Graceful

oil 16x8      Graceful     click to enlarge

Do you remember this painting? I blogged the first version of it a couple months ago; there were only a couple of thin bluish marks (clouds?) behind the flowers that never quite worked for me.  So it got a boost this week; I added more saturated color for the background and hinted at a vase.  Makes it a bit bolder, I think.  Didn't change the tulips though (from birthday bouquet). 

BTW -if you haven't clicked on the title of these emails in awhile, take a peek.  I made a couple little changes to the blog - to freshen it up a bit.  Can you tell?

Fun talking with you - now back to painting.

Garden Nasturtiums

oil  14x11      Garden Nasturtiums     click to enlarge

Here's a new piece for the Marin Art Festival coming up June 16 & 17 (more info soon).  I haven't done it in a couple of years and forgot how much there is to prepare for this event, in addition to painting.  I have lists for lists, if you know what I mean :-)

I love nasturtiums...in salads..in vases..in the garden. These border our veggie section..cascading the stone wall. They look so fragile, yet are hardy enough to keep coming back year after year.  Will do a few more soon.

BTW - if you enjoy my blog ..my paintings, class info etc. I would really appreciate if you would share me with your pals.  There are buttons at the very end of each blog entry to connect with FB, Google, Twitter etc.   Thanks!

Also you can read more about the festival here http://www.marinartfestival.com/

Radishes for Tonight......

acrylic on canvas                           Radishes for Tonight                click image to enlarge

Sometimes a painting is just darn fun to paint...and this was.  Phil picked these this morning - peppery and quite crunchy.  It was the first time I painted a colander and I worried a bit about the light from the holes but it turned out to be really easy.   BTW - the reds are much deeper in the painting (not darker but more saturated) than this shows.  For some reason my nice little camera just can't nail reds.

from our garden to you....

acrylic  10x24                 Garden White    click image to enlarge

OK, full disclosure - this was a very orange nasturtium.  My original model was white but it wilted; the stem wasn't quite in the water (my bad).  So I picked its orange cousin and translated to white (noting the values as a guide). I'm so excited to see them blooming in hubby's vegetable garden..love them for their colors and for salads.

I had a heck of a time photographing this one; still not exactly true to the original.  Try tilting your screen, it may give you more true reds.

Reminder:  New art class, May 19th.  Lots of fun - lots of playful experimenting.  A couple more spaces open.  Email me for details.

New Class ..."Artfully Yours" at Riley Street

What's YOUR style ?!

I just created a new class "Artfully Yours" to be offered May 19th at Riley Street Art Store, San Rafael.  We'll start with some wild warm-up exercises to loosen-up and then experiment and explore....with each student finding his/her own path.  Who knows - you may unleash your inner Picasso!

To find out more, click on http://www.rileystreet.com/classes.html  Be sure to select San Rafael location.    Use comment section below or email me with any questions.  All levels welcome.

Save the Date &....yet another poppie painting

    7x24   acrylic              Two Poppies on Red          click to enlarge

First off...  Save the Date(s):   June 16 or 17....

Why?        Well, if you are free, I'm hoping you will drop by and visit me at the Marin Arts Festival.
I'll have a booth both days with a lot of the paintings I've been posting here...and more.  This annual festival in San Rafael great fun-- eclectic music, yummy food and a variety of pottery, jewelery, paintings and much more.  More details as we get closer. You can check out the festival site here
http://www.marinartfestival.com/

Secondly...thought I'd play with these poppies a bit more, forget about the 'glass' project - just get a little wild with red.  I've not used this size canvas by itself before, though I've done vertical diptychs with two of them.  It was fun to figure out the placement.  I  'zoomed in' visually on the flowers in the vase.  Used my fingers to 'crop' my composition.  More playful, yes?

6x6"  acrylic             Iceland Poppy        click to enlarge

Still taking advantage of the poppies while they're still perky....and worked a bit more on painting glass -  bear with me :-) 

Today was a kick - every once in awhile hubby joins me in the studio.  No agenda other than having fun.  Put some music on. Get this: in the time I painted my poppy, he painted three (3!) canvases, abstract paintings.  Free, bright....swirls of color with lots or energy.