Latest Off the Easel

 Cozy  16x12  oil

 Loved  11x14  oil

Two more pieces recently finished in my "Mother and Child" series.


Other good news:  
Sherwoods Gallery in Houston, TX now has some of my still life pieces for sale at their gallery.

Recently Painted

I painted "Spanish Moss" (top) from photos I took while in Charleston this spring. The painting possibilities with these old live oak trees are endless! 

Then I found some "Italian Plums" at the grocery store. We used to eat them quite often in the fall when I was a kid. So sweet and delicious! They are also called pruning plums since they are the plums that are dried to make prunes.

Mother and Child Series

"Mother and Child" is my latest painting series. These are available at Edward Dare Gallery in Charleston, NC.

More from Charleston

Here are two more pieces I painted from our trip to Charleston in April. I need to tackle more of the dappled shadows on the outdoor walls--it's challenging, but fun!

Charleston

A recent trip to Charleston and Savannah gave me lots of inspiration to paint some scenes from there. Here are four that I recently completed. They are such beautiful, charming cities!

OPA 2016 Eastern Regional Juried Exhibition

Late Afternoon,  oil,    12"x16"

Just got word today that my painting titled "Late Afternoon" has been juried into the Oil Painters of America's 2016 Juried Exhibition. I painted this of my daughter a few years ago, trying to capture the feeling of the late afternoon sun shining in on her from a window. 

This year's show will be hosted by Eisele Gallery of Fine Art in Cincinnati, OH from Sept 9 - Oct 8, 2016. All the accepted entries in the show will be for sale. For more info, contact Eisele Gallery.

Plein Air Season!

I painted these two 9x12s on location at the Memphis Botanic Garden last weekend with some of my fellow plein air painting friends. The weather couldn't have been better. There is really nothing more enjoyable for me as an artist than painting outdoors on a beautiful day! Hope I get out there a few more times before the suppressing heat begins.

This one was painted from a photo I took on a trip a couple years ago to upstate NY where my husband is from. Tried to pretend I was painting outside, but it wasn't the same!

Handwright Gallery

I'm so happy to be added to the artist roster at Handwright Gallery in New Canaan, CT. Six of my plein air landscapes are there for sale. Their website is www.handwrightgallery.com.
Above are two of my latest pieces: A scene painted from a photograph I took on a drive through central Pennsylvania, and another "Tulle" painting! I think I'll take a break from the tulle for now, but it was a fun series to paint!

OPA National Exhibition Acceptance and More Tulle!

Very excited! "Veiled Beauty" above was juried into the OPA National Juried Exhibition which is in Dallas from May 13 - June 15, 2016. Wasn't sure if the tulle would work, but got lucky! Did another small 12x12  above in a similar pose. So fun to paint. I've got one more on the easel which I'll post soon.

Veiled Beauty

I got inspired to paint this from a photograph I saw of a little girl in a costume with a veil over her head. So headed to the store, bought a piece of "toile", and snapped some quick photos of my daughter and the toile. Got some pretty interesting shots. I recently entered this one into the OPA National. Fingers crossed!

New Miniature Still Lifes

Here are some more small still life paintings from the past few weeks. I've really been enjoying painting these, but I think it's time to get back to portraits!

Portrait Society of America Award!

I am overwhelmed with the news that this commissioned portrait I entered into the Portrait Society of America's Members Only Competition for 2015 received the 5th place award. I just love painting portraits and this award adds to my motivation to continue!
Thanks for looking!

Pomegranates and Pears

I've been in the still life mood lately. These little pieces were done last week. So fun to paint those pomegranate "arils". Plus we had them with dinner and they are pretty good!

Crab Apples

Here are a couple little 9x12s I recently finished using some crab apples I found. I discovered that since we Westerners read from left to right, it is a good idea to leave some empty space to the left in the composition to give your eye time to see the objects. Interesting!

"en plein air" part 2

Here is the second batch of little plein air paintings I've done in the past couple of weeks. Painted in Hernando and Southaven, MS and at the Memphis Botanic Gardens (Japanese gardens). Challenging, but fun!

"en Plein Air"

With the heat of summer now finally over, I've been having a great time going out and painting "en plein air" (in open air). It is such a fun experience! With the light changing so fast, it's necessary to finish a painting in less than 2 hours. The top piece was painted at Olive Branch City Park. The next 2 were at Central Park in Southaven, MS, and the bottom one just off the town square in Hernando, MS. I'll post a few more shortly that I also recently completed.

Two New Exhibit Acceptances!

More exciting news! "Morning Window" above was recently juried into the 2015 OPA Eastern Regional Exhibition and "Shaded" above into the 2015 OPA Salon Show! Coincidentally, I painted both of these from a photo shoot I did of my daughter on the same day at the same location last summer. The place had such great lighting -- it's all about the lighting!

2015 MGAL National Award

I was so fortunate to receive the Suntrust Bank Award for the above painting titled "Vintage" in the 2015 MGAL National Juried Exhibition! The reception Saturday night was well-attended and an enjoyable evening at the WKNO Studios' gallery where I got to visit with so many local artists & friends!

Bright

I know this seems like a strange title for a painting with so much dark in it, but I named it for the brightness of her white shirt. (The photo didn't capture the brightness of it unfortunately.) This was very fun to paint! I tried to make the white shirt interesting since it is the painting's focus. I wanted the face, hair, and background to become one large dark mass. I think it came out pretty good.

Laid Back

I recently joined a group of artists who hire a model weekly to pose while we paint. It's been a while since I painted the model from life and it is such a great experience! I did this one a few weeks ago and I have another one from last week that is currently drying.