Cups Competing for Sake

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I bought this little bottle of sake to paint because it was so pretty and frosted. I tried pairing it with a bunch of background colors until this one just sang. But it wasn't until I added the red cup that it became really interesting. I never would have thought it up - I just had to try a whole bunch of things until my brain went - ooooh.

Student Teacher

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x8in. - oil on panel

Here's another little still life that I painted a while back. I had been to the store looking for bottles with colorful labels to add to my scenes. But I think the apples stole the show. Or is it the pitcher?

Should We Hide the Sake?

 

Click Here to Purchase for $200 - 6x8in. - oil

Here's another one that's been sitting around my studio. I'm still not able to paint still life, but I have started to paint from photos (less difficult for my healing neck). As it is after any long break, my skills are rusty. I know it will take a little while to get into the groove and start doing work I'm proud to show you. Until then I'm enjoying the process.

Neck update: I'm feeling better every day! I started PT today and it's going really well so far. More and more I'm able to do the things I couldn't do for almost an entire year! It's like starting over with my life. : )

Culling the Herd

Click Here to Purchase for $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

Apples seem to proliferate in my studio. I brought in the pigs to help control the population. They're doing a fine job.

Pig Want Egg

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 6x8in. - oil on panel

I'm enjoying playing around with little, leaning, bits of paper in my still lifes. They make especially nice shadows, and throw lovely reflections back on things.

Little Piggy Likes Yellow

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 6x8in. - oil on panel

No eggs or orange juice this time, but you can see I've been influenced by the color palette. Those pops of yellow/orange can be so exciting in a sea of blue and gray!

Lust for Limes

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil - "Lust for Limes"

Another piggy and more limes. I like it when my pigs get a hankering for something in my studio. The drama is quite entertaining.

Herding Limes

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil - "Herding Limes"

I have been looking back at old paintings and getting inspired by them. I did one similar to this back in 2009. That was before the fire, so I had different pigs, and I'm pretty sure the limes were those mini ones.

Observing

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil - starts at $100

This combination of colors makes me especially happy. : )

You're Next, Pig

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil - starts at $100

It took me a while to figure out (decide?) whether the title was going to be "You're Next Pig" or "You're Next, Pig." I'm not good with commas. Please, grammar police, help me.

Here's Your Piglet

 

Click Here to Bid (5x5in. - GOUACHE - starts at $75)

Hello! I hope everyone has had some lovely holidays. Ours was quiet, but I suppose most of us are in the same boat in that regard. I figure we could all use some cheering up, so here's the cutest little pink piglet ever.

And my cute little family.

Time to Eat, Junior

 

Click Here to BUY (6x12in. - OIL - $300 - click image to enlarge)

This wide format never shows up well here, so make sure you click the image to see it bigger. I've had this pink pig for a WHILE - a student gave it to me years ago. And I have so wanted it to make it's way into a painting, but it was just a little too big for 6x6. So today is the debut for Mrs. Pink Pig, mother to Junior here, who has been playing with his shiny ball instead of eating his lunch.

Please Don't Fall

Click Here to Bid (6x8in. - starts at $100)

On a totally non-art note, my whole family has birthdays in a 3 week period, which we are near the end of - all Aries. My son just turned 14, and my youngest stepdaughter will be 24 on Friday! I think their aging bothers me more than my own. Isn't that funny? I don't feel like I'm getting older, but their aging makes me wonder if I really am...

Sniff Test

Click Here to Bid (6x6in. - starts at $100)

I have a couple other people scenes to show you, but I made some adjustments to them the day after I started them, and for some reason that always leads to the darks drying funny. So now I've got to wait until they dry and varnish them before I can take good pictures.

Meanwhile, here is a still life experiment I did using brushes and more palette knife than usual. Actually, I recently found out it's called a "painting knife." A palette knife is only used for mixing...

Not Affiliated

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Here's my second version of orange.  Really, I just wanted a second chance at the pig, AND I thought these two just went so well together. What I discovered is - paint is limited when it comes to shades of orange!!! Oh, and the title is a reference to a line in a Pixar movie, The Incredibles. "I'm not affiliated with you!" Does anyone else know it?

Orange Crew

Click Here to Bid (6x6in. - starts at $100)

Coincidentally, I painted two orange versions for this series too (along with 2 blue's). This is the first one. Painting this one was quite a challenge, and it was the lighting that was hard. You might notice that some things are in a direct light, but the sailor is less so. You'll see in tomorrow's painting that the value of the yellow coat is actually lighter than the orange pig, but because of where they are in the light, the coat had to be a little darker. Honestly, there are so many objects in this, I should have painted it larger than 6x6. But you know ... habit.

Sunflowers on a Cloudy Day

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Here's another of my sunflower studies. The pig just snuck in there last minute. Stinker.

Piggy Pumpkin

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Only Obstacles

Click Here to Bid (6x8in. - starts at $100)

Here's one last orange slice painting, for now.

Thoughtful Pig

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Here's a blast from the past - one of my little piggies. And if you want to check out all the pigs that came before ...