"Snail Fountain" - SOLD

I've been hearing some grumbling that I don't do enough landscapes (you know who you are). So last night I painted this one Alla Prima (all at once) with oils. It's from our trip to Vancouver several years ago when we visited the Butchart Gardens on Victoria Island in British Columbia. The gardens are beyond description; they are so stunning. I haven't had my oils out for awhile and really enjoyed using them again.

"Galveston Boats" - SOLD

Thanks Cheryl for purchasing "Galveston Boats" - I know you are sick and tired of the cold and snow in PA! May this warm your heart a little. It will be there before Christmas.

"Italian Architecture"

Last year I snapped a photo of this building in Italy. I can't remember what town this was, but I liked the way it looked. Since it's only a couple of weeks before I leave again for Chianti country, I'm trying to get my head back into the country. Ciao!

"Mountain Cabin" - SOLD

This is the companion piece to "Big View". I probably should have posted them together. Once again, thank you for the opportunity to paint your favorite place. It was a fun piece.

"Big View" - SOLD

This is a painting done for a very dear friend. This is his favorite view and I did my best to capture it on canvas. Thanks for the opportunity and I wish I was really there in that water!

"Painter's Portrait"

I think this may be me melting in our 105 degree weather. What I wouldn't give to be back in the mountains right now! There are actually several hours/day I can't paint in my studio right now because the A/C just can't keep ahead of this heat. Hope you enjoy the image.

"Abstract IV"

I'm baaack! Had a wonderful trip in the mountains where it never got hotter than 80 degrees. I'm not a happy camper being back in this 105 degree weather. Someday I'm going to have a cabin in the mountains to escape these dreadful summers. This abstract is my 4th of July mood. It's another one that can go in different directions so I didn't know where to sign it. As I'm painting these, I constantly turn the canvas in different directions. That's why there's no real top or bottom. You just turn it however you like it.

"Chat Sign"

This will be my last post for this month. I'm leaving tomorrow for a 4 day retreat in a COOLER climate. Can't stand these 105 degree days! This is another version of the "Chat Gourmand" restaurant sign in Aix in Provence. I would call this a fun piece of "kitchen art". He's a happy cat, but has a mischievous look in his eyes.

"Granbury Park"

This is a plein air painting of the park located across the street from the Iron Horse Inn B&B in Granbury. On this outing I almost stepped on a snake while setting up my paint gear. It was a close one, but we managed to miss each other. I think the snake had right of way.

"Fixer Upper"

This is a plein air painting done in Granbury. It was someones home at one time; now it sits abandoned across the street from the train depot. It was just too rustic to pass up. We got there at 7:15 am and painted until the stroke of 9. Then we raced back to the B&B for our gourmet breakfast. We lucked out on this location, there was a small breeze in the morning that kept the mosquito's away. It's so much easier to paint when you aren't being dive bombed.

"Tropical Calla Lilies"

This one went thru several versions before I got to this point. This is definitely not the scientific version of the calla lily, but it's a fun one!! Enjoy!

"Unfurling"

It was hard to decide which way to display this one. My husband liked it vertically, I liked it horizontally, but it can go upside down too. It was painted as a non-objective design,, but it has the feeling of bird of paradise. Guess it's just up to the viewer what you see and which way you want to look at it!

"Bolivar Lighthouse" - SOLD

This is(was??) the lighthouse on Bolivar Peninsula before Ike hit. We haven't been back to see if it is still standing. We've been wanting to revisit Galveston but have been so busy here, we haven't had the time to make the trip. I think my computer is FINALLY fixed, so I can post again regularly. What an uphill battle this has been - 2 calls to India, one trip to the IT guy, 2 visits from Time Warner, hours of my time & frustration and . . it's working!

"Cruisin" - SOLD

This was painted from a photo I took at Moody Gardens aquarium in Galveston. My friend who knows her fish pretty well says the blue/green fish is a parrot fish and the other one is a trigger fish. I don't have a clue, so it sounds good to me.

"Castillina Church Tower"

Castillina in Chianti has their famous church tower. This was the last on site painting I did before leaving this wonderful land behind. We set up our easels off the side of the road and painted this scene. In between brush strokes and many ankle bites we met people from Austria, Germany and Canada who stopped by to visit and take a peek. Most were serious bike riders and all were enamoured with the whole "en plein air" painting technique. We met so many friendly people and they all just loved painters!!!

"Chianti Italy"

This is a piece of one of our views from the Villa. This was done from the vantage point of our back patio, looking down and then the terrain went up in the distance. Nice trick trying to capture it on canvas. Wonder who lives and farms here.

"Texas Hill Country"

This will be my last post before leaving for Italy. I chose this painting because it's cheerful and bright and in total contract to what's been occurring. It's been such a depressing weekend watching our beloved Galveston being ravaged by Ike. As most of you know, that is where David and I go most often for our R&R. It will be many years before this town will be healed and rebuilt. So very sad.

"Canyon Ranch - Spring"

This is my version of a classic Texas spring day at Canyon Ranch. A couple of years ago when we actually had rain, the hill country was beautiful. This painting was done from one of my photos that year. Thank you Carol Marine for nominating me for the "Arte y Pico" blog painting award. I have had some new visitors!!

"French Food"

Mmmm. The time is drawing near and soon it will be time for this year's Italy painting trip! To help get in the mood, I painted one of the wonderful lunches we had at last year's France trip. Always fresh, nicely presented and sooo good. I'm definitely "in the mood".

"Ajijic Fireplace"

While visiting Ajijic Jalisco Mexico we met many Ex-Pats who lived in extremely colorful homes. I was so taken with the bold unusual color combinations, I bought a book showcasing the interior homes in the area. This is just one of the many colorful interiors. Credit goes to photographer and author Alison Pickering for her work I painted. If I lived there I would paint my house in bold & beautiful colors too, but somehow I don't think I could get away with it in Round Rock.