Pomagranites

Original Oil Painting on Linen 8 x 8 Framed - SOLD

Free Shipping CAN and USA International please email for shipping rate

I had a lot of fun with this one. I'm working on more painterly brushstrokes, and was thinking about lost edges as well. I'm quite pleased with the spontaneity of it. The photo has some glare unfortunately. If I manage to get a better shot, I'll repost. I find that the darker the colours with oil paintings, the more difficult it is to photograph. Anyone else have that problem? And if you do, how do you deal with it?

This painting reminds me of living in Toulouse France. We had many exotic (for us) fruit and nut trees in our yard, and one of those was a pomegranate tree. I didn't know what to do with a pomegranate and was told to us them in salads. So here's a great little recipe if you happen to paint a pomegranate and then want to eat it. Baby spinach or mixed greens, lots of pomegranate seeds, walnuts, a bit of crumbled blue cheese or goat cheese, and an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing. It's really yummy!

Pomagranites

Clementines

Clementines Original Oil Painting on Linen 8 x 8 Framed - SOLD

Free s/h CAN & USA International please email for shipping rate

I had a very slow start on this one. I wiped it off twice before finally deciding to sit down, thereby changing my viewpoint and avoiding drawing the opening of the pitcher. Some days you just can't make it happen! I ended up liking this composition better and am pleased with the outcome. I'm working on more painterly brushstrokes, which I think I achieved on the pitcher and the cloth. The clementines ended up a bit tighter, but you have to start somewhere!

This painting is of one of my favourite belongings - a Tuscan pitcher. I bought it at a flea market in a little village in the Southwest of France. The woman who sold it to me, told me a wonderful story of how she came to own it. A flea market vendor in Tuscany was berating the crowd for being so cheap and not buying anything from him on this particular day. He held up the pitcher and kept lowering the price until finally he offered it for free, at which point she stepped forward and accepted it. The irony is that she didn’t pay it forward, she charged me for it, and quite a healthy price too! But I’m happy I own it all the same. :-)

Clementines

Persimmons

Original Acrylic Painting  6 x 6  $65 

The first of the persimmons have just arrived at the grocery store. I love painting these exotic little fruits. I see more persimmon paintings on the horizon....

Persimmons

Finding the Balance

Here I am at the Sidney Fine Art Show with both of my accepted pieces on the same panel! I was given special permission to have this picture taken. I would have loved to take more pictures to give the flavour of the show, but it wasn't allowed. It was a wonderful evening and some of the pieces were so outstanding that I felt particularly honoured to be a part of the show.

The past 6 weeks or so have been extremely busy for me. Apart from my day job as a Display Artist, and my family and home commitments (including a small reno), there have been several wonderful art shows that I was fortunate enough to participate in. It's been lots of fun and a whirlwind of activity, but the long and short of it is that I haven't been able to paint as much as I'd like to! How to organize my time? I never have a problem with motivation, I have a problem with time, or at least not having enough of it. Hopefully in the upcoming weeks things will relax a bit and I'll be able to get back in the groove. I try to paint two to three evenings a week and at least one full day on the weekend. How about you? Do you have trouble finding the balance between all the various commitments in your life and getting in your precious painting time? If anyone has any great tips on how to manage their painting schedule, I'd love to hear them. In the meantime I'm going to concentrate on getting back to the easel, which is something that I love and that I enjoy sharing with all of you.

Finding the Balance

The Old Corner Store

Original Oil Painting on Canvas  8 x 8  $85
Free s/h CAN & USA

This poor forgotten corner store has been standing empty in our neighbourhood for years. My friends and I  can think of all kinds for ventures for the spot, starting with a great little artist run gallery...The neon sign, which is practically a landmark, says News, Confectionery, and Magazines on the blue L shaped band. Another era for sure. I thought I'd better paint it before it disappears.

The Old Corner Store

Sidney Fine Art Show 2010

Tutti Frutti  Original Acrylic Painting 
24 x 24  $800 + shipping and handling
Please contact for shipping information

A-peeling  Original Oil Painting 11 x 14 
$650 + shipping and handling
Please contact for shipping information

I am thrilled and honoured to have two paintings, Tutti Frutti and A-peeling accepted into the Sidney Fine Art Show 2010, in Sidney BC. Last evening was the Opening and Awards Ceremony, which I attended, and it was a superb and exciting affair. The calibre of work and variety of disciplines was wonderful. It's truly a beautiful show and if you live in the area, do make a point of dropping by as you won't be disappointed.

If you are not from the area, following is the a description of the show presented by the organizers - The Community Arts Council of the Saanich Penninsula:

After more than a year's preparation, the 2010 Sidney Fine Art Show will open it's doors to the public at 9:00 am on Friday, October 15 at the Mary Winspear Centre in beautiful Sidney by the Sea. Now in its 8th year, the Sidney Fine Art Show has become one of the largest and most anticipated shows in British Columbia and a highlight on the cultural calendar of Vancouver Island.

Sidney Fine Art Show 2010

Tempting

Currently showing at The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria

I just love these Red Anjou pears. The colours and form are so inspiring to paint. I got a bit of glare in the photo but I haven't figured out how to avoid that with the darks in oil paintings yet. If anyone has any tips please let me know.

Tempting

Three's a Crowd

Currently showing at The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria

I haven't done a still life from real life in a few weeks because I've been working on my Beach House series and some landscape pieces. I find painting still life to be a totally different feel from landscapes. It feels quite intense, focusing on the light and form of the objects and trying to see each variation in colour and temperature. It's fun but hard! The photo is a bit darker than the painting because I had to photograph after work and the light wasn't optimal. I tried to lighten it but it became too contrasty. But I think you get the idea. 

Three's a Crowd

From the Garden

Original Acrylic Painting  24 x 24  $800 s/h

Please contact me for a shipping quote

This painting was inspired by my time living in the Southwest of France. The people of France live the Zero Mile Diet. They eat locally and seasonally and revel in their amazing regional dishes. 'From the Garden' reminds me of times visiting a relative of my husband, who had a huge vegetable garden and an orchard in the back yard. We literally picked artichokes and peppers as robust as this for dinner. This painting is currently part of the Federation of Canadian Artists Fall Show, at the Community Arts Council Gallery in Victoria BC. If you're in the area do drop in as there are many beautiful paintings to enjoy.

From the Garden