Little Green Bird

Green feathers and a startled eye attracted me to this little creature.  He's SOLD and has found new home, but you can view some of my other original paintings of birds and animals that are for sale by clicking here.  If you are interested in purchasing a print of this painting please visit here to view prices and size availability.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays! Today's painting is a sweet little snow scene that emerged from my imagination.  Here on the coast of the Pacific Northwest, we seldom get snow, so it is my imagination that takes me to this place.  The painting is 5x7 inches on a canvas panel. It has SOLD, but if you like this little winter scene, you may also like this one or this one, too. 

Little Blue and White

He's just a little blue and white bird.  I'm not sure what kind, but he was a delight to paint.  On a 4x5 inch canvas he was looking for a new home where he could get out of the cold and found one right away.  This painting has already SOLD, but there are more original paintings of animals and birds available in my Etsy Shop.   If you would like to purchase a print of this painting, please visit this link at my gallery of reproduction art.

The Palouse

Recently I've been working on a series of paintings that were inspired by the Palouse Region of Eastern Washington and Idaho.  I lived there for four years and grew to love the rolling grasslands.  At first it felt bare and empty.  After all, I was a girl raised amongst the evergreen trees of Western Washington.  We seldom saw the sky because of towering trees and endless gray clouds.  But, after having lived on the prairies of the Palouse for a while, I found a longing for them.  This painting is 5x7 inches on a canvas panel.  You can view it or make a purchase here.  Along with this painting are others of the same size, with a third  featuring a long dirt road.  In addition, I painted a larger, heavily textured 11x14 inch painting of the prairie that was a lot of fun and can be viewed or purchased here.  The collection is currently available in my Etsy Shop along with many of my other landscape oil paintings. 

Wild Birds

Painting birds is a fun little distraction.  This is one of a series of little 4x4 inch paintings of crows that I am  selling. This fellow has already SOLD, but you can see more little bird paintings in my Etsy Shop by clicking here. Or, you can by a print by clicking this link.

Sunshine and Snow

Early spring when there is still a little snow on the ground and the vegetation is just beginning to awake was the season I was trying to capture in this little oil painting.  Early April in Central Oregon provides the wonderful combination of sunshine and snow.  The painting is on a 5x7 inch gallery-wrapped canvas.  It has already SOLD, but I have more little landscapes for sale in my Etsy Shop. 

Red Brush

Another from the Dechutes River Trail series has come off the easel.  If anyone is familiar with the red brush that grows along the river at this Central Oregon destination, I'd love to know.  When everything has turned pretty desolate, these beautiful red shrubs poke their heads out and brighten the day.  This 8x10 inch oil painting SOLD at my Etsy Shop, but prints are available at my gallery at Fine Art America.  Click here to view available formats and sizes.

Hiking the Winter Trail

Today's painting is one of a series I've been working on. Last April my husband and I spent a week in Bend,Oregon. It is a great time of year to visit because by the time we cross the mountains into the high desert of Central Oregon, we are water soaked, skin wrinkled, pale shells of our former selves.  It is a delight to leave the drenching rains of Washington's coast and see a place where the sun comes out frequently and patches of snow still lay on the ground.  This 8x10 inch oil painting was inspired by a ten-mile hike up the River Trail in the Dechutes National Forest.  It was still cold and winter like, but we were amazed that we could be outside for an extended period of time, see beautiful landscapes, and not get wet. The painting SOLD at  my Etsy Shop, but there are other original landscape paintings available at  my Etsy Shop.  If you would like to purchase a reproduction of this painting, visit this link to view prices and available sizes.

Little Bird Fluff

SOLD

It took me a while to finish this little 4x4 inch oil painting.  In spite of its size, I couldn't decide on an effective color for the background.  I repainted it at least three times before settling on this yellow-green background. Now the fluffy little guy is settled in a warm spot of sunshine. 

Little Fox

Today's painting is 6x6 inches on gallery-wrapped canvas.  He is another addition to my series of animal portraits.  It is so fun to create these little paintings.  My son is my biggest fan.  If it were up to him, I think he'd like me to just pass them all over to him.  He has a goat, a gorilla, and I can't remember what all.  Maybe for the holidays I'll have to create something just for him. This fellow has SOLD, but there are some more animal paintings available at my Etsy shop .  Original little animal portraits can be viewed here. If you are interested in a fine art print of this little painting, they are available here.

