Nov 20, 2013

Cake Thief


A painting of my cat, Stella, looking for ways to take a bite of cake. Though she loves healthy things like Greek yogurt, she loves to indulge in carbs once in a while. Oil on 12"h x 18"w stretched linen. SOLD.

Nov 6, 2013

Asleep on a Blanket


My Oliver taking a nap on a throw blanket. I had brought it home recently as a prop for a painting, and of course, the cats gravitate toward anything new. The throw was intended for a different painting, but ended up in this one instead. Oil on 8"h x 10" stretched linen. SOLD.

Oct 4, 2013

Venice Canal I


To offset the dimly lit interiors I've been painting lately, I decided to do a series of bright Venice scenes. This is a 9"h x 12"w oil on stretched canvas.

Sep 20, 2013

Cafe Schwarzenberg II

A view of some people enjoying dinner at Cafe Schwarzenberg in Vienna. They make a very good pancake soup. Oil on 12"h x 9"w stretched canvas.

Sep 17, 2013

Sep 9, 2013

The Palace Bar II


A scene of some gentlemen having a drink at the Palace Bar in Dublin, Ireland. This was the very first pub I visited while there. My husband did not sleep on the plane, so he decided to take a short nap to ensure that he could keep up with the rigorous pub schedule I had planned. We only had two days to spend in Dublin and I didn't want to waste any time, so I did something I never thought myself capable of... I visited a pub alone!

At around 3:00 in the afternoon, I walked to the bridge to take photos while the sun shined, as the sun was very unpredictable that day. Clouds eventually replaced the sun, and my list of ten pubs to visit and photograph weighed on me, so I went to the easiest pub to find, which was the Palace Bar. Other than two gentlemen sitting at the front bar, and the few sitting in the back room, the place was not very busy. I sat on the stool at the bar closest to the door so I could make a quick exit if sitting alone felt too weird. I ordered a Guinness, which seemed like a bad idea while operating on only four hours of sleep, but the Guinness was on my bucket list so I took the first opportunity to order one. I sat and wrote in my journal and reviewed my existing photos while planning how to snap a few pictures of the bar without upsetting the regulars. The guys at the bar asked me if I was visiting, which broke the ice, and we had a pleasant conversation. I decided that nobody should be afraid to go to a pub in Ireland alone (everywhere else is a different story.) The guys at the bar even let me photograph them :) I juxtaposed one of them into this painting, he is the man on the far right. SOLD.

Sep 5, 2013

Cafe Hawelka IV


A scene from one of my favorite cafes, Cafe Hawelka of Vienna. I just Googled "paintings of Cafe Hawelka," and found tons of photos from different angles that I didn't even consider taking when I was there. I'm always under pressure to take photos in an inconspicuous manner to avoid getting kicked out for inappropriate behavior. This means I will have to stay in Vienna for at least a week because I will have to go there twice a day, sitting in a different seat each time in order to get all the photos I want. I may also have to wear disguises so they don't think I'm weird. Oil on 18"h x 24"w. SOLD.

Sep 1, 2013

Cat & Lamp


This is my Oliver cat sitting beside a lamp near the window. I generally don't like the cats to sit near the lamps for fear that they will knock the lamps down, but I let him sit here long enough to snap a few photos. Oil on 5"h x 7"w canvas board. SOLD.

Aug 6, 2013

The Long Hall - Study


This is a quick study of the Long Hall pub in Dublin, Ireland. I am painting a large picture of this and wanted to make sure the composition would work out. Instead of using black and white, as in my other recent studies, I included a bit of color to get a better feel for how the color will impact the large painting. Oil on 7"h x 5"w canvas board. SOLD.

Jul 26, 2013

Cape May Beach IV


A painting of Cape May beach at mid-day when everyone is out and about. People are pointing at the water; I think there were dolphins that day. Oil on 11"h x 14"w stretched linen.

Jul 25, 2013

Cape May Beach III


A view of the beach at Cape May, New Jersey from the ocean. It is late afternoon, and only a few people remain on the beach since the lifeguard has left. Oil on 11" h x 14"w stretched linen. SOLD.

Jul 23, 2013

Jul 21, 2013

Cape May Study I


I've started a series of studies. I literally have hundreds of photos that I want to paint from my travels. I've narrowed it down from thousands of photos. This will satisfy my need to paint them all right now. I plan to do larger, finished, color paintings of the ones I like the best. As an example, I will have the color version of this composition on 11" x 14" stretched linen finished this week.

These studies are on 5"h x 7" canvas panels. I used my black mixture, wiped out the light areas, used white on the brightest areas, transparent red on the intermediate colors and a bit of gray. These are fun to paint and take the worry out of possibly wasting a good canvas on a mediocre painting. After completing one of these, I'll know whether I will like the finished painting. Also, I often like the slightly abstract way a painting looks when I first start it. I'm often tempted to leave them that way, but of course I can't stop painting. This will allow me to experiment more with different styles. SOLD.


Jul 12, 2013

Cape May II


All I seem to want to paint right now is beach paintings. This is another scene from Cape May, New Jersey. I painted this from a photo that I took last year.

Standing in front of the easel, looking at beach images and listening to Chopin is almost as good as being there. I spent a summer at the Jersey shore in college and worked at a store on the boardwalk. I was often alone in the store that sold gifts and collectibles between the hours 5 and 6 pm. There weren't many customers during that time because they were usually leaving the beach to prepare for dinner and evening activities. So, I would stand by the counter with my coffee and look out the big window at the ocean while listening to Chopin. That particular music wasn't allowed to be played in the store because we didn't have that CD for sale and the owner wanted me to only play the music that was for sale. It was the only CD that I liked, so I didn't comply. Who knew that listening to Chopin would make someone a rebel? I hope my old boss isn't reading this. Oil on canvas on 6"h x 8"w Ray Mar panel. SOLD.

Jul 10, 2013