Sunday, October 31, 2010

Glacier and Two Trees SOLD

A view looking towards the Matanuska Glacier on the Glen Highway.  This painting will be in my November show in the Artique Gallery in Anchorage, Alaska

Friday, October 29, 2010

Kalsin Bay SOLD

The view looking back across Kalsin Bay towards the town of Kodiak.  This painting will be in my November show at the Artique Gallery in Anchorage Alaska.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Kachemak Glacier

This is a view of Kachemak Bay with the glaciers in the distance.  In the foreground is fireweed which tells that it's July and it's salmon season.  This painting will be in my November show at the Artique Gallery in Anchorage Alaska

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Beach at Ft Abercrombie SOLD

The beaches on Kodiak are very rocky.  This is a favorite picnic spot near Lake Gertrude.  When the tide is out the rocks are full of tidepools with seaweed, anemones, hermit crabs and sculpin.  This painting will be in my November show at Artique Gallery in Anchorage AK. 

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

One Sunflower With Dots

I had a piece of polkadotted paper that I put behind this vase of perennial sunflowers.  At first when I added the dots, I thought "this just isn't going to work," but by the time I had put them all across the background, they receded properly and added interest.  These are perennial sunflowers--the bush grows back each year from the ground and winds up 6 feet high by 6 feet wide with hundreds of autumn flowers.  Great!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Faceted Cup Stack SOLD

These delicate white cups had gold rims and no other color.  I tried to suggest the gold rims rather than paint a solid line.  I did like how the delicately curving shapes of the cups are described by flat pieces of gray.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

White Cup with Gold and Blue

I like the shadow colors on the cup - blue and lavender with yellow reflections. Putting the subject matter at eye level flattens the drawing.  It's more difficult to draw a convincing three dimensional shape.  At the horizon line, a circular saucer becomes a straight line, but by the time your eye travels to the top of the cup, there is a subtle curve. 

Monday, October 11, 2010

Lemon Slices and Knife

I like those shadow colors on the lemon slices.  Add the complement of yellow, purple, to make a neutralized shadow color.  If you just add black to yellow, you get olive green.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Red Pepper on its side

Another favorite subject in a simple pose.  I do like the shiny waxy highlights --they manage to convey the texture of the skin without being too shiny or too dull.  The bottom of the pepper was in shadow but had lots of reflected light from the tabletop. I painted it a very saturated but somewhat cooler red color and left the light struck front of the pepper a little warmer.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Five Sun Gold Tomatoes

The tomato crop was hampered by a cool summer, but the sun gold tomatoes in the greenhouse still had lots of flavor. They are my favorite cherry tomato and have an orange color rather than red.  I like the bits of reflected light on the bottoms of the tomatoes. 

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Blue Cup, Green Grapes, Purple Wall

Yes, another blue cup painting.  I like the shiny dark element as a foil for the pale green grapes.  You may notice there are stems with no grapes on them - that's because I have a habit of eating the grapes before I get the composition finalized. Though the paintings always seem better with fewer grapes-maybe because they drape in interesting ways with gaps and holes where I've picked the grapes.