Two Pickles, Two Glass Dishes, One Tomato

Two Pickles, Two Glass Dishes, One Tomato. oil/canvas panel, 12x12.

The only thing more difficult than actually doing this painting was trying to find a title for it. Maybe this is a sign that I should consider branching out to other glass tableware... teacups, cups, stemware? Could be interesting in my world.

Lemon Slices on Glass Dish

Lemon Slices on Glass Dish. oil/canvas panel, 6x8.

Around 8 pm I decided to be a litltle productive. Five minutes before I sat down to paint, I cut up a lemon, and an hour and a half later... Voilà! Lemons on a dish.

Strawberry on Glass Dish

Strawberry on Glass Dish. oil/canvas panel, 8x10.

Glass is one of my favorite things to paint because it's so reflective, which is great for playing around with juicy, interesting paint. The reflections, colors, and tones are both a challenge and a joy to interpret. After working on this small (8x10) and short painting, I have an idea for a series of paintings. My goal this summer is to have a small body of work that looks cohesive. Perhaps different fruits or solitary food items on glass dishes? I'm not sure what will come of it but I'm going to do a few more paintings like this and see where it takes me...

Lemon

I really enjoy the colors and textures here... tasted pretty good too.

Dessert

Had strawberry shortcake for dessert. So did Camy (naturally). Painting of the strawberry shortcake commences tomorrow......

Barbara's Portrait (finished)

Barbara. oil/canvas panel, 12x12.

Camy

Had a pretty lazy day. After my mid afternoon daze I decided to finish Barbara's portrait. I put a couple of good hours in and alas, it is finished. It's too late for me to think about photographing it so tomorrow I will share. For now, here is a picture of my dog for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy the cuteness.....

The only reason she is staring so intently to the right is due to a peeled banana dangling somewhere behind me as I took the picture. She is obsessed with food; her only true love.

Barbara (in progress)

There were a couple of times last semester that I tried my hand at portraiture for class assignments. I didn't think I was half bad so here I am trying it again. If I keep this up I figure it may be a new avenue worth pursuing next year in my Portfolio class. This morning I had a mini photo-shoot with Barbara and here is what came of it:

painting at the kitchen table

my palette

The panel is 12x12, which is a nice comfortable size (not too overwhelming for a first attempt). The painting is still in progress with about 4 hours of work in. Tomorrow I'll finish it up, articulating the shirt as well as polishing up little details (earrings, hair...). I feel pretty good with the result so far, and what's more important is that it felt good to just paint again- to sit, listen to music, and think about nothing but putting the right shape and color down. Having a good painting session is probably one of the greatest feelings. Very rewarding.

California Trip

A couple of weeks ago I went to California with Barbara for a week vacation of exploration. Our trip started in LA, ventured down to San Diego and ended in sunny Palm Springs. I really enjoyed the unfamiliar landscape (being my first time on the west coast) and pleasant beachy weather. When we weren't eating Mexican food (which was all the time), we did a lot of walking-- through desert trails, up cliffs, and over foot bridges. Along the way I made great use out of my camera, carrying it everywhere and photographing everything. I had a fun time playing around with a telephoto lense which my dad had lent me for the trip. I never knew how much I really enjoy taking pictures until now. So, here are a few photos from the week:

Now that I'm home, my mini goal is to keep on photographing. Hopefully some inspiration will come about to nudge me back into the groove of painting....