April 8 - Disbelief

The first stage of grief is to deny its happened. I'm there right now.  Today's painting is an on-location study of a creek near our home, and the babbling water was restful and a good escape from accepting what's happened.  I'll freely admit I'm in the first stage of grief, which is denial (For example, "Oh, here's my Mom's watch in my purse, I'll have to give it back to her.") 
  So I met my beloved husband at this stream, and while he napped, I painted this 8 x 10 oil.  It may not be the most spectacular work I've ever done, since I'm so exhausted, but it eases my eyes.  $150.  Now I'm going to sleep, for I only had about an hour last night.

April 8 - Death of my Mother - She's Gone

My mother passed away about three hours after I posted her image on the blog.

April 7 - My Mother Dies

When one chooses to remember a loved one, it ought not be the image of the last moments spent with them, their physical frame hardly recognizable as the specter of death approaches. Better to remember the light in their eyes, imagery of earlier times, and more. My vigil continues with my mother, and I brought my brushes again.
Concentrating on an image of my mother as a younger, vital woman distracts me from the reality of the shell of the person I love beside me. I'm sending this from her room, as I am staying the night, since her time is near. I do these paintings because I love her, and I need to be here to lift her spirit to the next life.
This amazing woman got her private pilot's license while living in Hawaii in the late 1930's, and was there for the bombing of Pearl Harbor, too. I chose a black and white photograph of her in the flying cap and goggles, as I know her spirit will be soaring again soon, to meet up with my father who left this Earth eight years ago after 58 years of marriage to her.
Here on Earth I will have her sparkle and smile in this painting forever. Original oil on board, 12 x 9 inches. Never will be sold.

April 6 - Spring Torrent

"Spring Runoff" A painting of movement, yet with the stoic and solid large rocks holding on throughout the torrent, a fitting statement of the last week's events. Spring runoff water comes down the creek, washing the winter away, and leaving the stones clean and in place, as the water is transitory, like events in our lives. Original oil on 5 x 7 board, sold.

April 5 - Mom, Resting

"Mom, Resting" What is it that makes a work of art MORE than just the subject or medium? We spend a lot of our lives honing our skills to be able to create our art. We do studies, we do practice paintings, we do classes, we work hard to make our marks. I am beginning to realize as I come to this level of painting, that creating nice paintings is well and good, showing technical excellence. But greatness comes from creating paintings that will stand the test of time, by marking such a specific moment, that universally anyone can relate to it.
I spent my day caring for my mom, and as you can expect, brought my brushes. I did this 8 x 10 oil while she was resting. When I look at it, I see so much more in the painting than it's just being a painting. I see technical certainty from miles of canvas, I see good design. But I also see a complete infusion of me, the artist, in the work. Along with that, I also see the reason for the work, the merit of the subject, and what I have been trying to do for many years--connect the work to the world at large and capture a specific moment of living--of life.
"Mom, Resting" is not for sale

April 4 - Sunset in Oahu

"Sunset in Oahu" After coming home from dealing with hospice and details currently filling every waking moment, I wanted to just chuck it all and go to sleep.  But I cannot.  I need to excise a little beauty from the events unfolding around me, and so I spent a goodly amount of time choosing an appropriate subject for today's painting.  It is a sunset, painted with evening light colors, and is of the waters of my mom's beloved Oahu, where, in 1935, she came and began a stay of 12 years, meeting and marrying my dad, and also getting a private pilot's license.  
  It is appropriate as an end-of-day image, filled with the beauty of all of the intervening hours, and the beauty created in part because of the earlier formation of clouds and moisture--like the events that create a full life, creating also a beauty to the finish.     5 x 7 inches on gallery wrap in oil

April 3 - Revised Floral

 "The Orange Jug" I did make a window of time today to work on the 16 x 12 still life I showed you two days ago. Here it is newly modifed and "improved".
No longer bland, it has better light, better values and better color. Sometimes putting a work aside for a year or two can make a major difference in the end product. You just get smarter. Smarter about what to do to make a painting go from "ho-hum" to "ho-Whoa"!
My choices were to contrast the background with the flowers
and to lighten the values in the vase and foreground cloth. I wanted to consciously stick to the complementary blue/orange scheme, though. The end result is far more intimate than that "other thing". US $ 375 and it's yours.

