Apples

Apples       7" x 8"     Pastel

A couple weeks ago I decided it was time to go into our storage room and regroup.  I went through a lot of old stored paintings and materials and did a pitch and save.  Some of the work I had forgotten about and looked at it with new eyes.  Other pieces I looked at and thought WHAT WAS I THINKING!!  There is a saying that everything you need to learn is in your last painting.  The good news is that some of these old stored paintings indicate that I may have learned something along the way.  It definitely is a journey of learning.

Apples was painted a couple of years ago.  The two apples were part of a larger painting, but I can't say that the composition was all that great.  I thought that the apples were worth saving.  I cut down the painting and added a couple swipes of color and bingo, I had a new painting.  It is done on Wallis paper and rather than blending the pastel colors, I chose to layer the pastel and leave some of the texture of the paper to show through.

Who knows, maybe if I dig a little deeper in the midst of my storage, there may be another little gem!   

Glass Jar and Pear

Glass Jar and Pear            4" x 4"   oil

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and it was a lovely day.  We had the family over to our house and the food was delicious!  Of course we all ate too much, but the time together was very enjoyable.  I believe that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  There are no expectations other than enjoying each other's company and sharing a good meal together.  

Today I spent most of the day in my studio.  I finished up a couple of small paintings and I worked on a pastel painting.  "Glass Jar and Pear" is a painting I started on Wednesday.  Each painting provides me with a specific challenge.  This time I wanted to focus on painting glass.  It can be tricky, but I was satisfied with this particular piece. 

Apple and Plums

A few weeks ago, Cindy (my studio friend) told me about a project called "An Apple A Day".  This project was started by a man in the Netherlands who wants to have artists from around the world submit paintings of apples to his website and he will eventually have 365 days of apples online.  I submitted this painting and it was posted yesterday.  It is a fun project.

I spent just a couple hours in the studio today.  I am trying to finish up a commission piece.  I was asked to do a painting of Henry's house.  Henry was our landlord and he's a great guy.  He owns a home in the older section of Golden.  The painting is coming along nicely.  Commissions are always an extra challenge, so I am happy that this particular piece has gotten off to a decent start.