Cherries in Hand

Oil on gesso board (8 x 8 inches)

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This is likely the last of the cherry paintings for a while since they won’t be available for at least the next few months.  I wanted to combine the intricacies of the hand with the shiny cherries and this is what I came up with.  Another highly enjoyable experience.

Coke Bottle III

Oil on canvas (8 x 16 inches)

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Once again, I find myself drawn to the vintage coke bottle as a subject.  Subtle changes in lighting can alter how the whole image appears.  In this case, I opted for lower light which gave the cast shadow a soft glow.  I have a lot of fun working with all the little abstract bits and pieces that go into making this kind of painting!

Pink Stripe Cherries

Oil on gesso board (8 x 10 inches)

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I’m still enjoying painting cherries even though the season here has long gone.  In this painting I was able to combine the fun of painting the reflected light and golden highlights along with the challenge of the cherries themselves. 

Masquerade

Oil on gesso board (9 x 12 inches)

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I found these masks at a garage sale this summer, which was fortunate because I had wanted to do a painting of “fancy” masks for a while.  I liked the challenge of capturing the shiny parts of the trim and the sparkles on the masks, as well as the texture in the feathers.

Pom Pom Peony oil painting

Oil on 3/4 inch canvas (18 x 18 inches)

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I love this kind of peony with the fluffy center contrasting with the outer petals.  The sunlight provided wonderful shadows as well as a nice glow in the middle.

We're Jamming

Oil on 3/4 inch streched canvas (16 x 20 inches)

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I love capturing the look of reflected glass with light shining through and in this piece I wanted to work with multiple layers of clear glass.  With these mason jars, the lettering was probably the most fun aspect to paint, especially where the distorted letters are showing through the glass in front of them. Thanks for viewing my work!

Polka Dot Cherries

Oil on Gesso Board (8 x 8 inches)

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I love the challenge of working with reflective surfaces and thought it would be fun to try that out with polka dots (I love polka dots for some reason).  It was tricky painting all the little white reflected dots as they grew smaller and smaller in the silver bowl.  The cherries were challenging as they usually are, but I was happy with the overall result.

Red '69 Cougar Convertible

Oil on Gesso Board (9 x 12 inches)

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When my husband was a much younger man, he bought himself an old 1969 Cougar convertible which he felt quite proud to own.  Unfortunately he had to sell it again only a short time later in order to help fund his education.  Whenever he spots a similar one on the road he is quick to point it out to me and reminisce about the one he once owned. Recently at a vintage car show, he saw one that was the same year as his, and took a few pictures of it.  Unbeknownst to him, I used those photos to secretly work up a painting of his beloved convertible which I kept hidden away until his birthday.  I’m happy to say that he was genuinely surprised and delighted.  

Big Box o'Chocolates

Oil on Canvas (12 x 16 inches)

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Chocolates are one of my favourite subjects (both to paint and to eat), and I’ve done smaller paintings of this subject but this time I wanted to go bigger.  I think you can’t go wrong with more chocolate!

Cup of Cherries

Oil on gesso board (8 x 10 inches)

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It seems this year was a bumper crop of cherries and they looked and tasted delicious!  Cherries are a challenging subject to get the colours right and to capture the reflections on their shiny surfaces.  I filled one of my favourite teacups with them and placed it on a beautiful piece of Chinese silk fabric that I had been wanting to paint.  That added the extra challenge of rendering the reflections of the silk on the underside of the saucer.  

The Juggler

Oil on 1 1/2 inch gallery canvas (16 x 20 inches)

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I started this painting with the idea of working further on hands as a subject since they can be a challenge.  I wanted to have lots of light and shadow interplay both in the hands and in the wrinkles of the t-shirt.  My husband kindly served as the model for the reference shots and as I worked through the painting, it also became a bit of a tribute to him as he is often seems to be juggling his life to accommodate the demands of family and work.  And yes, he can actually juggle (a little).

