California Poppy Explosion

Title: California Poppy Explosion

Medium: oil on stretched canvas

Size: 12 x 24

ABOUT THE PAINTING:

see auction tonight for purchase

This new oil is also in a new sized canvas for me. This size is fun for certain compositions. This painting has lots of thick textures, thick in the forground than the background to give it added depth and I love the golden deep yellow of the California poppy with the blue sky.

I have lived near the vast poppy reserves twice....we've been stationed at Edwards, near Lancaster in the Mojave desert twice in the last 10 years. I'd say the poppies are the most beautiful event there, just lovely. They only last a few short weeks and only bloom if the conditions are just right, but when they do, it's a sight!

Winter Solitude

Title: Winter Solitude
Size: 11 x 14
Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

see auction for purchase or contact me for more!

ABOUT THIS PAINTING:
We had our first snow here in Virginia and it was HUGE....more than 20". Just beautiful and lots of fun. I just had to paint a little winter snow scene. I used super thick paint, lots of lovely blues and soft lilac colors and rich thick winsor newton titanium white! We did build an amazing snowman in the soft packed powder the next day and made some nice memories. Happy New Year!

Manhattan New York Rain

Title: Manhattan New York Rain

Size: 16 x 20

Medium: oil on stretched canvas

see auction tonight for purchase or contact me for more info.

ABOUT THE PAINTING:

Another New York scene because I'm just in that frame of mind. I painted this super thick with winsor newton artist oils and palette knife and lots of expressive brushwork. My favorite colors, some cad yellow with colbalt blue and lots of movement in the reflections. Hope you enjoy!

Field of Wild Red Poppies

Title: Field of Wild Red Poppies

Size: 16 x 20

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

on auction tonight. Contact me for similiar painting or comission.

ABOUT THE PAINTING:

This colorful painting is thick with great textures, and so thick the flowers are almost 3 dimensional. I have a dark underpainting and then go back with multiple layers of oil color to achieve this effect. I used soft brush work in the sky for added depth. This piece will make quite a focal point in any room and be a great addition to any fine art collection.

New Orleans, Bourbon St. Blues

Title: New Orleans, Bourbon St. Blues
Size: 20 x 24
Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

see auction for purchase or contact me for commission.

ABOUT THIS PAINTING:
I used lots of soft blues and reds to play up the jazzy, blues frame of mind on this dreamy painting. I can almost hear the music when I look at this one. I have very expressive and impressionistic brush and palette knife work and lots of texture and color here.

Hope everyone is have a wonderful Christmas day with family and friends. It's cold outside but warm and cozy in our house and our hearts. Have a lovely day!

Manhattan, New York City

Title: Manhattan, New York City
Size: 16 x 20
Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Only a 7 day listing. Contact me for further information or commission

ABOUT THIS PAINTING:
I think I really hit home on this New York scene. Sometimes everything just falls into place quickly and easily when I paint, and other days it's more of a struggle. Everything from the composition to the color was fluid and smooth on this painting and based on photos from a recent trip. I used large swipes of palette knife and soft brushwork. It glows with vivid golds and reds and really has a New York night time feel.
I love this painting in a wide black frame!

Wild Blue Stallion

Title: Wild Blue Stallion

Size: 16 x 20

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

contact me for purchase or commission

ABOUT THE PAINTING:

I painted some fauvistic horses for a show Titled: Uleashing the wild beast. I painted him this strong, masculine color in extreme textures and lots of interesting broken colors in order to create a sense of movement, strength and power.

Snow Days in Arlington!

This is really amazing! I live at the top of this hill and we had over 24 inches of snow 2 days ago. Schools are closed, mail can't be delivered and everyone's cars are buried and stuck! Here all the neighborhood is out with sleds. What fun!

My little dog Maggie loved it! In the powder all you could see was the tips of her ears!

Our little angels looking forward to no school this week, hence all the smiling! Look at my husband's car in the background...buried. I have a 4-wheel drive car so I will be driving paintings to the UPS this morning without problem. Mail services will never make it up our hill.

I HOPE EVERYONE HAS A WARM AND COZY HOLIDAY!

Times Square, New York Rain

This one already SOLD....before it was all the dry!

Title: Times Square, New York Rain
Size: 24 x 30
Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Last night and all day yesterday we had a huge blizzard and I was watching the snow fall while painting a series of NY paintings and I had a wonderful time. I had classical Christmas music playing, my daughters baking cookies and memories of my last NY trip in my head. I love NY and love to paint scenes from this city. This is the largest of them all and it is specifically....Times Square. I used a lot of oil with my favorite palette knife and so it has a lot of wonderful texture and broken color. I don't paint this large very often, but once in a while it is a joy, especially when it is NY!

