Sky Fruit

Hello, I finished the fruit triptych. I am happy with all three of them. The pictures do not do the paintings justice and I will probably post more accurate ones later. I am in a bit of a hurry as I have a pretty extensive remodel starting tomorrow, and I have a lot of work to do before that happens. These three 5 x 7 inch pieces are currently being shown at Bella, in Kent Station, Kent WA. It is a beautiful environment as the owner Marci, has wonderful taste with a European sensibility.

One of my discoveries during this process, is that the really textured canvas that plagues me so much when painting fine detail in birds, really lends itself to the texture of citrus fruits. Who knew? Thanks for looking!

Penelope

Sky Fruit Day Two

Hello! Is it a bad sign when people offer to buy the muse? I am making progress on my triptych (set of 3) of citrus fruit. I still have a way to go. I am liking the largest lime, though the leaves need work and highlights, and the smaller limes continue to hurt my feelings. I do like the lemon, but I am unsure if I should add more low lights toward the bottom to make the high lights at the top appear brighter. The orange is coming along nicely, but as you can see, I have not added any highlights at all yet which gives it a very matte finish. This experiment has been very fun and helpful. As I move back and forth between the fruits, the image of a bell ringer in an old talent show comes to mind, fast and a bit crazy. The sides of all three are now painted blue, and the stem of each one continues across the side. My jerry-rigged support system is holding perfectly. Okay, back to the studio.

Penelope

Work in Progress

Hello everyone! I am trying something new. I have been asked to paint a triptych of fruit. Originally I was supposed to paint a lemon, orange, and pear. Well those of you who have been reading my blog know how excited I am to paint pears, but I thought in order to appeal to my sense of symmetry, I would substitute a lime. As you can see, I just started. I decided that since they are all going to be the same size and subject, that I would like to put them all on my easel at the same time. My support looks really strange, but it works very well. I taped two stir sticks to my Masonite drawing board with blue tape. I used a level to make sure they lined up and were on the same plane. I used museum putty ( holds like iron, comes off easily) on back of my canvases in the center of each wood piece. Then I set the canvases on the level sticks for support and pushed the puttied backs against the board. Voila! It worked. The canvases are absolutely supported, level, and attached. I can now move back and forth between them very easily.

I was lucky enough to acquire a lemon and a tangerine that still had its leaves on. Now I am in dire need of a lime. Even though I know the color of a lime, I like to turn the fruit over in my hand and mind from time to time. Thanks for listening.

Penelope

Spring Rising

Spring Rising NFS

Acrylic on stretched canvas, 16 x 20 inches.

Hello. At last, Spring is here! "Spring Rising" is one of my favorite paintings as it captures my feelings about Spring. I like the abstraction of the background colors as they rise from soil, through new growth, to sky. The rusty garden stake is a popular choice for the backyard birds to perch on. The single bud is always a hopeful symbol of mine. Possibilities abound.

Penelope

Big Red Barn

Big Red Barn

Acrylic on Stretched canvas, 2" x 2". $65.00

Hello! "Big Red Barn" is my smallest painting so far. I have framed it in an ornate black frame that is 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 7/8 inches, has an easel back and a framing hook, and can be displayed either on a table or on a wall. The frame is hinged so that the painting can be easily removed. The canvas sides are unpainted due to the frame. The canvas is an actual stretched canvas and is so cute. Hope you like it!

Penelope

Small Talk

Small Talk
Acrylic on canvas, 6 x 6 inches. $95.00

Hello! "Small Talk" shows a pair of one of my favorite birds, American Goldfinches, on my favorite birdbath. I really like to paint on canvas but it does present a problem solving opportunity when painting in fine detail. The texture of the canvas appeals to me, but the tiny "bumps" in the weave tend to assert themselves at the worst locations--like where I want to place the bird's beak or eye. I grab my reading glasses and my big magnifying glass, then pick up my tiniest brush (the hummingbird's eyelash size), then dip my brush ever so carefully to collect a microscopic dot of paint, then approach the canvas, hold my breath, then gently place the dot for the birds eye. Sometimes the stars are all aligned and all goes well. Other times, I hit a small bump and my brush glides right off. Curses. Erase and try again. Curses. Erase then try again, and again. I can almost hear the choir sing when the eye dot lands perfectly. You know, its really not fair that the viewer gets to use their computers to increase the size of a 6" x 6" painting, that was never meant to be viewed too closely, to the size of a billboard. But I digress. The finches in "Small Talk" both have their eyes and beaks in the right place today, and that makes everything okay. Thanks for looking!

Penelope

** I always paint the sides of the canvas, in this case dark green, and include the hardware, so that my paintings are ready to hang without a frame.

The Proposal

The Proposal
Acrylic on canvas, 6 x 6 inches. SOLD

Hello. The Chickadee females answer to the proposal is not to be taken lightly. Chickadee couples are very close and they mate for life. They build their nests together and they take turns nesting and parenting. This is very different behavior from the wild and crazy hummingbird males. The hummingbird males flit from female to female and then they fly away--permanently! They do not help with the nest building or the raising of their young. Their proposals can be taken much more lightly. I like these two as a couple. Thanks for looking.

Penelope

**The 7/8" sides of the canvas are painted green.

Wild Rose

Wild Rose

Acrylic on stretched canvas, 5 x 7 inches. SOLD

Hello. I haven't written about my ongoing problem-solving battles for a while. One of the dilemmas that I had with my "Wild Rose" painting, was that the muse fell apart in my hand. A vanishing muse. That's a new one. Here is what happened. I was walking the woodsy trail by my house when I came across the Perfect branch of the wild Nootka rose. Of course, still being a bit lawless, I plucked it and spirited it away to my studio. I was unable to finish my painting in one day, so as I entered my studio on the next day I discovered that the top flower on the branch that I had found so compelling, no longer had its petals on. I began again. I painted the remaining stamens and such, as fast as I could, then I moved on to the lower bud that had decided to bloom overnight. I was about half way done when, in order to get a better look, I picked up the branch. Even though I picked it up very carefully, one petal drifted to the floor. Yikes. Needless to say, one of my petals is now imaginary. I have heard that some artists spray their more fragile muses, like dry grasses and the like, with hairspray to keep them attached. It just might work, but I can't bring myself to do it. My solution? Paint faster! Despite the challenges of this painting, I enjoyed painting it and I am happy with the results. I hope you like it too.

Penelope

Robin's Egg Blue

Robin's Egg Blue
Acrylic 16 x 20 inches. $325.00

Hello. This is Robin's Egg Blue. Even though it is a rainy cool day in the Pacific Northwest, you can feel Spring in the air. The daffodils are starting to bloom, flower buds are just beginning to open, and many of the back yard birds are back. What I am trying to capture in this painting, is the realism, promise, and fragility of the eggs, with the careful and nurturing support of the nest. I like the combination of realism and abstraction, which is one of the themes of my work. Thanks for looking.

Penelope