Ocean Oracle

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Sometimes I just want to play with stripes of color and sometimes they actually add up to something recognizable. The inspiration for this piece came from an after dinner sprint out onto the Mendocino headlands 2 nights ago when the whole world was bathed in a coral glow. We felt enveloped in the wonder of creation as the vast expanse of ocean reflected the setting sun in a different palette every minute or so. I took enough photos to keep me busy for a month, so stay tuned for more.

Gold & Gray Unite

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Rifling through my vast stash of inspirational photos, I came across one of a single sunflower and it pulled my trigger. In the photo though, the background was of a blue house in shadow. Typically blue and yellow are a hit, but my panel today was the color of a brown paper bag and it spoke to me. I mixed up a purple version of that same value and it causes the yellows and greens to speak for themselves, rather than compete with a bunch of blue. The result is more subtle with less contrast and something I might say is quiet and calm. I can use those qualities right about now since my computer is giving me fits................

Golden Finale

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Still sick and just hanging around the house, but today I was finally able to take a 'stumble' around the block as the sun was shining and I just couldn't take it any longer! Then I sat outside on the deck and soaked up some of that warm stuff like you see in my painting and feel drained but so much better. I painted this sunset before I was to leave on my trip and honestly keep forgetting to share it because I've been in a sleepy stupor. Since the very same sun managed to energize me today, it seems fitting to post it at last. I love that there are no dark darks in this piece, just the harmonious warm and cool colors in their light and medium values.

Petals Magnifique

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The new year is off to a frenetic start and my head is full of all sorts of ways to tame the tempest. Someone told me the other day that I should post once a week and do larger pieces. I've thought of painting 3 times a week instead of 6 and on the off days try to compile the book or books of last year's paintings, something I've been wanting to do for months and never have time for. Just sharing these things with you in case you have some clever ideas on how I might proceed in this endeavor! 

Otherwise, I took a photo that I've had for 20 years and finally had a bit of fun with it today. The flowers were actually sitting on some gray steps and that color just didn't appeal to me, so I used my favorite pea green yellow in order to make those pinks and reds just sing. Now that the dismal hue is done away with, I can actually almost hear the vibration....................ahhhhhhhh.

Royally Red Vines

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I must be on a fall vineyard kick now as I'm missing the current happenings out there in vineyardland. I haven't needed to drive outside of town, so I've been leafing through my photos of the autumn colors and it feels almost the same as being there. It's all rainy and bleak outside, but my studio is warm and cozy as I listen to Phil Keaggy on Pandora Radio. This piece is a scene from the home ranch of the Seghesio Winery near Geyserville and I love painting it because back lighting really gets to me in a big way. I have no idea what varietal turns this color in October and November, but isn't it out of this world???

Bountiful Buckets

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Kind of diggin' the close ups of colorful things that grow in the ground and then grace our everyday lives. Thank you Linda for the use of this fabulous foto of flowers from a foreign land. Thanks too to all of you out there in blog and Daily Paintworks land that post such thoughtful and encouraging comments. They truly do keep me on task and much more joyfully so. I had to make this painting a bit larger than the others because it's a bit difficult to sink your teeth into a 5x7 of such glorious color. It's hard not to feel joy when confronted by such splendor, so have fun taking this in as you daydream about Spring that happens to be a long way off.

More Visual Feasting

October Happiness

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My very first post back in February was called "Happiness in a Vase" and a sunflower is also starring in today's feature. Flowers are a good excuse for extravagant color and they truly lift our spirits don't they? I'm moving a bit slow the last coupla days due to all that traveling and I just wanted to paint something lively to liven myself up and I think it worked. The sun is streaming through my seaside windows, the back door to the deck has been open to bring in the fabulous fall air and I've relished painting at home in my kitchen today. I don't have an official home studio, but the westerly afternoon glow is a sun-loving artist's delight. Sigh.

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