It was a productive day. The peppers were left-over from the salsa Gerry made a couple of days ago.
Sliced Red Peppers 8"X10" oil on gessoed masonite
This little matchbook is a study I did from a painting on the internet.
Matchbook 4" X 4" oil on gessoed masonite, not for sale
I love them and I hate them, those clouds. I felt good while I painted this and I hope it shows!
Big Sky 9" X 11" gessoed masonite
"Painting is easy when you don't know how. But very difficult when you do."
Edgar Degas
This is one of the peppers I painted for Darrin and Kaye's kitchen.
Landscapes fascinate me. Here's one of my early attempts.
Old Home Place 8 1/2" X 13" oil on gessoed board
While in Dallas we visited with Lisa and Darryl and took several pictures of her pepper plants from Trinidad. I picked a handful of them. I have a feeling I am going to paint this over and over, but the first attempt was okay.
Lisa's Peppers 8"X10" oil on gessoed masonite
I love to look at paintings of fruits and vegetables at all the art sites I visit. I've trained Ger to pick out produce by it's "sitability". However, we were bad about letting things fester when we were just buying to eat, now that I'm also painting the food, well, that drawer could be scary.
Tomato Trio 8"X10" oil on gessoed masonite.
It’s impossible to fully explain the transformation that has occurred in my attitude about painting. Was it a serendipitous alignment of the stars? Maybe. Being married to someone who not only gets what I do (which isn’t THE most important thing) but he is my biggest fan. He also is my technical support in every way. He cuts the masonite, frames my work and photographs the finished pieces. He’s game to trying our hand at gallery wraps and made the most awesome drying racks. He set up this site and he goes all over the place taking pictures and scouting out other artists. He gives me constructive criticism and he never complains about the hours I spend thinking about painting, painting, and then thinking about what I just painted.
Let’s see, he also folds laundry, buys groceries, cooks and brings me numerous glasses of wine. Is that all? Probably not. I owe him so much.
My goal all along has been to paint and like the result. I want to hang my work in our home and not have to make any excuses. Other things may come of it, but my personal satisfaction is the deal maker ...or breaker.
I am energized and confident. I know I am in the process. There is no end. You just continue to do and as you do, if your mind is engaged, you will learn and you will move forward.
I hope to post a new painting 4-5 days a week, depending on my progress. Here's a tie portrait I did for our friend, Carl, who just retired. It's called "Relic of the Past" and is not for sale. 4"x6" oil on gessoed masonite.
