bowl. The arrangement was fun, but most of all I love green and blue. Doing 6x6's are good for experimenting without so much at stake.

Potted Hydrandeas 20x16 oil

Hydrangeas hummm...This started from a painting that I decided to recycle. I realized as I went along that there was not much thought put into the process. I always struggle when I just start without a clear plan, which is true of almost everything. First I was completely seduced by the light coming in my window. That would have been okay for a quick small painting not a 20 x 16, which is large for me. The light changed rapidly and I caught myself chasing the light and everything else that had to do with this. I finally put it down and walked away in defeat. The next day I was still drawn to it and hoped to watch the light till it got back to where it was the day before. No such luck, before that happened I had to leave for class and felt once again defeated. I went on and painted the pumpkin painting, with this nagging feeling about giving up on the hydrangeas. So I picked it back up and continued to play and just let go of the hope of finding the light or the thing that caught my eye in the first place.

I might have been better to hang it up. So here it is an exercise somewhat in letting go and moving on and hoping for enlightenment along the way.

Pumpkins in All Shapes and Sizes 11x14 oil

Well it is November and pumpkins are in season.

"Ohhhh to be a Pomegranate" 8x10 oil

Aren't pomegranates fun? Not only do they hold inside them a wonder juicy delight to the taste buds, but they look really neat. They have a thick armor that protects the fruit and is hard to the touch. Their color is festive and wonderful this time of year.

So red is a challenge for me, so paint red and get through it I say. It tells me it's red and not pink and orange and coral and burgundy and lavender. It is all in my head and not my eyes. Trust is huge and letting go to mix and apply paint doesn't happen easily. I'm still working on it.

"Jerry" 12x12 oil

In August we had the pleasure of staying with friends in the bay area while delivering our son up to San Jose State University. While staying with with them we made the acquaintance of Jerry the Korgy. I had lots of photos of this wonderful little guy. I thought I would paint the portrait in hopes of getting a likeness. The other photos I have are funny with his tung out and teeth showing. Next time I may tackle one of them.

Browsing 18x12 pastel

Model day using pastels.

Litho Crayon and Water- Model Study 16x18

My Saturday class is just lots of fun and hard work too. We had the mid term which was "My Vermeer", so the Saturday following we got to play a bit with mediums. I choose litho crayon and water wash to draw the model. It was very difficult to get working and took me way out of my comfort zone...not a bad thing. A challenge to say the least. Satisfied with the end results, I put away the litho crayons. It was a pretty good day and everyone was trying new things. So it was a good day.