This came together. I will look at it again next week. This photo is not at good as I would like. No sun. I like the indigo in the background. I may deepen it. The picture is flipped. Gosh, time to go to bed.

Playing in the Shade

20"x14"

$400.00

This was painted from a photo. This white cat would come from across the street every afternoon to my daughter's yard. I love painting white. This cat hung around for quite and extensive photo shot.

The above branches was made up and experiment with negative painting.

I often find this painting turned upside-down when displayed as a matted print. It must be the unusual vantage point.

Three Frogs Hangin' 2

$150.00???

1/4 sheet

Again I do not have the specs on the painting and it is at Waverly House. This was painted for the same show as 'Resting Dragonfly.' It did make it into the show.

I cut the mat with name of the board showing up on the front. I asked if I could return the next moring with the painting, for I was tied up with doctor's appointments for my parents.

The second mat was too small and I told the gallery owner that I wanted to fix the mat if it made it into the show. I did fix the mat and was told that the painting would had receive. an award if the mat had been right. I was encouraged that the judges like the paint that much. This was the first show I had entered in a year, since moving my elderly parents. At the time I felt rusty.

I started over with this painting. The first one had issues. I actually painted this one in one evening. The next morning I decided to add withe to the surface of the water. The intention was to make it cool as a contrast to the under the water. This is a little reminiscent of 'Fish Frolic.' I should up load that one next.

I got my material by downloading several images of frog heads in the water and frog bodies. I was careful not to copy, but started sketching and came up withe the drawing.

The under water and bodies is a lot of wet into wet, and then glazing. The fuzziness lends to the under water effect.

Resting Dragonfly

$150.00 ??

1/4 sheet

I have not been good at keeping accurate records of my paintings lately. I am not sure of the size or price of this piece. I do know that it is at the Waverly House Gallery.

This was painted for a competition on "Green." This did not make it in the show.

This painting should not have not been the struggle that it was. The soft hot press paper made painting the leaves a nightmare. Hard edges would appear constantly after paint dried. This is the hard edge where pigment would float to the edge. I solved the problem be adding a little white to my greens. This also helped in achieving the color I wanted. The dragonfly was a challenge because of the transparent wings. This is one of my paintings that has has to be viewed up close. The wings show more than in the photo. The photo was taken on a bush outside of the Naples condo.

Sunrise

7"x10"

$185.00

This painting was painted in a series of three. My goal was to paint the scene out my deck window at sunrise. Each painting had to be in a different style. This one was the most successful and was the third painting. My intent was to give the feeling of stained glass.

I am submitting this to the Different stroke blog before the deadline.

The background is a kit for patching dry wall. Oh the tools we use.

Another day painting. I think that I am on a roll. I let the paint play on it's own. When everything was fairly set and dry I used watercolor pencils to add some accents. They also helped in softening some lines. Now the trick is to paint on something else today.

I am experimenting here. I backed the white off a bit. This is different than printing. I think the colors are truer.

iThis is a true 'day painting'. I completed this in the time it took to play one CD. No cheating this is done...at least maybe until tomorrow. I used a sample of Arches Hot Press paper, 300 lb. It is was easy to use. I could control my edges easily. I got into playing the turquoise against the red.

You know that the beetle is trying to figure out if he eats tomatoes. Then he has to weigh how long would he really live if I caught him snacking on my tomato. I had a little issue because the tomato is live-sitting under my art lamp, and the beetle was a blow up of a photo.

The Bug

I like how this is coming. I've been working on the legs and the under body. The top of the bug has more form. In the next painting session I want to make upper body cooler and the under body warmer. The upper left leg needs to come down. I think that I want air between that leg and the head. I also have been working on the light against dark with the background and the legs. The connection of the wing toward the eye needs work. The bug face is improving. Do bugs smile? I think I'm kidding.

Hmmmm. Painting with a rhythm or variation of the literal in mind. I will visit in the Koi painting and the New York painting.

Orchids $200.00 10x14

This was one of my first watercolor paintings. My family was sleeping and I sat out on my mothers patio at dawn painting this from an orchid hanging in a pot. I think that I did this in two sessions. It gets too hot, quickly. I did not know much about negative painting at the time but this is a good example. I Like painting white.

This was too cool for my tasted so the rose was washed over the painting after it was totally dry. I avoided the white orchids. Voila!

TOMATO FLIGHT: 16"x19" $400.00

I started this painting on a trip to Washinton D.C.

Upon returning home there would be only one week left to finish this for a compitition.

Before we left Washington, my husband's father died. I needed to go to Melbourn, Floida. First I had to accomply our little brother home. My husband and myself are a big brother couple.

Upon returning my suitcase was filled with clean clothes and I headed to Florida. I grabbed an airplane toy and the snapshot of the moth. I sat on the sidewalk with my camera getting a photo of the moth earlier that summer. Another artist friend of mine took the actual moth home with her. That helped not feel so eccentric.

My explanation for the flying objects in a painting of tomatoes was my mood after being on 5 airplanes in less than 24 hours. Actually the color of the plane lead to many color injections into the shadows or reflective light of the tomatoes.

The tomatoes came from a few snapshots at a farmer's market. I think that the yellow or green tomatoes added visual interest.

I learned to keep the shadows cleaner here by playing cool reds against warm reds and varying the water content. Cool reds are on top, because of the reflective color of the sky. Under shadows are warm. I learned along time ago that under shadows are warm.

The painting won an award in the competition.

Now I need to slow down and add detail to the face and hands. The hands need to be adjusted. They are different sizes.

It is so great to finally see the sun today. Now the heat will probably come.

Well I still need to do something with the right eye.

This has come a long way. The body is showing up more. I like the imaginary wings. The right eye needs more definition. The under body needs more and the orange on the legs is too isolated.

I have found a way to add two images at once. We will see how this looks. This painting is a challenge from a website. I first sketched the sitting man. Then I added background interest using a dry-wall patch kit from the garage. Don't tell my husband.

I wanted to remove some of the spots. Since sepia was in the mix a tan color remained. Now I am developing some of the color temperatures and shadowing in the man's clothes. I am surprised how much green is present in the man's skin.

He seems to sit on the page well. I may not have to develop what he is sitting on much. His clothes are blue. The temperature of different areas will help in modeling his clothes. Painting his skin will be fun. I wish there was more of it.

Now I must let everything dry very well, before detail can be added.

This is taking form. I am really just experimenting as I go. I must make sure the bug shines, and not let the background come forward. There is still plenty of time to adjust light against dark and color saturation.

The Bug

I am starting this painting. I did few
sketches, but did minimal drawing
on the painting. I am sketching more
with the paintbrush. I am paying attention to the shapes within the body. I plan to do this bug again with a different view of his body. Eventually I will dig up the bug book and identify this one

Koi Swirl

I sold a painting yesterday at the Finley River Art Gallery. It sold before it was hung on the wall. 'Koi Swirl' is a watercolor on a quarter sheet of paper.

This painting was on my ugly list. I often do creative or experimental things to paintings in this category. I figure that I can not kill them because they is already dead.

In this case, that approach was successful. This is one of the rare paintings that I do not have a photo of. It looks like I need to paint more pictures of Koi. They do not stay in the Galleries long.

Work on exhibition

I have three paintings at the Library Center in Springfield.