Smith Figs in Cool Light

"Family Heirlooms"

6"x 12"x 7/8" Oil on Gessobord

$230. 

Available on Ebay

A kind neighbor shared her Mom's garden figs with us and off to the studio they went before making it to the kitchen!! The bowl is the one piece left of my childhood dining set used many years by our family. I set the figs in a natural cool morning light and tried my best to keep my colors and value contrasts subtle. Super happy with this one!

Blue Creamer with Plums

"Three for Tea"

6"x 8"x 7/8" oil on cradled board

$148.50 available on Ebay

The creamer was a treasure spotted at a local antique shop, inexpensive but so much character and that color!! I collect so many objects ( common to all still life painters ) and some become favorites. Because this is "my" color it will undoubtedly reappear.

Grapes, Strawberries and Pottery

"Study in Grays Plus Strawberries" 

6"x 8" Oil on Gessobord

$195. available on Ebay

I have a desire to tone down my color palettes and achieve more neutral and grayed colors. This was a study to that end. I'm loving how this approach creates a vivid focal point when adding an intense color. 

Stay safe and be well. Enhance your quarantined environment with beautiful art. :-)

Plums Still Life With Old Bottles

"Plum Tonic" 

9"x 12" on wood mounted linen panel

$328.50 purchase on Ebay

I love these antique tonic bottles found among my family's things many years ago. I finally incorporated them with these gorgeous plums. I don't often see them with the blue surface intact, usually being washed and rubbed off.  Still life painters sure get excited about the most average day things! We hope to share that excitement with our viewers. 

Silver Creamer with Strawberries - Sold

"Silver Creamer with Strawberries"

6"x 8"x1/8" Oil on Gessobord

sold

Strawberries are in the stores again and beautiful. They seem to be a favorite subject in still life paintings and it is difficult to pass them by in the market while shopping. I almost feel guilt if I don't take them home and at least take some photos for a potential painting. These were paired with my dented silver creamer that has a mid-century vibe, another treasure found at an estate sale.

Strawberries and Candlewick Bowl - Sold

"Strawberries on Candlewick Bowl"

6"x 8" Oil on Gessobord

sold

Mom's Candlewick pieces are treasures and the addition of luscious red ripe berries made for a special painting. The shadows from the rim of glass balls definitely steal the show!!

Figs in a Bowl - Sold

"Heidi's Figs"

8"x 10" Oil on Gessobord

sold

Fresh figs from a neighbor! That's always welcomed with a quick set up for a painting. I loved painting the many color variations found on the succulent forms. I also took photos for future fig paintings. Stay tuned!

Peaches on French Cloth - Sold

"Peaches on French Cloth"

6"x 8" on RayMar canvas panel
sold

I finally have this one ready to go to a new home!! Getting her ready was much like me getting ready to go out and I need to try on several ensembles until I feel comfortable with the look. Three background colors were tried, grey, green and finally this blue shade. Fits perfect!! 

Strawberries in Silver Bowl - Sold

"Impressional Strawberries"

6"x 8" Oil on linen panel

sold

This painting was painted alla prima in one sitting. Focus was on the larger shapes and colors and less on detail while painting my first impressions of my arrangement. Going forward for a while I plan on painting more impressionistic and enjoying the juicy paint and larger strokes. This is a stretch for me but I'm enjoying the ride so far!!! More to come. 

( alla prima : Wet-on-wet. Direct painting is a painting technique in which layers of wet paint are applied to previously layers of wet paint. )

Orange Sections in Cool Light - Sold

 "Orange Sections in Cool Light"

10"x10" Oil on a RayMar Linen Panel

sold

Sorry for the poor photo, this being one of many. The orange sections are a slightly cooler hue in the original but I could not get that subtlety in this image. One of the important elements of this composition is the shadow shapes on the wall and table.  The cool vs warm light on the objects is what this painting is all about and what I have strived to represent. I hope you enjoy viewing it and thank you for visiting my site.

Happy and blessed holidays and Merry Christmas if that applies to you!

