Fairy Tale Chairs

Fairy Tale Chairs

commissioned NFS

mostly finished...

Original Set

I've been working hard on these chairs for a few days. They are being added to a set I did a few years ago that had a table and 2 Fairy Tale chairs with it as well as hidden pictures all throughout the set for kids to search out. It's been fun to work on Humpty Dumpty and the Tortoise and the Hare to finish it up. These pieces are in acrylics and take quite a bit of time. They will be a special gift for Christmas.

"Gertrude"

"Gertrude"

oil on board, 5x5"

$75 plus $10 shipping

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The smallest of all my chickens is Gertrude. She is super friendly and comfortable being held. I loved painting her backlit. It made for beautiful shadow colors...

Blue Eyes (again...)

Blue Eyes

oil on board, 8x8"

NFS

Still trying to capture Blue Eyes just right. Here is yet another attempt...

DSFDF Portrait Study

DSFDF Portrait Study

oil on board, 5x5"

I just got my photo for the current challenge from Different Strokes From Different Folks.

I decided to try a small study before painting larger but I kind of like how this came out. Maybe this one will stick, but I will probably try a few more times...

"Old Turquoise Beauty"

"Old Turquoise Beauty"

oil on board, 8x8"

$150 plus $10 shipping

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This old car lived just down the street from when we lived in Seattle. I'm not sure how much it ever moved but the color drew me in again and again. Thought it was time for a little car portrait.

Thanks to all of you who came to my show last weekend and made it so successful! I'll have my studio open this weekend again and there are lots of other talented artists taking part in our annual Vashon Island Art Studio Tour. Come check it out from 10-4 Saturday and Sunday and see our beautiful island.

"Checkered Lily"

"Checkered Lily"

oil on canvas, 8"x 16" x 1"

$200 plus $15 shipping

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This little checkered lily is from Jacksonville, Oregon and is a member of an endangered species of Fritillaria known as Gentner's Fritillary. It only exists in 3 small pockets in Oregon and California. I happened to be there a few years ago during spring and found a few blooming in the wild. I thought it would be fun to put in paint with it's dusty outside and flaming interior...

"Eyes of Blue"

"Eyes of Blue"

oil on board, 8x8"

NFS

I like how this portrait came out, still not sure if I'm capturing my subject effectively, but I'm working hard at this... could be more to come.

"Jack"

"Jack"

oil on board, 8x8"

$150 plus $10 shipping

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I didn't mean to take a break from painting for a week or so, but we had a round of the flu and then family came for the holiday and it all got away from me. I thought I would enter back in with a cat portrait. This is my 25 pound black beauty Jack. His eyes say it all.

"Shy Sneakers"

"Shy Sneakers"

oil on canvas board, 9x12"

SOLD

I wanted to paint another setting of these wonderful sneakers, so I chose this pose. Can sneakers really be shy?

A big thanks to Hannah for modeling her fantastic sneakers...

Sketch

I went to a drawing class tonight and was going to post 3 drawings. Somehow I can't make the computer bring them all up. So this is my favorite. Working hard on portraits and faces still.

"Keeley"

"Keeley"

oil on canvas, 12"x 12"x 1"

NFS

I decided to keep working on people and portraits this week and then go back and give the brothers another whirl. I'm painting subjects that I know in order to just get better at this. I like how this one came out. I've painted my son many times but haven't managed a portrait of my daughter. She has such a great spirit. This really captures her.

"Brian's Cup of Joe"

"Brian's Cup of Joe"

oil on canvas, 12"x 12"x 1"

NFS

I've been looking at this cool photo for some time, wanting to put it in paint. It's not my photo, but the subject is a friend of mine. I will post the photo credit when I get it. Love a cup of coffee by the water in Seattle.

"On the Move"

"On the Move"

oil on canvas, 9x12"

SOLD

This is my latest entry to Karin Jurick's challenge blog Different Strokes from Different Folks.

Check out all the other great entries. It always pushes me in a good way.

"Homebrew"

"Homebrew"

oil on board, 5x5"

$75 plus $10 shipping

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Loved the light coming through this pint of my husband's homebrew. Yes, it's a lovely hoppy amber. The IPA is on the way.

"Blackberry"

"Blackberry"

oil on board, 5x5"

$75 plus $10 shipping

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One of our little chicks has grown into a fine rooster, one of many. Still working on my portraits but thought I needed to paint something else today as well. I may have to leave the portraits for a few days and take a break. It is still eluding me and I have spent hours and hours... Great practice though. 