Worlds Away

Oil on canvas (12 x 16)

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My son first picked up the guitar when he was about 12 years old.  I remember many times over the years seeing him sitting on the edge of his bed quietly strumming with that faraway look in his eyes.  I knew at some point I would paint that image, but only got around to it now, so many years later.  This past winter, a couple of days before he was leaving for a two month trip to India, he took the time to let me get some reference shots of him for this painting.  Again with that faraway look in his eyes, likely thinking about the trip ahead of him, he really felt to me to be “worlds away”.

Antique Ford

Oil on gesso board (9 x 12 inches)

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I was at an antique car show recently and saw this lovely old Ford shining in the sun and I immediately wanted to paint it.  Although I’m pretty sure the colour isn’t the original - I think the colour choices back then were either black or black, I thought the turquoise shade was quite attractive!

Orange Sunrise

Oil on canvas (18 x 24 inches)

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Here is a painting of some clementines in a crystal bowl.  I decided to go a little abstract with the reflected light on the crystal facets and it ended up reminding me of sunrays, which inspired the title.

Coke Bottle Two

Oil on Canvas (8 x 16 inches)

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So I thought it was time for another Coke Bottle painting.  I love painting transparent glass with lots of reflections and colours.  Enjoy!

Daddy's Girl

Oil on gesso board (10 x 8 inches)

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The quintessential day at the beach with your little ones – in this case, Daddy and his little girl, searching for treasures along the shore.  Is there a better way to spend a sunny summer day?

Toss Up

Oil on gessoed panel (7 x 5 inches)

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I wanted to work on a painting of hands because they can be tricky to do and I thought I would try a smaller study in preparation for starting a larger piece that I have planned.  Capturing the right position with all the wrinkles and lines in place made it both interesting and challenging.

Laughing Seashells

Oil on Gessoed Panel (10 x 8 inches)

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It looks to me like the two shells in the middle of the jar are having a good laugh about something, which explains the name I chose for this painting.  I wanted to capture that sunny, summertime feeling when you've had a great day at the beach; swimming, gathering seashells and just relaxing in the sun.

Peony Glow

Oil on Canvas (18 x 18 inches)

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Peonies are one of my most favourite flowers.  Beside the fact that I think they are beautiful, I love the challenge of painting them; to capture the velvety colours and the swirly petals as well as the sunny, fluffy stamens at the center.

Crooked Cabbage Smile

Oil on gesso board (8 x 8 inches)

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I had been planning to do a painting of a savoy cabbage for a while now, knowing that I would enjoy the task of painting all the veining and the various greens throughout.  When I saw the DPW challenge to paint a vegetable, I finally got to it, but just about a week or so late … Here it is anyway.

Inspiration

Oil on gesso board (10 x 8 inches)

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When I took the reference photo for this painting I thought Coco looked like she was getting an inspiration from “on high” with all the light bouncing off her fur and whiskers and her upward gaze.   In reality I’m guessing she was probably watching a fly on the wall …

Cleopatra Eyes

Oil on Panel (10 x 8 inches)

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Sometimes Coco’s eyes remind me of Cleopatra when she’s in the right light. She really has that "direct look" down pat!

Mysterious Chocolates

Oil on Gallery Canvas (8 x 8 inches x 1.5 inches deep, sides painted dark brown)

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It’s time for another box of chocolates …  I thought the light was hitting the chocolates in a mysterious looking way, thus the inspiration for the title of this painting.

Tulip Party

Oil on gesso panel (8 x 8 inches)

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I love the way these tulips look like faces all peering upwards.  They looked like they were having a good time so I call this piece “Tulip Party”.

Tea for Three

Oil on gesso board (10 x 8 inches)

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I love the look of these teacups - they make me think of cozying up with a warm cup of tea on a cold day.  When painting this, I was particularly interested in capturing the glow and the colours.

Mason in the Sun

Oil on gessoed panel (12 x 9 inches)

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Again with the reflected light and transparent glass – I love working out the shapes and the confusion of the abstract bits that defy definition.

Coke Bottle

Oil on canvas (16 x 8 inches)

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I have to say I had a lot of fun painting this old coke bottle.  The challenge of all the reflected light and colours and shape distortions was so enjoyable.  It was like painting an abstract within a realist painting.

Bonbons

Oil on gesso board (8 x 10 inches)

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Yes it’s time for another chocolate painting – I can’t get enough of them either eating or painting.