Forest Service Road

SOLD

Maybe other states have special Forest Service Roads; I'm not sure, but for some of us, these rustic roads in Washington Sate lead to wonderful places.  They are great for traveling by jeep or motor cycle and sometimes lead to places where Christmas trees can be cut and hauled home.  Usually they are out in the middle of  nowhere and there is never a map, so one must travel with a sense of adventure and enjoy the sights, the wild life, and the delight of being far away from civilization.  This little 5x7 inch oil painting documents the scene of one of those wonderful Forest Service Roads.  The painting SOLD at the Daily Paintworks Auction, but you can see some of my other original landscape paintings by visiting my Etsy Shop.

Time for the Beach

 SOLD

November rains are keeping me inside, but I'm imagining warm summer beaches.  This little 4x4 inch oil painting takes me back to warmer days.  He has sold to a new owner who probably also wants to escape to some warmer thoughts,so he's heading south. To view some of my other paintings of birds and animals, visit here, at my Etsy Shop.

Red with Green

Today's 11x14 inch oil painting is a study in green, but to avoid a monochromatic result, I tossed a few red apples.  When the weather gets damp and ugly, I love to sit in my studio with the radio on and paint still life subjects.  This one is for sale and can be purchased from either my Etsy Shop or my Daily Paintworks Gallery. 

Good-bye Autumn

This week I finally had to say good-bye to autumn and hello to winter.  The rains have come to the Pacific Northwest.  The weather is wet, dark, and endless.  That's why today's little painting feels good.  It is bright and reminds me of the crisp days of fall.  It was fun to pile on thick paint and imagine something beyond rain.  It is 5x7 inches and can be purchased from my Etsy Shop here.

Ready to Hunt

It is the last day of the month, Halloween, and this cat is ready for the hunt.  He was created on a 5x7 inch Raymar canvas panel with professional grade oil paints. If you would like to adopt him, visit here.  I'm sure he's pretty good at keeping the mouse population down. 

Jack Rabbit

This is Jack. He lives in my neighborhood.  On sunny days passersby can sometimes catch a glimpse of him and his relatives.  He knows his way around and avoids the backyards where big dogs live.  He likes fresh grass and dandelions. This portrait of him is 5x7 inches and has already SOLD, but more of my little animal paintings are still available here. 

Bunny Thoughts

Here is number two in my little bunny portrait series.  I like this cute little Dutch Rabbit.  He looks a bit startled and is thinking about whether he should stand still or dart away. He was created on a small 4x5 inch canvas panel and can be viewed or purchased by visiting my Etsy Shop at this link.

Little Gray Bunny

When my daughter was small, she had several pet bunnies. Though they lived in a hutch in the backyard, she used to put them on a leash and let them walk around like they were actually trained or something.  They were really darned cute.  The memory of those cute little guys made painting this little one even more fun.   I couldn't wait for the paint to dry so I could share this fun little portrait.  He is on a 4x5 inch canvas panel and has SOLD, but I have several other bunny paintings that are drying and will be placed in my Etsy Shop as soon as the paint is dry.  It has been a fun little series to work on. Please visit. 

The Last Lily

With every day that passes, I think the last of the Day Lilies in my yard have come and gone. I've been quite wrong this year. We are having one of the driest fall seasons on record and the flowers keep on blooming. I love it! I was sure when I picked this one, it was the end, but that was weeks ago.  This small 5x7-inch painting is available for purchase here.  It was created on gallery-wrapped canvas and can be hung with or without a frame.

Pacific Coast Sea Stacks

One of my favorite places is the Pacific Coast.  From Canada all the way to Mexico, beauty is always there.  This miniature oil painting is 4x6 inches and was inspired by the sea stacks that are found up and down the Washington/Oregon coast.  I wish the cool mist and evergreens were in front of me right now.  This little painting can be purchased in my Etsy Gallery by clicking here.

Chickens in the City

Independent films and chickens are an odd combination, but I ran across this fun little documentary called Chickens in the City and it inspired my most recent chicken portrait.  This original painting is 5x7 inches and catches the evil eye of a wicked bird. There are lots of reasons why roosters are not allowed in cities, but this guy can go anywhere.  For purchase of reproductions of this painting, visit here to see prices and size availability.

Rooster Reproduction

For the first time, I'm exploring the option of selling reproductions of some of my paintings. I needed some note cards and decided it would be fun to have some of my paintings on the front.  Joining Fine Art America provided me with a lot of options.  I ordered the note cards that initially started me in this direction and then uploaded a few photos just to see how it works.  It ended up being really exciting.  Now folks can purchase canvas prints, acrylic prints, framed prints, art prints, metal prints, and greeting cards created from my paintings.  My goal is to photograph some of my larger paintings and begin to upload them for those who would like this option.  My new gallery at Fine Art America is here.  Please visit, I'll be adding new work as often as I can.  Here's the link to purchase reproductions of this guy.

