Silver Teapot and Tray

I gave my class the challenge to paint a watercolor using only the cool colors of the spectrum
 and this is my response.  Fun!

This watercolor measures 13" x 12"

Cyclamen

This delicate painting  is hard to capture. It is of Christmas cyclamens and I painted it on the soft paper I am currently using. This work is very different from my usual more graphic images, and requires a closer look. I am enamored with the looseness and the soft way it implies the subject, rather than a more forthright presentation.
Is this being romantic, prithee?

The watercolor is 22" x 30"

Begonia Starts

This watercolor show the contrast between the soft paper in the watercolors of my last two posts, versus the paper I that I had been using which has a harder surface, which allows for sharper edges and intense color. Each type of surface enables the painter to pursue different qualities.

This painting is already framed, as it has been exhibited. It is for sale. Please email me if you are interested. I will sell it either framed or unframed.
The image is 13 1/4" x 19.  Framed and matted it measures 25 1/2" x 27 1/4"

November Sycamore Branch

Sycamore leaves have a strong silhouette against the overcast skies of November. The color is subtle and the leaves are torn, battered by the wind and rain. This was painted on the soft new paper I am currently using, and I am struck by how differently the paper accepts the paint. It is more expressive. I am enjoying this process.
This watercolor is 30" x 22"

December Bouquet

These sweet scraggly flowers are what remain in my backyard, Peruvian Lillies and Japanese Anenomes.
I have begun painting on a soft surfaced German paper that changes the way paint is accepted onto the paper, so, accordingly, I  have to change my approach . So far I love the result !
This watercolor is on a full sheet of paper - 30" x22"

Two Pears / mixed media

Continuing to pursue the concept of combining drawing and watercolor is a very small (6 1/2" x 6" )
study. This study has prompted me to paint on a different surface than my usual work, a soft unsized paper, which will influence my approach and the appearance of my work.  The potential is exciting !

4 Pears - Mixed Media

In this still life I have combined a drawing in pencil and conte crayon with watercolor to achieve an interesting effect. A tightly rendered subject with loose and subtle color.

Old Olive at Knossos

This was painted on Crete several summers ago. The site was the study center for the excavations of the Minoan Palace at Knossos. It was like a stage set, with the ancient tree posed in front of the rugged Cretan landscape stretching away in the distance.

Peruvian Lillies in a Glass Jar

For the next two weeks my posts will be previews of what I will be showing at my studio sale November 20 and 21.  Many works will be unframed, ( which make studio prices even more reasonable ) , and will include some drawings, mixed media work and oils

This painting is 9" x 12"

Backyard shadows

In preparation for my upcoming studio sale, I was browsing thru my files of small paintings, and found this study of sun and shade painted last year. The white canvas director's chair serves as a foil for the complicated patches of light and shadow, and gives the sense of a late summer afternoon.
9" x 12"

Summer in Briceland

This was painted one hot day last June, when you urgently needed to shelter from the scalding heat. Today in contrast, it is dark and very stormy. Where do the robins hide out ?
7" x 10"

Madrone Grove II

This study is a contrast between the row of trees in dappled shade with a landscape across the valley still getting full sunlight.
7" x 9"

Pears in Black and White

This painting shows a wide variety of the transparency of watercolor paint, going from the lightest tints to the deepest blacks, one of the reasons I love this medium.
9" x 12"

Pear Branch

This little watercolor is inspired by the classic beauty of the form and color of this subject.
7" x 10"
I have just returned from San Francisco where I browsed in galleries and museums and I feel energized by the new work I saw in the galleries, and renewed by the great old guys in the museums. Now I can't wait to get back to work here in my studio!

Peruvian Lillies

I am reading about Manet's flower paintings and am very inspired.

Pt Reyes View

It has been only a week since I was in Pt Reyes, but it seems very long ago ...time and events move very fast. Then it was summer, now it is fall. This was painted as I sat in prickles and dried grasses on a headland above the bay, drenched in sweat from what seemed like a tropical sun. It was uncharacteristic weather for that part of the coast but very enjoyable.

