Inspiration

Yesterday with my bicycle loaded on the back of my car I headed toward the town of Puyallup where the Foothills Trail begins in Western Washington State. Before I got there, the rain began to pour down. Back home a few minutes later, I spent the afternoon in my studio with the gray skies looking over my shoulder and rain pelting the window. It was with great excitement that I rose today to sunshine. The clouds had cleared and the sky was blue. With my bicycle loaded on the car once again, I made a second try. Beautiful sunshine followed me the entire day. When I finished my ride, I was so inspired by the burst of autumn sunshine, that I painted this 6x8 inch oil painting. It is amazing what a little sunshine can do. The painting is for sale online at the Small Impressions Gallery for $75.00 plus shipping. Click here to see the painting in the gallery.

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Autumn Painting, Bicycle, Bicycle Ride, Bicycle Trail, Bicycle Trip, Contemporary Impressionist Painting, Fall Painting, Foothills Trail, Impressionist Oil Painting, Oil Painting, Original Painting, Orting Valley, Pacific Northwest Artist, Painting of Shoreline, Painting on Canvas, Pierce County Washington, Washington State

Mountain Lake

Painting the reflections on the lake was fun, but photographing this painting afterwords was a challenge. I have found that there are only a few hours of daylight that will allow for a decent photo. My studio faces west and by late morning, the light is too direct. The wet paint catches the light and the photos have little white reflections glaring off the surface. I ended up having to wait an extra day to snap a decent shot. This little 5x7 inch painting can be purchased online for $35.00 plus shipping from the Small Impressions Gallery at Etsy along with some of my other small landscape oil paintings of trees. Click here to purchase.

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American Painting, Contemporary Impressionist Painting, Lake and Trees Painting, Oil Painting, Original Oil Painting, Original Painting, Painting of Shoreline, Painting on Canvas, Raymar Canvas Panel, Small Painting, Tall Trees

Follow the Leader--Sheep Painting

It has been a while since I've painted one of my favorite subjects, sheep. These little lambs were created on a 4x6 inch canvas panel and have joined some of my other small animal paintings in my Etsy Gallery . This little painting can be purchased here for $24.00 plus shipping.

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Animal Painting, Animal Portrait, Canvas Panel Painting, Farm Animal Painting, Lamb Painting, Oil Painting, Sheep Painting, Small Painting

Summer Shadows

I'm still longing for warm weather and those long shadows that appear across the landscape on late summer evenings. This painting is 9x12 inches on a stretched canvas and was based on a photo I took at Titlow Park in Pierce County, Washington last summer. The park is adjacent to a wonderful beach on Puget Sound and is one of many places I often visit on the warm summer evenings.

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Contemporary Impressionist Painting, Green and Yellow Landscape, Impressionist Oil Painting, Oil Painting, Original Oil Painting, Painting Light, Painting Loose, Painting on Canvas, Pierce County Washington, Puget Sound Painting, Summer Shadows Painting, Summer Trees Painting, Sunshine Painting, Washington State

Learning to Fly, Original Figurative Painting

This 5x7 inch oil painting of a father and his daughter was based on another of my beach photos. It was so touching to see the two of them together on a misty beach watching a kite climb higher and higher.

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Beach Art, Beach Fog, Coastal Painting, Coastline, Contemporary Painting, Figurative Oil Painting, Figurative Painting, Figure Painting, Oil Painting, Small Painting, Summer Fun

Original Painting, Beach Talk

As the rain pours down and the wind blows, I find myself looking at photos I took when the weather was much better. This little 5x5 inch study was based on a photo taken several summers ago on a visit to the Pacific coast. I was attracted to the brilliant blue of the sea and sky. It was especially nice for the couple to stroll by and provide a focus for my study.

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Beach Art, Canvas Panel Painting, Figurative Painting, Figure Painting, Limited Palette Painting, Oil Painting, Original Painting, Pacific Northwest Artist, Painting Light

Original Landscape Oil Painting, Riverside Trees

It has been a while since I've painted a landscape, but this morning I got up and was drawn to the task. The dark shadows and the dry grass on the river bank had a nice contrast that encouraged my efforts. The painting is 6x6 inches oil on canvas and was a fun little diversion.

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Abstract River Painting, Abstract Tree Painting, Canvas Panel Painting, Contemporary Impressionist Painting, Green and Yellow Landscape, Impressionist Oil Painting, Lakeside grass, Marsh Grass, Oil Painting, Original Oil Painting, Original Painting, Painting on Canvas, River Bank Painting, River Painting, Riverside Painting, Small Painting

End of the Season

Tomato season is officially over in my garden. The plants have been removed and the garden tilled. Those Sweet 100 cherries and the Early Girl delights have been banished and the last of the produce is now sitting in my kitchen. Until next summer I will have to be content with tomatoes imported from elsewhere in the world. It was with sadness that I painted this last tribute to the bounty of my garden. The painting is 5x7 inches.

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Bowl of Tomatoes, Canvas Panel Painting, Cherry Tomatoes, Contemporary Fruit Painting, Contemporary Still Life Painting, Kitchen Art, Oil Painting, Original Kitchen Art, Original Oil Painting, Original Painting, Painting of Summer Fruit, Painting on Canvas, Red Fruit, Red Still Life, Small Art, Small Painting, Summer Fruit, Summer Fruit Painting, Tomato Painting, Tomato Still Life Oil Painting, tomatoes

Ice River

Visions of things to come. The news casters are reporting an upcoming severe winter in the Pacific Northwest this year. With that in mind, a snow filled painting seemed like the thing to do. This one is 5x7 inches.

