Onion Trio - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

Onions make an interesting subject to paint. They come in a nice variety of shapes and a wide range of colors…whites, yellows, oranges, reds and purples. I wanted to capture the papery and translucent nature of the skin so I used thin layers (or glazes) of paint starting with light colors and then gradually adding deeper colors to create the round forms. The knife adds an element of interest and creates some tension. It almost looks like the three onions are “looking” at the knife and wondering, “What’s that?”

No Peeking - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

I was in the mood for a food painting … my last one was the trio of pears that I did a couple months ago. After rummaging through my refrigerator, I settled on these nectarines. I started by covering my canvas with a bright green wash. After letting it dry, I completed my painting allowing the green color to shine through. This is a really simple painting but I love the color combination of the oranges, purples and greens. For those who remember the basics in art, these all secondary colors on the color wheel - created by mixing primary colors – red, yellow and blue. When coming up with the title, it seemed like they were about to play a game of hide and seek with one nectarine covering his 'eye'.

Jeter - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas - SOLD

When visiting my sister a few weeks ago, I snapped a bunch of photos of her cat, Jeter. He was playing with a bug and I tried to get a good shot of him with his paw extended but never got exactly what I was looking for. When I looked through my photos, I liked this top-down view. I added the yarn as a matter of interest as I thought the painting needed something else in the composition. I tried to capture his beautiful coat which has many shades of grey, black and brown. I would like to say that Jeter enjoyed our visit but I think he was relieved when we made our exit at the end of the day. Julie probably was too.

Blue Bird - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

These objects sit on my kitchen window sill. Illuminated with strong afternoon sunlight, they made a perfect subject to paint. The small glass is holding some flowers presented to me on Mothers Day by my daughter (along with a hearty breakfast). I bought the blue ceramic bird in France five years ago and keep it inside a small pottery bowl made by my sister. It fits perfectly and looks like a cozy nest. The pot, a new addition to my windowsill, is filled with chives that I dug from my garden.

The background foliage was a challenge to paint. I wanted to simply indicate the leaves and branches. Showing too much detail would have competed with the foreground objects. I was pleased with the final result but it took quite a bit of painting, wiping and then painting again.