On The Sunny Side of The Street

 On the street where I live. I love to catch the sunlight splash onto the tops of the houses at the end of the day. It only lasts for a few minutes but it's magical. 

The title is the 1930 song that crept into my mind as I painted. That happens a lot if I don't have music playing in my studio so I usually make sure to. I chose to paint this because I've been actively trying to put aside the worry and negative thoughts that our current predicaments find us in. It's not easy to stay aware and involved yet not succumb to despair. 

I didn't know more than the "leave your worries on the doorstep" verses but it actually starts out:      Walked with no one and talked with no one and I had nothing but shadows. Sound familiar?

Sealed Fortune

It was capturing the shadows that excited me and made me pick up the brushes again. I'm not eating the cookies if I keep them sealed but that means my fortune remains a mystery. Buy here.

Red Galoshes

These aren't my rain boots although I would be so happy to wear them if they were my size. I had a little visitor brightening this rainy April day. It was lots of fun capturing the slick light reflections on the shiny lipstick red surfaces. You can nearly make out the clouds in them!
Available for purchase.

Party Patterns in Pink

Packing up another birthday party and noticing the story they told and how pretty and pink they were inspired a painting. They are archeological layers of parties past and present. Lots of presents. The bottom layer is a plastic tablecloth, and all that remains of a matching ensemble, for a daughter's 6th birthday. Over the years we've added paper lanterns for tea parties, Alice in Wonderland theme parties, wiped off the icing and melted spots with birthday candles. Make a wish! Purchase here

Fall Chickadee

Look who I found while shuffling and scuffling through the fallen leaves. We had a little chat and she let me know she was okay and was just enjoying the dappled sunlight, like me. After agreeing to have her picture be taken, she flew off to branches above. Buy here.

Sour Cherries

Painting with my daughter and my muse, Maddie, this weekend. Sweet. Buy now.

Expecting To Fly

A toy airplane waiting on the shelf for little hands to take him airborne again. Out of the shadows and into the light. I especially adore the reflected shadow cast on the wall to the left. "Props" (intended) to Buffalo Springfield for the title. The tune has been running through my mind during and after painting. Available here.

Peony for Mom

When I garden I think of my mother. She loved her garden and passed that love, the names of plants, and cultivation tips on to me. Like, peonies don't grow in SoCal. So one year I bought her a big bouquet for Mother's Day and drove it through the heat of the Santa Ynez valley. Although I had plenty of water in the bucket, I opened my hatchback to find soggy tissues on leafy stems. Together we tried to revive them in every way and finally left them submerged in a cool bath. They came back to life!

When I eventually moved to the east coast, I planted and painted plenty of peonies. My mom, Mavis, died many years later on a Mother's Day. I miss her but sometimes

 I can find her in my garden. 

Pug Ennui

Don't worry, Petunia. Spring will come eventually. I promise! click here to buy.

Lemony Light

What I see from the window above the kitchen sink. When I catch this moment of late afternoon light it makes washing up dishes a happy task. Do you look for these moments? The weather, the lighting, the timing don't always provide them so I caught it with paint. Available here.

Batter Up!

Batter for belgian waffles, that is. It's the first little painting of 2018! Painterly and luscious with complementary color palette. Opposites on the color wheel rarely please me as much as this combo. Available here.

It Is So White (Is Not, Is Too)

An absolute flurry of activity around here. Wrapping and painting and painting and wrapping! The energy carried over from one to the other. Can you hear the music playing throughout? Available here.

Look Toward The Light

Landscapes are not my usual fare but I took this photo at the end of our week's getaway to Long Beach Island, New Jersey. It was the last week of September, end of season for them at the end of the day. I was struck by the light bouncing off the glass and how they all seemed to be staring in the same direction as if they were watching the tourists go home. Available here

This May Hurt

This sunny lemon and matching juice reamer were painted upside down(!) as a challenge to paint what we see rather than what we think we know. It's lots of fun and I challenge you to try it. Look at things differently. Don't put a label on it. Well, this lemon has a label on it but you know what I mean.  Available here at my lemonade stand.

The Other Chanel

After an early bout with something from Avon for little girls that smelled like carnations, I moved on to eschew Patchouli Oil and embrace Jasmine Oil. Fortunately, my girl squad got together to gift me Chanel No.19. Was it because my birthday is on the 19th like Coco's? Or maybe because it had just been released in 1971, our first year of high school, and advertised as "The Unexpected Chanel", "The Outspoken Chanel". Coco Chanel reportedly pronounced it, "Audacious and assertive. Never conventional." I loved it. No.19 was discontinued in 2000. SOLD

Half Full

Maybe a bit more than half. Life is good. Water is the theme for these hot days. And it's also the theme for this week's Water Challenge on DPW. Available from my DPW Gallery.
Update: It's not your eyes. I updated photo with accurate color by photographing in natural light again but on a day without an impending storm. What a difference a day makes!

Nest 1234

Or I might have called it, This Is Not My Home. This is a hummingbird's nest that was one of many built in a ficus tree at my home in SoCal, where there was an atrium. I guess because it was protected from cats and other predators, we had many generations of hummingbirds making it home. The egg was found under a robin's nest which was built in our Colorado (my husband's home) Spruce and although quite prickly it is less protected from attack. Click to buy

Back To Basics

Bold brushwork and a basic black on a background of primary colors. I've been working on some larger pieces in the studio but it feels good to get back to the small direct studies. Available here.

Quiet

This was painted while everything around me was blanketed in snow. It reflects a certain contemplative quality that I've been feeling lately. Along with avoiding social media, for the most part, and media in general other than brief news updates, I turn to the arts -- books, film, music and painting. I visited the American Wing of the Metropolitan this week and worshipped in the room of Sargeant. Available here.

Too Late To Cook

Painting in mainly monochrome for DPW Black and White Challenge. Harder than it sounds but a good way to focus on values and form and how much color you can sneak in and still appear B/W. Available here.