Paper Apples,.....FINISHED!

This paper collage was so fun! It really drove home a lot of information on values and hues. 

A page from my sketchbook

 Just a quick sketch of the statue and flowers in my garden.

Postcards from France: View from the Terrace

View from the Terrace

This was painted in the evening from our terrace at Bonne Terre, looking past the roses at the edge of the terrace, over the tile roof of  M. Lamy's home,  toward Lacoste.  The sun was low in the sky and the light on the side of the clock tower in Lacoste was beautiful. Again, I was painting in acrylic and, again, the paint was just about drying on my brush. I was getting much faster with the painting as a result. lol   The next time we were in Apt I picked up some medium that slowed the drying time of my paint and mixed medium and paint in the tiny jam jars that I saved from breakfast. Parfait! That worked like a charm.

Postcards from France: Pont Julien Bridge

Pont Julien Bridge on the Domitian Way near Apt, France

The weather had been cold and rainy for several days with highs around 50 fahrenheit (10 celsius). Finally a day dawned sunny and absolutely beautiful. (Though southern France is beautiful in the rain as well, I must say.)    

We decided to go for a drive to Pont Julien so that I could paint and Joe could take photos. The sky was brilliant and the fields glowed red with blooming poppies.  It was certainly warmer! The temperatures soared to nearly 90 F. and the air was dry dry dry. The paint was nearly drying on my brush before I could even make a mark. It was a challenge, but also made the painting fun--no time to over-think or over-work. Decisiveness was absolutely required. A family with several children and a little dog were playing along the riverbank behind me. It was a lovely afternoon.

View of the Park

Roses Behind the Wall

Here is what I'm working on today, "Liliana"

Lily, painted 'older' than she actually is. She always seems older than she is to me, probably because those eyes are always taking everything in. She misses nothing. She is very wise for such a young girl. An "old soul".

Early Daffodils

6x8, acrylic

(Thanks for the little panel, Laura.) 

Flatirons

30x40, acrylic

First Warm Spring Day

24x18 oil on canvas

Much fun was had on this idyllic day within the garden wall on the first warm day of spring.

Afternoon Light

16x20, oil on panel

This building, a WPA project during the Depression, has since been torn down by our city government, rather than being repurposed. I was sad to see it go.

Apple Blossoms

Little Bird

5x7 oil

A Man and His Cat

14x11, oil

Sweetest Bouquet

5x7 oil on panel

An earnest boy chugging up the hill with his prized gift brought with all his heart. He'd carried it all over the property....a slightly bent, little bit squished sprig of something from the field. The sweetest bouquet.

Edge of the Field

watercolor on gray 140 lb CP

Girl in the Garden

Savannah Riverwalk

7x10 watercolor

First School Play, Portrait of Jack

He looked so cute in his Christmas tree tie and his argyle sweater. The tie was a bit askew by the end of the program, but the boys had gone to great lengths to show their ties to one another. Parents, grandparents, auntie and sister were all quite proud of the program and there were cookies and punch afterwards.

I met several challenges with this and I'm fairly satisfied with the result. :)