Mables and Perfume

 Marbles and Perfume

6x6, soft pastel

This little one was so much fun to paint…there may be more still life paintings to come this month…while I break all the rules in 2024.  

Jewel Tones

 Jewel Tones6x6, oil

Day 11 Strada Easel Challenge

These little jewel toned liquor glasses are some of my favorite ones (not that I have a lot of liquor glasses)...but, the painting itself didn’t meet expectations. For some reason the oil paint just didn’t want to go onto the canvas...so, like some paintings...I’ll probably paint it again. 

A Bit of Berries

 A Bit of Berrries

6x6, oil

Day 10 Strada Easel Challenge

I purchase grocery items sometimes with a painting in mind (such as these red raspberries).  Often, the food is eaten before a painting is created. This time, there were a few berries left, but only enough to fill this teeny tiny liquor glass. I love it’s deep purpley-red color.  It makes me think of grape jam. I may paint it again. 😊

Shot of Lead - 2

Shot of Lead - 2

6x6, soft pastel

Couldn’t help myself...I had to do it again. I know it’s really a shot of graphite...but that just wasn’t catchy enough. This time it has more “refinement” (not as “painterly” as the previous one). Which took double the time to complete...but I think it was worth it. I’m not sure which one I like better. I also started with a purple under painting. Different approach, same subject.  

Shot of Lead

Shot of Lead

6x6, soft pastel

Day 5 of the #stradaeasel challenge - up at 3:30am ready to go and enthralled with my little shot glass theme. I’m sure I’ll tire of it by month end...but for now, it’s captured my attention.  This time I stayed “painterly and loose”. 

Lime Water

Lime Water

6x6, soft pastel

The snow in our backyard is quickly melting away and my cold is subsiding with it.  Although I didn't have lemons, I decided lime water might just help chase the last of the sniffles away (crossing my fingers).  I've been wanting to paint my little water jug and this seemed to be the perfect time to do it...I especially love the white, purple and green color scheme in this scene. 

Interrogation

Interrogation
6x6, soft pastel

Hmmmm, this painting made me crazy.  I abandoned it...then decided it post it anyway.  I like the subject matter and the composition but I was sooooo distracted doing other things as I painted that the little bugger completely got away from me!  

While painting, I was dialing (and redialed 156 times no less) to make hotel reservations for the International Association of Pastel Society's 2017 convention next year.  I was persistent and redialed repeatedly because the rooms are snatched up really really fast for that particular convention.  I feel very lucky to have gotten one of the last rooms available.  

In addition to that, I was listening to the Senate Banking Committee members grill Mr. John Stumpf (Wells Fargo) for well over 2 hours regarding the recent banking "scandal" at Wells.  I won't even go into my feelings about that....but given the intensity of their interrogation, my painting took on an intense life of it's own.  

You Going To Eat That?

You Going To Eat That?
6x6, Soft Pastel

I love to eat out, especially breakfast.  While traveling in Oregon recently, we had breakfast in a restaurant overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The sunlight streaming through the windows turned our ordinary brown tabletop dark blue with beautiful light blue highlights.  Even more gorgeous was the sunlight saturating the single slice of orange left on my husband's plate.   It looked irresistible from my vantage point...thus, the title.   Yum!