Beyond Black and Orange, part 1

Hello! I admit I've set aside the palette knife to get some Christmas projects finished. There are quilts to finish, and I'm co-chair of a Christmas tree for a silent auction to benefit a local charity. Plus, I'm trying to get outdoor projects finished before the weather changes. Whew! I'm revisiting a few paintings with an autumn flair that I did early this year.

So many people are using more and more whites and cool grays in their homes now. So how does that work with kitschy, typical black and orange Halloween decorations? Not so great. How about a subtle nod to the season of spooks?

Orange Figures

Acrylic on canvas board, 5 inches by 7 inches

Available

White Lilies in Brown Vase

More lilies for you today. It's so much fun to play with color combinations of the background and vase.

White Lilies in Brown Vase

Acrylic on canvas board, 8 inches by 10 inches

Available

Once again, painted entirely with a single palette knife.

(detail)

White Lilies in Green Vase

I had so much fun with the Stargazer Lilies, that I tried again in a different color scheme. 

White Lilies in Green Vase

Acrylic on canvas board, 8 inches by 10 inches

AVAILABLE

Sometimes, it's refreshing to work a painting with quick and gratifying results. Here's the close up...

Stargazer Lilies in Yellow Vase

I vaguely recall meeting with the florist when I was a young woman as I made my wedding preparations. I told her I wanted roses in my bridal bouquet. She sighed and said roses wouldn't hold up well all day and recommended using Stargazer lilies in addition to the roses. She pulled one out of the floral cooler and upon seeing it, I agreed.

Too much of my wedding day is a blur, but two things I remember: 1) That bouquet was heavy, and 2) The SMELL of those lilies! They were pretty but so pungent!

Stargazer Lilies in Yellow Vase

Acrylic on canvas panel, 8 inches by 10 inches

Similar lilies grew in our former garden, near the gate so I could enjoy them often, but not too close to the deck where we could smell them. I reused a canvas panel from I painting I wasn't happy with and unfortunately, some of the raised parts of the previous painting showed through on the new painting. No matter, I still had fun painting and reminiscing. Enjoy a close up...

Hollyhocks

I've never tried growing hollyhocks. I never had the right conditions for them (too much shade at the back of the garden). I just admire them in other people's gardens.

Hollyhocks

Acrylic on canvas board, 8 inches by 10 inches

Available here

Have a close up...

(detail)

Landscape with Purple and Orange

Let's start the week with a colorful landscape. Stay tuned...I have three new paintings I just finished and I'm very excited about them.

Landscape with Purple and Orange

Acrylic on canvas board, 11 inches by 14 inches

Available

 

Orange Tulips

I'll admit it, I paint tulips when I want the satisfaction of finishing a painting quickly. Today, the tulips are orange since I had a bit of orange paint leftover from another project. 

Orange Tulips

Acrylic on canvas board, 8 inches by 10 inches

Available

I like playing with the highlights and shadows, but I've made a promise to myself to give them a break for a little while. Have a close up...

Sunset Upon Field

Purple, green, orange, and blue are some of my favorite colors. Actually, most of my wardrobe is either black, purple, teal blue, green, or orange. A little red. Some grey. Virtually no white, yellow, and brown.

Sunset Upon Field

Acrylic on canvas board, 8 inches by 10 inches

Available here

 So if I found a scarf in the colors of this painting, I'd do a happy dance. Have a close up...

(detail)

Purple Tulilps

Spring long ago wilted into full blown summer, but we can still enjoy the memory of tulilps.

Purple Tulips

Acrylic on canvas board, 8 inches by 10 inches

Available here

Some paintings I finish with a "Meh." Others feel like an accomplishment. The rest are just joy.

This one was a joy! Have a close up...

(detail)

Sunset, Orange Glow

I have a colorful sunset to share today.

Sunset, Orange Glow

Acrylic on canvas board, 11 inches by 14 inches

Available here

This painting started as one idea, and it took on a life of its own. Sometimes that's how it goes. Have a close up...

(detail)

Mini Sweeping Sunset

Originally, I was going to title this one "Sweeping Sunset," but that gives the impression of something on a grand scale. So it became...

Mini Sweeping Sunset

Acrylic on canvas board, 5 inches by 7 inches

Available here

It sort of turned out to be a companion to Lone Tree at Sunset. And here's a close up.

