Ivory and Alabaster
Posted on March 25, 2024
Roses and peonies are two of my favorite flowers and this painting portrays a lush bouquet with predominantly white blooms with hints of yellow at their centers. The petals exhibit a soft, impasto brushwork, giving the flowers a delicate and slightly ruffled appearance that adds to their natural beauty.The beautiful blooms are situated in a clear glass vase, which reflects light and casts a subtle shadow on the surface it rests upon. Below the arrangement, several petals have fallen onto the surface, suggesting the natural progression of the flowers’ life cycle and the transcient nature of life. The background is executed in deep tones, providing a contrast that highlights the creamy white and delicate textures of the petals. This painting captures the softness and romantic beauty of the flowers with loose, impressionistic brushstrokes, giving the image a sense of movement and life.
This beautiful floral painting is one of three of my paintings available at the
2024 Spring Art at the Mill
April 20– May 5, 2024
Burwell Morgan Mill
15 Tannery Lane, Millwood, Va. 22646
540-955-2600
burwellmorganmill.org
Ivory and Alabaster
Framed painting: $1,200 plus shipping
(14 x 18 inches, oil on panel)
Beautiful Day
Posted on February 10, 2024
Beautiful Day is all about finding joy in the simple things of life.
A bouquet of roses on a table top with a contrasting blue background. Life is about enjoying simple things . . . a sunrise, a bouquet of flowers, a garden or even just precious time with family and friends. That’s what a beautfiul day means to me. The older you get you realize that stuff doesn’t matter but relationships do.
Touch meTake me to that other placeReach meI know I’m not a hopeless caseWhat you don’t have, you don’t need it nowWhat you don’t know, you can feel it somehowWhat you don’t have, you don’t need it nowDon’t need it nowWas a beautiful day
Happy New Year!
Posted on January 1, 2024
2024 Calendars featuring 12 months of my floral watercolor paintings are now available at my etsy shop!
This vertical photo desk calendar is made of FSC® certified 100% eco paper. It comes in a stylish bright white, matte finish and a beautiful oak wood stand to keep your memories fresh on your desk.
One size: 8.2″ x 4.9″ (21 x 12.5 cm), FSC® certified 100% eco paper, 300gsm paper thickness, Bright white matte finish, Oak stand included.
Wishing you and yours many blessings in the new year!
Poinsettia Red: Three New Paintings
Posted on December 14, 2023
This first painting was created during a demonstration at Creative Brush Studios’ opening Reception for the Annual Holiday Small Works Show & Sale. Above is the subject matter with my finished painting. I love how the black frame accents the flowers and makes the red pop! A perfect gift to brighten someone special’s home!
Christmas Red and White
Framed painting: $350 plus shipping
(8 x 10 inches, oil on panel)
Christmas Joy
Framed painting: $350 plus shipping
(8 x 10 inches, oil on panel)
Poinsettia and Holly
Framed painting: $350 plus shipping
(8 x 10 inches, oil on panel)
Sunflowers and Carnations
Posted on November 23, 2023
“Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year because it reminds us to give thanks and to count our blessings. Suddenly, so many things become so little when we realize how blessed and lucky we are.”
—Joyce Giraud
Wishing you and your family a happy Thanksgiving full of blessings!
Sunflowers and Pink Carnations
Framed painting: $295 plus shipping
(9 x 12 inches, watercolor on paper)
Golden Harmony
Posted on October 22, 2023
Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.–Robert Frost
The view from a fun hike with my family in autumn. Prince William Forest was aglow in golden hues. . . a treasured memory of fall.
Golden Harmony
Framed painting: $2,200 plus shipping
(16 x 20 inches, oil on panel)
White Peonies
Posted on September 13, 2023
“God’s timing is Perfect.”
White peonies bloom slowly, but their beautiful blooms are worth the wait. In Christianity, white peonies symbolize that God’s timing is perfect. In society today, we have gotten used to instant gratification. Waiting is difficult but teaches us patience and humility and gives us the opportunity to trust more in Him.