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Abstract Tree Painting, Ice River, Oil Painting, River Painting, Small Painting, Snow Scene, Tree Painting, Winter Trees

Damon Point

A view of Damon Point on the north side of Gray's Harbor in Washington State is the source for this little 5x7 inch oil painting. I tried to capture the cool misty air that hangs on the shoreline most of the time. Though the beaches in Washington State see the sun, it is much more common to experience cool mist and breezy air when visiting. Wear warm clothes, have a hat handy, and keep some gloves in your pocket. These beaches aren't for lounging in the sun, but can still provide a delightful solace.

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American Painting, Beach Fog, Canvas Panel Painting, Coastal Painting, Coastline, Contemporary Impressionist Painting, Damon Point, Fall Painting, Grassy Beach Painting, Gray's Harbor, Oil Painting, Pacific Northwest Artist, Painting on Canvas, Raymar Canvas Panel

Sunshine Cow

While the rain poured down this past weekend, I looked for inspiration in some of the photos I've snapped during the past year. I discovered a series of photos from a bicycle trip early in the spring. This painting is based on a photo taken of a field of cattle. I was impressed by the sunlight on the back of this cow as she stood in front of a line of trees. The contrast between her golden hide and the shadows of the trees behind her is what captured my attention. Remembering that delightful afternoon provided inspiration for creating this little 5x7 inch painting. Nothing like recalling sunshine on a rainy afternoon.

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American Painting, Animal Painting, Cattle Painting, Cattle Portrait, Contemplating Art, Contemporary Impressionist Painting, Country Field Painting, Cow Painting, Cow Portrait, Farm Animal Painting, Field Painting, Oil Painting, Original Oil Painting, Pacific Northwest Artist, Painting Effects of Light, Painting Light, Shadow Painting, Small Painting, Sunshine Cow, Sunshine Painting

Study in Stripes

This is another of my little ceramic cup studies. Working on those reflections was fun and I added a collection of stipes for a little extra challenge. Though I like the way the cup turned out, I'm going to have to stop myself from picking the rest of it apart. The danger of fussing to much is that sometimes rather than getting better, a painting can get worse. Knowing when to stop is a trick that I'm always working on.

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Apple Cup, Apple Harvest, Apple Still Life Painting, Ceramic Cup, Contemporary Painting, oil sketch, Painting, Painting Exercise

Reflecting on Cups

With the rain pouring down, I have a great excuse to lock myself in my studio and paint. Today's effort was a focus on the light on a couple of ceramic cups. I included the tomatoes because they add a great reflection to the side of the cup. The red color winks and makes it fun to paint. This painting is 5x7 inches on a Raymar canvas panel. Eventually it will probably be listed for sale with some of my other small still life paintings. Depending on the size and quality of the surface, my small originals usually range from about $24.00 to $145.00 for paintings from 4x6 to 11x14 inches.

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Canvas Panel Painting, Ceramic Cup, Ceramic Cups, Contemporary Still Life Painting, Kitchen Art, Oil Painting, Original Kitchen Art, Original Oil Painting, Painting Effects of Light, Painting Light, Painting on Canvas, Red Fruit, Small Painting, Small Still Life Painting, Still Life Tomato Painting, Tomato Painting, Tomato Still Life Oil Painting

Reflecting, A Contemplative Pear

Before I begin a painting, I like to reflect on how I will approach the subject. I always consider what kind of wash I will use, what kind of underpainting will take place, the color choices, mixes, composition, and what feels like a million other little decisions. This 5x7 inch pear painting represents those moments before I begin to paint when I'm contemplating the task before me. Sometimes a painting seems to create itself. Other times, not. Sometimes it turns out as planned, and sometimes I discover my plan was not well conceived. As I reflect on the outcome of my efforts, I can already see some changes that I want to make. Perhaps the subject will emerge again in a somewhat different composition, on a different size surface, with a different color combination, or with a different tint to the initial wash. There are a million choices that make painting a wonderful challenge, one I continue to enjoy day after day, painting after painting. When it dries, this painting will join some of my other small paintings at the Small Impressions Gallery at Etsy. Until then, I will be reflecting and preparing for my next challenge.

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Canvas Panel Painting, Color Mixing, Contemplating Art, Contemporary Fruit Painting, Contemporary Still Life Painting, Green Pear, Oil Painting, Original Kitchen Art, Original Oil Painting, Original Painting, Painting of Pears, Painting on Canvas, Pear Art, Pear Painting, Small Art, Small Painting, Still Life Pear Painting, Still Life Pears

Slice It

After a very busy week, it felt good to get back in the studio. This little painting seemed to jump off my brush. I love it when the painting is easy because there are a lot of days when it comes hard and nothing seems to go right. The painting is a small 4x6 inches and I noticed when adding the photo of it to my collection, there are a number of other little paintings that would make great companions. This one and this one are two of my favorites.  I love to create fruit still life paintings.

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Technorati tags:
Citrus Fruit Painting, Contemporary Fruit Painting, Oil Painting, Orange Slice Painting, Orange Slices, Orange Still Life, Original Oil Painting, Painting on Canvas, Small Art, Small Painting