Boldbrush Fav 15% Winner

Just Peachy (20 x 16 dry pastel) sold

Hi, and welcome new readers. Thank you all for stopping by!  I just wanted to pop in to do a little braggin' on an older piece that made it in to the FAV 15% of the BoldBrush competition for August.

about the painting...Setting up a fruit bowl just never occurred to me while contemplating my next still life painting. I was headed to my studio to "set something up" when I spotted one of our end tables being drenched in light from the rising sun. I grabbed a peach (yummmm) and my favorite basket and got to work trying out several arrangements before settling on this one. 

I chose this one, not realizing how much work I had set myself up for by including the basket! Now, I think I know where the phrase "basket-case" really comes from. A fun part of this still life is that my husband made the table top from a piece of wood my dad gave him and the table legs are pieces of driftwood from the beach in front of our home (on Whidbey Island). They drifted on to our yard, looking for a new home...

Well, I'm heading back to my seascape. Cheers, all, and happy painting!

Porcelain Cat and His World

Porcelain Cat and His World (oil 16 x 20) sold

I've been away for a bit so I thought I would post an earlier piece until I can get back to the studio.

THE PAINTING The style of this painting is primarily realism; keeping some parts intentionally loose to allow your eyes to rest on the focal points. Bold greens and reds are used to add excitement and to give a contrasting background to the more neutral colors of the main characters. The red peonies would melt in to the background were it not for their strong texture. Textural changes throughout the painting add depth and richness. The light, entering from the left of the viewer, strikes each of the characters boldly, like little treats for your eyes at every point.

THE PIECES The pieces in this still life painting are very near and dear to my heart and I thought you might enjoy knowing a little bit about them...

The porcelain cat is a piece I sculpted in honor of Gravy, our male (golden tabby) cat. It has a cup in the center of it that is generally used for a candle but for this composition I placed a painted wooden ball (yes, I painted that, too :-) to represent Gravy's world. Gravy loved to play with this ball so it seemed fitting to include it in this painting. To strengthen eye movement, I used the same colors in the ball, the wood shelf and the clay pot. The book of "Love Stories" symbolizes the relationship between our two cats; Biscuit and Gravy (they are vaguely painted on the cover of the book). Constantly at my side is the spiral-bound tablet given to me years ago by a dear friend. It contains numerous sketches I have done, over the years, of both our cats. Since my husband and I both enjoy doing pottery, I included a large pot that I drew designs for but which never made it to the potter's wheel. It's so much quicker to paint it.

A HUGE welcome to my new followers and a HUGE thank you to those who continue to follow my blog. I appreciate the comments and your interest in my art world and adventures.