dachshund

This is Lucy our pet dachshund. My niece Tabitha originally got her from an older lady in the shopping center parking lot. Tabitha's children really liked her. The lady gave Tabitha the dog saying she barks at her cats. I suspect her grandchildren gave her the dog as a guard dog but she didn't really want a dog and she probably told her grandchildren the dog ran away. Lucy was not very well housebroken and my niece had little children and didn't have the time to train her, so she gave the dog to my son. We went to visit my son and give him his dog back and he gave us this dog after they chased her out from under nether the car. We finally got her housebroken and taught to respond to our commands. She is still kind of spoiled and thinks she owns the place.

6 x 6 oil on Raymar panel

Egg Shell

I painted egg shells in the past. This was such a fun exercise in painting white with dark shadows.

6 x 6 oil on Raymar panel.

Mexican Hat Dance

I love the challenge of painting fabric and this was a great opportunity to paint folds of the fabric.

6 x 8 Oil on Raymar panel

To purchase Contact the Keokuk Art Center.

Lone Tree

This tree is a favorite subject of mine. We finally got our snow.

6 x 8 oil on Raymar panel.

Historic Main Street commission

This is the finished commission for the Fort Madison Main Street.

28 x 36 oil on gessoed canvas

Hannah's Favorite

For Christmas I painted some of my grandaughter's favorite things.

12 x 18 oil on Ampersand panel

Silver Bell

This year I did not put up a tree or lights. I did paint several paintings of presents and jingle bells. 

6 x 12 oil on gessoed masonite.

Snow on the Evergreens

Sold

There is snow in the forecast and that put me in the mood to paint snow.

6 x 6 Oil on Ampersand panel.  $30

movie actress challenge

This is my entry to the latest daily paintworks challenge. Paint a movie actress using a limited palette. I choose Rita Hayworth. She was the girl on the first poster in Andy Dufreese's cell in the movie Shawshank Redemption. She was often the dancing partner of Fred Astaire. 

Rodeo Park in Winter

This is winter but we don't have any snow. I pulled up some of my reference photos from the winter before last to paint this. I am in the mood for snow.

6 x 6 Oil on Raymar panel

Rabbit

SOLD

Trying a palette knife painting. I keep going back to my realism with the eyes.

8 x 8 Oil on Raymar panel

Shimek Forest

Studio painting based on the plein air painting of Shimek Forest.

8 x 6 oil on Raymar panel.

Betty

A commission I am working on. Sometimes when I post the images I can better see what I missed. It is like standing back and looking at it from a distance.

1900 girl

I have a commission that requires a woman in 1900 fashion. I started the painting and decided I did not have the correct style. I fought for this job and now I think I may be in over my head. Be careful what you wish for.

6 x 8 Oil on panel.

Green Apple and Three Pears

I bought these pears two weeks ago with the intention of painting them. They have a few brown spots but that gives them character.

6 x 12 Oil on linen panel

Two Pairs

6 x 6 Oil on Ampersand panel

commission

I have a commission for the local main street. They want a sign out by the new interstate. This is a rough sketch of one of the images. The idea was a Gibson girl holding up a glass of wine. I ran out of space so the left arm is really bad, but that will be corrected in the final painting.

Red onions

Red and Yellow Onions

Something I always wanted to paint but never got around to it. 

6 x 6 oil on Ampersand panel

Christmas Present

I am still painting Christmas presents. Last year we did not put up a Christmas tree but maybe these paintings will get me in the mood.

6 x 12 Oil on stretched canvas

I tried this image before. This time in a smaller version. The challenge of painting the curly ribbons keeps bringing me back to this subject. I bought some red ribbon today so hopefully I will post another present.

6 x 6 oil on Ampersand panel

Christmas present for Taylor

I am working on possible images for this year's Christmas Card. I may choose several different images. 

6 x 6 oil on Raymar panel

Christmas 2012

I made some changes on this one. I always worry that I don't know when to quit, but sometimes you think it isn't quite there yet so you have to try something.

12 x 12 oil on panel

Christmas 2012

Halloween is gone and now comes out Christmas with some Thanksgiving in there. This year for the Christmas card I will reproduce one of my paintings. This is the first idea. I have thought of a scene from the manger but without models I will have to guess at things like the folds of the cloth and faces; two very difficult images. I may try that as a challenge.

12 x 12 oil on gessoed panel.

White Rabbit in Winter

SOLD

When winter comes I start painting white rabbits in the snow. One year I painted ten of them and sent them out as Christmas cards.

Cloud scape

This was from a photograph I took after a day of plein air painting along the river. I may make changes on it, not sure yet.

18 x 24 oil on stretched canvas

Peared Over

Worked this from a still life setup.