"Woof"

"Woof"

oil on board, 5x5"

NFS

I've been painting everyday, working hard on some portraits but, alas, they are not completed yet. I'm realizing how hard the perfect portrait is... Anyway, I took a break today and painted this fellow late tonight. He was in one of the reference photos and couldn't be ignored. Quite the serious look. 

"Electric Iris"

"Electric Iris"

oil on canvas, 30"x 40"x 1"

NFS at this time

This is one of the large pieces I have been working on for some time. I painted a realistic version of this few months back and had the idea to give it a neon quality. Fun to try new things and to add lots of texture in the background. This is definitely stepping out of my usual box. I enjoyed painting what I wanted to see, not just what I actually see.

"Brothers"

"Brothers"

oil on board, 11x14"

NFS

Still working on some final details on this. This is my first attempt at painting these brothers and I will try a few more...

"Modern Ballerina"

"Modern Ballerina"

oil on board, 5x7"

nfs at this time

I love how sneakers can say so much about someone and this pair is no exception. I think these have been my favorite to paint so far. And they are Custom Converse. (A special thanks to my model for the cool shots!)

"Little Daisies"

"Little Daisies"

oil on board, 5x7"

SOLD

I have been painting a lot lately, working on some big projects but just haven't had much time to blog recently...anyway, here is a small offering while I work on larger pieces. This is a tiny version of a huge painting I did a while ago and is for someone special...

"Beach Race"

"Beach Race"

oil on board, 5x7"

$100 plus $10 shipping

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Just some last memories from summer on the Northwest beaches. It's a lovely thought considering the chill in the air these days.

"Play the Game" Table set

This table and chair set will be available at the Heron's Nest this next month. I've had it for around for a while but it is definitely one of my favorite pieces in this style. I am mostly working in oils now but will do a piece or two on commission. They take a lot of time but I love the happy nature of these pieces. 

Portrait in progress

This is half of a portrait I am working on of 2 brothers. Still have a few changes to make on this this and then onward to the other half. I'll try versions from a few other photos to see what comes out best. Portraits are still a real challenge for me to capture the right essence. Working hard...

"Neon Hightop"

"Neon Hightop"

oil on canvas, 18"x 24"

NFS at this time

I finally finished my big sneaker. I really like how this came out in the end. I think I'd even love it really big. Anyway, I will probably be making prints of this one as the original is going to be in a show I have coming up in May and June at the Silverwood Gallery here on Vashon. I am also going to have some of my furniture in the Heron's Nest on Vashon next month (Nov/Dec) and I will be doing the Vashon Art Studio Tour the first 2 weekends in December with lots of paintings to sell in every size and price range...

"Neon Converse" in progress

"Neon Converse"

in progress

I've been working hard on this today, after I got my mosaics done. It has a lot to go. All of the brightest lines are a combo of 3 or 4 colors so it is taking a while with lots more detail to put in. I should add that this is 18"x 24". I liked the small quick version and wanted to do a bigger one with lots more depth. Hopefully done tomorrow??

Chicken Door Mosaics

I haven't posted in a few days because I have been really busy with this mosaic project for our chicken coop. I't is not grouted yet but at least I got them up today and could take a picture. There is a lot of little mirrored pieces in it and they take forever to cut by hand. There are also stones and the glass is all recycled. I love to add color to the outdoors. We have long wet winters in the northwest.

Zen Sun Mosaic

Zen Sun Mosaic

NFS

This is my art for today. I've been working on this for a while and it finally got put up today in our meditation studio. It was a bit hard to photograph in today's light but I love how it came out in real life. This little building is a hand built labor of love just for creating great head space on a daily basis. My husband is an incredible builder. Here's hoping it works really well...

"Hightop"

"Hightop"

oil on board, 8x10"

$125 plus $10 shipping

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Thought I would try a new approach to looking at my sneakers. I'm working on something much bigger with this but trying to work it out in a small format first. What do you think?

"Last One Picked"

"Last One Picked"

oil on board, 8x8"

$150 plus $10 shipping

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This was one of the last ones on my tree that the deer didn't get. It looked perfect with the leaves on and I wanted to capture the reflection. Amazing how pretty one lone apple can be...

"Old Friends"

"Old Friends"

oil on board, 8x8"

$150 plus $10 shipping

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Not sure what to paint today for a small work , so I painted paint. I'm in the middle of a much bigger piece but needed a break, so I set up this small still life.