Putting for Par

9"x12" Oil on Canvas

This was a fun painting I did a few years ago for our Christmas card and thought it was appropriate since today is Christmas Eve.  This will be my last post for 2013 since we are preparing to take our granddaughter to NYC after Christmas.  This will be her first trip to NYC and I think I am more excited about it than she is.  There is nothing like NYC for the holidays.  Here's wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas and all the best in 2014.

Winter Magic

11"x14" Oil on Canvas
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Waking up to a fresh blanket of snow was always like magic when I was a child.  It still is a beautiful sight, only to be ruined by all the work that is involved in digging out of it.  

January Morning

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10"x20" Oil on Panel

There is nothing like the peace and beauty of a frigid January morning when there is a fresh blanket of snow.  The snow just makes everything so nice and fresh and clean and quiet.  Even though I live where these kinds of winter just don't happen, I have fond memories of them as a child.  However, as an adult the memories were less fond when I had to shovel out a car and then try to drive through the slippery mess on the roadways to work.

Sledding

5"x5" Oil on Canvas

Another painting of my favorite model and inspiration, my granddaughter.  What a fun day we had when this snow storm hit a few years back.  I can only wish for another with her snowed in at Grandma's house.

Do Not Disturb

8"x10" Oil on Canvas

Ahh, the life of a cat!  They eat, they sleep and they really complain if you disturb them.  Yes, life is all about them and humans learn to adjust their lives to cater to the personality of the family cat.  They certainly are demanding, but I love them just the same.  I guess that is why I love to paint them.

Autumn Glow

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5"x7" Oil on Gessobord

This old barn behind our gallery has been painted many times in about every season; fall and winter being my favorite.  I love all the colors in old weathered barns and their rusted roof tops.  I'm getting the itch to paint winter now that the weather has turned colder and the autumn colors are gone.  

Pathway Thru the Birches

20x16 Watercolor on Rice Paper

This was another fun painting done in batik style on rice paper.  The final product is always a surprise.  At one point it is a real stress reliever when you crumple it up like you are going to toss it in the trash....and then the surprises begin.  It is a really fun technique.

Autumn at the Peaks

8x10 Oil on Canvas

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Well I'm a little late (which is on par for me) with my autumn painting since the colored leaves are just about gone here in Virginia.  But, better late than never.  I just love the weather and colors of autumn.

Sunny Delight

8"x8" Oil on Canvas

This is another flower that I love, but if the deer don't eat them the birds feast on the seeds in the center and they die.  Painting them is more fun anyway.  

Summer Blues

8"x8" Oil on Canvas

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The hydrangea is one of my favorite flowers and until this year I've had so much success in growing them (even with a black thumb).  All my plants were so prolific with flowers until the twin deer were born this year.  These feasted on everything that was growing.  I could tell how tall they were getting by the height of the bush they left behind.  Now the frost has come and finished off what they couldn't reach.  Oh well, so it goes until next summer when I start over again trying to grow these wonderful flowers.

Look At Me

7"x5" Oil on Canvas

 

I love watching the birds; it took a lot of meal worms and what seemed like years to finally get the bluebirds to move into our bluebird houses.   Now they are here year round.  This one was posing for me and even gave me time to go and get my camera.  Since he was so patient with me, I had to do a painting of yet another bird.

Southern Comfort

 

8"x10" Oil on Stretched Canvas

 

This squirrel had a birds eye view of the neighborhood one morning as I was out for my morning walk.  He was enjoying the miniature swing hanging from my neighbor's tree.  I hurried home for my camera and he politely posed for me as he continued his relaxing morning in the swing.  These furry critters are entertaining to watch, but they sure do cause me a lot of frustration keeping them out of my bird feeders.

Autumn Glow

5"x7" Oil on Gessobord

 

This old barn is beside our gallery and has been an inspiration for several paintings in both autumn and winter.  I love the colors of the fall leaves and the mountains in the background.  

Baxter

 

10"x10"

Oil on Canvas

 

This sweet boxer came into our gallery a few weeks back.  He was such a sweet  visitor I couldn't resist taking his picture and painting him.  He reminded me so much of my childhood when our neighbor had a dog that looked and acted just like him.

Blowing in the Wind

20"x16"

Mixed Media on Rice Paper

 

This was a fun technique my artist friend showed us how to do.  The painting is done on rice paper and hot wax is applied where you want to save certain colors or the white of the paper.  After a few renditions of this you wad the paper up, (that was the most fun) then iron, etc.  It is to look like batik fabric when finished and much to my surprise, it does.