Tidal Tomales Bay

I was visiting a longtime friend this weekend in Pt Reyes where it was sunny and very warm. There must have been a thousand people on bicycles zipping about, but I opted for paint and brushes, enchanted by the view of tidal flats at this end of Tomales Bay
9" x 12"   300#  paper

Peach

The seasons are changing, but the peaches are still ripening. I had to pose this perfect example and paint it.
7" x 7"

Hydrangeas in a Glass Bowl

This watercolor is a study for a larger painting - tho since I began painting these lovely blooms they have faded considerably, and as they age they are still beautiful in their subtlety.
Is this an allegory??
9 1/2" x 13 1/4"     $200.

Hydrangea Bouquet in a Yellow Vase

Now I am making bouquets of these blossoms of summer. Some of the blooms have faded to cream and pale green and dusty violets and soft blue.  Dreamy color!
This was painted on cold press paper and is 8 1/4" x 11 1/4"

Eggplants

I saw these little beauties in the market and I couldn't resist. I think they are called Sicilian eggplants, small and striped, very lovely.. I will cook them tonight!
8" x 10 1/4"    $150.

Eucalptus Trees in the Presidio

This past weekend I participated in an event called a  "Paint-Out" in the Presidio, sponsored by the California Watercolor Association in conjunction with the 41st National Exhibition being held there this summer. It was fun!  The day was sparkling and everyone was energized and feeling ready for the adventure. You are given a specific time and theme and then you're on your own...
I painted this scene of the light coming thru a dense wall of eucalyptus trees creating a backlight on the young cypress trees planted in front of a typical Presidio Victorian.

Big Trees in the Park

It is high summer now and the meadows are baking hot, so the deep shade these large trees offer is very welcoming.

Hydrangea / study II

My hydrangea wouldn't win in any garden contest, but I love it dearly. For one thing, I never know what color (s) the blossoms will be in any year, so that"s the first surprise. Also it has an independent blooming schedule, preferring to listen to an inner prompt, rather than just following the usual bandwagon. Perhaps this is all because it is in an unlikely location, so it has to work harder than it's conventional brethren.
But best of all, it is scraggly, and and so becomes an ideal subject to paint!
This study is 9" x 12" on cold press paper.  $200.

Meadow View

This was painted at the very edge of a very large tall grass meadow on a very hot morning.  The sky was a blaze of metal and the far slope had a heat shimmer.  Even with these conditions there were walkers and joggers ! This is late summer in inland Northern California

Lisa's Chickens

This painting was a complete surprise for me- I sketched the chickens as they pecked around their pen,  and of course they never stopped to pose for me. So I scrambled and sketched as fast as I could as they entered and left from my narrow point of view.  It was like a sprint!  This little watercolor is the lively product of that effort.
7" x 10" on hot press paper

View of the Eel River at the Women's Federation Grove

I painted this from the shady side of the river,  looking towards the sunny bank with the row of redwoods as sentinels to the rear. The river was full of shadows, reflections and brilliant light all together in this short stretch. I had to get it all down fast.
9" x13"

Fresh Figs

Fresh picked from the big tree that shades my yard. They are sweet and plump. 

mmmmmm......

Who can resist?  yummm, fresh, flavorful and  beautiful too!
7" x 10" 

As The Sun Came Over The Hill

This was one of those magical mornings, very still, still cool, a curious doe wondering what that human was doing. I barely put the paint on the paper, it all happened by itself!
10" x 14"  $200

What I Saw

What I saw when I looked out from the deck, a half moon hanging over an early evening sun-warmed landscape. Grapevines growing wildly at the edge of the deck trying to grab all the attention, bold things!
10" x 12 1/2" and a new price for this larger size - $250

July 18, late morning

I've had the flu all week, and this morning I finally found enough energy to leave the house and paint! I had been dreaming of doing just this during my fever. This is a sun struck section of road and fence in Briceland, light bouncing everywhere. Just what I needed.
Normally the paintings I post are scanned and the resulting images are completely true to the original-solid ; but this image is from a photo I took at the site which is why it appears so pale. I thought it was kinda poetic but maybe it's a reflection of my feverish state!

