Rainy Summer Days

12 x 12 Oil on Gessobord

SOLD

It was pouring, but these boys didn't care since they were getting wet anyway.  They were playing with "Xtreme Splashers."  They would suck the water up into these tubes and spray each other and the adults sitting under the overhang.  I was one of these adults, and I tried really hard not to complain.  They were actually very good and did listen when 5 adults all yelled in unison "Don't spray up here!!"  It's really good no one else was out on their docks, because voices carry here at the lake, and the adult yelling would have annoyed everyone.  The kids were pretty quiet...It was the adults :-)

Marching to His Own Drum

12 x 12 Oil on Gessobord

I think the puppy on the left has a problem with following the crowd.  That is a good thing in my opinion, and if I were choosing one of these dogs, I would definitely choose "Mr. Butt."  He certainly would have a mind of his own and would be much more fun.  He would be the one leading the anti-everything marches and going his own way.  A challenge for his humans, but so worth it!  These puppies are from JayHawk Labs in New Hampshire.  My cousin and her husband raise and show beautiful award winning Labs. Check them out on the web.

Carrot Top

8 x 8 Oil on Gessobord

For all you people out there in blog world who REALLY know alpacas, this might not be what you consider an accurate portrait, but this particular alpaca looked at me exactly like this...with disdain, and a faint smile.  She reminded me of my mother's cousin..A smirky smile, really dark red lipstick, and red hair right out of the Florida retirement bottle that stuck up with lots of hairspray.  This alpaca is not as elegant as my favorite llama, Polka Spot, from the Beekman farm.  I realize that llamas and alpacas are totally different, but those faces are quite similar..at least to me.  If I could actually see Polka Spot in person, I would have chosen to paint her, but this alpaca will have to do.

The Thrill of Shopping

6 x 6 Oil on Gessobord

Men loved to shop, don't they?  Smart stores will put a few chairs out for men being dragged around clothing stores by their spouses.  This man was twiddling his thumbs and gaping at the ceiling, probably wondering if his partner was kidnapped...Possibly hoping for that outcome...

Cold, Wet, and Camera Shy

8 x 8 Oil on Gessobord
SOLD

Here's Emily, not listening to my command "OK..Smile!"  I probably would not have painted it if she had smiled for the camera.  It wouldn't have been as interesting to me.  This was a chilly, rainy day, but the kids wanted to swim.  It really didn't matter to them, because they were getting wet anyway, but for the adults on the dock it kind of mattered :-)

I'm Too Sexy For My Plume...

8 x 8 Oil on Gessobord

SOLD

Oh Yeah!  I'm too sexy..too sexy.  Love that song, and it seemed appropriate.  I'm pretty sure he was showing off and trying to attract the duck in the water.  Fun, fast strokes on this one and a joy to paint.

The Little Mermaid

8 x 8 Oil on Gessobord

"Far out in the ocean...There dwells a Sea King and his subjects..."  I love Hans Christian Andersen's story about a young mermaid who fell in love with a prince.  Here's a little history of the statue that I have painted here and I must say, it's pretty interesting in an odd way.  The statue was commissioned in 1909 and sits in Copenhagen's harbor.  It was moved a little farther out than its original positioning due to vandalism and to prevent tourists from climbing it.  On April 24, 1964, the mermaid's head was sawn off and stolen by what my research described as "politically motivated artists." SAY  WHAT?!  A new head was produced.  In 1998,  it was decapitated again, but the head was returned and re-attached.  This poor mermaid has had her share of trouble, but she is beautiful and she will always be special to me.

Freewheeling

12 x 12 Oil on Gessobord

Messy..Yes;  Creative...Yes;  Easy...NO!  Drinking out of my pottery mug takes on a whole new meaning now.  I used to think pottery was easy.  Just playing with soft clay.  First of all, the clay is really hard and not very pliable until you kneed it, and second of all, the wheel is hard to get the hang of.  Either my pot bottom is too thick or my finger goes through the bottom.  When I finally get the clay up into a pot shape, it's so irregular that I have to keep trimming it.  By the time I'm done, it has become a very shallow dog dish...not what I was going for.  This is a painting of one of the members of my class who definitely has the hang of it all.

Pool Cool

16 x 20 Oil on Gessobord

It's so interesting to watch people play in a pool.  This boy was really too big to climb on someone's shoulders, but I think he was trying to impress the girl on the side.  I wonder if she was impressed?  I really wasn't caught up in the people in this painting.  I wanted to focus on the pool water.  The colors are so different from any other water source, so this painting is really about the water...and summer.

Paparazzi

SOLD

8 x 8 Oil on Gessobord

I'm pretty sure this man works for one of the local newspapers.  He was taking photos of a music and art event I had attended.  He had lots of equipment with him, and his camera which probably weighed a ton and certainly wouldn't fit in my little shoulder bag like my camera does...By the way, did you know that "Paparazzi" is plural for the singular "Paparazzo?"  I didn't either :-)