Oregon Coast Pair

The Oregon coast has been a recent inspiration.  It has so many beautiful land formations, rocks, and sea stacks that I never get tired of exploring. This painting is5x7 inches and has already SOLD, but it has a companion on the same theme that can still be purchased.  Click here to view the companion. 

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Smith Rock Morning

Smith Rock is well-known to avid rock climbers all over the country.  In Central Oregon, this was news to me. I am not a rock climber and was totally amazed at what these climbers can do. If you hike the area, it is common to see people hanging off the walls as if they were related to Spider man. If you want to learn more about this amazing place, visit this site where you can learn about the "several thousand climbs in the [state] park.  More than a thousand [of which] are bolted routes."  My last visit to Smith Rock State Park inspired this small landscape oil painting.  It is 4x5 inches and was created with heavily textured paint.  You can see closeups of the painting and/or make a purchase by visiting here. 

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4x5, Central Oregon Landscape, Contemporary Painting, Crooked River, Daily Painting, Daily Painting, Smith Rock, Central Oregon

Bottle Collection

Painting glass is a lot of fun. I have a nice little collection of bottles and am always looking for different shapes and colors.  This little 6x6 inch painting shows a small selection of some of my bottles and a pear that my neighbor brought over from his tree.  The pear was sweet and the bottles were just plain fun to paint. The painting is 6x6 inches in oil and can be viewed or purchased here. 

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Prairie Pines in Central Oregon

The high desert of Central Oregon is home to sage brush and pine trees.  These two little pines are growing in a prairie just outside Smith Rock State Park.  I snapped a photo last July while watching my daughter competed in a 10k run.  It was early morning and the air was crisp, but the promise of a warm day hovered in the atmosphere.  It wasn't long until the long shadows of sunrise had disappeared and the heat of the day demanded relief. The painting is 6x8 inches on a gallery-wrapped canvas and has already SOLD. Visit my Etsy shop for more small landscape oil paintings.  There are more yellow landscape paintings at Fine Art America.

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Apple Harvest

In my backyard I have a funny little apple tree.  When we first bought the house, the previous owner claimed it produced five different kinds of apples, but they all look the same to me--green and underdeveloped, or red and bug eaten. The tree grows like crazy and every year we are hacking away at over grown branches.   This 11x14-inch oil painting was inspired by a recent apple harvest. Too bad they don't taste good. You can purchase this painting or view it in a gallery by clicking this link. There are more of my still life fruit paintings at Fine Art America.

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In the Golden

SOLD

Because the auction from last week was successful,  I offered this little 5x7-inch painting of a  lamb at sunset in the same auction format. It has already sold, but you can view some of my other paintings of animals, landscape, and still life at my Etsy Shop. 

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Windy Afternoon

Today's little painting is 5x7 inches and was inspired by a breezy September afternoon.  The sun is out, but there is a crispness to the air that says summer is almost gone.  It as already SOLD, but you can view some of my other small landscape oil paintings for sale here.

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Little Green Bowl

Painting glass, shiny objects,and roses are always on my list of challenging objects to paint. This 9x12 painting had all of those challenges, but what started my inspiration was the green ceramic bowl. Sitting on a shelf at the local Goodwill, it called to me and said, "I have interesting reflections; I am a delightful color; you should take me home." So, I did.  The paint is dry and the painting can be viewed or purchased here at my Etsy Shop.

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Hunting Auction

 SOLD

For the first time, I'm offering one of my paintings for sale in an auction format.  This little hunter was painted on a 5x7 inch canvas panel with professional grade oil paints.   He was inspired by the brave fellows who are always squabbling in my backyard.  Click here to view him in my Daily Paint Works Gallery.   Happy bidding. 

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5x7, Bird, Bird Art, Bird Paintings, Canvas, Canvas Panel Painting, Contemporary Painting, Crow Painting, Daily Painting, Oil Painting, Original Oil Painting, Raven Painting

Day Lily in Glass

Day Lillie's are one of my favorite flowers. They fill up the landscape and share massive blooms day after day. Although each flower only lasts a day, they are prolific at presenting a delightful collection of blooms every day for most of the summer. This dark red lily from my yard was my inspiration for today's painting.  A collection of little glass bottles seemed an appropriate accompaniment.  The painting is 6x6 inches and is for sale at Etsy shop along with some of my other still life oil paintings.  Click here to view it in the shop or make a purchase. 

