MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Every year for Christmas my husband surprises me with a new ornament. This is the newest addition...it kind of reminds me of the "Cat on a Dresser" painting that I recently painted. I just hope my real cat doesn't break it! Have a great Christmas everyone!

Fox Hunt

This was painted from a photo that my mother took at a fox hunt. Don't worry, no animals were harmed during the hunt, it is only for sport. Every time I planned to go with her I had to go somewhere, there was bad weather or it was canceled, so she let me use one of her pictures. This painting is on 24" x 30"canvas.

Cat and Drafting Table

This is my mom's cat, Preston. He is in her art studio by the drafting table that was supposed to be mine that I never took when I moved out. We believe that Preston is my cat's brother. They have the same eyes and noses. This oil on canvas is 8" w x 17" h x 1" d. SOLD.

Cat on a Dresser

When Oliver's scratching at the blankets doesn't wake me up in the morning, he jumps up on the dresser and threatens to knock my valuable perfume and other breakable items on the floor. Then he likes to scratch at his reflection in the mirror, which we refer to as Bizoliver, because it is like a Bizarro World Oliver. The painting is on 9" h x 12" w canvas panel.

Another Oliver Portrait

It is sometimes very difficult to get a picture of Oliver. It is a game for him to evade the camera. I'll point it to take the perfect picture, then at the last minute, he will put his ears back or look away. That is why his ears are back or tilted in most of my paintings of him. He looks a little surly, but that is just a facade, he is really quite friendly. This painting is on 16" w x 20" h canvas.

CAT ON THE COUNTER

Though Oliver is not allowed on the counter he jumps up when we are not looking to either look out the windows or to search for water in the cups and plates that are sometimes in the sink. The painting is 9" w x 12" h. SOLD.

The Hound with Two Hearts

The pattern on this Foxhound looks like a heart. So he has two hearts. The painting is on 9" w x 12" h canvas panel.

Messy Table

One of my favorite aspects of visiting museums is going to the museum cafe. There is nothing more luxurious than indulging one's eyesight in beautiful artwork and then sipping wine or coffee with a snack afterward. This is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. This painting is on 9" w x 12" h canvas panel. SOLD.

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Cafe Interior

We have three local coffee shops in addition to Starbucks. This is the interior of Cafe Amadeus. It is themed around Mozart and Vienna. The cappuccino, smoothies and Yerba Matte tea are among my favorite drinks there. The north light coming through the window perfectly accentuates the room. I love all three of my local coffee establishments equally, however, and encourage people to utilize all of them. Commonplace coffeehouse has a Clover machine, which seems to make more use of the coffee bean (I don't really know how else to describe it). Krangers has the best danishes this side of the Atlantic (as of 4/10, they have stopped making their danishes due to lack of consumption. It is a true tragedy!). Starbucks is always superb but I don't place it in the same category as our local establishments. I think maybe extraterrestrials had something to do with the divinity of Starbucks. Just kidding, I think. This painting is 9" w x 12" h and is on canvas board. SOLD.

Cat and instruments

It's amazing how cats can walk among the most fragile things and not break them unless they intend to. I often have finished paintings laying all over my studio floor to dry and am nervous that my cat will step on them. I rarely isolate him from my studio while I'm working there because he likes to hang out with me. He has never stepped on one of my paintings yet. He has knocked a digital camera from my dining room table, however, but it must have reminded him of a mouse. this painting is 20" w x 16" h. SOLD.

Charleston Pathway

This is actually a pathway to a graveyard. It is next to a church, but I can't remember it's name. This painting is 18" w x 24" h. This painting will be for sale on ArtQuiver.com on December 24th. SOLD.

Mountain of Cheese

My vision of heaven includes mountains of cheese and rivers of pino noir with lifesavers/rafts of pitted, oil-cured olives (do olives float?). This painting is 16" w x 20" h. This painting will be for sale on ArtQuiver.com on December 24. SOLD.

A Street in Charleston

My husband and I traveled to Asheville, Savannah and Charleston in September. Even heading for fall, the weather was very much like summer. In Pennsylvania, we had not experienced that kind of weather this year on even the most summery day. The palm trees (not exhibited in this painting) and the heat made me feel pleasantly far from home. This painting is 18" w x 24" h. This painting will be for sale on ArtQuiver.com on December 24. SOLD.

