Color Study for "Lil 'Beach Girl"

8"x6" oil on linen mounted on archival panel, NFS

I'm starting a commission of one of my collectors little grand-daughter. I'm so thrilled...I've painted several other family members and this is such a treat- watching this family grow ....and getting to take part in these milestones in such a special way! 

If you'd like some information about collaborating on some 'family portraits' contact me here.

Tulip Bouquet

8"x6" oil on linen mounted on archival panel, $160

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These are the last of these blossoms, they have since faded with all the rain showers we've had lately.  The sunny days that we have been lucky enough to have lately, I've spent painting on my back porch! Nothing like painting from life, outside on a beautiful day!

Sunny Spring Seat

9"x12" oil on linen mounted on archival panel

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Oh how I love this little section of our garden! It's like a little room surrounded by a picket fence and a lush growth of flowering plants from Spring through Autumn, right by our front door. In the morning the sun warms the back of this curvy bench, casting shadows on the slate stones below. They are brightened by the warm light.  

As I've painted this space over the last five years, it's been so fun seeing this area grow and mature. The peonies in the upper left corner have yet to bloom, but this year there are so many buds on them. This particular one is white and fragrant!!!! ooh, I can hardly wait for this one to bloom.  The canes of the rose behind this bench now arch across several spans of fencing. When I first bought this plant via mail order five years ago, it was so puny and tiny, I could hardly imagine that it would ever spread this far! The 'creeping phlox' at this edge of the slate circle mounded up with gorgeous wild color again this year.....so exciting to see after the bareness of winter! Ahh- life is sweet once winter is far behind!

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Spring Froth

10"x8" oil on linen mounted on archival panel

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One of my friends described this time of year (up here in New England when Spring finally bursts forth) as 'frothy'. Yes, it is sort of like that- trees stay a lavender bare limbed tangle, until sap rises and gives them a reddish pinky blush at their uppermost heights...then the bright fresh yellow green leaves begin to emerge- slowly but surely.....before you know it another week has gone by and the whole canopy of woods is filled from top to bottom!

Here at home, the tulips have come up, the crab-apple trees have bloomed...and now as I type this, they are fading, and other things are following right on their heels to take their turn in this symphony of color and texture----fluff and froth!

Oh what a delight after winter! Spring is just never disappointing!

As you can see, we are across the street from another building lot (hence the large dirt pile), so I can be selective - choosing to be rather interpretive and expressive in my painting rather than a literal rendering. 

Spring does go by so quickly, I'm amazed at how quickly I paint one scene .....and those blossoms are gone! But the act of painting them seals those garden memories into my very being.  A wonderful comparison from year to year....showing me how far this portion of Eden has come!

Peach and Raspberry Sorbet Tulips!

6"x6"x7/8" deep oil on wood panel

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Wow, the garden has been great inspiration this year! These two varieties of tulips have been really interesting as they've matured over the last two weeks. They light ones start out a very peachy color (like peach sorbet) and the darker ones quite the raspberry color. As the days have gone by and turned in to weeks.....each of these colors have changed!  The lighter ones have gone to a bright pink and the darker ones to a deep bluesy burgundy! And the blossoms are nice and BIG!

For my fellow gardening friends, we ordered our tulip bulbs in the fall from Colorblends, they ship them to you when it's the right time to plant them.  We've ordered daffodils, Spanish bluebells, and other tulips as well as these.  They've all been very beautiful, but these 2 colors have been spectacular!

Early Morning Spring Color - SOLD!

8"x6" oil on linen mounted on archival panel

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This Spring the garden has been so incredible. The thousand tulip bulbs we planted last fall have come up in colors of "Peach and raspberry sorbet"!  And the purple-blue blooms of ajuga (or bugleweed) luckily timed out just right to come into full bloom with the tulips!

Clear Autumn Morning, Variations & Improvisations

6"x6" oil on gessoed masonite artboard, $110

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I like to take some of the small studies I've done and make small color variations of them. Hence, the "Variations and Improvisations" series! It's a fun way to take these familiar views of my favorite hiking spots and try out different brushwork/techniques or color variations. Sort of like musicians take familiar tunes & musical phrasings and do the same with those. 

To help me remember which ones are which,  the plein air scenes done on location are the 6x8 size, and my variations/improvisations are in the 6x6 size.

Sure Sign It's Spring

8"x6" oil on linen mounted on panel

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These are the first things to bloom in our year when Spring decides to show up! Two weeks ago they were bobbing their lovely blossoms around reminding me of the day I painted this. It's still one of my favorite paintings (and looks lovely framed in gold by the way)!