Venice Italy Canal Reflections

Title: Venice Italy Canal Reflections
Size: 12 x 16
Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Contact me for purchase info or commission

ABOUT THE PAINTING:

This composition developed slowly from some of my photographs from my Venice trip. I moved some things around to make the composition look more balanced. I think this gondolier looks content and the painting portrays the sense of history he must feel every day here. Grey, green tones also add to the serene quality. Hope you enjoy!

Paris Nostalgic Night

SOLD

Title: Paris Nostalgic Night
Medium: oil on stretched canvas
Size: 20 x 24

contact me for purchase info or see eBay auction!

ABOUT THE PAINTING:

This painting is lovely in person and just glows with reflection and light. I love it but of course will be very happy to see it in a happy new home as well. I hope you take a minute to look at some close ups to see some of the detail and texture. I'm going to Paris this Spring and will take hundreds of new photos for inspiration.

Emerald Isle, Ireland Castle

Title: Emerald Isle, Ireland Castle
Size: 16 x 20
Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

ABOUT THE PAINTING:
I always listen to your suggestions and enthusiastically painted this Ireland coastal scene.
I love ancient castles and England and Ireland have numerous ones that are wonderful to visit and inspiring to see. They take you back in time and you can almost feel the horses, knights and peasants that were once here. Lovely greens and blues and interesting textures make this a stand out painting for your collection.

contact me for purchase info.

Rooster Dance

Title: Rooster Dance

Size: 9 x 12

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

ABOUT THE PAINTING:

Another in series of little rooster paintings. These barnyard birds each seem to have their own colorful personality and are lots of fun to paint with a knife. I sculpt his facial features carefully with my small knife and load up the paint real thick on his feathers. Hope he finds a nice home!

Lists on auction tonight.

Poppy Dance

Title: Poppy Dance
Size: 20 x 24
Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

ABOUT THE PAINTING:
This is one of my favorite large poppy paintings so far this year! I hope you click in and see some close ups of the great textures and broken colors. Each poppy has about 5 layers of different red colors so it glows on the bright blue and green background and they seem to dance in the wind, hence the name. I almost don't want to list it because I really do need some great works to go into my gallery in January for the opening reception, but I can't resist offering to all the great eBayers first! Hope it ends up in a great home!

Light and Color of Autumn Birch Tree Grove

Title: Light and Color of Autumn Birch Tree Grove

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Size: 24 x 30

email me for purchase information

ABOUT THE PAINTING:

This huge oil has insanely thick paint applied with knife in multiple layers depicting a glowing birch grove in reds, yellows, and bright greens with a bit of sky peeking through the vibrant leaves. Great textures make this painting sculptural and interesting. Will make a great stand out focal point piece to add to any fine art collection. Looks great in any of my plein air frames but sides are painted so a frame is not required.

Floating Flowers

THIS PAINTING IS SOLD

Title: Floating Flowers

Size: 20 x 24

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

contact me for purchase info

ABOUT THE PAINTING:

I have painted these wonderful pond flowers with abstract relflections several times and it is always so much fun. I use many layers of rich winsor newton artist oils and literally start sculpting with my favorite knife. Each lily pops right off the canvas. I have lots of knives but like my small one best. This colorful piece is vibrant and will add color to any room and sophistication to any art collection.

Wild Fox

Title: Wild Fox
Size: 12 x 16
Medium: oil on stretched canvas

ABOUT THE PAINTING:
This original oil captures the motion and wild spirit of one of my favorite animals. Painted with extremely thick and textured oil paint, the animal has a truly sculptural quality.
see auction on eBay for purchase or contact me for an animal commission

New Orleans Streetcar

Title: New Orleans Streetcar

Size: 20 x 24

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

see eBay aucton tonight!

ABOUT THE PAINTING:

I painted this one at the request of one of my collectors and I am always happy to oblige! This oil has lots of layers of paint with broken colors and interesting textures. I used my favorite pallete knife and rich, thick winsor newton artist oils.

This little nostalgic piece of history is still a popular attraction in New Orleans, even after all these year. I hope it gets to run for a hundred more!

