Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Girls Night Out


I took my brother's family sightseeing.  As we walked around, I heard them call my name. When I turned, there they all stood with their backs to me saying, "Take our picture so you can paint us." Everyone thinks they’re a comedian. They know I love to paint people looking at art in museums and here is another recent favorite.


Girls Night Out, 8x8", oil on gessoboard  (sold)


Merry Christmas wishes to all…
A few years after we moved into our home, I walked outside one Dec day and there was a pink plastic flamingo with sticks for antlers, a Santa hat & a red scarf.  I loved it.  No one ever owned up to the deed, but a tradition was born.  If the flamingos mysteriously showed up in your yard it was your turn to dress them for the next occasion.  People were incredibly creative.  Flamingos as Santa, bikini clad, in a diaper & top hat for New Years Eve, covered in feathers at Thanksgiving, in wedding attire and even as an angel when we lost a neighbor & friend to cancer.  Not sure what happened, but after many years the flamingos disappeared.

I promised myself this year....no new Christmas decorations.  I even boxed up things I don't put out anymore to give away.  Today, I took the boxes of old Christmas decorations to the Salvation Army and stopped at Home Depot to pick up light bulbs… and what do I see!?!  I couldn't help myself!!  I ask you who could resist?  AND they light up!












Monday, December 3, 2012

Big Bug

I enjoy painting nostalgic things that remind me of when I was a kid.  I loved painting this WV Bus.  It was fun to hear how many people looking at my painting say when they were young they had a VW bus in their family or they had friends who had one.  We didn’t have a van, but we did have a VW bug.   

I recall the vans didn’t come in very many colors and orange seemed the most popular.  I saw this one parked on the street in Old Town Alexandria.  I was on my way to a luncheon when I spotted it, turned my car around and took photographs with my phone.  Yahoo for camera phones!  

It started with this painting...by that happy sighting orange became my theme color for an October show… wish I could say I planned it that way.   


Big Bug, 12x16, oil on canvas
$500  (framed)

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Orange Crush


When I retired, I went back to work part-time in Washington, D.C.   I used my lunch hour well.  The National Gallery and the Portrait Gallery were only a short walk away.  For anyone who loves art, DC is a fabulous place to live or visit.  

Even before I “discovered” Karin Jurick on the wonderful blog Lines & Colors (http://www.linesandcolors.com/) and fell in love with her museum paintings, I enjoyed painting people with their heads turned away looking at art in museums.  Of course, it could have been that aversion I have to painting faces, but I also like the fact the people are basically anonymous.  Much to my surprise, I found I also liked painting miniature versions of famous paintings.  Sometimes a painting almost paints itself.  This was one of those. 

Orange Crush, 12x16" oil on canvas, $425