Trolling the Board Walk 8x8 oil

8x8, oil on canvas, $100.00+$12.00 S/H

Trolling the board walk on the Balboa Peninsula is a fun thing to do. There is lots to see, eat and enjoy. Our weather here is California has been pretty unpredictable this year, but today is warm and gorgeous. When a day like this comes along everyone is out and headed for the beach.

I painted this from a photo I took while riding my bike (tricky) with my husband and a group of friends. I wanted to keep it loose and painterly and convey the brightness of the light. The focus is on the main bike rider, with the other riders and the architecture being suggested. I enjoyed starting with such clearly organized abstract shapes. It made it very clear to paint the subject and deal with the values.
 

Kaia 8x10 oil

This little girl is just delightful.  Full of love, life and excitement and all girl.  She has the most beautiful eyes and dreamy little face.  Oh and the cutest voice you ever heard.  Kaia is my grand niece.
I thought I would attempt a quick painting and a child for practice.  I totally enjoyed doing this and can see myself doing lots more being I have a large assortment of grand nieces and nephews.  Her eyes are actually deep blue with green highlights, but on my screen they look green.
The last few days I have been pouring over the work of John Singer Sargent.  I have a feeling all his work with children has been an influence.

Bass Man 16x16 oil

I believe this is complete.  What a tug of war, but I think this is it.  I like tug of war so we will see what I gained in rope on the next one.

Bassman 18x18 oil

I live in a house with lots of sounds.  For many years it was the stereo and then my boys and their instruments (including drums).  The sounds grew louder and better over the years as bands came and went and their abilities improved and passion took over.  In all of this my husband was the master mind.  Teaching our children at a very young age the importance of music and knowing what you're listening to.  They grew up with knowledge of bands and their music that many of there friends had never heard.  When the boys wanted to learn drums,guitar, base guitar and eventually keyboard, Dad was right there with them getting information and taking them to pick out instruments.  From there it was amps, mics speakers, you name it.  All of this was fun for him and gave him a relationship and topic to discuss and debate with our boys.  In all of this a growing desire was emerging to learn to play an instrument.  So just a few years ago my husband picked up the base guitar and started studying as he does with everything he wants to learn.  Before long he started a garage band. He practices all the time and enjoys every minute of learning new stuff.  I must say he is a much more sensitive and understanding guy because of this creative force flowing from his mind, voice and fingers.  It is truly a wonderful thing to behold.
This is a painting not yet done and still in process.  It is a very transitional painting for me as I search for direction.  I have struggled with portraiture and stretched beyond my comfort zone.   Just yesterday I was  expressing defeat and fear of failure.  It passed, but not without a real hard look at what I want.  So here are some of the things I decided:
I don't want to be a portrait artist, but I want to paint people.
I want to get a likeness when I paint people, but not exactly.
I want to be expressive with paint and brushwork.
I don't want to follow all of the rules.
I want to be educated by the masters, but not paint like them.
I want to develop my own style and stay on my own path.
I want to have vision when I look at a blank canvas.
Mostly I want to paint what has meaning and important to me.
I will do this by painting whatever I need to so I can find my way.
   That's all I know for now and I expect it to change as I wander down my path.
   Painting is an exciting process to experience and express.
:)Thank you, Cynthia for not grabing my brush and for letting me be very uncomfortable.

Just a Little Squirt 6x6 oil

We have been blessed with a great crop of lemons this year.  I can't help putting them in my paintings.  They are bright and cheerful.  Most of all just a little squirt makes a very tasty glass of lemonade.

Remembering 12x12 oil

I am fortunate enough to have three sons.  This is a gift from my youngest son away at school and could not be with us on Sunday, Mother's Day.
I set this still life up with this little hand painted vase he did when he was about  about seven.  On the bottom is his name written by his young hand.  I think it means more and more as time goes by.  The pink baby roses are precious and will someday soon fade away and I will still have this wonderful memory from my quiet and thoughtful son.

Cup of Love 20x10 oil

Mother's Day has come and gone and mine was just delightful.  This is a gift I received and am still enjoying.  I decide to insure my thoughtful gift by painting it, so that I might enjoy this Phalaenopsis Orchid long after I unmeaning to, kill it.
I have enjoyed painting on these long format canvas's.  This one seemed to call out.
Happy (belated) Mother's Day  to all.

End of a Session 10x8 oil

This was the end of a session with our model.  She was deep in thought and I am sure tired.  I had finished up the long pose and had time to either pack it up or throw down some paint.  Having put some roughly painted over old canvas in my bag, I thought I would see what I could do in the time remaining.
 

The Pose 20x16 oil

I thought this was a sharp look for our model. Whenever she models for us she comes with lots of wardrobe options which prompt lots of discussion. This was a different look then usual. It felt like a photo shoot for a fashion magazine.

It was fun adding in the lights and wires. I took time to work on brushwork and color mixing. The models clothing color being black and white made working color into the background lots of fun.

Pepper and Limes under the Sun 12x16

Another day of sunflowers. Time to use the limes and red pepper before it's too late. This was a fun one and it came together fast. I'm on a push to get somewhere with my art, but not sure where I want to go. The thought this week is to just paint and see what happens.

Let the Sun Shine 8x8 oil

Sunflowers can almost always brighten my day. These two are the last of the batch I bought for painting. I think it is time to just enjoy them and think about what's next.

Home Grown 16x16

As I mentioned in my last post, we have citrus trees in our backyard. If I don't juice them I paint them into still lifes.

I am trying to keep theme of this series,"framed still life", but I am about done. If the frame works great, but sometimes it just doesn't. I don't want to force or over work it. So there may be more in this series, but for now I'm not sure.

Just Picked 9x10

Believe it or not, this is a lemon. We grow Meyer lemons in our backyard. They make the best lemonaid. I don't always get out to pick them and am surprised at just how big and round they get when left to long on the tree. With that said I'm off to juice some lemons.