Floral Oil Still Life

"Summer Medley"Oil on Linen, 24 1/2" x 20"






















It's been a beautiful summer up here in the great Northwest. And though I haven't posted (my bad), I've been busy. Although I'm noted among my friends for having a black thumb and I have trouble growing them, I still love to paint flowers.This one took a while between family visits and other things - among them plumbing woes.

I'm proud to announce that I am a new artist at Gallery 9 in Port Townsend, WA. I showed for the first time this past Saturday for the Port Townsend Gallery Walk. If you get out that way, come and visit. It's a beautiful gallery with a great stable of fine artists. 




Yellow and Pink Roses Oil Painting on Gallery Wrap Canvas, 8" x 10"

"Jeraline's Vase"
SOLD



From the macabre to the romantic. This has been a strange week. This little pink vase was a thrift shop find by a friend. I never used it because, frankly, I couldn't figure out how. It's kind of small to hold a lot of flowers or even a bud or two. But I found it worked very well as a complement to the pink and yellow roses. I love this bright little piece. Hope you do too!

Asian FLoral of Two Red Poppies, Oil on Panel, 5" x 7"

"Two Poppies and a Chinese Vase"





Today was just a crummy day. I was tired after my long haul back from my Seattle based atelier class (three 1/2 hrs) the night before I had to get up early to clear the studio and set up for teaching. The class was good but I finished tired and then after lunch couldn't get myself moving again. I was just brain dead. Nothing inspired me and I seriously considered just fading into the couch with a good book. But guilt, the driving force behind my self discipline, got me moving -- trudging actually. As I set this still life up, the lamp came apart and hit me in the head, I turned too fast and knocked the newly primed board off the easel, knocked over the space heater and scared the bejesses out of my cats! I need to take a copy of this post and pin it to my studio door. One of the things I should know about myself by now is that the discipline of focus on a painting will usually chase the cobwebs and fatigue away. I felt abut two hundred percent better about half way through this little. And now I'm fully recovered - well about ninety percent. I'm going to make dinner, try not to have an accident, and then fade into the couch with a good book. Guilt be damned.


This painting is also available framed. Email me for details.



Floral Oil Painting of Roses, Asian Vase and Fruit, 24" x 28"

"Dynasty"

$650 - Unframed, Free Shipping
$725 - Framed, Free Shipping
Click here to purchase or view eBay Listing







My show opened today at Gallery at the Fifth in Sequim, WA. Some of you were there for support and I can't tell you how much that is appreciated. It's always so much fun to reveal new work and share the excitement with friends. I've already garnered a very large commission and have some bites on a couple of others.
I shared the space with my friend George Zien, who is a watercolor artist. George is one of my painting buddy's and his wife, Janet feels like family. We enjoyed our time together today. The weather was so beautiful I was surprised we pulled in as many folks as we did. We don't have much of a summer here in Port Angeles and the warm sunny weather was just a delicious treat. Too bad I had to be inside for most of it.
I'll be featuring paintings from the show this week on my blog and eBay. These pieces are larger than what I usually post on my blog and a lot more "polished". I'm offering them at the same prices listed in the gallery without the frames but with free shipping. If you're interested in the frame, just e-mail me and I'll be happy to send you a better photo than the one below. Just add in $75.00 for the cost of the frame for this painting. That's the wholesale price and the best I can offer.
Here's a detail shot of the painting's roses and a little shot below that of the framed piece. Sorry for the glare on this piece. This painting has two coats of varnish for protection. To see it in person is to really appreciate it. It positively glows!








Oil Painting of Red Roses and Fruit, 9" x 12" Oil on Canvas Panel

"A Fall of Roses"SOLD







I spent the day at the Clallam County Fair today demonstrating and collected a small crowd to watch me finish this piece. The fair is such fun. We're such a small town here that every gathering of people reveals another Norman Rockwell vignette. I would have loved to get some good pictures but I spent the day in the art barn doing this little piece. I love sharing my work so this was great fun. These roses came out just great too! Lots and lots of thick paint. I actually sculpted the flowers out of it. Take a peek at the closeup below.

Oil Painting Floral Still Life, 11" x 14", Oil on Canvas Panel

"In the Spotlight"Click here to inquire about purchasing this painting.










I recently spent a weekend in Olympia, WA for, of all things, the senior Olympics. I payed racquetball! While I won't be on the next box of Wheaties (to borrow a phrase from a customer), I did enjoy myself immensely. However, the best part of the trip were several forays into antique and consignment shops to look for new props for my paintings. I picked this little vase up. It was just big enough to hold a few small blooms and these incredible berries that grow in abundance all around Washington. No idea what they are and they're not edible, but they have the most luscious color. They set the vase of nicely and I decided to feature it set back with a low horizon. I like this composition. I've used it many times before and there's just something about the way the light on the table leads your eye up to the vase and flowers that I like. Anyway, the vase has a wonderful shape and emerges just beautifully from the shadows around it. Sigh. I'm a hopeless romantic.

Oil Painting of Roses and Silver Server, 8" x 10" on Canvas Panel

"'Thank You' Roses"
SOLD




I never talk politics on my blog and this isn't meant to be a speech or anything like one. I'm an independent and have mixed views on a load of subjects - our current war being one of them. But there's a story to these roses. They were part of a table centerpiece at an event sponsored by South Korean Government who regularly throws parties and dinners and parades and functions just to say "Thank You, you are not forgotten" to the Korean War Veterans of our country. The war is often referred to as the "Forgotten War". This grateful nation wants to reassure the veterans who gave of themselves to help win freedom for the South Koreans, that their sacrifices were not in vain.

My husband is a Korean Vet and has done a lot of work in Washington to recognize veterans of this war. The Korean Consulate General and numerous other Korean dignitaries and Korean/Americans frequently invite us and any Korean Veterans they can find to attend these functions as honored guests. There are always speeches and heartfelt thanks and testimonials given. All Korean War Veterans are invited to come and tour South Korean at the Korean Government's expense. A program that will end only when the last Korean War Veteran dies. It's a warm and welcome change from the way the U.S. is regarded by so many other countries these days. Our vets never leave with a dry eye. So this is just a note to say "Thank You" to the South Korean Government whose generous and grateful spirit has warmed the hearts and souls of so many older men and women, too, who are disappearing from our midst daily. I couldn't help but think of them as I painted these fading roses.

Still Life Oil painting of a teapot and poppies, 11" x 14" on canvas panel

"The Crystalline Teapot"SOLD








 I love crystalline glazed pottery but can hardly afford to own much. This teapot was a gift from some friends and I treasure it. It's quite difficult to paint in an ala prima session, so I took a little extra time with it and applied the glaze and design on a second session the following day. This allowed me to get the more subtle changes in light and temperature on the delicate finish. The flowers were painted pretty much ala prima on day one with only a touch up on day two. Enjoy.