"Pineapple Bear on Top"

"Pineapple Bear on Top"

oil on canvas, 12"x 36"

"No Escaping the Bag"

oil on canvas, 12"x 36"

The Gummi Bear painting is a companion piece to the Swedish Fish. Again, these are in my series of large format food paintings for my upcoming show at The Silverwood Gallery in May and June. Maybe you too have some of these hiding out in a drawer somewhere for that desperate moment late at night when you need just a little something sweet...

"Pink Buttercream Goes Naked" and Awards

"Pink Buttercream Goes Naked"

oil on canvas, 36" x 36"

Yes, 3 feet wide cupcakes. I couldn't help myself. I have a thing for cupcakes anyway... but painting them this big was a real blast. I'm really enjoying myself. And it cracks me up.

And now to my list of favorites for the Sunshine Award. This list should be so much larger but I know many people I would put here have received this many times over already. Some of these people only have websites too and won't be able to pass this on, but they inspire me so they are on this list... enjoy-

Pam Ingalls (Russian Impressionist Master, friend, my mentor and if you don't know her work, you should!!!)

Liz Wiltzen

Dana Cooper

Angela Elledge

Michael Naples

Gwen Bell

Carol Horzempa

Paintblog (Not Just a person but a Whole World... I love this!)

Lisa Walsh

Olga Wagner at Cat Claw's Studio

Barb Hillier

Carolee Clarke

"Peppered Turkey on Rye" and Sunshine Award!

"Peppered Turkey on Rye"

oil on canvas, 24" x 48"
SOLD

Here is another of my big pieces. I liked the peanut butter and jelly so much I did a companion piece for those of us who like more of a Daggwood Sandwich. The lettuce was so fun to paint. I have to say I am really enjoying painting this big pieces more than anything I've painted so far. I've definitely found a thread...

And I was given a lovely Sunshine Award by Kelley MacDonald and I am so thrilled to be recognized by other painters online! I am supposed to pass it on to 12 others that bring Sunshine into my day but alas I am SOOO busy this morning that I will post again later this afternoon and fulfill my obligation....I am in the middle of 3 projects today so check back to see the list later... and a big Thank You to Kelley!

"Never Ending Glass"

"Never Ending Glass"

oil on canvas, 36" x 24"

SOLD

Yet another craving of many I know... How that first sip is so bubbly and cold, especially after being poured over a huge amount of ice. Mmmm. Hot summer day, ice cold coke. I don't have one very often but then sometimes you just can't help yourself.

Ice was quite something to paint, especially really large. And then I couldn't leave off the sweat on the glass. It had so much texture when I looked closely. Lots of layers and tons of small shapes here to get the look I wanted.

"Cascading Chips"

"Cascading Chips"

oil on canvas, 36"x 24"

I'm adding another to my current collection of Food pieces that I'm working on. I'm not sure if it's because food in universal, we all think about it everyday, or because we all have secret cravings, maybe even things hidden deep in a drawer somewhere... I'm still painting very large and loving it. This is only the second (third in you count my new Swedish Fish up above) of 7 that I have finished. They are still taking about a week each, wish it could be faster.

Anybody out there willing to share their secret craving ideas???... I'm looking for more to paint.

" 1/118 Karin Jurick"

"1/118 Karin Jurick"

oil on board, 9" x 12"

This is part of a Huge Thank you to the Artist Karin Jurick for hosting an incredible challenge site at Different Strokes For Different Folks. . Check out all the other great portraits of Karin.

She has inspired us all to challenge ourselves and to try things we normally wouldn't...

A huge THANK YOU to Karin!

New Paintings

"Jelly Runneth Over"

oil on canvas, 24" x 48"

Fav 15% of Fine Art Studio Online Competition

SOLD

Thank you to those of you who follow and are still out there now when I am coming back to blogging my new work... I have been painting everyday but have endeavored to do large works that take me about a week each. They are more detailed and up close have lots and lots of paint. I feel like I found a real piece of myself in the idea of painting small things large. I have always wanted look at things close in a macro sense. So here is the first of the bunch from this months work.

AND I 'm very excited to say that it was chosen in the Fav 15% of the Fine Art Studio Online competition for January. Click here to check out all the fine works. It's a real honor as there were something like 750 entries.

So, I will be continuing to post works on this blog but it will be more slowly than before as I am loving to paint large.

This piece will also be for sale in my upcoming show at The Silverwood Gallery in May and June of this year along with a host of many other big paintings.