paintings: a hare, waterlilies, and a bee

early morning vigil

I’ve been concentrating on working with a loose style. I tend to try to paint too precise (whether or not you can see it) and letting go of “it has to look real” is difficult for me. The blue sky in the above painting looks especially bright, and is not captured well in my photo (or at least not on MY monitor). I painted from a photo shared by DeAnne Hope. 12″x12″ oil on cradled wood board. Available here.

renewal

Byes are so summer-y and engaging. I painted from a reference photo shared by Marcia Akhter. 8″x8″ oil on cradled wood board. Available here.

still waters

Every time I paint waterlilies, the result is entirely different. I come back to them to try and capture their serene stillness. I painted from a reference photo shared by Julie Kraut. 11″x14″ oil on cradled wood board. Available here.

paintings: a horse laugh, a goldfinch, and a squirrel

I’m trying to list a painting a day through the summer, and don’t want to overload my subscribers’ (thank you!) email with too many posts. So I am stacking multiple paintings into one blog post. Would you rather see them as one a day? I know people can just delete, but one post a day seems a little rude to me. Please leave me a comment if you feel one way or the other on the matter.

say what

11″x14″ oil on cradled wood board. Available in my Etsy shop, here. I painted from a photo shared by Sabine Go.

sing in the morning

 Nothing says summer like a goldfinch. I painted him against a gray sunrise sky so his colors would pop; the orange glow in the lower portion is particularly pretty in person. I painted from a reference photo shared by Kaye Earney. 8″x8″ oil on cradled wood board. Available here.

so luxurious

I loved this guy’s fluffy tail, the title of the painting refers to this. The purple colors really make it stand out. Doesn’t he look like his parents were one red squirrel and one gray? painted from a reference photo shared by Les Liddle. 8″x8″ oil on cradled wood board. Available here.

I hope you are having a wonderful summer, with lots of time for gardening! The heat where I live is being brutal on my roses, even with daily watering. I’ll be glad when whatever’s causing the heat passes.

paintings: an indigo bunting, and a palomino

bright and early

I spotted my first indigo bunting where I live, but of course did not have my camera on me. Maybe next time! 8″10″ oil on cradled wood board. SOLD, thank you! I painted from a photo shared by Terry Colby.

come a little closer

What a shy glance from a lovely palomino. I love the way the short mane spikes and curls. 11″x14″ oil on cradled wood board. Available in my Etsy shop. I painted from a photo shared by Karen Haas.

watching: Dimensions (2011)

I have to admit I’m a sucker for a time-travel story. Add in a little bit of romance, and I will see it through to the end. I am so glad I did, because what a lovely film this one is! I admit when I got to the end that I had to go back to the beginning and re-watch, but it all came together perfectly; everything was explained and made sense. Dimensions is definitely a relaxing evening well spent. Would it be overkill to add Highly Recommended? Well, I just did. Highly recommended. 😉 Bonus: No commercials!

painting: a horseshoe, and a daisy still life

with a little luck

 I zeroed in on the lovely shoe on this horse because it seemed unusual to me–extra flattened as though long worn. The horse was a draft breed, who appeared used to working. Horseshoes are symbols of good fortune, and I love to paint them! That little hint of tail swoosh brings it all together. I painted from a reference photo shared by Erica Fisher-Metzel.8″x10″ oil on cradled wood board, available in my Etsy shop, here.

stillness

The daisies really pop, while the dark background creates a moody atmosphere. I think flower paintings are a great alternative to bouquets–a year-round reminder of a special day! I painted from a reference photo shared by Petra Mathews. 12″x12″ oil on cradled wood board. Available here.

painting: an oriole, and a roan horse

oriole

Didn’t he turn out lovely? Such vibrant colors. The bland background helps make him “pop.” I painted from a photo shared by Roy Heron. 8″x10″ oil on cradled wood board. Available in my Etsy shop, here. SOLD, thank you!

spark

I love painting roan horses because all the little speckles are so much fun, subtly changing colors from here to there. 12″x16″ oil on stretched canvas. I painted from a photo shared by Vic Toria. Available in my Etsy shop. Thank you for looking. 😀

paintings: a squirrel, and a palomino

Painting the bushy squirrel tail is the most fun part, the layers and streaks combining to form such a pop of a puff. Really brings it all together.

9″x12″ oil on stretched canvas. Available in my Etsy shop. From a reference photo shared by the generous Les Liddle.

take time

My very favorite pose. A glance back, calm inquiry. What will happen next?

12″x12″ oil on stretched canvas. Available in my Etsy shop, here. From a reference photo shared by Whitney Paju.