DANCING ON MY WINDOW SILL, 6X8, OIL, SOLD

You never know where the perfect still life will be discovered. I tossed these tomatoes on my window sill and several hours later the sun made a perfect still life out of them.  Backlighting is a beautiful thing!

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SOLD

BEING GREEN, 6X8, OIL

I am back in my old rut doing still life again, and it feels good.  I must say my little "vacation" from them lasted longer than usual this time.  I even got creative with a few knife paintings.  But sooner or later, I always return to my comfort zone.

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$90

PUMPKIN AND BITTERSWEET VINE, 6x8, OIL

Bittersweet always bring back memories of childhood.  Wreaths were made, mantels were decorated.  It is the perfect fall symbol.  Fall is my favorite time of the year and a pumpkin covered in bittersweet  is very comforting when you live in a state that is more into surfing than changing leaves.

CAROLINA MOUNTAIN STREAM, 8X6, OIL, SOLD

Another of my plein air attempts.  This was probably my favorite of the places we painted while in North Carolina last week.  It is always wonderful to sit quietly by a stream for a few hours on a beautiful fall day, but add to that the pleasure of sharing the experience with 7 very  wonderful women friends (and fellow artists) and you have the making of a near perfect day.

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CREEK AT SEVEN DEVILS, 6X8, OIL

I don't paint plein air very often but every fall my paint group Pieces of Eight takes a week to do just that.  We usually travel to North Carolina.  This year we were in the Boone, NC area where we painted this creek .  I really enjoyed being next to the creek for a few hours.  The weather was perfect and the trees were making their way to "peak".  All in all, it was a great experience.  I did have to do some touch ups  when I got back to my studio.

7 DEVILS AND GOOD CARMEN

Our painting group, Pieces of Eight, just returned from a fantastic week-long retreat in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.  We had a great time staying at Cindy Michaud's condo (thank you Cindy) and traveled out daily to photograph and paint.  Lucky for us, it was peak leaf season and every morning we ohhhhed and ahhhhed over the increasingly colorful landscape.

The night before we arrived, Cindy had a dream in which problems abounded.  Her mother, trying to comfort her, told her not to worry as she had "good Carmen".  Hence the photo above, featuring 7 devils and our own good Carmen.  In case you are wondering, starting at the left is Cindy, me, good Carmen Beecher, Donna Vines, Phillis Holland, Kathy Garvey (our photo shop expert), Denette Schweikert and Mary Warnick.

We had the most wonderful time, painting, cooking (we will soon have a little cookbook for sale), drinking lots of wine and enjoying each other. My next post will include some of the fruits of my labor.  In the mean time, here is a recipe that I featured on our trip and is also included in our cookbook.  Contact me if you our interested in purchasing the book which features our artwork and kitchen skills.

Roasted Cashews and Rosemary

1 1/4 pounds cashew nuts
2 TBSP chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp kosher salt
1 TBSP melted butter

Roast nuts in ungreased pan at 375 for about 10 minutes.  Combine all other ingred. in bowl, add nuts and toss until nuts are coated.  Enjoy!

SUMMER MEMORIES, 6X8, OIL

Sunflowers and hydrangea bring back memories of summer.

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LONG SHADOWS, 5X7, OIL, SOLD

I have been playing with the palette knife off and on for the last month and I'm begining to get quite fond of it.  For me, it is a nice change when you get those "painting blues".

TWO FOR TEA, OIL, 8X10

More teapots!

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GLAMOUR GIRL II, 8X6, OIL, SOLD

Just had to do one more of these hotties from the 40's!  This painting was featured on Etsy's front page Saturday!  Somehow I posted the Etsy badge twice, sorry!  I paint better than I compute!

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TEAPOT WITH LOTUS BOWL, 8X10, OIL, SOLD

Tea anyone?  Have you noticed that teapots are one of my favorite subjects?  I also have always been drawn to all things oriental, so, this seems to be the perfect subject matter for me.

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SOLD

BFF'S

Years ago, when my granddaughter was five or so, I did this pastel painting of her with her best friends from ballet practice.  Recently she sent me this photo of the same girls all grown up.  Only one girl (2nd from right) was missing.  What fun to see these great kids turn into beautiful young ladies.

RIVERSIDE PALMS, 10X8, OIL SOLD

Lately, I have been frustrated fighting with my paintbrush, so, I tried the palette knife a few times.  It is nice to have an option when you are battling fatigue and burnout.  I think I need to go on a photo shoot in the hopes that I can get excited about painting again.  I have had this happen before and I know the cure.

SOLD