(detail)

Lone Tree at Sunset

I decided to take a few weeks off to enjoy the last days of spring before summer was in full throttle. I don't regret it since now it's hot, hot, hot. Let's think about a cooler place today.

Lone Tree at Sunset

Acrylic on canvas panel, 5 inches by 7 inches

Available here

Bonus: I have a companion piece coming soon!

Used Wooden Palette II

Happy Friday! I have a freshly used and abused palette available!

Used Wooden Palette II

Acrylic on Wood, approximately 12 inches by 15 inches

Available here SOLD

Yellow, Family of Four

After working on paintings with a lot of more intricate palette knifework (like Poppies in Evening), I like to give myself a break with something more fluid and abstract. Hence the following...

Yellow, Family of Four

Acrylic on canvas board, 11 inches by 14 inches

Available for purchase here

Madam on the far right turned out looking like Venus de Milo. I popped this one into a spare frame to get a feel for it on display.

(display suggestion)

Orange Figures

Originally, I intended this to be an abstract small landscape to use up the paint I had from "Orange Coneflowers." When it was finished, it looked like the ethereal figures of three people. And I can't unsee it now.

Orange Figures

Acrylic on canvas board, 5 inches by 7 inches

Available here

I popped it into a frame to see how it looked. It's one of my favorites now.

(display suggestion)

Diving for Love

This is a slight departure on my usual palette knife painting. It's a combination of palette knifework and hand carved stamps.

Diving for Love

Acrylic on canvas board, 5 inches by 7 inches

Available here

The background is palette knifework with a pretty substantial texture. I'd made a pair of handcarved stamps with these diving swallows several years ago that fit the size of this canvas nicely. The border was created by scraping the width of a palette knife perpendicular to the edge. It was a fun diversion to my usual work.

Orange Coneflowers

Here's a trio of perky orange coneflowers to share today. It's smaller painting I whipped up using leftover paint from earlier paintings, although I think I usually wind up using as much material as I would have if I'd started from scratch.

Orange Coneflowers

Acrylic on canvas board, 5 inches by 7 inches

Available here

When I finish a larger piece, I'm usually left with dibs and dabs of paint, so I'll work them onto a smaller canvas without much rhyme or reason. When it's dry, I'll decide which direction to go. This one said, "Coneflowers!" Have a close up...

Red Tulips II

I confess I am a bit of a pack rat. I'm working on learning to let go of things I don't really need, especially when it comes to my little "projects." I think I started this painting back in 2012. I finished the background and then got stuck.

Red Tulips II

Acrylic on canvas board, 8 inches by 10 inches

Available here

I enjoyed working on Yellow Tulips before the Storm, so I decided to revisit tulips on this painting I started four years ago. Whew! Cross one unfinished project off my list. Have a close up.

(detail)

The Pumpkin

Pumpkins in March? Actually, I get so tired of seeing artificially flavored pumpkin this or that in the Fall. Big food has ruined the pumpkin. So I'm going to celebrate this wonder squash now.

The Pumpkin

Acrylic on canvas board, 11 inches by 14 inches

Available here

Have a close up...

Landscape in Bloom

Disclaimer: I live in Kansas. Flat as a pancake (not everywhere). Fly over country (but the pivots irrigating the farmland look so cool from the air). There are no cypress trees around here. But a gal can dream.

Landscape in Bloom

Acrylic on canvas board, 11 inches by 14 inches

Available here

Hello, color! Blue skies, crisp azure lakes, fields of red poppies, and a stately row of cypress trees. Have a close up...

(detail)

Frilled Tulips

Blooming here now: Dogwoods, pear trees, daffodils. There are fat buds on the maple trees. The redbuds are just about to pop. And coming soon? Tulips!

Frilled Tulips

Acrylic on canvas board, 8 inches x 10 inches

Available for purchase here

When I was a girl, my grandmother had an extensive flower garden, and it was so fun to see the different types of tulips emerge. There would be plain ones and fancy ones. I tried planting tulips one fall, and some critter ate the bulbs before Spring arrived. Oh well.

I really had fun layering colors and textures on this one. Ah, Springtime! My favorite season is probably still fall, but Spring is a close second. Have a close up...

 

Poppies in Evening (a process)

This is one I'm having a hard time letting go. This was was really a labor of frustration with a happy ending.

