Bicycle

Imagine yourself on vacation
Somewhere in Europe I would guess
You've ridden your bike to the market
To get a bottle of wine perhaps
And a loaf of fresh baked bread

Summer Shade

I painted this from a picture I had taken a few weeks ago on the patio boat when my brother and his wife (from Thailand) came to visit along with my sister and her family (from Paradise). We were lazing on the boat and I saw this scene and I thought it was a good subject to paint. I didn't do a great job capturing the coolness of the shade, but I'm happy with the painting anyway.

Desert Glory

This one was fun to paint - I love the striking colors

Dear, Sweet Charlotte

I went to visit Charlotte today
Who always greeted me
With a smile and a gladness
That filled me with joy

Today I found dear, sweet Charlotte
Sitting alone in a wheel chair
Barely able to turn her head
To see that I had arrived

Her eyes smiled with familiar warmth
Beaming happily when she saw me
But then she soon became frustrated
Unable to remember who I was

It breaks my heart to see her like this
Lost and trapped inside her head
But dear, sweet Charlotte is my friend
I can't give up until she's gone

Morning Commute

The sun rises over the fog
Lights up the skycrapers
Like candles on a cake

The fog muffles the city
Lends an illusion of quiet
Like the calm after a storm

The train arrives at the station
Ushers in the morning commute
Like a child ready to play




I wowed myself with this painting - I love the colors and the detail and the intensity!

Springtime Bridge

This one came from a book with step by step instructions - I enjoyed painting it, but can see all the flaws in it. I am anxious to learn my own technique, so I don't have to rely on someone else to tell me how to paint.

Beach Chairs

One of these days I'll be confident enough take my easel outside and paint what I see, and not just paint from a picture. For now, I'll stay indoors and keep on doing what I'm doing.

Fog

I used Bob Ross's technique to paint a scene from a picture I had taken off Bill's deck one foggy morning. It's not very good, but I did it without a book telling me what steps to take.

I'm also learning to mix my own colors and to paint on a dry canvas. I'm liking that technique better, because you can leave a painting unfinished, and even start another one until it's convenient to go back to the first one. I have two paintings started right now - hopefully I'll finish one by the end of this week and post it here soon.

SeaScape

I enjoyed painting this one, though it took some time before I was finally satisfied enough to tell myself to put the brush down and leave the painting alone. I like the play of colors and the hint of movement that I've seemed to capture.

Bad Trees

I painted this painting back at the end of March, but didn't think it was good enough to post. I finally decided it didn't matter if it was good or not, it was enough that I had painted it.

Shared Joy

Kimberly and I shared the joy of painting a few weeks ago, and though we ran out of time to put the finishing touches on our paintings, I thought I would share our paintings here. For an eleven year old, I would say that Kimberly has such a natural talent, as evidenced by this first painting. We read the instructions out of the book and then applied them to the canvas. The results are quite amateurish, but we enjoyed the activity and the time together, and really, that's what counts, right?

This picture shows both paintings side by side:


Here is Kimberly's painting - I just love her clouds!


Of course, I wasn't happy with my own clouds. I thought that Kimberly did a much better job, over all, but I am still pleased with the painting


We still need to go back and put the finishing touches on the paintings - shadows and highlights on the trail, and more bushes and plants at the waters edge, and of course we still have to initial them, but who knows when that will be so I figured I'd post these now.

Howling Winds

She's home alone where it's warm inside and quiet
Wrapped in a blanket with a book and a mug of cocoa
Outside it's getting dark and the storm clouds gather
Wind whips around the trees and batters the house
Forcing it's way through the space around the windows
Howling like a lonely wolf desperately seeking it's mate
Replacing the tranquil solitude she'd been feeling
With a sense of loneliness and a need to be held