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.

The Ceremonial Princess Biscuitrina

The Ceremonial Princess Biscuitrina of the Faux Feather Tribe (nfs)

I am not a mask painter but I just had to find a way to celebrate the Master Mask Painter Don's new kitty and, well, there was Miss Biscuit, all ready for the task. Congratulations on your new studio friend, Don. May you have many happy paw prints together.

Grand Indeed, pastel

Grand Indeed (25 x 19.75 dry pastel)

In preparation for our trip to the Grand Canyon, I read books about it. I saw pictures of it. I studied maps of it. I watched videos. I must say, though, that there is no way I could have prepared myself for the reality of standing on the edge of that magnificent canyon! There simply are no words to describe the feeling. It seems as though there should be a stamp, or tattoo, one gets once you've "canyoned" so when you're talking about it, someone else can know if you really know the canyon. It is truly beyond words.

Some subject matters seem almost "hands-off" to me when I consider painting them because they seem impossible to capture. That's a bit how I feel about the Grand Canyon. However, I was compelled to spend more time there after returning home and getting lost in this painting was a wonderful way to do that. I wandered around all the nooks and crannies and hilltops and studied the ledges formed over thousands of years. It was such a joy to work on this piece.

I was prompted to post this piece because I was reading a wonderful blogpost by Katie who's husband taught her to fly (so cool!) and one of their trips was over the Canyonlands. Travel safely!

City Beach Sunrise

City Beach Sunrise (16 x 20 dry pastel)

available on my website

It seems nearly every spot on beautiful Whidbey Island has views to offer and gorgeous sunrises and glistening waters. I just can't seem to get enough of it! This scene is from an early morning adventure to City Beach in Oak Harbor.

Sam's a Thinker

Sam (dry pastel 12" x 24")

After some good advice from a friend, I made a few tweaks and I think I am done. I'm just not sure if Sam thinks I am. It was nice to have the oil study since I had already done a lot of the work on that earlier piece it made this one flow a bit easier than I think it would have otherwise. This final was completed on Sennelier La Carte Pastel paper - one of my all-time favorites. This was fun.

Thanks so much for checking up on my work and a warm welcome to the new followers, too!

What a Wonderful World

What a Wonderful World (8 x 10 oil on panel)

Fundraiser for Pasado's Safe Haven - SOLD

Having been blessed with a heart wide open for animals, one of my greatest passions is painting to raise money to support the welfare of animals. So, yesterday I did just that. I had a perfect day enjoying the company of this kitty (on the easel) I met a while ago at our local animal shelter. He was subsequently adopted and I have a feeling his new theme song must be "What a Wonderful World".

I see skies of blue, clouds of white

Bright blessed days, dark sacred nights

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world!

Thanks for the tunes, Mr. Armstrong!

Beach Bound (in my heart)

Steppin' Out (dry pastel, 11 x 14) available on my website

Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE the water? It is the anticipation of that very first toe-dip that can keep me on the edge of my seat for a ride that seems to take for...e...v...e...r.   I feel like Donkey in Shrek, always saying "are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"

I'll leave you with this. I'm off to paint some water.

Welcome new followers.

Thank you, all, for stopping by.

Wee Three selected for Fav 15% BOLDBRUSH competition

Wee Three (dry pastel 16" x 20") sold

It sure makes my day to open an email and see the word "Congratulations" and know it's real. This morning I recieved one of those from FineArtViews letting me know my painting, Wee Three, made it in to the Fav 15% for the March 2010 BoldBrush competition. I consider that quite an honor since it was up against some fabulous competition! Thanks FineArtViews; next time I'm going for an award (check out these winning pieces).

And I Said to the Sea...I love thee

In Perfect Rythm (20" x 16" dry pastel) sold

And I said to the Sea, so see, I do love thee.

And she said back to me, Yes, Sand, I see.

And, I love thee.

Love,

The Sea.

