Daffodils and Narcissus

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The first signs of spring are beginning to show in our part of the Northwest. This photo picked up quite a bit of glare, so I may retake it once the painting is a bit more dry.

Salt and Pepper

This painting is 16"x12" - a larger size than I'm used to working on. Although it took longer, I think it was easier than the 6"x6".  It was a nice break to try something different.

Hope

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I made an effort to squint when painting this. I realized that I usually squint when looking at my subject, but once I transfer my gaze to the canvas, I open my eyes...this time I squinted throughout the painting process. I kind of like how this one turned out.

Our son-in-law's brother was scheduled for surgery on Wednesday morning. On Tuesday evening, he received a call from UCLA Medical Center that his surgery was cancelled. His insurance company was denying payment. How does that happen after initial preauthorization approval? It's a tangled knot, and after a conference call, they (insurance company) said they will make a decision today...so once again, Dan is waiting. He will either have surgery at UCLA, or will need to go to OHSU. Time is of the essence, so we are waiting and hoping for the best.

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Thinking up descriptive new names for paintings is difficult for me...how many times can you title a painting, "Mums" or "Flowers"? These flowers are mums that I got from the market. They look cheery and joyful, so I've named them, "Joy."

Blue Vase with Mums

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Today I'm thinking a lot about my son-in-law's twin brother, Dan. Dan is going in for a very serious surgery at UCLA Medical Center tomorrow.  We all feel like we're in a state of suspended animation...holding our breath until it's over, hoping we'll hear good news tomorrow night. We love you, Dan, and are holding you in our prayers.

Tulips and Mums

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Flowers are really amazingly beautiful little things and I love to paint them.  I have to work quickly, though, because they move around so much. I took a short break from this painting and found when I got back to the easel that the tulips had rearranged themselves!

Iris and Tulips

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These flowers are from our local market. There are many bulb plants poking up in our garden, so I'm hoping to paint some home-grown flowers soon.

Single Red Rose

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Another attempt at painting a rose.

Three Roses

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These are roses from a beautiful Valentine's bouquet and were quite a challenge to paint. I'll definitely be doing more rose paintings in the future.

Jersey Bounce

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My tulips are getting a little blowsy, but they still bounce and swing. They put on quite a show.

I'm listening to Benny Goodman this afternoon - gotta love big band music!

In The Mood

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As I was finishing this painting, Glenn Miller's "In The Mood" was playing on Pandora. I'm in the mood for spring!

Tulips

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I'm trying to remember to load my brush and lay down one stroke at a time. I'm also trying to keep my brushstrokes loose...easier said than done!

We still have a lot of snow on the ground. These tulips are a reminder than spring is just around the corner.

The Thank You Note

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It's been snowing like crazy for the past two days and now we have freezing rain. I don't mind the snow so much, but freezing rain strikes fear in my heart. Roads are skating rinks and a good number of folks in the Eugene/Springfield area are without power tonight.

The forecast is for weather in the 40s tomorrow. We'll be thankful for that!

Tea and Rose

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My husband brought home champagne and roses on my last day of work to celebrate the good things to come. The champagne is now a delicious memory, this little rose is the last of the beautiful bouquet, but the future is rosy and bright.

Pink Primrose

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This is my first painting after the Carol Marine workshop. The workshop was all I'd hoped for and more. Each day just flew by. Carol is an excellent teacher and my classmates were great. It was a wonderful experience. I feel that I learned so much.

This is also the first painting of my retirement! Yay! I plan to do lots of painting now that I have the time.

Red Pear with Grapes and Lemon

This is a do-over of a painting that I did a couple of weeks ago. I wasn't happy with the original, so decided to experiment with it. I got rid of the plate and added a white cloth, muted the lemon a bit, and tried to bump up the contrast. I'm learning more about notan in composition, and intend to do some practicing with light/dark.

Tomorrow is the first day of the Carol Marine workshop. I have all my gear packed and am ready to go. I can hardly wait!

Red and Yellow Peppers

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This is a quick sketch of peppers in a glass pitcher. I'm still working on my fracturing technique. Sometimes I feel confident that I get it, but many times uncertainly creeps in and I feel that I'm floundering. That's just my learning style - more of a learning spiral rather than a learning curve. I suspect that it's how many folks learn. There are some folks who easily grasp new concepts - not me. I need to keep poking and prodding and examining an idea from all angles before I'm confident that I understand - thus the need for constant practice.

The Carol Marine workshop is week after next, then one last week of work and I'll be free to practice to my heart's content.

Red Pear with Lemon and Grapes

I'm really excited...the countdown to retirement is almost over. I have been a project manager for a health insurance company for 20 years. As you can imagine, I'm SO done with it and now I'm ready to spend my days painting. Although my last day of work is January 31st,  I only have 15 actual working days left. I have the great, good fortune to have a spot reserved in Carol Marine's workshop January 20-24, just the week before I retire. Carol also lives in Eugene, and will be giving her workshop in Eugene's twin city, Springfield. So much to look forward to this month!

This painting is another attempt at fracturing. I love the technique and will keep practicing.

Pinecones, Mandarins, and Cranberries

I spent another day at home, painting. Tomorrow I will return to work - the weather has warmed up considerably, and I imagine we'll be able to travel down our hill without problem. When it first began snowing, we put cables on our tires, but they weren't much help. After struggling to get them off this evening, we agreed that we will buy snow tires so we won't be stuck at home next winter.

This is another seasonal painting.  I don't plan to put it up for auction yet because I've reverted to my "slow-dry" paint.  I love it because it is so easy to work with, but it takes the painting about 2-3 weeks to dry.

Cup of Cheer

It's been cold and snowy in Eugene, Oregon. We're not used to such cold weather. We live on a hill that is somewhat steep and curvy. Even with chains, it's quite a scary experience to drive down the hill when it is icy, so I've taken advantage of being "snowed in" to do some painting. Yes, I know, it's a shame to have to stay home, drink coffee, and paint...I'd much rather go to work (NOT!).

I'm in a holiday mood, so spent my time practicing the fracturing technique on a Christmasy painting (see Julie Ford Oliver's blog to see how a pro does it).

Here's our cozy house in the snow...