Shot of Winter

Shot of Winter

6x6, soft pastel

What do you do when there’s only a trace of snow? You make a tiny shot glass snowman! You can’t imagine how tough this little guy was to make and paint before he melted. It was 4:15am and we had a trace of snow over night so I ran outside, scooped up what I could and scurried back to the warmth of my studio.  It took all of 15 minutes before he was gone...only a trace of snow remained.

Little Blue - The Last M&M

Little Blue

6x6, soft pastel

Recently I bought a small bag of peanut M&Ms with the intention of using them for a colorful still life... but, by the time I was ready to use them the bag was almost empty.  Alas, “Little Blue” was the lone survivor.  

Zero Calories

Zero Calories

6x6, soft pastel

Day 10 #stradaeasel Challenge...I’m deviating from the shot glass series to paint this little piece for an upcoming show in early Feb. Life is hectic right now with the 31 day challenge and framing pieces for the show.  Calgon, take me away!

A Shot of Sleepless Night

A Shot of Sleepless Night

6x6, soft pastel

Day 9 of the #stradaeasel - I’m not going to bother painting this one twice because it reminds me of last night...when it seemed the world was falling apart. Problems with Iran, uncontrolled fires in Australia and a plane crash out of Tehran (later determined to be shot down in error by Iranian forces)...instead of sleeping well and getting up in the wee hours of the morning excited to paint another piece for the 31 day challenge...I couldn’t go to sleep. Finally, at 1am I went into the studio and sketched this little shot of whiskey so it would be ready to paint in the morning. Thankfully, it helped me sleep 😴.   

Shot of Chocolate - 2

Shot of Chocolate - 2

6x6, soft pastel

Take two of the “shot of chocolate”...now I can partake in its gooey chocolatey delishishness (despite my need to eliminate dairy...I tell myself it’s only a tiny bit right?)

Shot of Chocolate

Shot of Chocolate

6x6, soft pastel

It’s fun to paint food...especially sweets. This is the first version of this still life and the second will be a bit more detailed.  I’m enjoying painting a still life loosely and again with more detail.  It’s an interesting process...and I’m always learning something new about my subjects.

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.