Chickadee #156

6"x6" Oil on Panel

I had seriously planned on participating in Leslie Saeta's 30 Day Painting Challenge beginning January 1st.  However, the week after Christmas, I came down with the flu bug & also injured my left shoulder (moving boxes of art books around).  My plan was to complete a small bird painting each day.  Even though I didn't get in on Leslie's challenge, I thought I would go ahead and paint a series of these delightful little creatures.  I will be experimenting with the palette knife and the brush to find a look & style I'm pleased with.

Thanks for viewing my art.

~ Sarah 

Swan Song

20"x24" Oil on Canvas

"Swan Song" is the newest painting drying on my easel.  I don't dare move it for fear of getting phthalo blue all over the rest of the house.  It's one of those colors that just seems to want to reach out and touch you & everything else in the studio.  This a little larger palette knife painting than I usually paint so I painted it in two sessions.  Yesterday I painted the background & today I finished the swans.  It's really a good thing that I painted this one in two sessions as today's paint was beginning to get a little dry before I finished. 

These two swans used to come by our dock every day to visit & I really miss them.  I'm so glad I took lots of photos while they were here.  I enjoyed painting them & preserving this sweet memory.

~Sarah

Swans - Part One

Yesterday I started a new palette knife painting from a photo of two swans that used to live on our lake.  I knew that I wouldn't be able to finish the painting in one session so I painted the background first.  Hopefully, by working in segments like this, it will all work out.  I will post the results as well as additional comments when I am finished.

~ Sarah

Memories of Tuscany

16x20 Oil

I have many wonderful memories of Tuscany & LaVitaleta Chapel is definitely one of them.  We had just visited Pienza & all their wonderful cheese shops & were driving back to the villa on that crisp, fall day when ~ bam ~ there it was on the right side of the roadway in a freshly plowed field.  It was more beautiful than any of the pictures I had seen on postcards & calendars.  I knew then that one day I would paint it but wasn't sure just how.

This painting is representational of my memories as well as my dreams of Tuscany ~ large open doors & windows, sunflowers, poppies, peace and beauty, and the spirit surrounding this special little chapel.

- Sarah

Summer Glory Hydrangeas

12"x12" Oil on Canvas Panel

This is the last painting I completed before attending the Nancy Medine workshop.  I hope I will be able to show you some progress in the weeks to come.  However, I do intend to get back to my palette knife painting soon.  It's great to have so many choices & so much to paint.  I'm really trying to narrow things down these days to palette knife painting & colorful flowers in oils.  I thought about setting a goal of doing one of each almost every day.  I'm just not sure how well that would work.  That might be too much on switching the old gears up there. 

Anyway, the last of the summer hydrangeas are now but a single vase of dried flowers sitting on my desk in the studio.  I just can't seem to let go of them even though they have lost almost all of their color.  So in memory of all their beautiful summer blooms I decided to paint them the way they were in all of their summer glory.

Enjoy, & thank you for taking a look at my art.

- Sarah

Sunny and Blue

12"X12" Oil on gallery-wrapped canvas

This is another sunflower painting from the same set-up as one I post a few days ago.  When I end up buying sunflowers from the florist I try to paint several paintings from them.  All but one flower had started wilting so I had to also look at the photos I took.  The one remaining sunflower was still bright and sunny but blue.

Thanks for taking a look.

- Sarah

I Want That Boat

9"x12" Oil on Canvas
Palette Knife Painting

I never thought about wanting a sailboat until I visited a local yacht club recently to take photos.  This boat wasn't new by any means, but it had character.  I watched it sail into shore at the end of the day.
     A beautiful day of smooth sailing.
     Sailing buddies gathering on shore.
     A picnic supper waiting under the pines.
     Good music playing.
It just seemed like the perfect escape.  If only I had that boat!

Thank you for taking a look.

- Sarah
    

First New Rose

8"x8" Oil on Panel

I planted a new rose bush by the porch this spring & it has finally began blooming.  Since the bush isn't very tall yet, I can't see it when seated on the porch.  I cut the first new blooms & put them in a jar so I could enjoy them.  Then I decided to paint them so the enjoyment could continue. 

Hope your summer is coming up "roses." 

- Sarah