Opposites Attract

What attracts opposites?

A Painting of a White and Red:

"Opposites Attract"

Oil on board, 5 x 5 inches

Available on Ebay.

Ebb

I'd painted a smaller version of this painting a while back and called it "Promise me you'll write". Sometimes our friends move away and we're left alone or sometimes we push them away...and then it feels like something is ebbing. This one is 20 x 20 inches and I used a palette knife.

"Ebb", Oil on Stretched Canvas, 20 x 20 inches

Click here to bid.

More Wine, Please

Well Autumn is soon upon us, isn't it? So why not a few more wine paintings. These areslightly larger than the last two.

"Upperclassmen", Oil on Board 5 x 5 inches.

I was remembering the school reunion I recently attended when naming this one - what year did you graduate? - Oh, you're older than me, you're an upperclassman...We didn't have a class reunion but rather an all-school reunion. We had one alumni from the class of '60 and another who had just graduated - 2008.

"The Thrill is Gone", Oil on Board, 5 x 5 inches.

Self-explanatory.

Wine, Wine Bottles and Wine Glasses

I had a couple of small gessoed board on which I had painted a series of flowers. But this time I decided to go with the wine theme and painted these using a large brush, keeping the strokes bold and loose.

"Is It Time?", Oil on board, 4 x 4 inches.

"Something to Say", Oil on Board, 4 x 4 Inches

Treasures - A Painting of a Vase of Tulips

I'm liking the square format. I stretched a bunch of canvases in the 14x14" squares to paint this series of flowers. This one is of tulips. I have been meaning to paint tulips ever since my childhood friend, Debbie mentioned that tulips were her favorite flowers. These are not in the color she likes but tulips were on my mind....

"Treasures", 14" x 14", Oil on stretched canvas, Palette knife work.

Afternoon - House with Red Roof

"Afternoon"

6 x 6" on stretched canvas

Oil with Palette knife

Available on Ebay.

Due Case Gialle - Two Yellow Houses

This was painted a couple of years ago. I've always loved the painting because of the crazy color field in front. But sometimes cropping is good. I've cut the painting down and re-stretched on smaller stretcher bars. It is now a 16" x 20" painting, Oil on stretched canvas.

A Hundred Poems - Cherry Blossoms

I grew up hearing 100 Poems by 100 Poets recited by my grandmother. This was a card game played at New Year's in Japan.

This is a painting of a branch of Cherry Blossoms in a round vase - felt it had a touch of Japan to it so I named it "A Hundred Poems"

14 x 14 inches , Oil on stretched canvas.

Love Song

Feeling a little romantic, I've titled this painting of pink peonies in a blue vase, "Love Song".

Oil on stretched canvas, 12 x 12 x 3/4 inches. Painted with the palette knife.

SOLD

Of Least Resistance

I just picked up an interesting book at our local library. I have only read a little bit so I can't tell you how it ends but I can see that I'm going to enjoy reading it.

"The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield discusses why we procrastinate, especially when we want to be creative. Why we have "blocks".

"Of Least Resistance", Oil on Canvas, 6 x 6" from Path of Least Resistance....

Painting available on Ebay: Click here to Bid.

If you've read the book or read the book, let me know how you like it.

Sugar and Spice - Marguerite and Daisy

Small daisy-like flowers which I've titled "Sugar" for the purple marguerite and "Space" for the red daisy.

They are 5 x 5 inches, Oil on stretched canvas. I've used the palette knife to paint these.
Both are available on Ebay.

These have sold.

Beating Procrastination

Lori Woodward Simons wrote a wonderful article on Procrastination a while back. I share it with you now because - I just got around to it. : )

I stumbled on her blogs and website a while ago and was thrilled that she shared her thoughts on the business side of Art. I can really relate to the procrastination article. I've been afflicted with what I thought was a painter's block and maybe I was just procrastinating?

If you have time, read her other posts. Her article on visiting galleries and looking like an artist was really right on! Back in May I was visiting my sister-in-law in Southern California. She and I visited a number of galleries in Laguna Beach. I told her not to tell the galleries that I was an artist because I'm not looking for a gallery to pitch to - yet. But I guess the galleries must have found me out! Now that I've read Lori's article I must have done exactly as she said when I walked into the galleries... looked too closely at the paintings.

If you are an artist, take a look. Lori writes for the Watercolor Magazine.

Lori Woodward Simons Website

I Celebrate You

I liked how my painting "Anniversary" of red flowers in a green vase turned out that I had to try my hand at yet another vase of flowers. This time white flowers. "I Celebrate You" is 14x14x 3/4 inches. Oil on stretched canvas. The vase is a little greener that the photo work depicts. It is a little moody with a lot of grays and green-grays. Although "Anniversary" is also somber it has a lot of color; "I Celebrate You", I kept the colors muted and quiet.

I've just changed the background color on my blog so it will be interesting to see how it shows against the new color. While I type this entry, I'm typing on white so until I "publish post" I really can't tell.