Tag Archives: Still Life

White Mums
A Short Video Demo

White Mums was an early experiment in floral painting for me. I was fascinated by the surfaces and textures and found the challenge of recreating their effects exhilarating. I have to say I was happy with the results. DEMO NOTES: 0:04 – Pencil drawing on primed canvas 0:10 – Viridian and Yellow Ochre thinned with […]

Leather Box
Short Video Demo

This leather box originally belonged to my grandfather, Lewis G. Adams. He has been my life-long inspiration and hero. An American art student in Paris during the 1920’s, he became a major architect in New York City. He was also an accomplished watercolor painter. Above all, he was one of the most creative, funny, generous and compassionate human beings I ever knew.

Meyer Lemons
Annotated Video Demo

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.

Three New Roses

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 […]

Santa Rita Hills
Annotated Video Demo

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.

Peeled Lemon
Short Video Demo

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.

Rue Mouffetard: The Story Behind the Art

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.

Three Paintings in Richard Schmid Auction to Help Firefighters

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.