Poppies in Evening

Acrylic on canvas board, 8 inches by 10 inches

Available for purchase here

I struggled with this painting. Initially, the poppies looked flat. There were hills and a stream that seemed awkward. The sunset was too pink. OK, do you want to see the wreck of the before?

My eyes are covered now. I can't look anymore. I was tempted to toss it out, but I'd invested so much material on it. With the palette knife, I applied big, bold patches of color.

Yes, that still looks nothing like the final results, but it gave me enough room for a do-over. Look closely, and you can see the shadows of the trees in the background, and the hint of the sun sinking into the horizon. The bunny slope of a hill and the clunky stream are gone. Let's take a look at the end results again for comparison.

My friends, there are A LOT of layers of paint on this one. But by the time I added the black outlines, I was sold that this is how it should be. Have a close up...

It's 100% palette knife work. All of the highlights were carefully scratched on with the tip of the knife. I love the results, and I feel like I'm starting to find my voice on canvas. I really hope this one finds a good home.

Mini Pear (Using Leftovers)

Waste not, want not. So often I have paint leftover on the palette when I'm finished with a painting, and I don't like to see it go to waste.

I keep smaller canvases around for this reason. Sometimes I'll just spread the leftover paint across it, and come back to it later to finish it. But this little pear I whipped up quickly after I finished Yellow Tulips Before Spring Storm. Recognize the color scheme?

Mini Pear

Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas, 4 inches by 4 inches

Available for purchase here

Measuring 4 inches by 4 inches on a wrapped canvas, it's a cutie. The palette knife strokes are heavy so there is a lot of texture on this little fellow, even on the sides. Have a close up...

(detail)

Midmorning

There are certain subjects that draw in people when they want to start painting. Pears (check). Flowers (check). Sunsets (in progress). Maybe the occasional sunrise (not yet).

But, imagine a morning. The sun has come up. Seems like a promising day ahead, but then clouds start moving in.

Midmorning

Acrylic on canvas board, 11 inches x 14 inches

Available for purchase here SOLD

Maybe it will just turn into an overcast day. Maybe the clouds will move on and the sun will rule the day. Maybe the fronts will collide and all hell will break lose. It's springtime and anything can happen.

Have a close up...

(detail)

The Used Palette

I think I'm hard on palettes. I let paint dry on them. The modeling compound I use to give my knife work depth builds up over time. Every so often, I scrap off some of the gunk, but eventually it gets too hard to work with so I start over with a fresh palette.

I remember seeing a used artist's palette at an antique market. It was beautiful. The wood was worn and lovely, and there were dabs of paint neatly smeared about it. Someone was clearly neater, cleaner painter than I am.

Used Wooden Palette

Acrylic on Wood, approximately 12 inches by 15 inches

Available for purchase here SOLD

Speaking of neater and cleaner, I spruced up the old blog layout to more accurate reflect the new direction I'm heading with this blog. I really loved the old banner, but it was time for a change. Support my palette abuse with the actual palette used for my updated header. It would look great tucked in a bookcase!

Abstract Apple and Pear I

I have problems with not leaving well enough alone. Over the years, I've really had to find that voice inside me that says, "Stop! That's good enough. Don't mess with it anymore."

Sometimes I listen to that voice. And sometimes I ignore it.

Abstract Apple and Pear I

Acrylic on canvas board, 11 inches x 14 inches

Available for purchase here

Above is the finished work. Here is how I originally saw it:

I had called it finished weeks ago. Varnished it, photographed it, ready to share. But deep down something was bugging me and so it sat in my studio while I worked on other projects.

And then I had a rotten afternoon, one that ties my stomach in knots. It really wasn't anything that horrible, just worry. Things in the past. Things that could happen in the future. Things I really can't change. 

I was feeling hurt and a little angry. So I went into my happy place (the studio) and grabbed this painting, and threw myself a pity party at the expense of this poor piece of canvas.

I smeared black paint on the apple and the pear. Oh dear. I wiped some of it off (better than wiping tears, I suppose). I had a long talk with myself while I carefully scratched a black outline around the fruit with the edge of the palette knife. When I started to feel better, I grabbed some cheerful teal blue, flicking it here and there with my palette knife.

It wasn't the painting I originally envisioned, but in the end, I liked it better. Sometimes, life is like that.

Bonus: The cropped image is so fun, I might have to try this again someday, this time on purpose.

(close up)