Three Peaches on Blue Background - Sold

"Peaches in December"

6"x 8" Oil on Gessobord

sold

That deep blue background makes the peaches pop and a perfect color for December.

Note that the photo is showing the foreground table edge darker than the original and there is a bit of black under the table side edge not apparent.

Blood Orange on Old Stool - Sold

"Blood Orange Swirl"

6"x 8" Oil on Gessobord

sold

Blood Oranges are the best of fruits for my taste ( literally and artistically ). They have so many colors to play with, the oranges, orange reds, purples and rosey reds. I just can't get enough of them but these beauties are not often available. When I do have a chance to purchase I paint some from life but take many photos of different compositions for future paintings, safely stored away in my blood orange file. If you are interested in this painting give me a note on my email. Thank you for visiting my blog!

Wild Pears and Pottery- Sold

"For the Picking"

9"x 12" Oil on Gessobord

sold

I find myself looking for fruit trees and certain flowers everywhere I go. Once I find a fruit tree such as a peach, apple or pear I remember where it is and go to borrow leaves or maybe fruit sometimes.  Often I'll use store bought fruit with the leaves of a certain tree for that freshly harvested illusion. On this occasion I hit the jackpot as this pear tree was in front of an abandoned house and the fruit was there for the picking. 

Three Peaches and Bottle - SOLD

"Peach Round Up"

8"x 8" Oil on linen panel

sold

Peaches in the South..... nothing finer than that!! The old bottle has been in the family forever and the painted bench I found in a little antique store in Brookhaven, Ga.

Raspberry Jelly in Bell Jar - Sold

"Bonnie's Homemade Jelly"

8"x 8" Oil on mounted linen

Sold

This subject revisited from a few years back- same image, different background and size. The perfect pop of color for your cozy kitchen. 

Strawberries and Silver Creamer Encore - SOLD

"Strawberries Encore"

6"x 8" oil on Gessobord

sold

This painting was commissioned by a collector who missed out on purchasing the previous 5x7 painting of the same image. I changed the size ratios of the objects to make a better composition for the new size of 6x8. I was especially happy to paint this one again, one of my favorite images. Several other previous works have been reproduce by request and each have improved a bit, it's a good practice!  

Red Grapes on Silver Pedestal Plate — SOLD

"Red Grapes on Display" 

6"x 8"x 1/8" Oil on Gessobord

SOLD

 I’ve been watching some art videos lately and was inspired to approach this still life a bit differently. I premixed my paint for the most part rather than mix as I go along and I blocked in color all over the canvas before finishing any one area. I’ll continue this my next painting—seems to keep my colors cleaner and see my all important values better. 

Two Green Pears - SOLD

“Two Green Pears” 5”x 7”x 1/8” Oil on Gessobord

Sold

This is another recent commissioned painting to pair with another pear painting I did for the client in the past. It is always a challenge to match the style, color and composition of pieces not in my possession any longer but archived photos do help. I’m stoked about the hues in this one! 

Two Pears on a Box -SOLD

"Two Pears on a Box"

6"x 6" Oil on Gessobord.
sold

It seems that pears are a favorite subject for both artists and collectors. The appeal for me is how unique each one is and the shape of the pear can be arranged in such interesting ways - much more interesting to me than all the round fruits. For some reason I think of the French countryside when I see pears depicted in art. I don't know why- I have pear trees all around me here in Atlanta. I'll just say that these are French pears and you'll believe me.

Cut Pomegranate

"Cut Pomegranate, Three Arils and Crown"

Click on images to enlarge.

5"x 7" Oil on gessoed board.

The loose approach to this subject is a departure from my last two pieces. Wow was this a challenge! I wiped and painted the background several times until the color worked, and those arils ( juicy sacs containing the seeds) were painted until too much paint on the board, scraped and painted some more. My favorite part is the foreground containing the three arils which I painted first and in about ten minutes. That's the way it goes sometimes. For now I'm really really done with pomegranates!