one no. six

6x6


I don't have much to say about this one.  It's a blueberry.  From behind.

one no. five

6x6


Well.....  here is yet another blueberry... I don't really have anything to say about this one that would be any different from the last one.  Or the one before that.  In my own defense, my mind has been on other things. My daughter has a cold and my dog has to go see a shrink....   But just as I was about to apologize for being so monotonous with my paintings (just a note to remind you that I am following a dream idea with all of these blueberries), I received a lovely message complimenting me on them!  It really doesn't get any better than that..  I will keep on keepin on then.......

one no. four

6x6


Well this is really starting to shape up into a pretty interesting display.  I still need about 6 more and then I'll be happy..

I have discovered, incidentally, that if there is even one fly buzzing around in the room, I can't help but feel like it's landing on me every 3 seconds.  And that it called it's friends over to crawl on my legs and burrow in my hair.  I'm just really glad that this one didn't take me that long to paint.......

in the pink

4x6


What can I say about this one..................

For some reason, it really looks way better in person.  And the 95 degree heat was really pounding on my back so that I could smell my skin while painting.  And there were two flies dive bombing my head.  So actually, between the heat, the skin burning smell, and the kamikaze flies......

Not bad.  Not bad at all.

one no. three

6x6

The series continues...  I really don't know what the deal is though, about these photos.  They are really quite lousy.  I just can't seem to find the right spot to photograph the final paintings........

one no. two

6x6

I had a dream where I had a huge cluster of these on the wall, all together, and it really looked phenomenal.  So here is my experiment to see how fine the line actually is between dream and reality.

Wow.  That sounded way too deep for a Friday afternoon.

yellow

8x6

This painting has just grown on me.  And by just, I literally mean just now, this very moment, as I loaded it here.  It was a real menace, this one, maybe because I've been out of town with my feet in the sand for the past week.  It's so funny.  The first painting in after a hiatus, no matter how long, is usually pretty rough.  Especially when I have a deadline that is quickly closing in....  I don't like them while I am painting, but after I'm through, they end up being some of my favorites.  Go figure.

this little piggy

6x6


I took a sky break today..  I actually can't believe I hadn't thought to paint this little guy months ago.  It is a magnet, and it's less than an inch long, and a little more than half an inch wide.  I really felt my age today.  I had to wear my glasses for pretty much the entire painting.......

crosswalk

8x6


I love this painting.  That's all.

december dusk

6x6


This painting is of an image taken while driving from Berlin to Blonay, Switzerland.  It's about a 9 hour drive, give or take an hour....  or three.  We started our journey at dawn and arrived in Blonay at dusk, which, from an artist's perspective, is pretty convenient.  And rather poetic, actually.  When I saw this sunset I made my husband immediately get off at the first stop he saw, which involved some pretty interesting driving...  But it was totally worth it.  I shot off about 20 photos, several of which are on deck for future paintings.  They are very special to me, so they have been moved to the "only paint when you have a lot of time" pile.  I really love (and need) to drink in the photo as I'm painting it.  It takes me right back to the place and the time it was taken.  Just looking at this, I can still feel the chill in the air and smell it's wintery mountain freshness..

escape

6x4


I knew it wasn't the best idea.  I knew that it would be a mess.  I knew because that's what people tell you.  Don't give glitter to a toddler.  So I didn't get glitter.  I got sequins.  Yeah, it's pretty much the same thing....

wind farm

6x8


I am exhausted.  My son is going through something, I'm not quite sure what though.  He isn't really sleeping at night, which means that I am not really sleeping at night.  When he does wake up, smoke starts coming out of his ears.  About an hour later, his head begins to rotate.  By nighttime, his horns are at their full extension.  Growth spurt?  Maybe.  Will he start talking soon?  I sure hope so.  But whatever it is, I can't wait for it to happen already......  Somehow I was able to paint today and make dinner, although the trout was a bit on the dark brown side.  It was still pretty tasty though.....

