Sunset Mirage

Acrylic on archival mat board 8 by 10, $ 75.00 

 Its a beautiful day here in SC the kind you wait for all year.  Too bad I had to clean out my aquarium, house, pool and do books for most of the day.  Maybe tomorrow I’ll go to the lake and let the dogs swim.  It may be one of the last times this year for  the dogs to swim in the lake.  Once it gets cold  only one of my dogs will  even get into  the water.

 I planned a play date for them, isn’t it funny to actually have a play date for dogs?  Well if you want to get a lot of work done its best to wear them out.  It takes a lot to get themso tired they lay down for the rest of the day.  Its one way to get things done without having too many winey complaints.

Wild Acres at Dusk

8 by 10 Acrylic on Illustration Board, $75.00

This is another painting  called Wild Acres but this time it’s later in the day and this painting has a pinkish glow to the whole piece which makes it appears as if it’s just about dusk.  Its actually a little darker than this appears.   I painted the painting then painted a magenta glaze over the entire painting, wiped some off some of the grass.

Monet’s tribute #10

  Acrylic on  gallery wrap canvas $300.  This is another painting from the “Monet’s tribute” series…  This piece is a bit larger  than my other pieces in the series.  I also  used a different palette.  I like it, it has a bit of gold mixed into the paint which gives it a special glow.  This was painted with the new Golden Acrylics which look and work very much like oils.  These new  Open acrylics are great and if your considering trying them I encourage you to do so.   The process is very much the same as regular acrylics but there is a special medium which extends the already long drying time.  Also there is a thinner which you can use to actually remove the paint from the canvas.  The real key is to never use water.  Water only makes these acrylics look dull.  The mediums makes them glow.

Wild Acres

8 by 10 Acrylic on gessoed illustration board 75.00

“Babies” In memory of Barbara Haukenberry

8 by 8   $50.00

Barbara  passed away yesterday, choosing to take her own life.  The pain was too much for her for a long time now and she wasn’t going to be able to live without the help of others.   Both of these things were unbearable for her and I can only say I’m happy that she isn’t suffering any more.    She used to say that for brief moments of each day, she could look at art allowing her mind to take her to a place where she didn’tfeel the pain or see her broken down body.   Art could elevate her to another plane, one where she was well again.   Remember that the next time some one says Art isn’t important.  It was very important to this person and she surrounded herself with art work.  

  She loved my koi and purchased at least twenty Koi paintings.  She and I would discuss the “correct” way to paint the eyes.  She only like round eyes and didn’t care for the humanized eyes so often painted.  She had her opinions and wasn’t afraid to let you know.  She told me that the tail of the Koi was the most impressive part of the Koi and I too often didn’t paint them, which was terrible.   

I tried… for her, to put in a few expressive tails but good composition can’t be compromised for content.    This little painting of Baby Koi was painted in her memory as she loved the “Koi babies”  I painted for her and last year she had a grandchild which seem to lift her spirits for a time.  She really thought that little boy was the greatest thing on earth. 

  Barbara, rest in peace , may you never feel pain again. and wherever your spirit lives, I hope it soars.

Just me

  “Just me ” 6 inches by 9 inches watercolor on paper. $75.00

I love color and I like to basically paint people using all the emotion of color.  Its speaks volumes.

Reflective Lake

 

Watercolor on  gessoed covered wood.  8 by 8 75.00

The weather is cooler and the nights seem longer,  & the solstice is right around the corner!

Shaun The Sheep | Still Life

This about sums it up for us artists…

Grandmother’s Visit

 

Watercolor on paper 22 by 30 $ 500.00  SOLD

 I sold this painting today and thought I should at least post it because I realized the client is coming tomorrow to pick it up and I hadn’t even taken a photo yet.  I really didn’t have time to take a decent photo and you can see that there is a big flash right in the middle of the sky.  Oh well, you get the idea and this does at least give me a record of the painting.

I used to paint light houses all the time because I used to get a lot of requests for them.  Not so much any more.  Now folks just like water paintings of the waves on the beach or breaking on the rocks.  Its more of a mininamalist  trend.

Snow and Ice

5 by 7 watercolor on paper,   $45.00 I have never lived where there is snow and yet I love to paint snow… Hmmm  perhaps everyone  romanticises what they do not know.

One thing I do know… I got rained on today at least three times.  Walking the dogs thru the park at 7 am, picking out plants at the nursery at 11 am and again walking the dogs at 11 pm. 

Maybe the sun will come out tomorrow. 

Koi Pond at Dusk

22 inches by 11 watercolor on paper $200.00

I like this painting in the long form because it can be framed either like a landscape or like a portrait.  It looks good either way.   Its a beautiful combination of fish, water, shapes and color!

Beautiful Butterfly

Its hard to see a butterfly and not smile.

Pool Party

Watercolor on masonite 8″ by 8″ $50.00 sealed to frame without glass. 

This painting just looks like the koi are having a party!

Beautiful Lake (NFDP)

The water is so still in this photo that the reflection isn’t even blurred.

Butterfly Koi

Watercolor on Masonite 8 by 10.  $75.00   Some folks call these fish ” fairy fish” or “Dragon fish” and “long fin Koi”.   I watched this Butterfly Koi swimming back and forth under about a foot of water and I was desperatly trying to see if this little long fin fish would hold still.  Not a chance, she was moving like Isadora Duncan, darting about, flipping her tail back and forth,  & her fins were flowing all around her like veils.  She swirled in and out of the lilly pads and under the falls.  It was like watching an underwater dance, there she was all alone skimming thru the water and dancing for no one but for herself.    They are beautiful fish and so different than the standard Koi.  Some folks think their not Koi at all but a hybrid.  I don’t really get involved in show Koi ( although they are beautiful)  and I  don’t care about the correct classifications of Koi, I just like them as I like my three rescue dogs, for the pleasure of watching them and having them be a part of my life.

 I’ve owned several purebred dogs in the past but none ever gave me the love my three mutts have given me each and every day. 

Also that reminds me of my  Walmart fish..  I told this story a while back…who would have thought, its an ugly duckling story all over again. 

 It started to rain tonight and the weather seems a bit cooler.  Its refreshing after a couple of very humid days.