Bedtime Roses

12"x12" Oil on Gallery Wrap Canvas

I painted this one as a practice piece before attending a Nancy Medina workshop.  Nancy is a wonderful artist and teacher as well as a great person.  I hope to make some improvements in my flower paintings after attending her workshops.

I'm calling this one "Bedtime Roses" because it reminds me of a print one might find on a flowery bedspread.  I like the background color but it's actually a poor choice since everything in the painting is too close to the same value.  Why do we knowingly make the wrong choices?  Ok, that's a loaded and deep question but one worth examining.

Sleep well.

- Sarah

Santa Fe Sunflowers

12"x12" Oil on Gallery Wrap Canvas

Seems like I've been on a sunflower kick lately.  Just had to do one more.  I didn't have any fresh filler flowers so I improvised by adding a bright, cheerful, red & orange flower that I had seen blooming while in Santa Fe this summer.

Yes, these sunflowers are a little loud, but cheerful & happy.  That's the way I like them.

Enjoy!

- 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

Bath Time

11"x14" Oil on Canvas
Palette Knife Painting

I snapped this photo a number of years ago while having lunch at an outdoor restaurant in rural Mexico.  It was entertaining to watch these young boys bathe their horse.  After all these years, I finally got around to painting from this photo with the palette knife.

Hope you enjoy.

- Sarah

Can't Wait Sunflowers

12"x12" Oil on Canvas Panel

This weekend I found a beautiful green glass vase at Goodwill.  In the past I've seen dozens of the common dark green ones but never one like this; one that was not only larger than usual but also one that was a beautiful bluish green color.  I couldn't wait to get some sunflowers and paint from a live set-up.  For some reason, perhaps because of my limited palette, I couldn't quite capture the exact color of the vase.  After a couple of tries, I just pulled out one of my favorite colors, Old Holland Caribean Blue, added it directly on top of what I already had painted, blended it in, & called it finished.

Thank you for looking.

-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
    

Sunflower Strokes

5"x7" Oil on Panel

Today, I decided to practice sunflower strokes with different types of brushes to see which brushes I liked best.  That may be the reason this little painting looks a little overworked.  I had been using a 3/4" soft flat brush.  After trying a number of different brushes, I decided I liked one of my angle brushes and also a Monarch round brush for some strokes.  However, a Mongoose filbert won out for softening & combing the petals, giving them a finished look.  After all of this, I decided I may continue my practice with the only the one flat brush.  It makes cleanup a lot quicker.

Thank you for viewing my art. 

-Sarah