"Tequila Rose"

6" x 6" oil on Ampersand Gessobord
SOLD

A friend of mine showed up on my doorstep with these two bottles a while back thinking I might want to paint them.  She was right!  She spotted them in a recycle bin and dove in to fish them out for me.  I knew it was time when I saw the Daily Paintworks Glass Challenge show up.

These are Patron Silver Tequila bottles which are hand blown in Mexico.  Not a whiff left of the former contents but here's what I found to describe this premium tequila:

Brilliant crystal clear in appearance; pronounced aromas of citrus rind, melon and cucumber with notes of herb and smoke; initial palate is rich, sweet and ultra-smooth, with flavours of lime/citrus, spice with peppery and light briny notes on the long complex finish. 

"Cuties"

6" x 8" oil on canvas board
Click here to BuyNow with Pay Pal.  $100 + s/h

Here in the US we often have these "cute" little clementines from California available in our grocery stores.  TV advertisements for "Cuties" say they are made for kids because they are little, cute, juicy, seedless and peel so easily.  I know a lot of older 'kids' (like me) who like them too. :)

"Blue-Footed Boobies"

    

6" x 6" oil on Ampersand Gessobord
Click here to  Buy Now with Pay Pal.   $90 + s/h.

My son and daughter-in-law went on a wonderful extended cruise a year ago on board their sailboat.  They left San Francisco and spent months cruising south to Mexico and back.  Their stories and photos were incredible... but that's a whole different blog!  I painted these guys from a photo (below) that my daugthter-in-law took on Isla Isabela off the coast of Mexico just a little north of Puerto Vallarta.

Yes, their feet really are blue!

The Blue-Footed Booby is found only along the Pacific coast from southern California down to Equador and in the Gallapogos Islands.  They are sea birds but live and mate in colonies on land.  They are fearless of humans and will allow very close contact.  They nest right in the sand and lay eggs on the ground just like you see in the painting.  The males do this funny mating dance where they stick their tail in the air, spread their wings, whistle and 'dance' by high-stepping with those big blue feet.  Watch them dance on You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYmzdvMoUUA

           Happy New Year!!

"A Single Jingle"

5" x 7" oil on Ampersand Gessobord
Click here to purchase with PayPal.  $90 + s/h.

 Have a Wonderful Holiday Season and 
a New Year filled with peace, joy and prosperity!

Somehow a month has slipped by since my last post. It's a busy time of year but I didn't mean to stay away so long! I have had some obligations to deal with besides the normal holiday fun, cookies and rum cake!

Thanks to all of you who have supported me since I began this journey this year! You are all appreciated no matter whether you've just clicked on my blog occasionally to see what I've been up to, subscribed so you don't miss a post, left kind and thoughtful comments or purchased some of my paintings. It all adds up and gives me encouragement as I continue on this journey. Thank you!



  

"Fire and Ice"

6" x 6" oil on Ampersand Gessobord
Click here to Buy Now with Pay Pal.  $50 + s/h

It's a clear plastic Christmas tree ornament.  But with it hanging in front of a shiny red background with the light shining just so, it turned into a prism with all kinds of dancing light and color.  Whew!  I really didn't know how to tackle this at first but, bit by bit it emerged.

My last post "Gingham and Garlic" got a lot of much-appreciated attention.  Working in a home studio is a pretty solitary activity and I am so grateful for the cyber community of friends who help support each other.

I want to say a big "Thank You" to all of you who frequent

 my blog and to those of you who take the time to leave comments.   

"Garlic and Gingham"

6" x 6" oil on Ampersand gessobord
SOLD

After painting for over an hour I just about wiped this one off to start over...  The patterned fabric was way too busy and looked chaotic.  I gave it a rest, came back later and changed the light source to make everything a little darker with less contrast and that calmed it down.  It's still a lot of busy pattern but I'm happy with how it came out even though I had my doubts at first.  Oh, by the way, that's asparagus lying across the top of the bowl just in case you couldn't tell.  I love painting shiny objects and fabric so this was a lot of fun for me!

"Apples and Blue Feather"

5" x 7" oil on Ampersand Gessobord
-SOLD-

I felt like this needed something different so I added the Blue Jay feather.  I have found and collected some feathers thinking I would paint them someday so you may see them show up again once in a while.

I looked up the symbolic meaning of feathers and it seems they can symbolize a lot of different things... all good.  It's believed that finding them can be a sign of encouragement as you philosophically travel on your path.  I like that one and can sometimes use some encouragement on this painting path!

I sold my painting that I donated to the Hurricane Sandy Fundraiser on The Daily Paintworks!  They have raised over $7,000 so far and still going!