Sheep Watchers

11"x14"

Oil on Canvas

 

Another painting inspired by my granddaughter and our favorite place to check out the animals; Booker T. Washington National Park.  It is always fun to see what new animals have arrived in the spring or to feed the pigs acorns in the fall.  Farmer Linda always let's us help when she is there.  We just never tire of going there.  Well, I'm hoping my granddaughter doesn't outgrow the fun of it; it gives me my excuse to go visit.

Gallery Shopping

25"x18"

Oil on 300 lb. Gessoed Watercolor Paper

 

My neighbor and I spent a day in the historic part of Savannah Georgia while our husbands golfed.  What a pretty area.  The older homes are just gorgeous.  There was just too much to take in in just one day; and then all the galleries were calling us in.  A great place to go back and visit to take in more of the sites.

Feeding Frenzy

 

20" x 22" oil on canvas





 

Monhegan Island, Maine is one of the most gorgeous places, there is a painting every place you look.  This painting is from a trip I took with a group of fun artists a few years back.  We spent nearly a week on the island painting.  The sea gulls are like none I have ever seen before.  Some of the restaurants throw their seafood scraps in the water and the frenzy of hungry gulls that appear is an awesome sight.  I was in complete amazement watching them before I came to my senses to grab my camera and start taking photos.  I just never get my fill of Maine, the coastline to me is the most beautiful on earth.

Eye Candy

 

 

14"x11" Oil on Canvas

 

Painting roosters is so much fun, they have so many beautiful colors in them and when painting them with a palette knife it adds even more fun to the process.

Lynchburg Art Festival

A few hectic days of getting ready for the Lynchburg Art Festival and hopefully life will now return back to normal, and I will be able to get back to my blog postings.  Thanks to everyone who stopped by this past Saturday.  This is always a fun event, even though I do drive myself crazy getting ready for it.

Zeke & Truman, Draft Horses

 

9"x12" Oil on Canvas

 

My granddaughter and I spotted these two draft horses in Bar Harbor, Maine.  They were hauling beer for the Atlantic Brewing Co. in Bar Harbor.  They were also available for rides.  Since my granddaughter has a love of animals, like myself, we were immediately drawn to them.  They were certainly beautiful animals.

Miss Hannah

16"x20" Oil on canvas

 

I never tire of the beauty of Maine and the endless paintings just waiting to be painted there.  This one is from Bar Harbor.  In the evening the harbor fills up with lobster boats and a few vacationing cruisers.  Year after year we same the same fishing boats in the harbor.  It is so much fun to see the lobster fisherman come in with their lobster traps filled with lobster.  



Jersey Girl

5"x5" Oil on Canvas

 

I am always drawn back to painting animals.  I guess it has something to do with having grown up on a farm; even though helping with the farm animals was not in my job description.  Maybe that had something to do with being the youngest; whatever it was, I took full advantage of it.



A Dog & A Brew

8"x8" Oil on Canvas

 

I love watching people.  These two were solving the world's problems over a brew and enjoying a nice spring afternoon.

Guitar Player

8"x8" Oil on Canvas

 

This is the last of my series of street musicians...well for now anyway.  This guy was in the village green in Bar Harbor, Maine.  Maine is one of my favorite places to visit.  

I See One

5"x5"
Oil on Gessobord

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I love watching children at the beach; there is always a painting waiting to happen.

Music Man

 

6"x6" Oil on Canvas

 

Back to my street musician series.  This was a really fun one to paint.  I saw him on one of our trips to Charlotte to see a basketball game.  Charlotte is a great city to see street musicians.  This gentleman was just delighted when I asked if I could photograph him.



Fred and Ethel

SOLD

8"x10 Oil on canvas

More animals, what can I say?  This couple was just too cute not to paint them, and they loved the camera.  

Is Spring Finally Here?

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7"x5" Oil on Gessobord

 

 

After a few days away and lots of unpacking and laundry, tomorrow, back to painting.  It's always nice to get away, but it's always nice to get home again too.  I've always loved to paint birds and these little chickadee's are always fun to paint.  This is only one of many that I have done and I'm sure there will probably be more.

Ready, Set, Go!

8"x10" Oil on Canvas

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This painting was another inspired by my favorite model, my granddaughter.  I love painting her and I love painting snow.  After much encouragement from one of my artist friends, I submitted this painting to be considered for the local Ronald McDonald House Christmas card.  To my surprise, they called to tell me it was chosen.  I am so honored, they are such a wonderful charity.  The cards are now available to order, the form is on their website.     http://www.rmhc-swva.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=75&Itemid=131

Down on the Farm

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12"x24" Oil on Canvas 

 

This painting was inspired from an old black and white photo I found of the farm my father grew up on.  It ended up being a good study of greens; there are just too many in nature.  Greens have always my nemesis.