DINING ROOM

Another lamp in another window of the same Toronto restaurant that inspired the "Luminary" painting in July. It was the perfect day to finish this piece because it was dreary and rainy outside, and it would have been nice to go lunch in a restaurant like the one in the painting. I can't complain about the weather though, I just escaped the floods in the southeast United States. I just returned from a trip to Asheville, Savannah and Charleston. I was disappointed that the Biltmore Estate prohibits photography, even sketching!!! All I could do was take notes on the color schemes of the rooms that I liked. I wished that the Torchwood contact lenses existed in real life (from this year's five episode season) and that I had a pair. This oil is 16" w x 20" h. This is for sale at Emphasis Interiors in Pittsburgh, PA. SOLD

Ticket Booth

This painting is 20" w x 24" h. It is for sale at the Latrobe Art Center, Latrobe PA. SOLD.

Pennsylvania Barn

I'm getting in touch with my bucolic side. I'm more of a city girl at heart, but I can't deny where I'm from. 24" w x 18" h. No longer available.

What's on the Menu?

This couple is looking for a place to eat on a cold, rainy night. This oil painting is on 8" x 10" canvas panel. SOLD.

Cat on a Sunny Table

When Oliver tires of sitting on the window seat, he moves to the table for a slightly different vantage point. This painting is 8" h x 10" w and is for sale on Ebay. SOLD

On Guard

This museum guard spends his days guarding oil paintings, but probably did not suspect that he would end up in a painting (and also probably wondered why the heck I was taking his picture). This oil painting is on 6" w x 12" h x 1" thick canvas. SOLD.

Luminary

The lady in the window is a luminaire, and is the luminary of this painting. When it is cold outside in Toronto, the extravagant light fixture entices people to enter the cozy restaurant and have some bouillabaisse and a Merlot. From outside it appears to be a French bistro, but it is actually part of a very large, cafeteria style restaurant that serves any kind of food a person could want. SOLD.

Rainy Day in Manhattan

This oil painting is on 24" x 30" stretched canvas.

Noon at the Plaza

This is noon at the Plaza in NYC during a fire drill. This lone customer was served before the alarms went off and others, like myself, were not allowed to enter for a drink. This painting is 18" x 24" oil on canvas. It is for sale at www.artquiver.com. SOLD.

Old House

This oil painting is on 9" w x 12" h stretched canvas. It is a painting of an old house in a small Pennsylvania town. Sold.

It's Raining Dogs

This is a 6" x 8" original oil painting inspired by my recent trip to New York with my mother. It was very difficult to walk with an umbrella, hold a cup of coffee and try to take pictures while walking fast to avoid collisions with other pedestrians (especially my mom who kept trying to challenge me to an umbrella duel.) It was worth the aggravation though. I apologize to all the New Yorkers for being an annoying tourist, but it was for the sake of art. Actually everyone that we encountered on the trip was very friendly, and showed no signs of impatience with my incessant picture taking. This painting is for sale at The Artist's Hand Gallery in Indiana, PA. SOLD.

Rainy Day in Manhattan

This painting is 8" w x 10" h and is for sale on Ebay for $99. It was inspired by a recent trip to New York. I was sad at first that it was rainy, but then changed my mind once I saw the patterns of light that the water created. The umbrellas added to the architecture of the city (and helped to hide the cars in the streets so I wouldn't have to paint them all). Sold.

Imaginary Friend

This cat appears to be talking to his imaginary friend, who is seated in the chair. The oil painting is on 8" w x 10" h canvas panel. It is for sale on Ebay. SOLD.

In Need of a Tune-Up

This oil painting is on 6" h x 8" w canvas panel. It is for sale on Ebay, unframed. SOLD.

Cat's Eye View

This is how this dining room probably looks from the cat's perspective, when he is not capsized on the floor. This oil painting is on 6" x 8" canvas panel. SOLD.

Castling Bunnies

This is what the chocolate bunnies do when you leave for Grandma's house on Easter Sunday. If you purchase this it obviously won't be at your house in time for regular Easter, but it may arrive in time for Greek Orthodox Easter next Sunday, April 19. The oil painting is on 8" w x 10" h canvas panel.

Sunny Dining Room

This sunny dining room includes a cat, a candelabra and something happy to look at on a cold, yucky day like today was. It is 8" h x 10" w, oil on canvas board and is for sale on Ebay. SOLD.