White Peonies
Framed painting: $425 plus shipping
(8 x 10 inches, oil on panel)
Gifts of Asia
Posted on August 25, 2023
“When the peonies bloomed, It seemed as though there were no flowers around them.”
— Kiitsu
A few of my favorite things . . . peonies, a blue willow dish, and a beautiful fan. I love how the composition spills from the back to front with a staccato note of red.
Gifts of Asia
Framed painting: $1,200 plus shipping
(12 x 16 inches, oil on panel)
The Art of a Brushstroke
Posted on July 18, 2023
Detail: Prayers for Ukraine, oil 8 x 10.
A brushstroke is a splotch of paint, but it also shows the personality and thought process of the artist. Have you ever wished you could follow along with an artist in their studio? Investigate the brushstrokes of a master painting and it is like seeing the footsteps and movements of a dancer . . . each movement created for a specific reason. Thick and thin, energetic and calm, all of these strokes can establish not only the foundation of a painting but set the mood as well.
Detail: The Japanese Vase, oil 8 x 10.
8 tips for better brushstrokes:
1. Use more paint. Load the brush to allow the juicy paint to show–especially in the focal area. Often when first learning to paint artists are too miserly with the amount of paint that they mix and place on the brush.
Pansies, 6 x 6, oil on panel.
2. Create contrast with thin paint. Use thin paint in the background or in other areas to create polarity and interest by juxtaposing thick and thin passages. Drippy paint thinned with Gamsol can create some interesting effects.
3. Start with a big brush. Lay the foundation by starting with the largest brush. This will help to nail down the big picture (foundation) and delay the details. Starting a painting is like building a home. The foundation must happen first before picking out the details or the house will not be built with integrity. Start painting the large shapes with large brushes and then use smaller brushes to add more nuances. (Try this painting exercise: force yourself to use the biggest brush you can to start with.)
4. Use a variety of brushes. Learn and experiment with different types of bristles and shapes: synthetics, natural fibers, stiff ones (hog hair), soft ones (sable), flats, filberts, new brushes, and even old battered brushes. Experiment with them all and get to know what you can do with them. An old, splayed out brush can make some interesting marks!
5. Use different directions. Don’t apply all the brushstrokes in one direction . . .altering the direction will add interest. For example: vertical, horizontal, following with the form or not.
6. Use the sides and tops of your brush. Using the top edge or the side of a brush can give the stroke a different look when using the same brush. For example, flat brushes can give you thin lines if you use the top edge to apply paint. Filbert brushes have the advantage of being both a flat and a round brush depending on how you angle the brush.
7. Make each stroke count. Look twice and put once. Think about what you are trying to convey with the paint before you put it down. Master painters of the past have often been described as holding their brushes above the canvas and pausing before placing the stroke.
8. Put it and leave it. Don’t kill the paint but allow it to sing! A bad stroke applied with confidence will look better than noodling or licking the canvas (going over the same area and messing with it.) Either leave the stroke or scrape it off with a knife and then reapply.
Try this for a practice Idea: Create a small painting as you normally would. Then paint it again on another canvas (same size) but this time think about density, opacity, shape, size, energy, three-dimensionality, visual direction (with the form or not), and varying the force used to apply the paint. Create polarity between the focal area and the background by adding more interest in the focal point with thicker paint application and make the background thinner and more subtle.
Pink Profusion
Posted on June 27, 2023
The coneflower (echinacea) is a summer garden favorite and comes in a variety of colors. This daisy-like flower attracts butterflies and birds with its seeded dome-like center. Echinacea comes from the Greek word ekhinos, which means sea urchin or hedgehog.
If you have a sunny spot, they are easy to grow and will provide cheery blooms from June through fall. I love having them in my garden and I let some of the flowers go to seed to provide a snack for the goldfinches.
Pink Profusion
● Sold (11 x 14 inches, oil on panel)
