Cyclamen 1

 I bought this little cyclamen plant at Kroger to paint and find myself going back to it again and again. This is the first painting of four so far. It's very inspiring to me to think of new ways to approach the same beautiful object over and over. 

A Sunday Evening Re-Entry

Five years ago without planning to, I drifted away from this blog, as our family moved into a season of almost constant change, almost all of it very good--grandchildren arriving, grown children buying and selling homes, moving hither and yon, starting businesses, starting various schools, graduating, the Schoolhouse turning into an empty nest, and (if you have a fine eye for detail and saw my header), my entry, along with two of my children, into the Catholic Church. For the record, no Catholic/Protestant conflict here :)

The Composer and I continue to live very happily at the Schoolhouse, doing our things! He works, volunteers, watches the world, and keeps the ship upright, and I work a little, walk a lot, plant flowers, go to Mass, drool over grandchildren, and paint most days of the week.

I'm returning to this space to get back to sharing my creative endeavors! The nature of Life Online has changed so that I no longer feeling comfortable feeding the beast with much family info: so while I wish I could share ALL about kids and grandkids, discretion demands otherwise.

But if you're interested in artwork*, the occasional sewing project, recipe, or garden snippet, hang around!

*see Etsy shop shortly!

Oil Painting: Yellow Irises

Tonight was one of the times when I sat down and whipped out a painting. It helps to start with a black ground--that's currently my favorite canvas. This piece took about an hour.

Oil Painting: Purple Irises

Irises with lots of movement and lots of paint.

Oil Painting: Valentine Roses

The Composer brought home roses for Valentine's Day and they went to the painting studio with me. I finished them today. Love how intense that cadmium red is to make the lights!

All's well here--we have had plenty of rain. At least the thermometer's moving in the right direction. It's almost time to plant the spinach!

Oil Painting: Sunflowers

I missed my Tuesday night painting session but hopped over after lunch today, to find that someone had left a bouquet of sunflowers set up. I started this piece, using black canvas which I find strangely compelling.

Oil Painting: Roses (A Long Time Coming)

This painting has taken me a most uncharacteristically long time. The problem is that I slapped some big flowers down on a canvas with no real plan and set up some major compositional problems for myself.

It's been oriented this way. Also, upside down. Also, sideways. It's had any number of blossoms, from four to nine.

It's not done yet, but it's getting close. 

Oil Painting: First Draft, and Finished Project

I thought you might like to see the difference between half-way done and all the way done. The right half of the canvas was quite empty, and pulling your eye away from the subject, so it's been darkened. The shadows were too warm, so they have been cooled down with blue and a cool purple. More darks in the vase give it more depth. 

Oil Painting: Chubby Roses

Oil Painting: Green Mums

Not done yet, but a good start tonight. Working on black canvas again--I like it!

Oil Painting: The Cake

The Last Hydrangea Painting of the Year

One of the very last sprigs left on the bush.

The Gardenias Bloom Again

In the crazy-but-delightful column, the gardenias are blooming again. These are stolen flowers, procured by my painting teacher for a session in the studio. 

Hobby Lobby is carrying canvases primed with black, and I used one to see what would happen.  I'll share when I've finished the painting.

Tonight I Painted Cosmos

This is just a section of my larger painting, which isn't done yet.

A Landscape and a Still Life

Two recent pieces.

Oil Painting: White Camellias

I went to the studio Tuesday evening and mentioned I was thinking of painting white camellias. 

"There are some blooming in my neighborhood," said my teacher Sarah, "but you'll have to drive the getaway car."

So I kept it running at the curb while she crept across the dark yard and snipped a few blossoms from the rent house down her block.

Anything for art.

Eleven Paintings in the Shop

I've posted eleven more paintings in my etsy shop. The pricing to some extend depends on size (there are big pieces and smaller ones) and also on how successful I think the painting was. So you will see a variety of Price Points (such a genteel phrase!).

Abstract: Catfish Ponds

If you've ever flown over the Mississippi delta you've seen these catfish farms from the airplane window.

Sorry to Keep Doing This + The Last for a While

Really, this is it for a while. My cubby at the studio is pretty much cleaned out.

Shop here.

Four More Paintings

I thought that since the dining table is already a mess of bubble wrap and cardboard slices I'd keep on with posting the paintings for sale in etsy. A big thank you to all who shopped! Just a reminder, these proceeds go to charity--I'm currently giving to a young family who had an unexpectedly complicated childbirth resulting in many unexpected thousands of dollars owed to the hospital.