April 2 - Mom in Bed, Sadness

Today was supposed to be the revised painting I showed you yesterday, but the only time I lifted my brushes today was to paint my beloved mother in her hospital bed.  I just returned home from spending all of today into the evening staying with her and authorizing comfort care.  She's 98, had fallen, and has pneumonia and a fever.  Why did I paint her? I painted her because I could do no less.  It brings out from deep inside me the feelings I have for this remarkable woman, and allows me to really see her--etch her nuances forever fin my mind in these final days.  It gives me something productive to do when one feels so helpless to change the course of things.  I had my plein air gear and just set up next to her and did this little 5 x 7 canvas in oils.  It's a very poor image, taken in almost twilight.  I'll get a better one tomorrow.  I may do another one when I get to the hospital again.  These won't be for sale.

April 1 - No Foolin' Still Life

For today's visual imagery, I bring to you an older image that hasn't been on the web site for a LONG time.  It's a nice enough painting with the brushwork, but rather bland in color usage.  What I have planned for April 2 is t
o take this and repaint much of it with a much better usage of color dynamics.  No foolin' !!
  So enjoy this ancient piece and know that you'll see it again with it's new "color jacket" tomorrow.

March 31 - Out like an Onion

"Out Like an Onion" (In like apricots, at least for the month of March!) This onion was done at the request of a collector who already owns one of the earlier onion pieces. I cut one of those big Spanish onions and placed it far enough away from me so that I wasn't crying while in the midst of painting! (I could at least blame the onion if it didn't go well!) This is a six by six inch gallery wrap canvas, and is done in acrylics.

March 30 - Older Demonstration Painting

"Demonstration, Five Years Ago" I thought I'd share with you one of the many, MANY demonstration paintings I've done in the past, for today's painting. Since we are anticipating wildflowers in a few weeks, this one seems appropriate. I used to do three or four demonstrations each month for art groups, and GIVE AWAY paintings like this one as a raffle prize! They were usually 16 x 20s, and earlier they were even larger. I still do an occasional demonstration, but the people who have these paintings ought to be really, really happy today. I know I learned a great deal about how to " cut to the chase" when limited to about 85 minutes to paint one!

March 29 - Rabbit, Spring

"Four-footed Spring Bird" I looked out the window of my studio today, and on the top step going down to the barns was this furry visitor to my bird feeder, sunning himself until he caught my eye. I usually trap these fellows and take them to the park down the road in the new development, because it is devoid of wildlife except for these relocated bunnies. This was fun to paint with a limited palette of cobalt, raw sienna, rose madder, Payne's gray, green earth and cadmium yellow light, with titanium white.

March 28 - Skoal - Horse Shoer, Quick Repair

"Skoal" Amazing what you can do when there are four guys scraping your ceilings and tons of noise are coming from your home. The house smells like wet laundry, the ceilings are beautiful, stuff isn't back where it belongs yet, but I had a lot of fun focusing on the back pocket of this shoer. This is a 12 x 16 oil on linen, and is from the San Juan Capistrano arena, where they held a major show a while back. The painting is also known as "Quick Repair" $500

March 27 - A Path

"A Path" Tomorrow there will be construction workers throughout our home as we redo the ceilings, getting rid of the "popcorn" texture, and I'm going to (hopefully) be holed up in the studio. Since I have a commission to do, and want to do some more smaller pieces, I hope I can handle the confusion and noise. This is a 12 x 9 oil, done in preparation with lots of textural brushmarks, perhaps indicative of the visual invasion tomorrow? But like all paths, there's always a new view in a few steps. $100

March 26 - Canadian Cat

"Yes, I'm Warm, Thank You" I was offered this delightful image of a Canadian cat, cozy in mohair, and asked permission to paint him/her.  I'd not seen such a nice image of a cat all fluffed up in something so cozy, and just felt I had to paint it.  The source material for this was also so good, I changed hardly anything--perhaps the expression a bit, making the cat a teenager.  When I have to do details like this, I prefer my acrylics, as the layering of colors allows for infinite details and corrections.  This is a 5 x 7 acrylic on gallery wrap; it sold the minute I sent it out to my daily paintings email list. The Daily Paintings Email List.