Island Fox

Original oil on gesso board (5 x 7 inches)

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I think foxes are such pretty animals and the way they move about is quite interesting to watch.  The reference picture for this painting of a red fox in beautiful Prince Edward Island was taken by my good friend Morgan Palmer who captured some great images of this lovely creature as it roamed the land.

Belgian Chocolates

Oil on gesso board (8 x 8 inches)

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I love painting chocolates.  I love the little details the chocolatier has put into the making of them, and since they disappear all too quickly, this is a record of the time they were there to behold, so perfect and enticing.

Introspection

Oil on Canvas (16 x 20 inches)

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One day Coco made herself comfortable on my work desk, on top of all my papers and open notebooks.  She looked like she was in the middle of deep and profound thought and although that was most assuredly not the case, the idea of it gave this painting its title.

Wild Rose

Oil on gesso board (8 x 8 inches)

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I think I have a hankering for summer flowers – this latest is from a picture taken last summer when the neighbour’s flowers were at their height of display.  I can’t resist a bloom with lots of light and shadow, and the colour of this one was so vibrant it just needed to be painted. 

Clementine Sparkle

Oil on canvas (16 x 20 inches)

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What attracted me to this scene was the sparkle and glow of the sunlight being reflected through the crystal and onto the clementines and the counter.  I decided to make it a bit more abstract to really push the dots of colour in the bowl as well as in the shadows.

Reaching Up

Oil on stretched canvas (18 x 18 inches)

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I love the vantage point of looking up into a leafy tree, through to the sky.  I enjoyed painting the contrast of the truly blue sky against the yellow leaves.

Cup of Peonies

Oil on canvas (12 x 24 inches)

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Another peony painting from an abundant floral season several years ago.  I wanted to capture the low lights on the teacup and the way the petals were affected by the indirect lighting, which is a little different from bright highlights and dark shadows to which I am usually drawn.  

Peony in the Sun

Oil on 1 1/2 inch gallery canvas (18 x 24 inches)

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This was a big beautiful peony blooming large in the sun.  I loved working with the light and shadow contrasts and trying to capture the intensity of the colours in the shadows.

Tick Tock Alarm Clock

Oil on gesso board (5 x 7 inches)

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Old clocks are such interesting subjects.  For me what made this fun to paint was  the challenge of painting the numbers, as well as the metal and glass reflections. 

Good Morning Eggs

Oil on Gesso Board (6 x 6 inches)

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Each morning I start the day with a couple of scrambled eggs.  One morning I noticed how they seemed to be looking up at me smiling and wishing me a good morning.  So I thought they deserved a painting …

Soup Bowl

Oil on Gesso Board (5 x 7 inches)

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I have always loved the combination of blue and white.  When I saw this little soup bowl at an antiques fair I wanted to paint it.  It was quite challenging to get the pattern right while keeping the round shape represented as well.  A very enjoyable challenge.

Rose Bowl

Oil on 1 1/2 in thick gallery canvas (12 x 24 inches)

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I put a single rose bloom in a glass bowl to get a different point of view.  I went a bit abstract with the use of dots of colour to add more interest and variety (and just for fun). 

White Swan

Oil on Gesso Board (8 x 8 inches)

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I thought a nice sunny swan painting would brighten the wintry days we’re now in.  This is that same swan from the other two paintings I had done last year.  He was a bit more cooperative with this picture, probably because he was quite a distance away.

Chocolates

Oil on 1 1/2 inch thick gallery canvas (8 x 8 inches)

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By now I think we all know I do love my chocolates.  These were from a beautiful box given to me at Christmas which I enjoyed eating almost as much as I enjoyed painting. 

Abstract Blue Peony

Oil on Canvas (10 x 10 inches)

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This is a complete abstraction of a peony flower.  I decided to let myself off the chain altogether and change up the colour from its original pink to this shades of blue version.  I played with the lines and contrasts to make it quite a bit different from the original flower.

Curious Cow

Oil on Gesso board (8 x 8 inches)

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As I was taking pictures of another cow in the same field, this cow came right up to me and seemed to be very curious about what I was doing.