Meyer lemons are wonderful. They have a magic balance of tart and sweet. Perfect for making all manner of tasty treats. My favorite? Margaritas! The bounty of lemons arrives in late fall to early winter. I love that summer sunshine is packed in these beautiful fruit. These lemons were picked from a tree in our back yard and sliced in front of our kitchen window. The window faces south inviting the sunlight to flood in.
Maybe it’s California’s drought… Walking in our backyard after a morning drizzle and seeing droplets on their leaves and petals compelled me to paint these lovely roses. The water is so precious in California now. A beautiful rain storm washed months of dust from our garden making the greenery and flower colors spectacular. Life […]
Fresh bread glistening and warm, the centerpiece of an perfect breakfast in Saint Remy de Provence. Savoring a gorgeous June morning with these treats, large cups of cafe au lait and hours of conversation is a wonderful time to remember.
This is the view from the Lafond Winery’s picnic area in Santa Barbara wine country’s Santa Rita Hills. Lafond is hands down our favorite Santa Barbara County winery. The tasting room manager and staff are good friends as is the winemaker. Plus, many items we have purchased from their wonderful gift shop that have found their way into my paintings.
Richard Schmid is one of the few courageous and incredibly talented artists, late 20th Century artists who swam against the tide of pop, post-modern, conceptual and other movements to kept representational art alive. Schmid is not only a great painter he is one of the most generous and gifted teachers of the fine art of painting.
The theme of this little painting, Peeled Lemons, is a favorite of mine – peeled fresh fruit with old books. This book is a prayer book dated 1715. I love the mix of textures. The intertwining of old and new intrigues me. The fleeting freshness of the lemon’s peel and juicy meat dried within hours of being peeled. The peel almost embraces the prayer book, a treasured possession of a now forgotten man or woman whose notes, written nearly 300 years ago, can be discovered on its pages.
Ah Paris! It has been a few years since we have been in Paris but the memories of the beautiful city are intoxicating. Rue Mouffetard is an area of Paris’ Left Bank not far from Notre Dame and the Latin Quarter, that has a fantastic open-air market. The aroma of flowers, produce, pastries, and cheeses fill the air as does the chatter of Parisians and tourists. This display of artichokes was so expertly displayed, with a great sense of color and texture, I could not get the sight out of my mind until I put it on canvas when we returned home. Paris is an inspiration.
I am very happy to announce that three of my paintings were selected for the 18th Annual Richard Schmid Fine Art Auction. Selected by Richard Schmid’s daughter, Molly Schmid, the painting join works from many nationally acclaimed artists to be auctioned to support the Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department.
The Adventurers is my salute to my first art hero, Winslow Homer. His paintings of endless summer days, Breezing Up, Snap the Whip, his watercolors of the Bahamas. I love the carefree feeling he created of being in nature and embracing life. He also had the amazing gift to create timeless and universal images from contemporary life. My hope was to come close to doing the same in The Adventurers.
The mums are coming along just fine. After the initial block in and color lift I contoured the vase a bit and worked on the flower pedals. And bottom row the blossoms have become quite yellow. That is all part of the plan. That under painting, along with the in red in the shadows under […]
Flower Collection
Landscape Collection
Fruit Collection
Still Life Collection