More florals

A couple more end-of-summer florals.  Each one is different.

July Watercolor Class

I had a great time with these talented ladies at Dakota Art yesterday.  There was a variety of skill levels, but I think a good time was had by all...even my work in progress appeared happy.

Spring Chicks

Once again, I was privileged to share everything I know about watercolor with six creative ladies at Bellingham Dakota Art.  The four-hour class yielded six beautiful works.  I think everyone did a fantastic job and I hope they take what they learned and create many more paintings.

Spring is coming

Working on some new spring florals.  Warm January weather brings out the gardener in me.

Retro Dial-Up

This was the life line to the world beyond the walls of my childhood home.  It was a very important piece of technology, one that could mean the difference between staying home or being out with friends.  Not too much has changed.

New Work

Several new acrylic paintings on canvas.  I've got summer on my mind. 

Prelude to Spring

I know it's technically still the middle of winter, but my local grocery store has rolled out the primroses, hyacinths and daffodils and the bare alder trees are getting that pinkish tinge before they sprout leaves....all really good signs of spring being around the corner.  Can't wait.

What's in a name?

I think friends are a good source of help in naming a painting.  The name "Bunions" came to mind while imagining an apt title for this painting, but I went with my friend's "The Last Time I Danced".  Much better.

Breakfast

When I found this adorable cow pitcher in my search for Goodwill treasures, I couldn't resist purchasing it.  It was perfect with my grandmother's vintage milk bottle.

Fancy Shoes

It's been a very long time since I've worn high heels, but I can still remember the pain.  Painting them is way more fun.  This is acrylic on canvas, 10" x 10" and will be available in the near future through my Etsy store (whimrab) or Dailypaintworks.com

New paintings

Sometimes I have a nagging worry that the muse has packed up and left town.  Maybe not yet.  That's usually when I go out and buy fresh flowers and visit the Goodwill for props.

Couple of New Pieces

I've had the urge to create something colorful with acrylics.  I didn't want to spend too much time laboring over anything.  These are what happened.  Maybe I'll try the same images in oils.

For the love of stuff

A trip to the Goodwill produced some fun art-inspiring treasures.  I love "stuff" and if that stuff can inspire something on watercolor paper, all the better.

Just a little bit of sunshine would be nice

The month of March in the Pacific NW is not known to be balmy, but a little sunshine would be very welcome.  However, looking on the brighter side, the rain is beginning to feel warmer.

Daylight-Saving-Time Monday

First we need coffee.  So many things are made easier with enough caffeine on board.  This Monday after the beginning of Daylight Saving Time was one such event made possible with coffee.  Whew. Glad that's over.

The season is upon us

Yes, folks, it's that time of year again.  As if the election wasn't drama enough, now we have the holidays fast approaching.  I'll be trying to keep it simple....again.

Change of the Season

One of the memories of my childhood was picking a few Gravenstein apples from the neighbor's apple tree after coming home from school in early September.  Fast forward nearly 50 years and the neighbor's property became my family's property and the Gravenstein tree is in my front yard.  It's a beautiful tree--must be a 100 years old and is still bearing hundreds of apples.

More oils

My exploration of oil painting continues.  So very different from watercolor or acrylic.  The joy is in the journey, right?  These are done on 8" x 10" canvas board.

In with the new

As predictable as an abandoned New Year's Resolution, once again, I'm looking forward to the turning of the last page on this year's calendar.  It's time to think of past successes, good times and the not so good, and planning for the coming year.  2014 was a good year for me.  Art sales were steady. There were some new venues in which to show my work.  Time to lay out a strategy and try to treat my art job like any past office job.  Best wishes to you all in your New Year.

"Shaken, Not Stirred"   This is an acrylic painting on gallery wrapped canvas, measuring 24" x 24".

Oil painting adventure

It has been a long time since I was a complete novice at some sort of art making.  Recently, I placed myself in the position of "total newbie" when I joined an ongoing painting group and brought out my oil paints.  Watercolor and acrylic have been my materials of choice for a good number of years, so working with slippery oil paint was a different thing altogether.  I wouldn't say the result is where I would like to remain as an oil painter, but there were some things that I wasn't totally unhappy about.  Long way to go.