The Harmonica Man & His Singing Dog

12"x9" Oil on Canvas

 

This was such a fun painting to do.  I love going to cities and seeing street musicians. They are quite often very interesting subjects to paint.  I'm working on a series of them; this one is the quirkiest of them.

Popping Poppies

20"x10" oil on canvas
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I just love oriental poppies; but my gardening skills have never been successful enough to get them to grow.  I'll just have to settle for painted ones.  This painting was a fun one to do; I did it with a palette knife which is very freeing.

Lucy

 

5"x7" Oil on Gessobord

 

This dog was the pet of the owners of Lake Scapes Nursery, one of the plein air painting outings our group took a while back.  I think the idea of the painting session was to paint flowers, but animals always get my attention.

 



Morning Snack

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6"x6" oil on canvas

 

Another one of my paintings from the animals at the Booker T. Washington National Park.  The baby Cotswold lambs are so cute and their mother's are so protective.  It's not always easy to get a photo of their babies; they constantly get between the camera and their baby.  The Cotswold sheep are bred for their fine wool.  Later in the year you can watch people at the park carding and spinning the wool.

Woody

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6"x6" oil on canvas

 

This friendly cat was at one of our group's plein air painting sessions.  He was determined to be rubbed everytime I tried to photograph him; thank goodness for a zoom lens.  Since I am a cat lover, I just had to paint him.

I Got My Eye on You

      6"x6"
 Oil on Canvas

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Growing up in Upstate N.Y. you don't see these beautiful brown pelicans.  These birds fascinate me, how patient they are waiting for a fish just below the surface and quickly scooping it up.  Their gracefulness when flying is just majestic.  Even now after many trips to "The Beach" (which I quickly learned after moving to VA is Myrtle Beach) I am constantly mesmerized by these big, beautiful birds.

Victorian Ladies

11"x14" Oil on canvas
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This painting is from a small village in New York State on Wellesley Island called Fine View. It is a beautiful little village of victorian homes from the 1800's overlooking the St. Lawrence River. It was always a favorite place of mine to visit on our family vacations. It was so much fun doing this painting as it brought back many fond memories.

Summer Roses

SOLD 

7"x5" Oil on Gessobord

 

This little painting was done from a plein air painting trip to Wharton Memorial Gardens in Bedford.  It was a beautiful day and the flowers were all in bloom.  This garden is such a pretty, peaceful place.

Pigs In a Blanket

 9"x12" oil on canvas

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These baby pigs were at the farm at the Booker T. Washington National Park several years ago.  They have since grown up and are no longer at the park. (Having grown up on a farm myself, I don't want to think about where they might have gone!)  Since I have a love of painting animals, this park has been an endless supply of inspiration for paintings.

Ballerina

11x14 Oil on Canvas

 

This young lady was the entertainment several years ago at one of the homes on the Roanoke Parlor tour.   Since I love painting figures, I couldn't resist painting her.



Aunt Bea's Hats

 

5"x7" oil on board

 

This is a small painting I did of my artist friend getting ready to go to a Kentucky Derby party.  She was kind enough to allow me to take pictures while she tried on hats.  She had several hats that had belonged to her Aunt Bea and her final selection included one of them.

April in Virginia

  

    16"x20" oil on canvas

 SOLD

Spring in Virginia is one of my favorite times of the year.  Everything is so green and the flowers are plentiful.  This is a farm that I passed on the way to one of my workshops and after looking at the photo I had taken, I decided to tackle all that green.  It was a challenge, but with the critique help of my artist friends, I am pleased with the outcome.

Rosetta

   20"x16" oil on canvas 

 

I never tire of going to the zoo.  My granddaughter gives me a great excuse to frequent them more often. I love painting animals. After a trip to the zoo last summer with my granddaughter, this giraffe was just waiting to become a painting.                              

 



Golfing Buddies

                                                                

        12"x9" oil

This is a painting of my granddaughter and husband out golfing on a beautiful, late autumn day.  I couldn't resist walking along with them taking pictures with the hopes of having one of them turn into a painting.

Winter Fun

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My grandaughter is one of my favorite subjects to paint, and because of this has been the artwork on many of our Christmas cards.  This is one of the paintings I did of her sometime ago, but remains one of my favorites.