lausanne

8x6


I have been wanting to paint this one for a long long time..  I just love the warm glow of the lamp and the stillness of the lake....

schoenhauser allee

6x8


This is the view from the apartment we love to stay in when we go to Berlin.  Oh how I miss it so....

cross country

6x8

This is the first painting I have done from someone else's photo.  I have never wanted to use photos that weren't my own.  I always felt that would be cheating...  But after getting her approval, I simply had to paint it.  What an outstanding image.  I couldn't resist.  And knowing that this was taken on the cross country move from New York to San Francisco, I just think of my friends with their sweet kitty in the back, eagerly, anxiously, excitedly anticipating their new life together.....

pillows

I haven't been sleeping lately.  It's either due to a kid waking up in the middle of the night, a dog (or two) barking (or howling), a cat (barking or howling or chirping- she is very talented), horrifying nightmares, or as in the case of last night, insomnia.  By the time the babies go down for their nap, I have been so exhausted that painting is completely out of the question.  Instead, I have been making pillows.  How ironic, I said to myself.  I can't sleep.  So I made pillows.  Without even making that connection until 10 minutes ago.  My subconscious, ladies and gentlemen, hard at work.

clearing

6x6


This loveliness is a view of Lake Michigan taken from the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes National Park in Glen Arbor, Michigan.  I can't wait to go back up....

rooftop

8x6


I think this may have actually been the photo that planted the seed for this whole sky series.  We were eating in a restaurant and I saw the sky from our table.  I ran out and snapped some photos, knowing that one day, these would become paintings.  And it seems silly, but I haven't had the chance to get this going- I have been so excited to get these onto canvas but I was always in the middle of something else.
Woohoo.. good painting day....

And now I'm off to make my pecan crusted trout with edamame succotash- before the babies wake up!

outside in

6x8


Ahhhhhh......  I always forget how wonderful it is to paint until I can't do it.  And oh how I love to paint skies. This is the start of a series I have been planning for over a year.  I want to start on the small panels and eventually (when I have time) move to very large canvases.  I am so excited to get started....  But, with both kids having just woken up from their naps, at the exact same time, creating complete havoc in their respective rooms (one is having coughing fits while the other seems to be taking apart his crib by way of some sort of blunt object and then throwing the pieces at the wall- or so it sounds), I have to apologize for the terrible photo.  I am more than a little distracted......

slew

6x6


I always think that these paintings would be better if I had more time.  But I kinda like this one.  It works for me.

two

6x6


Maybe it's just me, but it seems that landscapers all wear the same brown knit hat.  And they wear it so high on their head that a strong wind might just blow it off.  Yet it stays on.  Very curious indeed....  What's that?  What does that have to do with blueberries?  Absolutely nothing.

one

6x6


I thought, "Hmm.  One little blueberry.  That won't take me long. I could whip it out no problem."  Yeah, not so much.  That little sucker is a lot harder to paint than it looks!  Babes are calling, gotta go....

high kickers

6x8


One day I will have more than 3 hours to paint a picture.  One day I will have more than 3 hours to paint a picture.  One day I will have more than 3 hours to paint a picture.

I figure if I say it enough, it will magically happen.  I guess I could spend more than one naptime to work on a painting....  Not that I'm complaining though.   Having such a short timeframe really makes me kick myself into high gear (no pun intended here I swear), and it is such a great motivator.  If I had more time to work on a painting, it would be more precise and tightly painted, but I actually don't even see that as a good thing.  I can probably say that I wouldn't be painting nearly as often.  Ah, the irony......
 
This painting took two hours and twenty minutes, and then I had to race to make dinner (fried rice with leftover chicken), all before the babies got up.  I felt like I was rushing for sure, and I can tell that I rushed it a bit, but I am really happy with the results.  This painting was ambitious to say the least, and I am very proud of myself that I was able to step up to the challenge.  Not to mention my daughter pooped for the first time on the potty all by herself during naptime.  I am so proud of her I can't even stand it.

