Good Morning!

8 x 8 Oil on Gessobord

This is my favorite cereal bowl.  I use it all the time for my oatmeal and for soup.  I'm not sure which potter created it, but I know it was a craftsman in Virginia.  I've tried to track him/her down, but without much success.  This was one of the paintings that just worked for me, unlike the last post that I struggled with.  Perhaps it was my love of the pottery...or that delicious banana :-) 





It Is What It Is

12 x 9 Oil On Gessobord

Click to Bid in My DPW Auction

I don't normally do a still life, but I love this pottery jug and decided to set something up to paint.  I"m glad I did, because I really loved the process of painting  this.  I put down my strokes fast and didn't go back into it at all.  That's why I'm calling it "It Is What It Is"  :-)  Then, I ate one of the apples.....

Painting and Pottery

Oil on Gessobord

SOLD AT AUCTION 

This painting will be part of the Bower Center Artisan Trail Benefit Concert and Silent Auction on October 12th, at 7 PM.  It was framed by Goose Creek Studio and once again, they did a great job!  If you are in the area, please come by.  It will be fun and all for a good cause.

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.

The Mellow Yellow Camp Group

8 x 8 Oil On Gessobord

I'm taking pottery classes at the Bower Center for the Arts in Bedford, Virginia, and when I took my husband in to see the "almost" pots I made, I came across these boys taking pottery lessons as part of their camp experience.  They were very quiet and serious, unlike the adult class I'm taking :-)  I didn't hear any complaining about the clay being too hard, or to messy, or too wet, or not wet enough....(in our class, that was just me..)  One boy did have a red face, but I think that was just sunburn and not rage.  Anyway, I was really impressed with the Center.  They have so much to offer the community, and it's a really great place to spend some quality time.

Painting and Pottery

10 x 8 Oil on Linen Board

I painted the two tall pots before when they were displayed at The Electric Company Artist Co-Op.  Both paintings have since sold; however, now I am the proud owner of them, as well as a small bowl and a mug by the same potter.  They are prominently displayed beside one of my paintings and I get so much pleasure looking at them.  The Potter, Dan Perkins, has become one of my favorite artisans :-)  

A Quiet Resting Place

12 x 12 Oil on Gessobord

I'm sure hoping this wasn't a permanent resting place...The cat's family might object  to me painting this in such a cavalier manner.  I think the cat found a spot away from foot traffic to take a nap.  One can only hope.  I'm a dog person, so painting cats is new to me and I'm not up on their habits.  Anyway, here is my version of a perfectly healthy cat taking a nap :-)

Pottery on Display

12 x 12 Oil on Gessobord

SOLD

Another painting of the pottery done by Dan Perkins that was on display in our gallery window.  The wonderful color of the pieces, plus the light hitting them through the window really made for a perfect still life.  I'm probably not done with this series because I'm enjoying the process of painting them.  Hope you all like them, too!

Window Display with Reflections

12 x 12 Oil on Gessobord

SOLD

This display is in the window of The Electric Company Artist Co-Op, a new and wonderful venture in Bedford, Virginia.  The pottery was made by Dan Perkins and is really quite beautiful, with or without the sun shining on the pieces.  I love the reflections on the glass as well as the old building across the street. I found painting this a little bit of a struggle for me...So different from what I've done previously in oil.  I think it would have been a little easier in pastel, but I'm committed to trying new things and developing my skills using oils.