Neither Here Nor There

Where the Field Leaves Off and the Trees Begin  8"x10" original oil painting on canvas board

The space between things, a gap, a shift, an in between....

Rocky Landscape

Rocks and Trees 8"x10" original oil on canvas

There is something powerful about these rocks piled on top of each other, jumbled together by some ancient upheaval.  All the shifting planes are intriguing and the scrubby pines are almost like a crown on this craggy rock face.

Into the Woods

Tree Study 8"x10" oil on canvas

The effects of our very long autumn linger on.  Painting trees is always a challenge for me...how to give them individual character and to convey that they are really rooted in the ground.  I enjoy the play of shadows and light on the ground and on the trees. 

Philodendron Inspiration

Plant in Studio 2

8" x 10" oil on canvas

I was inspired by a photo of Roberto Burle Marx's 1943 painting Still Life with Philodendron I. (See below) I didn't realize that there are over 900 species of philodendrons!  The plant has inspired many an artist and designer and is receiving a full-scale retrospective at Miami Beach's Wolfsonian-Florida International University museum.  "Philodendron: From Pan-Latin Exotic to American Modern" (till February 28th, 2016 - http://www.1stdibs.com/introspective-magazine/philodendron-at-the-wolfsonian/  I love the funky interpretation of this plant by Mr. Marx. 

Still Life with Philodendron, Roberto Burle Max, 1943

January 2016 Explorations

 January 1, 2016

Studio Plant, 8" x 10" oil on canvas

Study In Yellow

Mellow Yellow, 14" x 18" oil on canvas
This was lots of fun to do.  I painted this in my class with Ian Shatilla.  The process was as follows: take a photograph of a still life you create with ribbons, strings, beads, cupcake and chocolate papers and various papers, like tissue paper and crepe paper.  Then paint from the photograph, exploring how to mix various yellows and using other colours as well, trying to achieve some harmony.

Indoor Garden: Longing for colour

February Bouquet, 10" x 8" oil on stretched canvas

Colour, please!  After so much white scenery, I long for the colours of spring.