Saturday, March 29, 2008

Gallery Patron

Oil on Canvas Panel 8" x 10"
This lovely gallery patron happened to have been my companion recently on a trip to Annapolis, Maryland with our husbands. Annapolis is full of wonderful shops and art galleries. We took in quite a few and especially enjoyed the bakeries and coffee shops while we were there.



Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Yellow Warbler

Oil on Canvas Panel 6" X 6"
This little Yellow Warbler, also known as the Dendroica Petechiais, is a songbird and has a wingspan of only 6 to 8 inches and feeds on insects and spiders. Yellow Warblers sing sweetly from the branches of the trees where they build their cup nests. I find that I really enjoy painting birds and learning about them. This one was particularly fun to do!

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Pink Poppy

6" x 6" Oil on Canvas Panel

After painting animals for a bit, I thought it would be nice to work on a floral painting. I love poppies and especially love to paint backlit poppies so this one was fun to do. I hope the dramatic background isn't too much. Happy Easter!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Clark's Nutcracker


6" x 6" Oil on Canvas Panel
The Clark's Nutcracker, named after Captain Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition is a member of the crow family. Did you know that the male incubates the eggs? He actually develops a brood patch on his chest similar to a female, and takes his turn keeping the eggs warm!

Monday, March 17, 2008

Assateague Island Lighthouse


8" x 10" Oil on Canvas Panel
There are endless possibilities for paintings here in the Mid-Atlantic region of our vast country. Assateague Island, Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge is especially rich in material and artistic opportunities. This is a close-up view of the lighthouse on the Island. I enjoyed my time there as a child, playing on the beach and now as an adult recording the beauty of this magnificent area and the creatures that inhabit it. My husband and I recently hiked the trail to the foot of the lighthouse and this is my favorite view of it.

Friday, March 14, 2008

California Cow at Big Sur

8"x 10" Oil on Canvas Panel

We recently took a week to drive up Highway 1 along the California Coast to San Francisco and stayed a couple of days in the Monterey and Carmel area. On a drive along the Big Sur coastline, we saw this herd of cows grazing the land with a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean adjacent to Big Sur. This big fellow seemed as curious about us as we were about him. It seemed quite a site to see these cows ambling along on this gorgeous and valuable landscape. I plan to do several paintings inspired by our Big Sur excursion.

Cherries

8"x 10" Oil on Canvas Panel

These cherries were so gorgeous they simply begged to be painted. I bought a bunch but they were so beautiful these two were all that were needed for a lovely still life.

Rest


8" x 10" Oil on Canvas Panel
The time when your children are babies is a special time. To be sure, there are frustrations, exhaustion and some worry, as well. For my husband and I, and to probably most parents, that time was a magical period in our lives filled with blessings, humor and an abundance of learning experiences. I hope you like today's painting. I enjoy portraiture and especially love to create paintings that convey a mood or sentiment.

Seagull on a Snowy Dock

8"x 10" Oil on Canvas Panel

We had a lovely snowfall overnight so I took my camera to an area where a large flock of seagulls generally gather. They were there as usual and were obviously enjoying the clean, crisp air. Seagulls have always fascinated me and seeing them enjoying the snowy day was really a treat!



Great Blue Heron at Day's End

6" x 8" Oil on Canvas Panel
Isn't the great blue heron a majestic creature?

Delmarva Farm


8" x 10" Oil on Canvas Panel
We live on the beautiful Eastern Shore of Maryland, which is on a peninsula often referred to as Delmarva. This farm painting is a very common landscape view of this rural area which is largely a farming community.

White Poppy

This poppy painting was fun. There are so many colors involved in painting something white! I love painting a flower backlit, from the underside. Capturing the light coming through the petals is a fun challenge. Oil painting on 9" x 12" canvas panel. This painting is sold.

Great Egret of Assateague Island

Today I will be adding my oil paintings to this blog which has previously been for watercolor paintings only. This painting was inspired by a trip to Assateague Island National Park. This beautiful creature just blew me away. He was perched in an ugly, leafless tree and the contrast of this gorgeous bird and the stark bark of the tree was stunning. I will undoubtedly paint him (maybe her?) again. 8" x 10" Oil on canvas panel.