6 x 12 Oil on panel.

CAT on the Ridge 2

I think my first attempt at construction equipment was a little overworked. I tryed fewer strokes on this one. I did enjoy painting machinery more than I expected. This started a white background instead of putting down a neutral gray.

6 x 6 oil on Raymar panel

Fall on River Road 2

I have taken several photos of this trying to get the colors right. This was another view of river road. This section of the road does not have a ditch on either side. On the right is the hill and on the left is the dropoff. I once traveled on this road on a day when the frost was heavy in the morning and there was still frost on this section at noon.

8 x 10 Oil on Raymar panel

Lone Tree in Fall

This is a subject I come back to often. I think the last time I painted it in winter. This year it was a great fall and the leaves were outstanding.

16 x 20 Oil on Stretched canvas

Fall on River Road

Fall here has been the most colorful ever. This is a scene looking up on the ridge along river road. I think the cars following me must complain as I drive slow and gauk a lot.

6 x 6 Oil on Raymar panel

Angry Clouds

Another entry in the Daily Paintworks challenge. I was watching a Bob Ross montage and thought of happy clouds. These are not happy so angry is it. I will have to find some happy clouds in my reference file to paint.

8 x 10 oil on Ampersand panel.

CAT on the Ridge

I was on my way out of town when I was stopped for construction. I took advantage of the situation by taking photos.

I am also painting a lot of orange and this was just right.

6 x 6 oil on Raymar panel

Cloudscape One

This paper was a scrap and I don't know what type it is. Working with it was difficult and it was hard to get my darks. I do know it was a 140 lb. cold pressed paper. 

5 x 12 watercolor on 140 lb. paper

Fall Mums and Pumpkins

With some watercolor papers I have had to work specific to the properties of the paper. This is Fabriano 140lb. bright white cold pressed. I found it hard to do a really great wash. On the other hand I can easily go back in and soften the edges of the light spots of the mum's shadows. This paper also worked very well for the soft background.

8 x 8 watercolor on 140 lb. paper

Pumpkins and Fall Mums

Not all of my mums came back from last year. It is usually the yellow and deep orange ones that survive the winter. I have just enough for a small setup.

6 x 9 watercolor on paper

Camisole

This is my entry for the Daily Paintworks challenge; to paint your undies. I found this camisole and it qualifies as undies.

6 x 6 watercolor on 140 lb. paper.

One Little Pumpkin

This painting is still wet when I took the photo. I will reshoot it and post again in the morning. Most of the time I take my photos in the morning light or late afternoon but I was in hurry to post today. I am obsessed with painting pumpkins or maybe it is the blue and orange combination.

6.5 x 6.5 watercolor on 140 lb. paper. 

Pair of Pumpkins

This was a quick painting a lot of wet into wet.

watercolor on 140 lb. paper

Guarded Mare

My entry for the Daily Paintworks challenge to paint an emotion. 

10 x 7 watercolor

Fall Drive

This is a great day for a drive. I found this scene this morning and photographed it and painted is in the studio.

Pumpkin

I went to the pumpkin patch with my grandchildren and am now in the mood to paint pumpkins.

6 x 6 oil on Raymar panel

Skunk River Fall

Today was a nice day for painting. Great fall colors and the temperature is in the 70s. This scene did not have as much orange as this I took a little creative license.

6 x 12 Oil on gessoed panel.

Soon to be Jack-o-lantern

I went to the Pumpkin Farm and picked these up. The had a lot of choices I did not know that there are so many different varieties. With this painting I wanted work with orange. 

 6 x 6 oil on Ampersand panels.

Three Apples

I started with trying to change the color of this plate to brown which was a bad idea so back to the original plate color.

6 x 8 oil on Raymar panel

Outside the Blue Plate

Reworked painting. I added the apple in the upper section. Also a few brushstrokes on other sections.

6 x 6 oil on Panel

Orchard Apples

I picked these up from the local orchard because I wanted apples with leaves. They don't seem to have ans many apple trees as they used to. In the past you could pick your own, which was great entertainment when the kids were young. This was a quick 45 minute painting on a brown ground. I have to be somewhere but needed my morning fix of painting to get my day started. 

8 x 10

One Apple

Playing with green, blue and lavender today. I need to be more loose and less detailed, even though this was quick I still messed with it too much.

6 x 6 oil on Raymar panel.

Pair of Apples 2

This was a quick sketch because I have a local art fair to set up at tomorrow. I also have to cut three mats for the a couple of pastel paintings. My husband made this great walnut frame for a painting I was hoping to make work. So far I am still trying to make it work. 

6 x 6 oil on Ampersand panel

Pair of Apples

SOLD

Quick study with some apples I just bought. 

6 x 6 Oil on Ampersand panel.