March 25 - Baby Goats!

Yesterday I went over to my friend's house in Hemet and picked up our newest milk goat, and she has two kids that came along with her. It made me remember just how adorable baby springtime animals are, so tonight I came in and looked through many, many images of goats that have been born here, both Alpine and Saanen. This Alpine doeling became a great milker, like her mother. The adult goats in our herd wear Swiss bells and the soft ringing music as they roam the pasture is melodic. I could spend hours watching the kids leap and run with pure joy. Original oil, 6 x 6 inches, on gallery wrap canvas--ready to hang. Already sold, sorry!

March 24 - Spring Daffodil and Wine Glass

"Spring Daffodil" (and the wine glass). A sure sign of Spring is here.  I picked one of the daffodils from the planter in the front yard and brought it in and put it in one of our wine glasses.  No ordinary wine glass, my folks bought a set of six of these deep blue-violet blown-glass vessels with the brass bands while on a trip in Mexico. I was along on the trip, done right after I graduated from high school, so these are pushing 40 years old.  I've always loved them, as the glass bulges out through the holes in the brass, making a grand tactile feel not possible with clear stemmed traditional glasses for wine.  The daffodil shows you the scale of the glass, which holds about four ounces.  This is an acrylic, 6 x 4 inches on gallery wrap (no framing needed). $100 

March 23 - Garlic

"Garlic" Why not? Onions and the companionable garlic, substance for all Italian dishes and bane of werewolves. Shopping is a treat when I can buy things like this common cooking ingredient, and pick just the right one that will be preserved forever, and safe until the next batch of spagetti sauce! This is an original oil on gallery wrap, 6 x 6 inches. I'll put it on ebay later this weekend. $100 if you can't trust you'll get it.

March 22 - Layers (Onions)

"Layers (Onions)" I received a very kind email from a listmember who is newly engaged to be married, saying that my onion paintings are statements of how people reveal themselves to one another, taking the layers off slowly to finally get to the most piquant part of themselves. This 4 x 6 acrylic is done for her, to celebrate the layers we all have. It is already sold.

March 21 - Molly and Daisy Commission Portrait

"Molly and Daisy" I had mentioned that I've been working on commissions, and this is the first of two that are coming off the easel. It is a composite of several photographs taken by someone other than myself, but I am able to design a workable composition and make a decent go of it. This is a 20 x 16 portrait, and it gives me a great deal of pleasure to do work like this. As it is a commission, it is already sold.

March 20 - Draft Horse Halter Class

"Morning Halter Class" At the Draft Horse Classic in Grass Valley, they always have the halter classes (conformation classes) in the mornings. I enjoyed doing this 5 x 7 on board oil of the early morning light on the horses and handlers. If I have the patience, I may do a larger painting. This one is sold.

March 19 - Sunshine and the Field

"Sunshine and the Field" Back in 2000 I was on location south of Fallbrook, California, and painted this field scene with less than stellar color--it was, well, bland. I have brought in my new color knowledge and made the landscape sing. 12 x 16 oil on board.
  $275

March 18 - More Red Onions

"More Red Onions" The yellow onion went into tonights meatloaf for dinner--at least part of it. So these two sweet red onions are left, and I pushed them together as cosy friends and swept them onto a 4 x 6 inch canvas using acrylics. This one is sold.

March 17 - ONIONS!!

"ONIONS!!" How fun to have a plate of red and yellow onions... the plate was trasluscent green glass, on a redish cloth. This was a setup that my students used on Tuesday, and I painted it (different cloth color) for today's painting. This is an oil, also only 5 x 7 inches. I like the fact that the plate tips a bit, giving some subtle tension to the image.  And of course the oils make such a rich feel to the surfaces.
  Do you recognize that yellow Spanish onion?  Yes, I still haven't used it in a winter stew yet.  I painted it in acrylics on February 10! $100

March 16 - Detail Man

"Detail Man" Folks not familiar with the horse industry might not know the significance of folks like this fellow and hundreds like him, who are the real backbone of what goes on in the show ring and race track. Men, and women, who work in the stable area cleaning tack, cleaning stalls--to me they have great value, and I honor them by painting their portraits. And besides, they are very appealing!
Original oil, 12 x 9 inch canvas, available for US $385.

