strolling down the lane

IIt's been a long time since I've posted any of my work. I've been practicing with paintings I'd already posted, so didn't want to bore you with repeats. Since then, I thought I would try my hand at water colors, but it's a very different medium and will definitely take some practice. Perhaps because I have a little more experience with oils, I find I prefer them and will likely go back to using oils, but I'll keep practicing with water colors from time to time.
Being my first attempt at water colors, I think I did a fairly good job, I like the composition, but need to work on crisping up my edges, and perspective. The two figures on the trail were suppose to be adults, but perhaps they are my two dogs that escaped from the back yard instead.
This painting was an exercise in using just two colors, it's not as easy to mix the right amounts, without knowing how much water to add. I might try this one again in oil or acrylics.

Indian Summer

acrylic and oil on canvas 16"x20"
This was a fun painting to paint; although I should have drawn it so that the creek behind the fall took up more space on the canvas rather than the water in front of the fall, but overall I'm happy with the composition and the colors. It reminds me of a warm day just as autumn is really showing her colors and I can't decide if it's truly warm enough still to go swimming or if I should just sit and listen to the sounds of the water gurgling and splashing...

End of Day

oil on canvas paper 12"x16"
This painting reminds me of my childhood, having spent the day frolicking on the beach, swimming and building sand castles, then abandoning the castle to the rising tides at the end of the day...

Sutter Butte Sunset

16"x20" acrylic and oil on canvas paper
This is one of my all time favorites. It doesn't look so good up close, but from far away I think it is stunning. This one I did on commission for one of the ladies at work who brought in a photo and asked if I could paint it. It came out wonderfully. I will bring it to her this week and see how much she will offer to pay for it - I'll probably only ask $20, but if she wants to pay more I wouldn't object.

Irish Ruin

I thought this would be a good subject, and perhaps it is, but I need to work on perspective and the coloring is all wrong. I plan to re-do this one soon.

Giraffe

This was just a quick exercise I did for practice. I'm not happy with the colors, I think I need more contrasting colors to make the giraffe stand out more.

Ocean View

acrylic and oil on canvas paper 16"x20"
This, by far, is my all time favorite. It was both challenging and rewarding. I saw the painting in a doctor's office and knew I had to try if for myself. I'm glad I did!

Cat Nap

acrylic and oil on canvas 10"x14"
So, I love the flowers and the rock wall (perspective could be a little better), but I don't love the cat so much. I tol a co-worker "I don't paint animals very well" and he said "then don't paint them!" Good advice, I suppose, but then, it might just be a matter of practice...

Country Home

11'x14" oil on canvas paper
This painting was kind of fun to do, I like the perspective and the depth. The colors didn't come out as well as I had hoped, I think I am too much of a conservative and realist.

Dog Paddle

Oil on Canvas paper 8"x10"

Grape Suzette

Oil on canvas 8" x 10"
I liked this painting before I put the (what?) vines - flowers - grapes? on the wall - but once painted it didn't come off easily. I did scrape it off once and try again and the second attempt was better than the first - perhaps if I had known what it was I was painting it might have made a difference. Let's call them grape vines and leave it at that!

Sunset Sprinklers

oil on canvas paper 12"x16"

We were sitting outside one evening enjoying a cold drink after a hot day, watching the glorious colors spreading across the sky, when all of a sudden the sprinklers came on to water the lawn and the water picked up the colors of the sky and wowed us with it's brilliance.

This painting doesn't do justice to the moment, and I see I should have put more color into the spray of the sprinklers, but it was a challenge to see if I could capture the moment in paint and to a certain extent I think I succeeded.