July 1, 9:30 AM

This is a sunny morning in the community park, with more green colors than have ever been seen on this planet! The late rains extended this lush time by almost a month - hallelujah !

8 " x  9"

Good Fresh Coffee

How to resist ? Fresh brewed coffee in my beautiful purple cup. Ain't life great!
9" x 12"

June 30, 7 PM

As the title suggests, this watercolor is about the light of a summer late afternoon on the river bar,  the river and the firs and alders which are the deep bass backdrop to this scene. Though I was painting this warm light, I was standing in shade and got very chilly!
9" X 12"

By the Pond

Several weeks ago I participated in a painting event at the Fieldbrook Winery, which has a large lotus filled pond, green, green lawns and large trees. It was sunny and mild... It was like being in an illustration for beautiful California!
9" x 12"

Climbing Roses

If I were a more dedicated gardener, my backyard might be more organized and better weeded, but I love the haphazard and reckless energy of the plants that grow here. I would never be included in a garden tour, but I bet I'd win a prize for enthusiastic growth! This study was made earlier this spring, when this climbing rose was putting on it's fanciest show.
9" x 12"

Sally Holmes / study

These roses are like extravagant showgirls commanding center stage. I am approaching painting them timidly, a little at a time. This is one study, I am working up to a large painting, giving them their proper place on the stage.
7" 10"

Backyard Garden

Well somewhat anyway .....It's June and even the roughest garden has its charms.  There will be variations on this theme,  it's too alluring to ignore. The large white Sally Holmes roses are the reigning divas these past weeks. They are truly majestic.

Briceland Kitchen

The kitchen in Briceland  is sunny and very inviting. The woodstove is the heart of the room,  people gather around it to fuss with the fire, move pots around and keep warm. It is the best way to cook, I wish I could have one in my house in town.

Black Pot and Begonias

I have a large black Mexican pot that has a commanding presence wherever it is placed. In this case it becomes the anchor for the rambling foliage of the red leaved begonia and the anonymous ( to me) trailing leaved plant. This is a study about how color makes pattern, which was the basis for many paintings by Matisse

8 1/4" x 9 1/8"

The Fenceline in Fog /study

This little watercolor is a study for a larger painting. It was a very foggy morning and the trees were basically violet gray silhouettes standing at the end of a very moist pasture. I kept expecting to see grazing deer . It was very still.
6 1/2" x 8 3/4"
I am working on a large painting that has taken hold of my brain and won't let go until it is complete.
And I am also going to the Bay Area  this weekend , so I won't be posting again until next week.

Tools of My Trade

Here I am again with a favorite subject, twisty, squashed, bulgy paint tubes. Full of personality and potential....

Rose Bouquet

It has been a very damp spring as we all know, but those hardy roses persist in their mission to keep on blooming! It lifts the spirits and makes for lovely fragrant bouquets. I have tried to capture that reckless abundance in this study.
9" x 12"  150.

Colander and Tomatoes

This colander stands as a sentinel just in case those tomatoes get rowdy.
Actually, I paint colanders as an excuse to play with reflections .... but you know that!
I'm going away for a few days to go see art in San Francisco .... be back next week

Camellias /Red Vase

Today I wanted to show how one of my previous posts looks when it is framed.  It transforms from a simple work on paper to ART ! ( Just to note that the  watercolors  I show in this blog are shipped unframed...)

Old Leather Chair

A very comfy chair with a bookshelf of old paperbacks a rainy afternoon and me with some version of the flu.... one of this week's quieter moments.
7" x 10"

Bowl of Lilacs

This painting was a lovely surprise, initially a class demonstration, it held promise, so I continued to develop it further and voila! A fresh representation of the spring that has finally come to stay.
9" x 12"  at the usual price.....$150

Maidenhair Fern

This potted fern sits on a windowseat that gets the morning sun, filtered through the white blinds. The light is just lovely, and it makes me feel calm and happy and I go make a pot of coffee.
10" x 7"  $150

Running Shoes

These shoes are made for walking and running and drawing and painting. I love painting shoes and thank goodness I have enough of them!
9" x 12"   $150.