Saginaw Vineyards in Studio 6x6

So I painted this one inside today.  I like the composition and values better so I think it's an improvement but it seems to look like a cartoon.  It may be a good approach for me to try the same painting outside then inside.  I'll try it for a while.

Saginaw Vineyards Plein Air 6 x 6

I painted this Friday out at Saginaw Vineyards.  Wasn't happy with the composition or values.  Couldn't figure out how to paint the grass strip.  So I decided I'd try it again inside.

Watermelon and Reflections

I painted this today for the DPW paint it upside challenge.  I was shocked when I turned it right side up to find it resembled the photo.  But all those angles and reflections were very hard for me.  A real stretch (good one) for my drawing skills. I was away for a week helping celebrate my dad's 90th birthday and then the grief over my darling dog's death has kept me in a state of lethargy.  But I'm coming out of it and plan to paint more.

3 Cups and a Spoon

This is my first day back painting since the illness and death of our darling dog, Marielle on June 6.  It has been a very sad and devastating time.  It's nice to be painting again.

Apples with French Knife 6 x 6

I'm obviously studying Carol Marine's compositions pretty closely.  I think I got a pretty good idea of how the shading works on apples doing this but I need to keep practicing.

Cup with Lime Segments 6" x 6" SOLD

I really struggled with this, especially the cup.  But in the end I am happy with it.

Red Apple with Spoon 6 x 6

This was a fairly humiliating experience.  I used an Ampersand gessobord and found it really different from the Raymar canvas I've been using.  Also made some bad choices in what I chose to paint.  But I like the spoon pretty well and also the spoon shadow.  Want to try doing that again.

Value Study Pear

Another value study.  Large amount of medium value, medium amount of light value, small amount of dark value.

Value Study Apples 6 x 6

I painted this yesterday for Carol Marine's value study challenge.  It is largest amount dark, medium amount of light and then a small amount of medium value.  It was so much harder than I would have imagined.

Marielle

Our darling dog nearly died.  It was probably leptosporosis.  Fortunately a very caring vet and penicillin have brought her back to us.  Couldn't concentrate enough to paint for over a week.

Golden Gardens 6 x 6

On on of the few sunny days we've had in May we took our old pooch out to Golden Gardens to stretch her legs.  It was beautiful out there.  It was fun to paint something that doesn't require so much in drawing skills.

Monstercot 6 x 6

Salt & Pepper with Tomatoes 6 x 6

I had to stop early the first day so this took a couple days.  Gonna take a break from glass for a while. 

Tomatoes 6 x 6

I'm pretty happy with this.  I decided I should wait a day or two after I paint to post.  I seem to dwell on what is wrong before I can appreciate what is right.  Painted Monday.

Narcissus in Glass Pitcher 6 x 6

This was just way too hard for me:  the glass and the flowers.

Self Portrait 6 x 6

This one was done in response to a DPW challenge.  It was fun to do.  I'm still not sure if I should have finished off the hair or not.  I do like the sketchiness of the shirt.  I really look a lot older than that.

Orange Sections with Teal Plate 6 x 6

I like the composition and the colors.  And now I am finally caught up to present in my posts.  This one was done on April 28th.

Kiwis on a Fuchsia Ground 6 x 6

I was so excited when I saw how great these colors look to gether!  This was total fun.

Kiwi Halves 6 x 6

Well, this didn't work at all.  I thought it was the washed out colors and I do think that's part of it.  But my friend Judith suggested that it's because there are just 2 big blobs.  She may have been more diplomatic, but I think she's right.  I do like the shadow in the foreground.

Syrup Jar with Kiwis 6 x 6

I like the syrup jar.  It was so hard to paint.  And I like the simplicity of the kiwis without their black seeds.  But that spoon just ruins everything.  Darn!

Aperitif Glass with Lemons 6 x 6

I'm happy with this one.  The colors, composition and the tourquoise stripe.

Green Peppers on Blue Plate 6 x 6

Green, blue and orange--another split complementary.  This didn't work.  I think the plate is too gray.  And the peppers are more dark than green.

Green Peppers on Lavender Plate 6 x 6

This was another split complementary.  I really like the colors together.

Split Complementary 6 x 6

I was kind of excited when I saw how great these colors look together and it has made me want to study more about color schemes.  I really never thought about that before.  My camera has a tendency to emphasize the reds but it still looks pretty cool in real life.  I used the Munsell color wheel and the colors were red, purple and green.

Dairy Queen Cone with Oranges 6 x 6

At least I think it's a Dairy Queen cone.  I found it on the street and use it for a funnel  Can't believe I stuck that triangle segment right in front of the cone.  But I like the colors and the whites of the oranges.
This is the first in a series I've been doing in response to the color wheel challenge on DPW.  We were to use a complementary, split complementary or triad color scheme--or combination.  I had never even heard of split complementary.  And it could be the regular color wheel or the Munsell color wheel (which I also had never heard of).  So this has been kind of an exciting learning experience for me.  I started off with a simple complementary--blue and orange.

Grape Hyacinths in a Mexican Jigger 6 x 6

This is one of my favorites.  I like the composition.  I love the little patch of teal on the glass.  I probably should have had a few lighter spots on the hyacinths.

Butter and a Fork 6 x6

I wanted to try painting glass.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.  I love that little spot of blue on the lower right of the butter dish.  Also think I did a good job with the value just below the butter.  I couldn't believe how hard it is to paint a fork.  Very much like trying to paint a hand for me.  Need to do it again.

Pear in a Bowl 6 x 6

This is one of the least successful.  I think there is way too much shadow area and I wish I had made a more gradual turn from light to shadow inside the bowl.  I got lost trying to paint the colors in the shadow side of the bowl and table top.

Cranky Chicken 6 x 6

This is another challenge from DPW--paint a chicken from a photo.  I got a kids book with photos from the library.  I'm pretty sure her name was Prudence.  I'm not sure why but she just got cranky toward the end.

Cup and Grapefruit Segments 6 x 6

I like the composition and color relationships.  The drawing is a little shakey, but I'm happy enough with it. My favorite part is the reflection of the cup handle.