Little Blue Bowl

"Little Blue Bowl"

18x24 Oil On Linen Panel

This is a piece I just finished for my show coming up on November 6th at the My Studio in Stillwater. I love the hydrangea plant and am always excited at the end of the summer to paint this flower! They are a challenging plant to paint with all the tiny little petals in each head and the beautiful feeling of air in each bunch. My goal is always to just indicate their character with brush work and NOT to paint all the tiny petals.

I was on a time limit for sure with this one, the leaves poop out in about a day so it was crucial to get them in first. I really liked how the weight of the flowers seem to rest on the leaves. I found that an 18x24 was a bit 'ambitious' lets say for working from life. . . but once I got in the flowers I got to paint the "Little Blue Bowl"! :)

"Purple Loosestrife Meadow"

6x15

oil on linen panel

A perfect place to paint on a perfect autumn evening. The color almost seems crazy to me that it would be so vibrant, but IT WAS! :) Very rich and almost hard to believe when painting it but I think it could have been even more chromatic. . . . the purple loosestrife looked purple when we set up to paint but by the time I actually got to putting it in on my painting the light was so rich, it had turned more red. Well, it was beautiful to see either way!

" Floating Lily Pads"

8x10 Oil On Linen Panel

This is a study I did on location a couple nights ago. I was standing on a platform literally on the water looking down. I've had this idea of doing a large studio piece of lily pads just looking down into the water and needed to go out in the field to study them first, so this is what I ended up with! They have a very beautiful growth pattern that I find really interesting. For as many times as I've painted this subject on location I never quite understood their pattern of growth until now. They seem to have a pull and resist kind of anchoring strength to them. It's really quit lovely! They do lay flat somewhat, but it's almost as though they are being pulled down by one force and try growing up OUT of the water with another, reaching for the light. The roots win!

So, I'll keep you posted on the large studio piece. . . . . .

Some Late August Painting

"Evening Light On William O'Brien"

11x14 Oil On Linen Panel

This is a beautiful place on the St Croix to paint. I taught a workshop here a couple of weeks ago and was so inspired after the workshop that I had to go back again and paint it after it was over. I love the evening light down here and the kayakers and canoers were coming in right around the corner from me. We had a LOT of rain this past week so the water was very high which was nice, the current was a bit stronger.

"Fields Looking Over the Valley"

11x14 Oil On Linen Panel

This is a great spot high up overlooking the river valley. The smell of the fresh cut fields was in the summer air!

"Evening Light On the St Croix"

6x16 Oil On Linen Panel

Can you believe that my dear friend Barb gets to see this view from her living room window every day!? :) I LOVE LOVE this view and her place in Marine on The St Croix. I'm so fortunate to have friends with such views.

"A Bountiful Harvest"

11x14 Oil On Linen

I remember my Dad planting this tree when I was 5 years old, now my kids pick and eat the apples! It's kind of a quirky old tree but I like it!