August 24, 2013 – Taking a break…

.. to visit the garden and pick roses. Seems it’s been months since there have been this many roses to pick. Joe has been giving them lots of water and the days have been getting just a bit shorter, so they are growing like crazy. Hardly anything makes me feel more content than deadheading and picking roses then coming inside to put them in vases around the house. A slice of heaven for me. Painting is behind them, calling me back!

August 23, 2013 – Waterlily *almost* finished with the pads

I wanted to have all the lily pads painted by the end of the day today, giving myself the weekend for the reflection and the lily. Not too far to go, and I’m staring to do stupid stuff to the painting. Time for bed. Here’s where it is:

Here’s the upper right corner – kind of its own world. The ladies in m Friday group really liked the rolled lily pad. It was vexing to paint. Glad they liked it. Still picking it apart myself… those voices!

August 21, 2013 – Waterlily painting is finally making progress

After undertaking a re-labeling project with all the inventory of giclee prints (which is considerable) late last week and the Tiburon Art Festival this past weekend (wonderful to see all who came out!) I didn’t get much time to paint. I’m back at it now. Here’s where it is:

I really like how the upper left corner is taking shape:

And prayers are still welcome there is a ton of detail to paint still. I started a bit on the waterlily reflection – all the white spots are water drops not yet painted – and that’s only one petal!

August 13, 2013 – Making headway in the water

A side-view showing underwater stems. The ripples and reflections are tricky – no matter how much I’ve painted them before.

The full image and a zoom in to see all the water drops on my computer. I love this image!

August 9, 2013 – Started a new one – a HUGE waterlily

The paper is 40″x40″. My hope is to paint it in time to be framed and display at the Sausalito Art Festival at the end of the month. Prayers that I can are gladly received!

August 4, 2013 – Chocolates are almost there!

Was tedious painting all the brown. The toppings on these truffles were a fun reward! Just a bit more pink on the raspberry truffles to go. Out on the deck of the house where we are staying in Tahoe. Listening to the birds and the wind in the pine and fir trees. Heaven.

July 28, 2013 – in Tahoe working on chocolates

Finished the cup of roses. I decided to call it “Summertime” – check it out in the gallery under roses.
Off on vacation in Tahoe and decided to pick up this piece I’d started last spring. Lots of brown! Mixing ultramarine blue and burnt sienna or fired gold ochre (Daniel Smith color) with some purple here and there. Manganese blue hue is the lighter blue highlights.

July 19, 2013 – Starting to paint the leaves and flowers…

Spent a couple of days out in Bolinas with my dear Sister Mary and worked on this painting in the peace of the foggy mornings.

July 15, 2013 – I think the glass is about done… not sure

I’ve come to think that it’s a lot easier to paint highly detailed cut glass like in Blush than this one.
There’s a lot of subtlety and shades of green that are giving me a challenge! Time to move on to the rose on the fence rail and see how what I’ve done her sits with me.

July 12, 2013 – Roses in a green glass cup – starting on the glass

I’m taking it really, really slowly, seeing all the layers of color and contrasts in the values. Though it’s far from done, from a distance, it’s starting to read. It’s easier than it seems – really! – to paint glass. It’s a process of taking it slow and painting what we see.