Party on a Plate - 6 x 6 inches - Oil on canvas

My greatest source of inspiration is the grocery store. I had no intention of buying cupcakes until I passed the bakery department and spotted these little guys. When I arranged them, their little sprinkles fell all over the plate and it looks like a really festive celebration.

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

I recently read a book on color theory by Betty Edwards. Betty talks about color choices and selecting colors that work well together. This painting uses primarily analogous colors…those that are next to each other on the color wheel...greens - blues and purples. I think this makes for a "quiet" painting. If I had added an object with a color like yellow, orange or red, it would have changed the entire feeling of the painting.

Follow the Leader - 6 x 6 - Oil on canvas - SOLD

I've never been a huge fan of blueberries. To me, eating them is a bit like playing Russian Roulette. You'll be eating along and tasting wonderful, sweet berries and then all of the sudden, when you least expect it, you bite into a really sour, mouth-puckering one. It can be very stressful :) Since blueberries are now considered a "super food", I've faced my "fear of the unexpected sour blueberry" and have taken to sprinkling them on my cereal. When I occasionally hit that sour one, it is at least tempered by the rest of the flavors in the bowl.

Pickles on Polka Dots - 6 x 6 inches - Oil on canvas- SOLD

Pickles are great fun to paint with their neon green color. For whatever reason, I wanted to put this pickle jar on polka dots. For a reference, I used a hole punch to create the dots and then spread them on a board under the jar. It is so much easier, at least in my experience, to paint with a reference than strictly from my imagination.

Plum Island Marshes - 6 x 6 inches - Oil on canvas - SOLD

I think marshes are very beautiful. I love the way the water winds its way around the tall mounds of grasses to create meandering pathways. For this painting, I covered the canvas with a layer of yellow. You can see the yellow shining through at various points....especially noticeable in the sky area. This painting is based on a photo I took of Plum Island in the fall.

Cherries Jubilee - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas - SOLD

It's always interesting to look and really study something. If I didn't paint these cherries, I probably wouldn't have noticed how incredibly shiny they are...almost like glass marbles. When setting up this composition, I tried to follow the basic rule of good composition - "create variation in all aspects of the design". So, the gaps between the cherries are all slightly different, each cherry is in a slightly different position, the stems are all different, the top surface is a smaller width than the front, etc, etc. And, even though there are large, solid areas of color, these also contain subtle changes in color as well.

You Say Tomato - 6 x 6 - Oil on canvas - SOLD

I'm not sure what variety of tomato this is but it was very round like a ball. It was also quite tasty ... I enjoyed it once it's modeling career was over :)

Strawberry - 6 x 6 - Oil on canvas - SOLD

When I set up this simple still life, I thought it was going to be a quick and easy painting...wrong! The body of the strawberry went pretty smoothly, however, those leaves were a struggle! I ended up with an ugly mass of green. I was starting to regret that I positioned the strawberry to show the leafy crown. To fix the green mess, I had to really focus on each leaf and pay attention to its individual shape, color and value. As I worked methodically through the leaves, the top finally began to take shape.

Stony Brook - 6 x 6 inches - Oil on canvas - SOLD

This is another small painting done on location in the great outdoors. This vista is actually just to the left of the rusty railroad bridge that I painted and posted back in March 2009 (click this link to see what I'm talking about: http://lauriegmiller.blogspot.com/2009/03/weight-limit-3-tons-12-x-12-inches-oil.html). There was no wind so the water was like a mirror making a perfect reflection of the trees and sky.

Carlisle Bog - 6 x 6 - Oil on canvas

I recently bought an "OpenBox M" painting box (see below) so that I can easily pack up and travel to any location to paint "en plein air". I squeeze out my paints in the bottom of the box and the lid has an adjustable, spring-loaded clamp to hold a canvas. The box is easily attached to a tripod to make a perfect easel with attached palette. Last week, I took advantage of a glorious sunny day and went to the cranberry bog in Carlisle, MA. For a couple hours, I painted in the shade of a huge oak tree and enjoyed a cool breeze, the sound of birds chirping, and a beautiful view.

Shortcake Line Up - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas - SOLD

Every year in June, the "Strawberry and Arts" Festival is held on the Westford common. Artists set up tents to sell jewelry, paintings, toys and other hand crafted items. Throughout the day, the crowds are treated to live music by local musicians. Probably the main attraction is the strawberry shortcake. For five dollars, you get a large serving, a dollop of whipped cream and a glass of lemonade. In this painting, I tried to convey a sense of the bustling activity and the overall feeling of the festival...always a fun afternoon to browse, people watch and enjoy some sweet treats.

Panda - Oil on canvas - 12 x 12 inches

This painting is based on a photo taken by my daughter. I love that it tells a story. The cat, Panda, spends his mornings lusting after squirrels. Unfortunately for Panda, he's an indoor cat and can only dream of the possibilities. The squirrel seems to enjoy his position of power over this helpless cat.

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.

The Painter - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas - SOLD

You don't realize how large the Parish Center for the Arts (PCA) is until you see someone right against the building to put it all in perspective. Just look how this painter, who is probably 6 feet tall, is dwarfed by these massive windows. The stained glass was a bit of a challenge. I had to tone down the color and subdue the details to help keep the focus on the figure. I also wanted to "suggest" the clapboards but not draw in every detail so you see the occasional horizontal line running across the canvas. I'm always struck by how many decisions it takes to create a painting...sometimes it just hurts my brain.

Below is a photo of the PCA taken several years ago. The painter was working on the left between the two large windows.

Me and My Shadow - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

As I was walking our dog Cooper, I was inspired by the strong cast shadows and figured it would make an interesting painting. Having my camera handy, I took photos for the rest of our walk (which must have looked pretty strange). Our walk was fairly late in the day so the shadows were actually very long. I had to shorten and modify the shadows to get the look that I wanted. I debated about adding more details to the ground such as the sidewalk, grass, etc. In the end, I really liked the simplicity of just the dog, leash, and shadows.

Think Pink - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

I was looking for a subject to paint and asked a friend to set up a still life using any combination of objects. She had just purchased some beautiful pink tulips and used them to come up with this arrangement. The cloth, with all of its folds and wrinkles was challenging as I don't have a lot of experience painting fabric. I really like the little ceramic bunny as it catches the strong light from the window.

Bathing Beauties - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

These ladies were wading in the shallow waters at Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester, MA. This particular scene actually included much more…large rocks, a lighhouse in the distance, boats, etc. I could have "panned" out to include them but really wanted to focus on this trio and the beautiful reflections created in the water in front of them.

SAVE THE DATE! On another note, it's official: The opening reception for my show is the evening of Saturday, October 10th, 2009 at the Parish Center for the Arts in Westford, MA. (www.westford.com/pca). I haven't decided on the exact time but everyone will get an official invitation as the time approaches. All 50 paintings (along with a few other goodies) will go on sale when the show is hung on October 1st.