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6x6, Canvas, Colorful Floral Painting, Contemporary Still Life Painting, Daily Painting, Floral Painting, Glass, oil painting, Small Kitchen Art, Small Still Life Painting, Still Life

Coming Soon

Fall is coming; the days are getting shorter, and it won't be long until we start to see the autumn colors.  This 11x14 gallery-wrapped painting was created with the season in mind. The original painting has been SOLD, but reproductions are available here. You can see more autumn landscape paintings at Fine Art America.

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Stormy Afternoon

The ground is wet, but the paint is dry on this one.  Inspired by the sky after a summer rainstorm, this painting is 9x12 inches on a gallery-wrapped canvas.  I remember how cool and fresh the air feels after one of these summer dousing--so refreshing.  Visit this link to make a purchase.

My Red Rose

In the summer, my backyard provides so many moments of inspiration for painting that I can't seem to paint them all before the garden changes and new things sprout and beg to be painted.  I clipped this single rose last night, set it on the table, enjoyed its beauty, and painted. The painting is 8x10 inches on a gallery-wrapped canvas.  It can be viewed or purchased by visiting this link.

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8x10, Colorful Floral Painting, Contemporary Still Life Painting, Daily Painting, Floral Painting, Gallery Wrapped Canvas, Loose Painting, Oil Painting, Original Flower Painting, Painting of Flowers, Painting of Roses, Red, Red Paint Art, Rose, Rose Painting

In the Kitchen

Working on the values in white ceramic and glass are always a good challenge.  My first attempt on this 12x12 inch painting was wiped out with a paper towel and a some mineral spirits.  When I finished the second attempt, I decided oil paint loves me.  It is so forgiving.  To go from a muddy mess of malformed objects to an entirely new painting feels really good.  Right now this painting is for sale at my Daily Paintworks Gallery along with my other 12-inch square paintings.  Most of my smaller studies are still available at Etsy. Click here to purchase this painting or view it in the gallery. 

Fruit and Mint

Click here to purchase.

Inspired by the unruly mint growing in my yard and the fresh nectarines on my table, today's painting includes a plant for which I am planning certain death.  If you've never grown mint, beware; it is a carnivore.  A few years ago, a friend gave me a small mint plant.  She warned me that it spreads easily, so I probably shouldn't plant it in the garden.  Instead I planted it in a small flower pot, assured that it would be great on my deck.  Needless to say, I was careless.  It went to seed and blew all over the back yard.  I didn't really pay too much attention, not knowing it could result in disaster.  The next year there were mint plants in the garden, plants that were not invited.  They were pretty and smelled nice, so I let them continue sharing a home with the rest of the yard even though they were not on the guest list.  Now, several years later, it has invaded the entire north side of the garden.  It is beautiful and smells delicious, but it is greedy and won't share with other plants.  So, as soon as the weather cools, this selfish little beauty will be pulled out, doused with Round-Up, and no funeral will be held.  The painting is 12x12 inches on a gallery-wrapped canvas and can be purchased here at my Daily Paintworks Gallery.  The paint is wet, so it will be several weeks before it can be safely shipped to a new home. I promise not to include any small starts or seeds.  Canvas and paint only. 

Vacation Painting

Nothing like a summer vacation, a fishing pole, and a paintbox to get relaxed.  This 6x8 inch painting was inspired by all of those.  Unfortunately, the paint is wet and I had to leave it drying at our summer getaway.  In a few weeks, I will  retrieve it and put it in my new Paintworks Gallery.

Fruit and Gallery Glitches

Visit this link to view or purchase in the gallery.

My gallery at Daily Paintworks Gallery is filling up nicely.  It is always a challenge when a new online venue is undertaken.  New procedures, glitches, and temporarily unanswered questions arise.  There is usually a learning curve of several days.  However, I must say, so far the experience has been great.  No glitches and no unanswered questions.

This painting is the third is my 12x12 still life series.  The paintings were created on a 3/4-inch gallery wrapped canvas.  You can view the others here and here.  All three are for sale  in my Paintworks Gallery. The subject of this one was a collection of fruit purchased at a newly opened fruit stand near my house.  The fruit is sweet and full of color making it delightful to paint and even more delightful to eat when I finished. 

