The Paris map is too large to travel easily with, so I've got a couple other pieces drawn to paint. One is this one of hot red-orange-pink roses. Here's the background done - love those negative spaces outlining the subject.

And it starts with the map of Paris!

Just need to paint the pastry shell - what a trip, painting pastry!

I made this tart a while ago - to take pictures to paint from - but it was tasty too! I've decided to paint it row by row. Fruit by fruit.

A week before Christmas, probably won't paint much until afterwards. I'm so happy with how the vase looks. And a lot easier than I'd expected. Just paint what I see...

Spent an evening listening to 5 episodes of Downton Abbey and working on the vase. Nice to be back to this one.

Two days before deadline! Whew!

Something was bugging me - it didn't look like her. I confirmed this with Dave, her husband. Though she was out of focus in the background, it needed to look like her still. This is the before and after (on the left) of an evening of working on it, bit by bit. Who...

Getting there - a week from deadline!

Lot's and lots of detail in the lavender - whoa!

Had to set the peonies in the vase aside to get this one done by the end of November. Here's the background all done - starting in on all the lavender.

The reflections of the vase in the window are too obvious - lots more to do on the garden outside as well.

It's really hard to see the pencil drawing in the camera if taken of the whole thing. It's a large one (41x29). Peonies on the window sill at my folks house - the house where I grew up. Love the light - of course!

Spent the better part of yesterday's painting group deciding on colors for a new palette. It's been time for one, the old one has served me so well, to make over 50 paintings. But it's falling apart. Fresh new pigments! Both afraid to start messing it up and can't...

Now I'm going to mop on some yellow paint!

I love how you can sense the space that this piece of fruit existed in when I took its photo.

I spent the afternoon today posting and writing about all the photos I've taken over mostly the past 5 1/2 years (a few older). These are work-in-progress and some just-finished photos of my work. It was wonderful to re-live it all. It's remarkable how I do remember...

Not sure of the name yet. Just the background in here. I loved the light bubbles and playing with colors and circles.

Another Tahoe vacation painting. Time for a plunge with Joe and Bo.

Ok, so I'm turning a corner with this painting. I'm not laboring over it like I have others. Very cool.

It's quite remarkable how that logical, symbol-oriented left brain freaks out about a lot of detail. I'm learning that the right brain has no problem with it. And even approximating it. Painting this is way easier than my left brain thought it was going to be.

Hard to tell from this photo, the color is so off. But finishing this one was about the tone. It was too reddish. And, I didn't want to make it too blue. A thin wash of thalo green did the trick.

By the time I got to here, I was pretty done with the square thing. Great exploration. Will do it again.

Worked on Blossoms Squared on Kauai. Painting square by square completely abstracts the image. And painting mostly wet in wet was a challenge and a great experience. Nearly all the ladies in my painting group jumped in and painted them too.

Starting in on the bee.

At the place we rent in Koloa, painted on the covered front porch. Final touches on the hairs of the flower - then the BEE!

Using a new Daniel Smith color: cobalt blue-violet. Totally replaced Ultramarine Violet in my palette. I'm in love.

Awakening's "sister." God I love these colors.

Now for the fun part, the face and eyes!

Beverly's Icarus is my second dog commission. What a great dog and a great image to work with.

This is where I paint when the watercolor group meets at the house. I often paint standing up. It's a good way to be less fussy with watercolor.

On the painting table in my studio.

So, Bo is a pretty large (75 lb) dog. This is a BIG painting!

Glass conquered, on to more familiar territory. With a painting this big, rose petals are huge!

Whoa, this is a big painting. Too big for the table in my studio. I painted the background some in Tahoe on the picnic table outside and some here at home. After this, I moved out to a folding table in the garage to finish it. It had taken over my life, and our...

It's sort of hard to know what this is. I'm projecting the image on the paper - it's 60x40. It's actually hanging sideways, but I've rotated the image to see it better. Look carefully you can see the pencil drawing and the subtle color from the projector. So grateful...

On the hearth of our Tahoe rental cabin. Interior light gives it a nice warm glow.

Another one I finished on vacation - up in Tahoe.

And then I jumped right in with the Jellies. Got all the orange ones done first- they were so full of sugar crystals and intricate detail, I had to make sure I was up for this one! Steff said it wasn't fair, I didn't have any of these mango confections for her to eat...

I emailed a photo of the painting to Bernard from Kauai - he said "Your painting has a vibe and energy coming off the plate." So happy he got it!

A day-trip to La Jolla to meet with Bernard Guillas, executive chef of the Marine Room. Arranged by Ronn Rohe of the La Jolla Festival of the Arts, I was to paint something Bernard prepared. I had no idea what it would be and was thrilled it was desserts. I painted...

Whew! Leaves are done. I love painting grapes. And these colors were especially fun.

With a giclee of Southside Lily Pond - the first one. Painting this for Joan and Scott Brown - and they were going to have giclees of these two side by side. I needed to make sure the paintings would be friends.

On the table in my studio.

On the deck at the cabin we rented in Tahoma, Tahoe.

Something happens when I look at the painting I'm working on through the review of the digital photo. It gets distilled somehow. And what's not right jumps RIGHT out. Had to soften the dark above his eyes.

In May 2010 my leadership group had a reunion in Minnesota. I spent some time working on the painting of BJ on the screen porch of the B&B where we stayed. The water was challenging - all those distinct shapes and colors and detail, it was hard not to have it be to...

On the easel at Light Rain - ready for capture.

Macarons - I painted this one systematically, the small amount of background, then the plate, then the tan colored cookies. After this I painted the chocolate ones, then the colors, ending with the pink - of course!

On the painting table in my studio. Finished.

Painted on another trip to Kauai - staying at Tommy and Steff's. This was the third time drawing and the second time painting - the art for the La Jolla Festival of the Arts poster in 2010. Finally done!

Just need to finish their faces. I paint the eyes last and it's quite remarkable how once they are in, the spirit of the dog shows up.

After receiving Scott Eckert's email asking about that blueberry painting (that hadn't been painted yet) for Nancy for Christmas, I decided I'd get it drawn and started. I sent him this photo and said I could get it done in time to be framed and shipped to Oregon for...

Painted start to finish on Kauai.

Back in Brenneke's cottages in November, painting this image of La Jolla.

After starting with the ivy background, hating it, washing it off in the sink, then re-drawing it and re-painting it, the rest of it came through pretty easily. Oh, but then there was that tablecloth! This was a hard painting. The plate and fruit were fun, so fun,...

This was my second large painting (from a 41x29 sheet). Just the background done.

Kind of a weird photo - on the table at Light Rain. It's the only one I took before it was framed. I painted this one while on vacation at Tahoe in July.

On the easel a Light Rain just before capture.

Started at the top, painting water and rocks, reflections of greenery around. I remember tiring of the colors (I gotta have my bright color!) and starting in on Apricots in the Sun before finishing this one. It was a treat to put the lavender flowers in at the end.

I painted this painting in 10 concentrated days. I wanted to have it finished to enter in my first California State Fair. And I was totally vexed by painting the highlights on the apricots and strawberries. I hated how it looked. This is after I rubbed some of it out....

I finished this one back at home. I remember painting the last rose, on the left - the hot pink one (it's an Yves Piaget) while watching/listening to the Academy Awards. I know where and when I painted each of these paintings.