Christmas Wishes

It was wonderful to have Steve model as Santa for this painting.  Steve brings joy to many children during the Christmas season with his real white beard and mustache.  During this busy time of year I thought I would post my painting of 'Santa' to remind us that Christ's birth is the reason for this Christmas holiday.  I wish you all a joyous, safe and relaxing Christmas.

Three Plums

I have Celiac Disease and I am symptom free as long as I eat a gluten free diet.  Often referred to as a GFD.  Not only does my diet NOT allow wheat, barley, oats, and rye, but milk products are also off the list for me.  "So what does a person with Celiac Disease eat?", I am often asked.  Well, good and yummy REAL food that's what I eat.  No mixed up in the lab 'food' for me!  ('Food' that can sit on a shelf for months and years and never mold or rot is probably not nourishing anyway.)  No, our meals are made out of fresh vegetables and fruit, nuts, brown rice, free range eggs, fish and grass fed animals.  I am one lucky woman!  I not only eat well but I can also use my food choices as models before they are transformed into meals.

This painting of three plums was so much fun to quickly paint before I turned them into plum sauce.  (I use coconut oil in place of butter in the recipe.)

The Turkey that got Away!

This Turkey got away from my husband during the turkey season.  We are having a purchased bird this year!  May you share a blessed Thanksgiving with those you love.  We all have so much to be thankful for here in the United States of America.  

Fruit of the Vine

Today was pumpkin pie making day so they would be ready for Thanksgiving.  Pumpkin pie is our son's favorite.  I'll have to thank the farmer twice for my pumpkins this year.  Once for my pie filling and second for being able to paint them in the field.

You can purchase this painting at my one person exhibit at The Mosquito Hill Nature Center - Trivent Art Gallery, New London, WI .  Nov. 16 - Dec. 30, 2011

Sweet William

Sweet William

It snowed on Friday, Saturday and again on Sunday.  Now the Sweet William are all tucked in for the winter with their blanket of snow.  This was painted during a warmer time after the Royal Wedding.  Kate had Sweet William flowers in her wedding bouquet in honor of her soon to be husband, Prince William. 

These compact little flowers come in many colors (mostly in the pink range) and are planted in my wild flower garden in the side yard.  I pass the wild flower garden when I walk to my studio cottage (a one minute walk from the cottage were we live in Northeastern Wisconsin.)       

It's a GIRL !

This antique alphabet baby vase was my husbands.  HE was supposed to be a GIRL.  My husband and I had it waiting for our first and then our second child, who turned out to be boys.  Perhaps your little one IS A GIRL and you can enjoy this painting of a pink rose, antique vase, and lamb with her.  : )  www.dailypaintworks.com

Flowers for You!

Some days I just need a break from painting in oil.  Especially, if the studio is closed up because the weather is too cold to open the windows.  I love fresh air when I paint in oil because I add Utrecht Painting Medium to my oils and clean up with Turpenoid.
When I paint with gouache (rhymes with squash & it is opaque water color) water is my painting medium and there are no fumes.  (At least not from my water!)  My stay wet palette is very helpful to keep the gouache from drying out.   Sable brushes are wonderful for applying the paint to 300lb Arches watercolor paper.

Settled in to Stay

While painting in Indiana with a painter friend we found this wonderful barn.  The owner wanted to fix it up since it had been in the family for such a long time.  As I painted the scene the barn seemed like it had been in that spot for a long time.  I hope the owner was able to make his repairs so the barn will be around a lot longer.

Tiger Lilies in the Wind

This painting was so much fun to paint. I really enjoyed mixing the various colors to achieve the look of these orange flowers with purple slash like stripes. Not having cadmium orange on my palette may have been a disadvantage but it was exciting to mix away and paint these moving targets in the wind.

Shelter from the Storm

This painting was done in plein air on a painting trip to Indiana. How lucky I am when I travel and find wonderful places to place my easel. People are so kind to let me paint on their property and record, in paint, a little slice of their lives.