Tufted titmouse

Tufted titmouse, oil on gessobord, 6"x6"

This is the first of the bird series that I painted, but it got lost in the shuffle of painting more of them and taking pictures of the pieces. So here it finally is, the little songbird, in all its glory that sparked me to losened up and concentre on a single image (with no eye-glasses). I worked on a few birds over the weekend, so more to come. 

American Kestrel

Well, as my luck would have it, I had a minor incident where my glasses broke in my frozen pocket when I was shoveling away the blizzard off my sidewalk.  I've ordered a new pair which will get here soon. In the meantime, I am sticking with easy compositions to paint, as detail strains my eyes and I don't have as much visual endurance.

So looking at the bright side, I shifted gears to a small series I've been wanting to paint for a while, and have been trying to "fit" it in.  Better late than never :-)

American Kestrel, oil on gessobord, 6x6"

Birds of all kinds have always fascinated me. Probably because I am always looking up at clouds, changing sky, etc. and they are always darting through. Plus, most of them sound lovely.  The American Kestrel is also known as the Sparrow Hawk, but is a small falcon. They are occasionally seen in the area of Louisville where I live, urban hunters looking for mice or small birds. 

Mr. Up-to-No-Good

Mr. Up-to-No-Good, oil on gessobord, 6x6"

This is the 2nd in my series of bird "portraits". It's been a fun and interesting change for me. I hope you like it!

Snowy Road

Snowy Road, oil on gessobord, 10 x 10"

I started working finally on one of the "bigger" Ampersand gessobords that I bought myself for christmas. It is a bit of an adjustment, but at the same time it felt like it was the right time to paint a bit bigger.  People have asked me in many different, creative ways why I don't paint in a larger format.  The main reason is money.  When I decided to paint on a daily basis, I really attempted to complete at least one work per day, and the only way I could afford that was to paint small.  Oil paint itself is a huge expense and the gessobords that I use and love, rapidly escalates in price as the size increases. So I have to wait until I can splurge on a bigger size board. It's pretty simple. 

Snowy Road took about four days to complete all in all. I will let the pictures speak for themselves; they document the painting as it evolved.  I loved painting the snow as it was waaaay more colorful then the naked eye can see!

Snowy Road day 3

Snowy Road day 1

 Snowy Road, sketch

Winter Lake

Winter Lake, watercolor and pastel on watercolor paper, 

8x8 inches

I have painted this image several times. It always jumps out from my photos as I search. It seemed like the right thing to do to try it again with pastels and watercolor.  I like the differences that the medium brought -- it's equal parts calm and animated.  Not bad for the middle of a tremendously cold winter. 

Happy Birthday to my daughter Reid, who turns 17 today!  Reid is a junior in a Visual Arts Magnet program at her High School. She recently won a Scholastic Gold key for a painting she did (sadly I don't have a photo), and a Silver key for a multi-media (mostly textiles) portrait piece.

Bridge in the Woods, watercolor and pastel on 

watercolor paper, 6x8 inches

I found an old photo that I had taken in January, when everything was brown and grey. Sound familiar?  There is always color to be had even during the grey days. 

I have been working towards a more abstract execution. Or at least that is my projected goal. I think with each of these little paint/pastels, I feel I am accomplishing this while I am in the middle of working on it. When I view the finished product though, it's still too tight. Rome wasn't conquered in a day. On I learn.

Ode to Jim Dine

Ode to Jim Dine, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

Happy Valentine's Day!  I send love to all my readers and friends. 

I have always loved the simple heart images that Jim Dine painted, printed and built over the years. It's the alter-ego of Robert Indiana's LOVE sculpture. 

And to honor my version of the saint who's day we commemorate (patron saint of beekeepers, who is often represented with birds and roses :-)) I painted these hearts.