Toast to the Ocean

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This glass reminds me of the radiating rings of water when you drop a pebble into it. It's such a pretty, delicate shade of bluish green. I just love it. I think I will have to do more with it.

Clementine with Wesselmann

My friend Mary gave me Taschen's book on Pop Art for Christmas and as you can see, I'm having a bit of fun with it.

Sign Language I

Road signs are yellow and black for a reason. Studies have shown that its the most visible, attention getting color combination. Now, while I can't say that I love the proliferation of road signs ("Sign, sign, everywhere a sign. Blocking out the scenery, breaking my mind."), they do command my attention especially when they are graphic in nature juxtaposed against the soft landscape. This one seemed particularly strange.

Caught Up in Memories

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I don't think this needs a lot of explanation. Suffice it to say that I was enjoying the well used and worn nature of the glove and baseball.

Head to Toe Cute

Just a cute pair of shoes that begged to be painted.

Sunblistered Silence

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This weathered, abandoned house caught my eye out in Fairburn, SD. It sits all by itself in a field. The roofing shingles are barely there and the sunlight coming through the porch roof made for great cast shadows.

Goosesteppers

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Another scene from my favorite little island: Huckleberry.

Sill Sitters

These little blown glass fish net floats sit on the sill of a window in North Carolina that looks out over the marsh grasses and woods across the creek. They look to me as if they are having a conversation. "What are we doing in here when we should be out there in the water?"

Stuffed

Mmmmm is all I have to say.

Red White & Blue Bounty

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It's been too long since my last post here and I apologize for that. I thank all of you who've been following this blog and hope you continue to do so as I get back up to speed here. Life happens, you know?

I wish I could tell you that this painting came about as a result of harvesting these beauties from my own garden, but alas, no. I harvested them from my local market for my salad and when I spied the sand pail on top of my kitchen cabinets, I saw a colorful opportunity and this is the happy result.

The Golden Chord

A play on words for the title. Yes, It's really a ribbon, not a cord (chord), but the rhythmic looping of the ribbon struck me as musical. The solid stripes interspersed with the transparent material made an obvious literal connection to the bars on a page of sheet music.

Aside from that it really was the translucent shadow that the ribbon threw that I was interested in capturing.

Eggstravaganza

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A set of hatching chick salt and pepper shakers in front of a battered old metal egg crate. I really love that old egg crate with its weathered, worn textures. It was fun to paint.

Granny Smith on Magritte

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I'm sure I don't have to explain this one. I really love working great artists' work into my paintings.

Battle Scars

My husband informs me that these tools would never be out on a workbench together as they are all suited for very different tasks and materials. To which I replied "But Honey, that's not the point. It's the interesting composition they make and the challenge of portraying their worn and well used character that I'm after."

Having more than 200 daily paintings about, I'd have thought he got that by now! The long suffering husband can't move without bumping into one. He just might draw the line if it tuns into a Collier brothers situation!

Lonesome One Room Schoolhouse

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Hay rolls and a tiny abandoned one-room schoolhouse in the middle of an expansive prairie in North Dakota. The russets and golds in the grass were the perfect foil for the very blue sky. I can almost hear and feel the prairie wind blowing just by looking at this.

This is a scene from our trip to the mid-west this past fall. There are so many wonderful opportunities for painting, it's hard to know where to start!

Getting the Scoop on Thiebaud

Wayne Thiebaud's work is so lively and fun. I had a great time painting this one with his work as a backdrop. You just have to smile, and who doesn't love ice cream?

For the Big Fish

Here's a crazy looking fish lure that's been on the end of an old pole at the back of our garage for a gazillion years. It just caught my eye and I felt like I had to paint it. I dunno, but it's like no fish I've ever seen.

Mama's Homemade

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I've been absent for a bit. Wish I could say spring fever got me, but no, just a lot of graphic work piling up, demanding attention.

A painting of unrequited love. Love chocolate chip cookies, especially when they are warm from the oven and more chewy than crispy. Mmmmm. However, right now, they are painting inspiration nourishment, not literal nourishment. Love their texture against the clear glass plate.

Old Snifter & Fornasetti

Yet another yard sale find perched atop the Fornasetti book. This quirky little guy opens bottles with his mouth and has a corkscrew that folds out from his back. He looks a bit cranky, but for the most part he quietly does his job.

Incensed