Against Giants

Click here to purchase.

Today I have exciting news.  I've joined a wonderful group of painters and added a new selling venue for my art.  For quite a while now, I've contemplated joining Daily Paintworks and took the plunge today.  If I've clicked all the right buttons, work should be showing up in my Daily Paintworks Gallery tomorrow.

In my last posting I mentioned a series of 12x12 inch paintings I'd been working on.  This is another from the series.   I call it "Against Giants."  Both were created on 3/4-inch gallery-wrapped canvases.  I plan to have this series entered as some of the first paintings in my Daily Paintworks Gallery.  I'll be adding work frequently.

For those of you who follow my work at Etsy, I will continue to sell small format paintings at that site, too.

More Shapes and Colors

(Click here to purchase)

My last posting was a small 4x6 painting of roses from my yard.  As I mentioned then, painting roses is somewhat intimidating, but the flowers were so lovely, I took the plunge and chose the subject again.  The hardest part was the rose on the right.  I wiped it off a couple of times before it finally began to look like the side view I was interested in creating.  This painting is the third in a series of still life paintings in the 12x12 inch format. I'm enjoying the format.  When the paint is dry, it will be ready to hang.  Contact me at smallimpressions@hotmail.com if you have questions.

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Shapes and Colors

These beautiful roses are from my backyard.  They are big, full, and very dark red.  When my husband brought them in, my first thought was that I should paint them.  Then I had second thoughts.  Roses are tricky.  As I painted I kept telling myself not to over work them and to paint shapes.  I'm fairly happy with the results.  Now that the paint is dry,  they have joined the other small format flower painting for sale in my Etsy Shop.  The painting is 4x6 inches on a canvas panel. Click here to purchase or view it in the shop.

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4x6, Abstract Floral Painting, Contemporary Impressionist Painting, Contemporary Still Life Painting, Daily Painting, Impressionist Oil Painting, Oil Painting, Original Flower Painting, Painting of Flowers, Painting on Canvas, Red Still Life, Rose Painting, Roses, Small Format Painting, Small Still Life Painting

Dandelion Love

I love these little flowers; my husband hates them.  He's constantly yanking them out of the yard wherever they struggle to gain a toe hold.  Luckily for this little blossom, he chose to emerge in the parking down the street.  He had free reign to lift his face to the light, but then I clipped his life short so I could paint his portrait. I guess I'm no better than my husband when it comes to the life of a dandelion. The painting is 4x5 inches on a canvas panel.  It can be viewed in my Etsy Shop or purchased by clicking here. 

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4x5, American Painting, Bloom, Canvas Panel Painting, Colorful Floral Painting, Contemporary Still Life Painting, Daily Painting, Floral Painting, Flower Painting

A Little Imagination

While the rest of the country cooks, the Northwest is foggy and cool.  I've wanted to get outside and paint some sunny landscapes, but everything is gray, damp, and low contrast.  So, with the idea of painting outside fading, I created a little 4x5 inch autumnal painting using an orange under painting.  I used to use orange as an under painting fairly frequently, but then fell out of the habit.  This was just enough sunshine to brighten the gloomy nature of this summer.  This painting is for sale in my Etsy shop.  Click here to view it in the shop or make a purchase.

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4x5, Autumn Afternoon, Autumn Painting, Autumn Trees, Autumn Trees Painting, Contemporary Impressionist Painting, Contemporary Painting, Daily Painting

The Trouble with Green

In this little 5x7 inch oil painting, I was working on what I call "The Green Problem."  In the Pacific Northwest, we get a lot of rain.  It results in several delightful problems.  First, landscapes are often a cornucopia of green.  It is a big challenge as an artist to keep variety in my paintings with so much green.  Second, how do I mix endless greens from just a few colors?  This painting was inspired by morning sunshine on the grass along the Dechutes River in Central Oregon.  The grass was a brilliant speckling of green, thus a great subject for tackling "The Green Problem."  I used two blues and four yellows plus white to create the sun dappled grass and attempt to capture the brilliance of the scene.  I'm happy with the results of this little sketch.  The next challenge will be to find a composition that will work when scaled up. I'm not sure that this one will work.  New dilemma for another day. There are many summer landscape paintings for sale at Fine Art America.

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5x7, Abstract Landscape Painting, Bend, Oregon, Canvas Panel Painting, Central Oregon, Dechutes National Forest, Dechutes River, Dechutes River Trail, Green and Yellow Landscape, Impressionist Landscape, Impressionist Oil Painting