Painting of Pink Orchids in a Cobalt Blue Vase, 11" x 14" Oil on Board

"Orchids in a Cobalt Vase"

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I've really been behind on my daily painting as a result of school. Seems I barely get home from Seattle, teach a class, and then I'm back on the road again. Here's one I squeaked out between homework assignments. Things ought to smooth out a bit once school is over.

Dogwood and Tangerine Painting, 15.5" x 18.25", Pastel on 2 Ply Cotton Rag

"Dogwood Daze"Currently NFS

Painting is becoming more and more of a challenge with the mess around me growing daily. We're into the third day of drywall and mudding. I'm told to expect at least three more before they plaster and paint. Sigh. I purchased the materials for my matting table today and hope to sneak into the empty studio space on Sunday when the workers are gone and put the thing together.
However, I did manage to get a bit of work done yesterday and today. My husband helped me move my huge case of pastels into the dining room (the drawers tipped forward, oh no!) and after I made some order out of the mess, I started this painting. It's a mixed media, actually. The underpainting is done in watercolor and then I've worked glazes of pastel into it. I've found that this technique works best on rag. While the paper is a bear to raise a nap on, once you do, the surface allows you to get multiple lazers of pastel in thin glazes. I'm entering this one in the Northwest Pastel Society members juried competition. They've advertised that it's an "anything goes" show for pastel so I'm hoping the mixed media flies. Wish me luck.

Yellow and Pink Roses Oil Painting on Gallery Wrap Canvas, 8" x 10"

"Jeraline's Vase"
SOLD



From the macabre to the romantic. This has been a strange week. This little pink vase was a thrift shop find by a friend. I never used it because, frankly, I couldn't figure out how. It's kind of small to hold a lot of flowers or even a bud or two. But I found it worked very well as a complement to the pink and yellow roses. I love this bright little piece. Hope you do too!

Peonies and Green Apples Oil Painting, 9" x 12", Oil on Panel

"Peonies and Yellow Apples"

I recently finished a commission of peonies and had so much of the color left on my palette, I decided to do another peony painting. I just couldn't see wasting all that luscious pink paint. The apples were green originally but I liked them better as yellow. They were left over too. Not anymore...I just ate the last one.

Peony Oil Painting, 6" x 6"

"Peony"
NFS

Today started with an early rise so that I could get my wrecked studio into shape for my students who were returning after the holiday break. What a mess! After about two hours I managed to get enough stuff moved around so that folks could work. I am so done with this whole waiting thing! I can't wait until the new studio is finished. You could hide a body in the old one.

After my students left, I got busy with Day Two of my commission but didn't wrap it up until dinner time. So for my daily painting, I borrowed one of the peonies from the painting and, viola! A daily painting. OK - so it's not for sale. But I did finish it in about the time I take to do a DP, so it sort of counts. Check in with my teaching blog later tonight for more about this peony and the painting as it develops.

"Arc of Orchids"

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Today was a better day sold some work and someone actually showed up to work on my studio! Hooray!! So, being in a brighter mood, I painted something to reflect my mood. It's been awhile since I painted Orchids. These colors are always a bit touchy to do. I want them bright, but not glaring. Hope I accomplished this. Enjoy! To see how this painting was done, click here.

"Mixed Bunch"

SOLD - 12/29/08



Yesterday was my wedding anniversary and my husband and I spent the day in Victoria, B.C. It was a sunny 45 degrees and it felt really good to get out in the weather as it's been so cold and snowy here the past two weeks. But I only got back late today and so I didn't get into the studio until almost 3:00 PM. A late start for me.

I'm always so dismayed by how easy it is to fall out of practice. If I paint flowers every day, then I seem to have little difficulty in rendering them. But if I skip a week and paint a different subject, I find that I have to struggle to get them right. I need to spend some time during the week just practicing my brush strokes on roses. These proved to be a challenge for me today.

Pastel Painting of Green Crystalline Tea Pot and Peony with Grapes

"Green Tea"SOLD









Here's the last of my old pieces. I'll be turning out new ones from this point on. Thanks for your patience everyone.

Oil Paint of Pink Rose and Golden Plums, 11" x 14" on Canvas Panel

"Rose with Golden Plums"
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It's been a pretty busy week here at the Spar homestead. Our local fair starts this week and I've entered some work in it. But mostly it's just been hectic getting all the paperwork and peliminary stuff for my upcoming show ready. I know I should be ready for this by now, but it just seems to be taking forever to do it all. I'll be soooo glad when it's all behind me. Honestly, some days just looking for a phone number can take all day!

Here's a piece I put together on the fly today. Hope you like it.

Peony Oil Painting, 9" x 12" on Canvas Panel

"Peonies ala Prima"
$65.00 USD.
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Detail on brush work.

Oil Painting of Pink Peonies and Tangerines, 9" x 12"

"Pink Passion"
SOLD










I've been out of town for the weekend sharing good food and gentle weather with my favorite cousins in California. Everything is blooming there. Sigh. It snowed here while we were gone. I couldn't bring the flowers home, so I chose the brightest flowers I could find from among my own collection and painted this. There's lots of thick paint on these beauties to make the petals stand out. See the detail closeup below. Enjoy.

Floral Oil Painting of Pink Peonies and Pears, 11" x 14" on Canvas Panel

"Peonies and Pears"
SOLD

I was in the mood yesterday for something a bit more complex, so I chose to do a full bouquet of Peonies in a pretty detailed vase. I wanted to give a good painting lesson and demo on my other
blog and this seemed a good way to do it. The flowers have some great thick paint on them and were glazed to bring them to life. I was really happy with the way they came out. The satin cloth came to life here as well. As complex as the design on the vase appears, it really only took a few minutes to get it in with a glaze. The overall effect is quite convincing though. Hope you enjoy it. Check out my other blog to see how this painting was done.

"The Filigree Stone Vase" 



I've had this Asian stone filigree vase for a very long time. It was my mother's. Because I grew up with it, I was accustomed to seeing it on the shelf but never took the time to examine it. Until I tried to paint it. It's amazing the amount of detail the artist who carved this vase was able to achieve. But what is really amazing is that it is made of stone and yet appears so willowy and light. I couldn't get all the detail this deserved but did manage to capture most of what was obvious to the eye.

I know that the audience for classical realism is not as extensive as that for abstract and contemporary pieces. But this vase taught me something important. My work, like the vase, takes patient observation and a quiet soul to appreciate.

Oil Painting of Pink Peonies and Asian Bell, 11" x 14" on Canvas Panel

"Peonies and Asian Bell"
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I've been experimenting with doing another blog where I show a little about how each piece was painted. I also talk a bit from time to time about the whole business of painting. It's just started so there isn't a lot there yet. But you can see how this one was painted by clicking here.
I get a lot of requests for Peonies. They seem to be the favorite bloom for a lot of people. I'm happy to do them because I like Peonies. They brighten things up a bit for me. In Washington, we don't have a lot of bright days in the winter and colorful blooms add go a long way toward cheering me up. Hope these add a bit of sunshine to your day. Thanks for dropping by.