Messy Dining Room Table with Cat

Cats are drawn the areas that you want them to stay away from. On one occasion, Oliver actually knocked a digital camera off the table. It broke, but it gave me a good reason to upgrade. I now try to keep the table as clutter free as possible, but sometimes things pile up as in this painting. This is oil on canvas...it is the 1 1/8 thick canvas, which could be left unframed. It is 5 1/2" w x 12" h. SOLD.

Cat with Slippers and Fishy Toy

Oliver the cat is resting from playing. He likes to play with this fish-toy that is attached to a string. He sometimes ducks behind things, as if he were in the wild and sneaking up on his prey. In this case, he had hid behind slippers to give Mr. Fish a false sense of security, which appears to have worked because he caught him. This oil painting is on 8" h x 10" w canvas board. It is for sale on Ebay. SOLD.

Composition in Red, Raw Umber and White

Red, Raw Umber and White are the main colors used in this painting. There is also a little bit of Naples Yellow. This 5" h x 7" w oil painting is on stretched canvas. SOLD.

Sitting Room

This painting was found...it was temporarily lost in the mail

This is the sitting area of the Priory bed & breakfast in Pittsburgh, PA. It is an awesome place to stay... they gave us free wine in the evening! This oil painting is on 9" h x 12" w stretched canvas and is for sale on EBay. SOLD.

Blue Shoes

These blue shoes are painted on 6" h x 8" w canvas board. This painting is no longer available.

Warm Interior

This interior, composed in warm colors is on 8" w 10" h canvas board. SOLD.

Wait for Me!

This dog hopes to go for a ride with his owner. The painting is on 8" w x 10" h canvas board. SOLD.

I Challenge You to a Duel

Who will win, the kitten or the metronome? I'm betting on the feisty cat. This oil painting is on 8" h x 10" w canvas board. SOLD.

A Smart Snack

This is the same Orange that I posted last month, but I added books and a bottle of wine, transforming it into a smart snack. It is 5" h x 7" w.

Room Service, Please

This bedroom is badly in need of room service. Even so, at least the morning sunlight bouncing off the walls creates a peaceful effect. The oil painting is on 8" w x 10" h stretched canvas. SOLD.

Golden Slippers II

This oil painting is on 5" h x 7" w canvas board. SOLD.

New Purchase

This box of shiny, new red shoes is on 9" w x 12" h stretched canvas. Shoes are the item that started my new Feminine Painting Series. My mother and I set up a still life of black shoes (see the painting, "Flock of Shoes" below), and a friend of hers joked that we should paint red bras to go along with them. I had previously thought about painting that very subject, and had even taken a couple of photos, but wasn't sure if it would fit in with my usual choice of subject matter. Then I thought of all the other stuff that is feminine that goes with bras and shoes, and decided to build a whole series around it, including cosmetics, purses, perfume bottles and jewelry. This theme fits around my past aspirations as well. As a teenager I was obsessed with fashion and wanted to become a fashion designer...it is what inspired me to start drawing. You can't tell that by looking at me now, since I am always in my painting clothes. I think this is fashion week in New York, so these paintings go along with current events.The seven paintings that follow are the first in my Feminine Series. This painting is no longer available.

Red Stilettos

Stilettos are best off of one's feet, they are impossible to walk in. I'm not even sure if these technically qualify as stilettos, but they are still prettier than they are practical. This oil painting is on 8" h x 10" w canvas board. SOLD.

Red Shoes

These red shoes are oil on 8" h x 10" w canvas board. This painting is no longer available.

Burgundy Top and Black Shoes on Dresser

I wanted to incorporate the lingerie, shoes and perfume into a room setting, rather than just focusing on those items alone as a still life. This way, it is still kind of a still life, but it is also an interior scene. This oil painting is 16" w x 20" h on canvas board.

Pink Bra, Black Dresser

This painting of a pink bra is 12" x 12" on canvas board.

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Blue Top, Black Shoes

This oil painting is on 12" w x 16" h stretched canvas.

Closet Interior

Another painting from my feminine series. It is 18" w x 24" h, oil on stretched canvas. It is available for $900 at ArtQuiver.com. SOLD.

Black Top, Red shoes

This oil painting is 12" w x 16" h.

Before Springtime in Paris

Not really winter, not really spring... it is before springtime in Paris. This oil painting is 16" h x 20" w and will be on the ArtQuiver website when it begins its operations in March. SOLD.