Old Turquoise Door

8"x10" Oil on Canvas Panel

Palette Knife Painting

Framing example

I enjoy painting old doors & windows that are decorated with flowers, especially those in Italy and France.  The sun was hitting this one just right to show off the beautiful color variations of blue & green.  If you are interested in this painting, please email me.
Thank you for viewing my palette knife paintings.
-Sarah

Mid-evil Shed

 6"x8" Oil on Panel

Framing example

Mid-evil buildings always seem to have lots of nooks & cranies that are most likely used this day & time for storage.  They never seem out of place.  They just blend in with the rest of the houses & buildings.  Gee I bet I could make a cute little apartment out of this one.  Yeah, it's nice to dream, especially about France.

Thank you for taking a look at my palette knife paintings.

-Sarah

Monday's Bouquet

5"x7" Oil on Panel

Palette Knife Painting

Framing example

As long as I can remember, I have never liked Monday's.  I think it's just a mental thing.  Anyway, I do all the things I don't like to do on Monday's since I don't like them anyway.  I always work on Monday's. I pay bills, give the dog a bath, & do any other chore I don't particularly care for.  I keep tellling myself that it's really stupid to think this way, even though I really do get a lot done on Mondays.  However, today I decided to do at least one thing I like.  Since I love to paint I decided to try some different strokes with the palette knife & see if my Monday could possibly be a good one.  The results was this small painting which I decided to name "Monday's Bouquet."  So here's a bouquet of flowers for your Monday.  I hope it's a good one.
Happy Monday,
Sarah

Hydrangeas

6"x8" Oil on Panel
Palette Knife Painting

Hydrangeas - one of my favorite old -fashion shrubs.  They require very little care & often surprise you with a mixture of colors on one bush.  My neighbor's hydrangeas were no exception this year.  They really put on a show.  Since they don't last forever, I tried to capture them on canvas.
Thank you for taking a look at my palette knife paintings.
-Sarah

Improved strokework for Little French Mailbox

I got up eary this morning still thinking about that grape vine from yesterday's post.  I didn't have a lot of time before going to work but I think I made a significant improvement in the way to paint the foilage.  It takes just a deliberate but light touch with the paint loaded on just the tip of the palette knife.
Now I can go on to my next challenge.
-Sarah

Little French Mailbox

6"x8" Oil on Panel

Palette Knife Painting

I painted this little mailbox on location in watercolor while in France and decided to try it with the palette knife.  Whew!  It took me 3 times as long!  I had a problem with the grapevine foliage.  I'm going to keep working on this.  I know I can improve my stroke work.  I'll try to stop fiddling so much.
Thank you for taking a look at my palette knife paintings.
-Sarah

Winery Door

9"x12" Oil on Panel

Palette Knife Painting

Just use your imagination to guess what may be behind the large heavy door on the winery grounds.  In Italy there are many mysteries and discoveries to be made.
Thank you for viewing my palette knife paintings.
-Sarah

Door With Blue Pots

8"x10" Oil on Canvas Panel

Palette Knife Painting

Click Here To Buy This Painting

I ran across this old door that had obviously been painted many times throughout the years.  Some of the previous coats of paint were showing through.  It was certainly not a perfect paint job but I liked the old door just the same.  More and more I'm realizing that nothing much is really perfect, especially material things.  Before we moved into our new house, I almost threw out a canister set that was chipped. One jar even had a broken lid.  It was the last gift that my parents had given me before my dad passed away.  When I unpacked it I thought about how I had enjoyed the canister set & how bad I felt when I accidentally dropped it & damaged it.  I took a good look at it & though it wasn't perfect, I just couldn't bring myself to discard it.  I got out some super glue & a little craft paint & repaired it the best I could.  It now sits proudly on my new counter top.  To me, it looks like it belongs there.  Like the old door in the painting, it serves it purpose & it's doing it's job.  That's perfect enough for me. 
Thank you for viewing my palette knife paintings.
-Sarah

Remember Me

Cella di San Francesco

6"x8" Oil on Canvas Panel

Palette Knife Painting

Click Here to Buy This Painting

While visiting a peaceful monestary in Tuscany I did a quick sketch of this large old stump that had obviously rotted from the inside out but had been wired back together to preserve as much of it as possible.  Overlooking a hillside of olive trees, it made an attractive pedestal for a lovely pot of flowers.  As I painted this scene, I wondered about the old stump.  Why was it so carefully tended & preserved?   What type of tree was it?  Did it mark a spot that had some type of special  meaning? Whatever the case, the large grand tree was gone but not forgotten.  "Live large by enjoying the beauty of this earth & you will have grand memories."
Thank you for viewing my palette knife paintings.
-Sarah

In Living Color

5"x7" Oil on Gallery-wrapped Canvas

Palette Knife Painting

(Click Here to Buy This Painting)

Banfi winery is in the heart of Tuscany.  It is the largest winery in Europe.  The Chianti label is beautiful and quite interesting.  I drew a wonderful detailed sketch before beginning the painting.  As I started to paint, color just took over.  All the beautiful detail was lost.  Perhaps my mind went back to that happy, colorful fall day & that long winding scenic drive through the vineyards on the way to the winery.  You could say it was one of those days like truly "living life in color."  Any by the way, if you're an artist, time spent sketching or drawing is never wasted.
Thank you for taking to view my palette knife paintings.
-Sarah

Cortona Wine

5"x7" Oil on Gallery-Wrapped Canvas

Palette Knife Painting

Click Here to Buy This Painting

Like many of the towns in Tuscany, Cortona has it's own wine.  The "C" in this painting stands for Cortona but it could also stand for your last name if it happens to start with a "C."  I might paint a few more of these for gifts, trying out some more letters of the alphabet.  Just hope the next letter doesn't take me such a long time to paint.  Maybe someday I might go back to using brushes in my paintings.  However, for now, I just continue to use the palette knife & oil paint to create my paintings.
Thank you for viewing my palette knife paintings.
Sarah