All in all, it's been a great 3 hours.

april showers

6x4


I think my favorite parts of these little paintings are the titles.  And the titles really don't have much to do with the painting at all.  Well they do, of course.. but for me, not so much for the viewer.  Just a little peek into my state of mind while painting these- the titles have everything to do with the weather, and how said weather effects the window reflections on the egg cup.  You can figure out the rest.....

chocolate banana deliciousness

Ok ok ok I know...  This is a painting a day (or whenever I can summon the energy) blog.  And there hasn't been a painting on here in a while.  As my defense, we were traveling.  As my excuse, I am jetlagged.  Truth be told, my daughter is sick and I wanted to make her some homemade chicken noodle soup.

And a cake.

Well of COURSE I had to make the cake.  We had two bananas that were on their way out.  I couldn't let them go to waste.  And it HAD to be a cake, because the cupcakes only use ONE banana, and I didn't want to make 24 cupcakes.  Have you ever tried to frost cupcakes while refereeing two kids under the age of 4?  You end up with lousy cupcakes.

So a cake it was.  And I was going to use my painterly hand and add pink little florets on said cake, but instead I used my painterly EYE (see? it's KIND of like painting, right?) for a more minimalisticly pleasing composition.


Are you buying it?  Yeah, me neither.  I really just wanted to make a cake.

the face that distracts from my lack of painting

We just returned from Portland last night.  I really love that city.  I think the kids do too..  aside from all of the intestinal distress which has now transformed into the sniffles, they slept amazingly well and weren't affected by the time change in the least.  Now to get myself in order and get back to painting!  Stay tuned...

sunshine on a cloudy day

6x4


Ok ok I know.  This is the third egg cup.  And I have one more to do.  In the 15 years that I have been painting, I have only painted the same thing twice, once.  (And yes, that does make sense.)  I don't like to paint the same thing over again.  At least that's what I thought.  Painting the same thing three times is fantastic!  I don't know if they are getting progressively better, but it's so interesting for me to see how the outside light affects the reflections on the cup as well as the background.  Of course, these are small paintings.  Let's see if I ever get around to doing a large painting over and over.

Probably not.....

burst of orange

6x4


Wow.  No babies crying.  No dogs barking.  No phone calls from Mother.  No strange dudes in my house talking about insurance, bugs, mice, or drywall.  The sun is shining, the wind is blowing, and I have 45 minutes left before I wake the babes.  How on earth did that happen?

flash of blue

6x4


I thought it was a tea cup.  Or a sake cup.  But I was just told it's an egg cup.  No matter, it was great fun to paint!  Just as the youngest babe awakens....

think big

6x6


After having a few moving-into-a-big-girl-bed-(FINALLY)-and-not-being-able-to-stay-in-it-for-nap days, I finally found that the removal of one lovey every time she gets out of bed really works!  My daughter had a pretty good nap.  My son of course woke up early.  And my mom only called me 6 times. Somehow I was able to finish a painting......

sunset drive- sold

6x8


This painting is of a wonderful vista in Switzerland.  Every time my husband and I get off the plane, into our rental car, and on the highway, we both breathe a sigh of comfort and familiarity.  We are home.  I have entered this painting in the Daily Paintworks weekly challenge.  This week's challenge is dedicated to raise money to help those affected by the recent disasters in Japan.  All proceeds from the sale of this painting go to the Japanese Red Cross.  Tell your friends!

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Challenge/FC50B15D-5016-4E5E-87F2-87C3F79BA65B

patriotic picnic

4x6


So after I started another car painting (which included both cars), my baby decided that he really needed to play with said cars.
Right.
Now.
And only those cars would do.  Oh, yes, and both of them please...