March 15 - Matilija Poppies, Oil

"Matilija Poppies, Oil" Another of the same subject, this time of a long-ago set up when I was in a workshop with Joyce Pike. She taught me the importance of brushwork, and for that I am forever greatful! So from Los Osos to today's painting, many years have gone by. This is a 7 x 5 inch oil of a subject that was done several years ago in acrylics. This one is sold.

March 14 - Floral Study, Oil

"Floral Study, Oil" I occasionally take the same subject matter and do two paintings, one in acrylics and one in oils. this is a 7 x 5 inch oil of a subject I have done in acrylics. It is interesting to see how the two media handle the same imagery. This image is sold.

March 12 - Stoneware Jug

"Stoneware" My Mom has owned this little stoneware jug, and then gave it to me some years ago. It has been tucked up on a high shelf, and when I was going through some things, found it. I enjoy painting simple objects with complex brushwork. Original oil, 6 x 6 inches. $100

March 11 - Fruit Medley

"Fruit Medley" I received a nice email from an artist I admire, asking if I would do a 9 x 12 still life. This one's for you, Bob! Original oil, 9 x 12 inches. $225

March 10 - Winter Cowboy

"Through the Woods" REvisiting the snow scene of a couple of days ago, I decided that a rider would be a good focal point on this odd sized 12 x 10 canvas, scheduled for the Cattlemens' Western Art Show April 7-9.

March 9 - Single Rose

"Joan's Rose" Even with dropping my laptop and sending it to the Mac hospital, I can still do these daily paintings! But I couldn't post it for a day, since I mislaid my ftp access. Oh, technology!. Original oil, $100
This one is sold.

March 8 - Snowy Path

"Snowy Path" It sure was a lot of fun to go to Hemet and do a demonstration for my friends and artists in this nearby city. I decided to do pines in snow, since I'd also started a smaller, similar painting in the studio. This one is 20 x 16, and might yet get some "tweaking" after I look at it in the studio for a few days. Original oil, $300
Pending SALE.

March 7 - Cream Roses

"Friend's Roses" Returning to the studio laden with the generosity for which she is well known, Joan knew I had planned to paint roses, and in she comes with these wonderful yellowy cream blossoms.
The original oil is 20 x 16, and was done from a small set up with the roses in a vase that my folks received as a wedding gift back in 1942. I will always look at them seeing more than just the colors and brush strokes, and even though they may leave my life to adorn the walls of a collector's home, I still know a part of me is in the painting. $300

March 6 - Mallard Ducks

"Just Ducky" Fun to do a small one again, and this Mallard pair were seen on a pond near our local wineries.  I had fun tasting the wine, however the ducks were enjoying courtship!  Water is so much fun to paint.  All those colors and the reflections, too!  A 5 x 7 oil on gallery-wrap canvas, $100.


This one is sold.

March 5 - Reenactment Man, Walking Tall

I spent this morning finishing up this fellow for the lesson page--don't have a title for him yet.  You can see what I've done to finish up the painting by comparing it to yesterday's image.  I also included a detail shot of his head and torso below. 

I think I will take him up to Cattlemens next month, and might spend another couple hours on him, making some corrections.  Sometimes the paint just goes where you need it to, and some other times, what seems easy on reflection is going down the wrong road! Still, US $550 

March 4 - Work in Progress

This is a work in progress for a lesson page on how I do paintings, the lesson and commentary to be added to the elinart site soon.  The image you're getting tonight is the fourth in the series of instructional images, and shows the painting at the point where I'm finding edges to fix and define.  To get the painting to this point, I went through four major steps--1. division of space--the relationship of the figure to the background space and rough lay-in, 2. Large color shapes to define mass in the figure, 3. defining shape to create the illusion of three dimensions, and 4. beginning the details and finding edges.  It shows how I paint big to little, and don't overwork areas.  The boots and lower third are the most unfinished at this point, and I hope you can see how I work into a painting by comparing that section to the upper areas. To get to this phase, took about 50 minutes.  Please write if you have any questions about the procedure.
  This is a 20 x 10 oil, and hopefully will be good enough to take with me to Cattlemen's, April 7, in Paso Robles, CA.  I sure enjoy painting these re-enactment men who seem to have eyes that bore right through you...

