Enjoying a Pint

A enjoys a  pint in an Irish Pub. He seems to be a pub regular. Oil on 12"h x 9"w stretched linen. SOLD.

Busy Cafe

I painted this from a photo I took at Cafe Prueckel in Vienna. It was a lively and warm oasis on a cold, rainy October afternoon. Oil on 12"h x 9"w stretched linen. SOLD.

Docked in Honfleur II Study

A peaceful spring morning in Honfleur, France. Oil on 6"h x 8"w x 1/8" linen on panel. SOLD.

Bird Watching

A calico cat wakes from a peaceful nap to watch some birds. I'm sure after the birds left she promptly went back to sleep. Oil on 8"h x 6"w linen on panel. SOLD.

A Tourist in Venice

I painted this from a photo my mother took of me on our first day in Venice in 2007. I normally paint from my own photos, but occasionally my mom and I share photos, especially if we were travelling together and/or I am running out of subject matter. The photo I painted from was taken on our first morning in Venice. I wanted to capture the canals, the shadows of the alley and the red buildings, but he painting definitely needed a person in the lower left quadrant. I was already in the photo, so I just included myself in the painting. This is how I normally look while travelling... holding a camera, not smiling or taking selfies. I really don't have many pictures of myself on trips unless my mom goes with me. Oil on 11"h x 14"w stretched linen. SOLD.

Coffee Break

Two ladies take a moment to enjoy some coffee at a sidewalk cafe in Paris. Oil on 12"h x 16"w stretched linen. SOLD.

Venetian Courtyard

This courtyard in Venice is quiet and peaceful during the hottest part of the day. Oil on 18"h x 14"w stretched linen. SOLD. 

Venetian Tour II

Several gondoliers navigate through rows of docked gondolas to show visitors Venice's sites. Oil on 24"h x 30"w x 1 1/2" stretched canvas. SOLD.

Venetian Tour

It is rush hour, and the gondolas travel single file in the narrow canals. Even with a lot of other boats in the water, not many things are more romantic than a Venetian canal tour. Oil on 28"h x 22"w x 1 1/2"d stretched canvas. SOLD.

Docked in Honfleur

Docked boats in the marina at Honfleur, France.
Oil on 24"h x 18"w x 1"d. SOLD.

Afternoon at Sandbridge

A few people are still on the beach late in the afternoon at Sandbridge, VA. Oil on 6"h x 8"w linen on panel. SOLD.

Afternoon at Sandbridge II

A lady plays fetch with her dogs at Sandbridge, VA. Oil on 6"h x 8"w linen on panel. SOLD.

Afternoon at Sandbridge III

A mother and her daughter frolic in the waves at Sandbridge beach. Oil on 6"h x 8"w linen on panel. SOLD.

Afternoon at Sandbridge IV

A painting of Sandbridge Beach, VA. Oil on 6"h x 8"w linen on panel. SOLD.

Sunny Street in New York

Oil on 9"h x 12"h canvas on board.

Rainy Night in Manhattan

Rain scatters the light on the streets of Manhattan. Oil on 12" x 12" x 1" stretched linen. SOLD.

Rainy Night in Manhattan II

A light rain scatters the light in Manhattan near Grand Central Station. Oil on 12" x 12" x 1" stretched linen. SOLD.

Outside of Grand Central Station

Outside of Grand Central Station people bustle about, and fortunately there is a hot dog stand for a quick bite before or after hopping on a train. I liked the contrast between the warm lights of the building and the cool buildings in the background. Oil on 12"h x 9"w x 1" stretched canvas. SOLD.

At The Bakery

A painting of the display counter at Demel of Vienna. It is difficult to decide which dessert to try. One needs to stay in Vienna multiple days and just come back every day! Oil on 14"h x 11"w x 1 1/2"d stretched canvas. SOLD.

The Waiter

The waiter at Cafe Braunerhof of Vienna takes a moment to straighten the newspapers after the lunch crowd settles down. One cozy feature of Viennese cafes is that they provide a variety of newspapers for their patrons to read. At least that was the case when I visited in 2011, when tablets were slightly less widespread. SOLD.

Sunset in Sandbridge

This is a painting of kids maximizing their days on the beach by playing in the waves at dusk. I painted this from a photo I took on my first night at Sandbridge Beach. We had been in the car for eight hours, through rain storms, and all I wanted all day was to walk in the waves. So we checked into our house, I threw my stuff in the room, and ran to the beach. I apparently was not the only one with this idea, because even this close to dark, many kids and families were out, playing by the water. You could see the lights of the Virginia Beach boardwalk in the distance. Oil on 6"h x 8"w linen on panel.

Oliver Sketch

I did this sketch of Oliver a few weeks ago, before he became very ill. I was getting ready to go to the beach and thought I'd want to do some painting while there. Then I realized my good intentions to do work on trips never pans out, so instead of taking paint I decided to just take sketching materials and watercolor pencils, as they would take less luggage space. But I hadn't actually used watercolor pencils in a very long time prior to this sketch, and wanted to practice a bit. It was an enjoyable process, mostly due to the inspiration provided by one of my favorite models. I will miss him.

My Oliver

It is with great sadness that we had to put my beautiful Oliver to sleep yesterday. He has been very sick for the past month. 

He has been a great friend and member of the family for almost eight years. When my husband and I purchased our first house together, our first order of business was to get a cat. My mom had an abundance of cats at her house, mostly strays, and Oliver was the one we took. We had a sunny bay window in the dining room, and we determined it was the perfect place for cat naps. Not surprisingly, Oliver spent a lot of time there. My mom, who is also an artist, suggested that I should take pictures of him and paint him. I took her advice, and in addition to being a wonderful companion, he was a natural model, and provided inspiration for many paintings. 