I stumbled upon this Daily Paintworks weekly challenge- the color of white challenge.  I thought I'd give it a try.  Admittedly, the photo stinks, and it's really not one of my favorites, but.....  not too bad.  It was fun having someone else tell me what to paint!

family wagon

6x8


Here is the other self propelled car from that truck stop outside of Berlin, Germany.  I think I fell in love with the blue car, but I couldn't get the blue without getting the green as well.  And this one is certainly not lacking in kitsch.  These cars are just begging to be painted over and over and over.....  Stay tuned for more!

no painting today....

So instead....  I made brownies.

It wasn't my fault that I couldn't paint.  The insurance guy was just way too chatty and I ran out of time.  My kids only nap for so long, and every minute counts!

These are all the broken ones.  The unbrokens will be sent with my daughter to school tomorrow.  For no reason.  I just wanted to make brownies.  With hearts.  I asked her teachers if it was ok to send our extra confectionery tasties to school...  they said yes.  Good choice.

little blue

6x8


I love this car.  We found this one and a wagon (to be painted later) at a rest stop outside of Berlin, Germany.  I guess, well according to the display, that there were two cars in East Berlin.  This one, and the aforementioned wagon.  We (and by we, I mean, I) simply had to have them.  I think my favorite part about this car though (it is one of those that when you pull back and let it go it shoots across the room) is that it hardly shoots across the room.  It not only kind of meanders across the floor, but it has this squeal that makes it sound just like it needs a new alternator belt.  It is just perfect.

elephant

6x6


I have had this creamer for years- it is one of my favorites... While painting it though, I couldn't help but think about my dad.  Maybe it's because of the "elephant wisdom," maybe it's because my dad's ears were always very large and pendulous...  I don't know.  But my little elephant really makes me miss him....

to market

6x4


One of my favorite toys ever.  My husband picked this up in Nebraska for our daughter.  It's one of those that when you pull back on it and then let it go, it takes off across the floor.  So we have a bunch of these types of cars.  We have races.  And I have to say, this little truck with the three little piggies can really hold its own against the mercedes AND the porsche.

blo me

4x6

one little, two little, three little tomatoes..

6x6

after dinner peas

6x8

bad egg

6x8

eggs

Aside from the wonky egg cups, this one was really fun to paint!  In my defense, though, I had a lot of interruptions during this one.......  Oh well.  Not too bad

egg up close

More eggs.  More egg cups.  Methinks a series has begun.  This one is a wee one- only 4x6.  Please ignore the shadow protrudance on the right....

egg- SOLD woohoo!

All is well and good in the world.  Why did no one tell me how much fun it is to paint porcelain??   I think I might have to do more of this...  I feel like I can see light again- not THE light, but light.  As in light, shadows, reflections, etc.  Something that you might find really lame, but it really was the reason why I started painting in the first place.  When I painted flowers, that's all it was, really.  Light, shadow, and reflection.  POOF!  Out came a flower.  Just like that.  With my pot of brunswick stew bubbling away on the stove and this beautiful snow we're having, (oh and the kids are both still asleep), I am quite at my leisure....  ahhhh

mug by cana

A beautiful paint job by my daughter...

She has been so excited to see my painting corner that she asked if she could paint "using all your stuff mama"..  I love her so much

first bite

A little blue......    not sure if I'm quite feeling it yet.  Since then I have brightened it up a bit so it's a little better

my daughter's cookies

hahahaaaaaa  well..... um.... here is my first painting in my new setup.  My daughter's cookies.  Kinda looks like she may have done this painting as well..... eh it's not too bad.  My first attempt.  Well, it sure isn't a flower or landscape, but it's not too bad.  I just ate the one in the middle.  OO I totally should have taken a bite before I painted it.  Oh that would have been much better.  A little cliché maybe. Oh well what can ya do...  Let's see what happens tomorrow

nobody puts baby in the corner...

New painting digs- at least for the moment...  hopefully the kids don't freak out that mama's in a cage.  Now I just have to locate my palette...  But until then here's another of my old painting of the day paintings called Lighthouse..