March 3 - Lake Sunset

"Sunset over the Lake" AFter Norco's art reception, I came home and painted this memory of Hawley Lake and Arizona, last October. I talked up the trip for 2006 with several people, and won awards on my artwork! Original oil, 9 x 12. $300

March 2 - Sunset Evening #5

"Sunset Evening #5" I enjoy working with the subtle cloud colors found in sunsets and sunrises. This 12 x 16 oil is one I worked on earlier, but it wasn't ready for display until now. $200

March 1 - Apricots

"Apricots" I went to the grocery store yesterday, and eyed the imported fruits and vegetables, so far out of season, and saw some really nice looking apricots. I bought only two, as the price of $4.99 per pound was way over my budget. I long for summer apricots! A 6 x 4 oil on gallery-wrap canvas, $100.

February 28 - Fantasy Man

"Fantasy Man" I paint characters sometimes, and some times those characters are similar to the fantasies I carried around as a young woman.  Who among us hasn't had some inner perception of the embodiment of strength, resourcefulness, and mystery?  Today I created one of those fellows, and I have to smile at those memories of a "few" years ago!  Back in those days, I read a fictional novel, "Many Rivers to Cross" and the hero in that western romance (Bushrod Gentry) came to life as a 6 x 4 acrylic on canvas, today under my brushes.  
  This cowboy didn't make it to ebay, it already

February 27 - Organic Pear

"Single Pear" A quick study of a Bosc pear, usually a very bland colored fruit. I hope you like the life in this one, it reflects the rich flavor as I did finish it off after this painting was done! Original acrylic, 4 x 4 inches, available for $100.

February 26 - Santa Ana Riverbed, California

"Santa Ana Riverbed" This painting is specifically painted for the Norco Western Art Show and is one I'm quite happy with, as it has been "sitting in my head" for over two months. It is of the Norco River Trail System and if you look closely, you'll see the rider on the other side. Original acrylic, 15 x 30 inches, available from my recent paintings page.

February 25 - Englemann Oak

"Oak Shadows" The second painting from being on location , this one focusing on the dappled shadows beneath the large coastal live oaks and Engleman oaks. What I like about this piece is the way the distant oak is framed by the branches of the near one. Original oil, 9 x 12 inches, $200.

February 24 - Sylvan Meadows, Santa Rosa Plateau

"Morning Rocks, Sylvan Meadows" I went on location again, with a painting buddy, and the morning light in the open space of the Plateau is rich with the illusion of moisture. This is a quick study, 12 x 12 inches, $200.

February 23 - Polo Ponies

"Morning Chukkar" Today's painting is a memory of the winter polo matches in Indio, ongoing from October to March. Original oil on gallery-wrap (painted edges), 4 x 6 inches, $100.
This one is sold.

February 22 - Old Eucalyptus

"Impending Change" Today's painting was done on location as I was getting new tires on my truck. I walked into a nearby field and saw this 80+ year old eucalyptus tree with a hawk's nest in it, and since it is sitting on soon-to-be-developed land, its days are numbered. The distant hills of Sun City are in the background. Original oil, 9 x 12 inches, $200.

February 21 - Revision of Lake Evening

"Revision of Lake Evening" Today in the studio I worked over several canvases, and the one that provides the most learning for students is this one. If you'll compare the one on February 3rd, you'll see the original plein air study. Original oil, 5 x 7 inches, available for $100.

February 20 - Sunset

"Sunset Riches" An absolutely gorgeous day today, after the rain of last weekend. The sunset was spectacular as well, so what could I do but paint it? You betcha! Original oil, 4 x 6 inches, available for $100.

February 19 - House Plant

"Young Pothos" It was late when we returned from a date together, my husband and I, so I picked a simple subject--the Pothos house plant that sits on my kitchen sink. With care and feeding, it will grow to envelop the pot hanger above the sink! Original oil, 6 x 4 inches, available for $100.