I am grateful to all the people who have purchased paintings of Oliver over the years. I don't know if any future paintings of him will be for sale. If I do happen to sell any of them, I want Oliver to continue to help other animals, and I will donate part or all of those sales to the local Humane Society. 

Oliver in his sunny window.

Oliver also loved sitting on the dining room table because it was in the middle of all the action, and he always hoped people-food would appear. 

Playing with his favorite toy

A bit disappointed that my snack was not cat friendly.

Sitting in my art studio, keeping me company.

A New Seashell

A small girl hands her mother a new seashell for the bucket. I painted this from a photo I snapped at Sandbridge Beach, VA. Oil on 5"h x 7"w stretched canvas. SOLD.

Sandbridge Beach

This is a little different from some of my more recent beach paintings. It was painted from a photo I took in Sandbridge, VA on a recent trip. I was fortunate that every day had its own distinct weather, so I have some brighter days, some overcast days, some pretty sunrises and sunsets. This particular day was hazy and hot. Oil on 5"h x 7"w stretched canvas. SOLD.

Cafe Central

A painting of Vienna's Cafe Central at night. Oil on 18"h x 14"w stretched linen. SOLD.

New York City Cafe

The chef at a New York City cafe enjoys a moment of peace just before the big breakfast crowd hits. Oil on 9"h x 12"h canvas panel. SOLD.

Morning in Manhattan

I painted this view of  a Manhattan Street from  a reference photo I took on a recent trip to New York. I visited in March during the Affordable Art Fair. The weather was mostly overcast, but the sun came out on the last day, illuminating this vibrantly colored residential street. Oil on 18"h x 14"w x 1" stretched linen. SOLD.

Reading

A girl enjoys a book and a drink at a bar in Paris. Oil on 14"h x 11"w x 1 1/2" stretched canvas. SOLD.

Taking a Break

This gondola gets to take a break in a peaceful Venetian canal. Oil on 8"h x 6"w linen panel. SOLD.

Taking a Break

This gondola gets to take a break in a peaceful Venetian canal. Oil on 8"h x 6"w linen panel. SOLD.

Unexpected Wave

All the kids are frightened of this unexpected wave. The man carries his child to the shore to get a closer look at the wave that almost sweeps a girl off her feet. Oil on 6"h x 8"w linen panel. SOLD.

Cape May Castle Construction

Moat? Flying buttresses? This couple discusses what features to add to the sandcastle they're building on Cape May, NJ beach. Oil on 5"h x 6"w linen panel. SOLD.

Miami Beach II

People escape the hot sun of South Beach under colorful umbrellas. I love the contrast between the umbrellas, trees, and the light colored buildings. Oil on 6"h x 8"w linen panel.

Camo Cat

Maybe I should change her name to Steltha, since my Stella cat stealthily hides herself on a throw blanket. Oil on 3"h x 5"w canvas board. SOLD.

Miami Beach

A painting of people frolicking on Miami Beach. There was a lot of seaweed on the shore that day. On our way home from our trip to Curacao in the fall, we had a long layover in Miami, so we took the bus to the beach for one last beach walk before flying home. Oil on 6"h x 8"w linen panel.

Saturday in Vondelpark

A great way to relax on a sunny, warm Saturday in Amsterdam is to stroll through or picnic in Vondelpark. The building in the background has a restaurant and bar, and you can sit on the big porch with a drink. Oil on 12" x 12" x 1 1/2" stretched canvas. SOLD.

Sunny Day in Bruges

People mill about the city of Bruges to enjoy the sun and the blossoming trees. Oil on 11"h x 14"w composite board. SOLD.

Morning Bike Ride in Deauville

A  lone man rides his bike through the early morning streets of Deauville, France. Oil on 11"h x 14"w composite canvas board. SOLD.

Cat on a Messy Table II

This is a painting of one of my mom's cats. I went to her house one Sunday and looked through a giant stack of art magazines, thus leaving a huge mess on the table. And you know what cats like to do when they see you reading a magazine... they like to sit on the magazine so you can't turn the pages! Oil on 11"h x 14"w stretched canvas. SOLD.

Cake Thief II

Leave it to Stella to try to eat the cake in my still life. She loves carbs. Please note that she is not licking a sharp knife... it is actually a very dull cake server and I intervened before she made contact (I just don't want animal rights activists to have reason for concern. I would never put my babies in danger!) Oil on 11"h x 14"w stretched canvas. SOLD.

Happy Hour

It's a little after 4:00 on a Friday... almost time to visit this guy! Oil on 9"h x 12"w panel. SOLD.

Going to the Louvre

This was painted from a reference photo I took while walking to the Louvre. Oil on 18"h x 14"w x 1" stretched linen. SOLD.

The Road Through Pig Town

This is a road that runs through a small Pennsylvania village. The locals used to refer to it as Pig Town because many of the townspeople used to raise pigs. I heard the name originated almost one hundred years ago when the town doctor went to a house to deliver a baby. When he entered the room to see his patient, pigs ran from under the bed and scared him. Oil on 9"h x 12"h panel.  SOLD.

Wexford Farm

Early morning on a farm in Wexford, Ireland. Oil on 9"h x 12"w panel.

Crossing Times Square

People wait to cross one of the intersections in Times Square on a rainy day. Oil on 12" x 12" x 1 1/2" stretched canvas. This is one of the paintings UGallery sent to the Affordable Art Fair in New York City! SOLD.