Bowls and Berries

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It's Open Studio Tour here in Tucson, which makes for a busy weekend for artists. I am having lots of fun meeting new people. Tucson is a snowbird destination, so I get folks (many of them artists) from all over the world this time of year. I've had visitors from Slovenia, Australia and Germany, Michigan, Vermont, Maine, Tennessee, Washington and New York to name a few. Its also a great excuse to play catch up with old friends that I haven't seen in a while. What a treat it is to have a studio full of lively conversation. I also picked up a portrait commission which I am very excited about.

So, yes, I'm posting a "dry" painting. I did this one in a workshop with the very amazing Carol Marine. I learned so much from her. I highly recommend her workshops. She really encouraged me to stretch myself. I would have been reluctant to take on the challenge of these berries if I hadn't seen her demo the berries first. She did such a great job with them that I was inspired to try them.

What makes me really happy about this little painting is this: It got scratched up along with another painting in the back of my truck when I was unloading my gear after the workshop. Of course, I was heartbroken. Well, I decided to try to fix it this week and I am very happy with the result. It wan't as hard to match the colors as I expected. Next time I won't be so timid!

Julie's Gerbers

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Gerber daisies are so happy and proud. They hold their heads up high to show off their pretty faces. I had these pink ones sitting on my kitchen counter and decided that they were just so cheerful that I had to try painting them.


Recently, my stepson and daughter-in-law helped me to set up my new studio for a show. When Julie told me that she loved this painting I was reminded that she had used gerbers in her floral arrangements for her wedding. So naturally this painting had to go back to South Carolina to live with Julie and Sean! It really is nice when your family appreciates what you are doing.

Apres Aperitif

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It's magic time for gardeners here in Tucson. We have had record amounts of rain and the desert is a very happy place right now. Every spring and fall I am torn between my love for being outside digging in the dirt and my passion for painting. The only remedy is to feed my gardening addiction so I can get back into the studio.  So I am cheating and posting this painting I did a few months ago. Don't worry, I'm still painting, just working on some larger pieces that aren't ready yet!

Glass is always lots of fun to paint, it's there and it's not there. These little aperitif glasses were challenge to render in perspective. The effort was worth capturing the way the inverted glass holds the red color reflected from the table. I love watching color and light bounce around!

Sabino Saguaros

 

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This painting was done on a very cloudy,damp and windy day at Sabino Canyon. In the morning I hauled all my gear up trail to get the composition I wanted. After working for about two hours I had what I wanted and started to clean up. As I was talking to a hiker about the painting a huge gust of wind blew my entire set up over, sending mineral spirits all over my work. Frustrated, I packed everything up and headed back down the trail. I set up in a more protected space and tried again with this result. Persistence pays off, especially when it comes to plein air painting!