Sunflower Radiance and Hounfleur Harbor

Title: Sunflower Radiance
Size: 20 x 24
Medium: oil on stretched canvas

This painting is SOLD

ABOUT THE PAINTING:
I really like this sunflower painting. I painted it with my gallery opening reception in mind which is Jan. 9th at the Arlington Gallery on Lee highway, but if it sells here then it won't make it to the show. I love to offer my best works to you first! I think you all have great taste in art! This sunflower painting has warm yellows and golds and earth toned background so it looks warm and glowing. It used a lot of expensive oils and took quite a while to get just right! Hope you enjoy.

SOLD

My computer's hard drive had a complete heart attack yesterday afternoon and is now dead, so I'm using my laptop. Fortunately my husband was able to transfer all my painting images and software that I use to my laptop before the computer had its complete meltdown. So here is yesterday's painting as well....Honfleur, France.
I love the combination of cobalt blue and white...so clean and fresh. Lots of thick pulls of paint on this large 20 x 24 piece. Hope it finds a nice home!

Colors of Night Rain

Title: Colors of Night Rain
Size: 16 x 20
Medium: Oil on canvas

see auction on eBay tonight!

ABOUT THE PAINTING:
Lots of fabulous long drags of rich, thick buttery Winsor Newton Artist oils on this very colorful new rain painting. I love the way rain casts a prismatic glow on the world, especially at night, when the lamplights are glowing and atmospheric. I had some requests for more modern rain paintings from some of my eBay collectors so here you go....this was a fun one!

Lake Tahoe Sailing between the Pines

Title: Lake Tahoe Sailing between the Pines
Size: 12 x 16
Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

contact me for purchase info

ABOUT THE PAINTING:
I grew up in Tahoe and this really is a beautiful place. Many of my friends there love to sail and I love to paint them doing it. This painting has a lot of interesting textures so I hope you click in and see some close ups. It's thick where it needs to be and very colorful. Hope you enjoy!

Shades of Jazz

Title: Shades of Jazz
Size: 20 x 24
Medium: Oil on canvas

I think I missed yesterdays blog getting ready for all these art shows I'm doing this month. Sold 4 paintings at the show yesterday which is always fun. Everytime one sells I drive over there to replace it so I went back and forth many times yesterday! But I always list most of my favorites on eBay first! This one is one of my favorites.

ABOUT THE PAINTING:
I am always inspired by music. It can lead me to paint many different subject manner and in different ways depending on the genre I'm listening to. I love to listen to Jazz when I paint these vibrant and richly textured musicians and find that it makes for a lose, jazzy and whimsical painting. I have some great new colors I'm using, some really interesting shades of blue in this one. Hope you enjoy!

Purchase: Listed on eBay auction for 9 more days!

Fall Red Aspen and Sky

ABOUT THE PAINTING: A recent commission that I just finished and is still wet.
I've painted several Christmas present commissions this month
and I always enjoy them. It's wonderful to paint a place that is special
to a family and knowing that it will be a unique gift is a joy.

Title: Fall Red Aspen and Sky

Size: 20 x 24

Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

ABOUT THE PAINTING:

This is a vibrant holiday red, fall tree painted in rich broken colors of reds and blues and super thick bark and leaf texture applied with knife and brush. Some of my favorite colors and textures were used here and I just love painting these trees.

UPCOMING SHOWS:

I was accepted into a juried show that will be held in January which is always exciting.

I will also be in a new gallery in Arlington in January so I'm getting paintings ready for that reception and I have an art show this weekend, actually starting tomorrow at the historic Fort CF Smith which will be lots of fun. I love the architecture of the beautiful building and to see all the wonderful art from other artists I hang with is inspiring. A busy, busy month!

Little Rooster with Big Attitude

Title: Little Rooster with Big Attitude
Size: 9 x 12
Medium: oil on stretched canvas

see eBay auction for purchase

PAINTING and INSPIRATION:

I like painting these roosters real small every so often for people with a little wall. This one would make a nice gift for a rooster lover and looks great with or without a frame. He has lots of vibrant color and thick palette knife texture, as is my signiture style on these guys. This one looks like he is very proud of himself....so I gave him an appropriate title, don't you think?

Hanalei Bay, Hawaii

Title: Hanalei Bay, Hawaii
Size: 16 x 20
Medium: Oil on stretched canvas

Contact me for purchase info or commision

PAINTING and INSPIRATION:

I always enjoy painting a tropical scene, especially in the winter. When it's cold outside and I miss the sun, I can picture myself on this beach. It's painted in my palette and brush technique, mostly knife on this one and lean to fat, heavier on the white waves and foreground colors. It has lots of interesting textures which is one of the reasons I love oil paints. You have to reach out and touch it!