                                                     -sandy

My Mom tells me that when we were babies she would put us in hammocks (I think used for clothes on sailboats) on our family boat and off to sea we would go. Mind you, it was likely just for the weekend but to a baby it probably seemed like a month-long adventure. I know I loved it. Right, Mom? There are also family stories of living in Florida during hurricane season and when everyone else was packing their cars and hitting the roads, we were heading down the dock (no running allowed) where we could board our boat, head to sea, and be really safe.

Moving on to when I was eight, my family moved to Cannes (on the French Riviera) and the best way to get there seemed to be a trans-Atlantic trip aboard the Leonardo da Vinci cruise liner. During our return trip the weather turned and we were tossed about in 35ft-high seas with the wind kicking up to 65 knots. During that storm, the British freighter Ambassador was sinking and had radioed the coastguard that the crew was going to abandon ship but that they did not have any lifeboats available (on the leeward side). The Leonardo da Vinci was one of six ships in the vicinity of the sinking ship and changed course to assist. Because of the high seas, she was unable to get close enough to the Ambassador; although she continued with her attempts until the Norwegian vessel Fruen arrived. After futile rescue attempts, The Ambassador sank in turbulent waters a thousand miles off the coast of New York. Thankfully, the crew was rescued.

My memories are not filled with the scary stuff; they are filled with the blessings of the water and excitement of it. I lost track of how many boats my family has owned over the years but I’ve never lost track of my love for the waves lapping up against the hulls!

Gully and the Jeepers

Gully and His Jeepers (dry pastel on pastelbord, 11 x 14)

Can't you just imagine them getting ready for their sunset gig at the beach? Soon all the little sandpiper girls will be gathering around oohing and ahhing and shaking their tail-feathers! There is always fun to be had at the beach.

A little closer view of the bandleader...

Building Trust

Building Trust (oil 16" x 20")

During the Whidbey Island Farm Tour last fall, I had an opportunity to visit one of my favorite places on the island, the Wildwood Farms. They are just a skip and jump down the road from where we live. I have been going  there to sneak a peek at their horses for over thirty years!

 The two horses in this painting really caught my attention during my last visit because of their obvious closeness to each other. I could feel they trusted each other, I just wasn't sure they trusted the photographer quite as much...perhaps an apple could help persuade them?

This piece will be included in my upcoming Art Show in Coupeville, WA, over the 4th of July weekend. I will be among some other wonderful artists and we would love to have you stop by:

• July 3 & 4th
• 10 am - 5pm
• Coupeville, WA (corner of Coveland and Alexander Streets)

To Crop or Not to Crop

Strawberry Point (dry pastel 8 x 10)

Hmmm, I'm not sure I've done the right thing here but something was nagging me about this painting. Often, if a painting stares at me from my wall, sending off vibes like that, for too long something is bound to happen. Since this was painted on paper, it was safe from a total scrub :). Instead I cropped it and reworked some of the areas to make the composition work a little better in its new space and boundries.

This is what it looked like before, as an 11 x 14.

I would really like your honest feedback so if you feel so inclined, please leave me a comment and let me know which you prefer. I can handle it (though I can't get the old one back - no "undo" button here).

Thanks for stopping by!

A Calling of the Heart - pastel seascape

A Calling of the Heart (16 x 20 dry pastel) sold

My heart is visiting Bandon, Oregon, so I thought I would share this earlier seascape I painted from the magnificent beaches there. I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday weekend.

Lazy Painting!

Camano Highlights (pastel 6" x 8") sold

Feeling really lazy, I was going for the fewest strokes possible to make this painting believable. The strong colors may have been my saving grace in this one because if you click the image to enlarge it, you can see just how lazy I was.

Study of Sam, from oils to pastels

Sam, a study (oil 8 x 10) available on Etsy

Traditionally, pastels were used as studies for oil paintings. I often like to use oil paintings as studies for my pastel paintings and this one of "Sam" (named in honor of  Sam-Dolman, painter) is no exception. I still have a few refinements to make to the pastel painting which is larger and longer (12 x 24).

I really enjoy the process of working on a study. I know there are lots of things I can work out in Photoshop (I love Photoshop) but there are some things that can only happen, for me anyway, while working at the easel. Doing a study gives me a chance to really study and experiment on a particular subject in the painting without the fear of wearing out the paper or canvas.