Lezzano Afternoon

This is the little village in Italy on beautiful Lake Como where I had the good fortune to paint with Open Air Italy and the inimitable Kenn Backhaus.  What a wonderful time we had at Albergo Aurora Lezzano.  The air was thick with atmosphere!

'4 Across'

In addition to growing beautiful roses, my daddy is a crossword genius.  Here he is in his usual afternoon pose, right before 'Jeopardy.'

my nubian neighbor

This is another of the neighbors out here in the country.  There is a population explosion going on out there.

Saint Harry Potter

There is so much to say about this pup.  He pulled up beside me in a pickup and posed for me.  Completely relaxed and drooling.  What a doll!  I left off the drool, but concentrated on his fabulous coat.  He is one hairy beast.  I tried to convey how very regal and saintly and ready to assist he seemed.

Repose

Repose has a dreamlike quality often felt when a young mother finally has a chance to put up her feet, which was the case here.  Lovely Heather...

No Time Like the Present

This just might be my favorite from Carol's class.  We were always so excited to receive a golden gift from Navarra's.  It meant something special was inside that little box.

The Rose

This is from Day 3: the rose.  In Carol's class, she says the third day is the hardest for everyone.  I believe it has to do with the close values and hues.  Sally in our class whined and gnashed her teeth but completed a very nice rose.  Another Carol painted a rose which looked just like the teacher's.  She said she just followed instructions!

Egg and I

This is the Day 2: still life from the workshop with  inimitable Carol Marine last week.  She paints like no other and speaks to the simple set up for still life painting. I think this one works.  (The original is not quite so purple.)

Mother's Day Party

This silver set is ready to party.  I love the handles, sturdy and simple.  Happy Mother's Day to all my friends.

Jr. Cowpoke

These are the cowboy boots my little cowboys each wore when he was about 2 years old.  All three are now completely grown and fathers of little cowpokes.  I painted with the excellent Carol Marine this past week.  This was painted on Day 1: shoes.  What a great teacher and fabulous workshop.

This painting "Jr. Cowpoke" is available for purchase in DailyPaintWorks Gallery.

Shadows

Snow Day in Alabama

These two little Southern boys rarely get to sled.  What a great day when it snows and is icy and school is out.  Ice, ice, baby.

Hee-Haw

Here is another neighbor who lives on the other side.  He is very happy just to enjoy the warm sunshine of a Central Texas February.  Bluebonnets can't be far behind.

Patterns

There are patterns of dark and light in composition.  In this particular painting, I'm trying to create this pattern and to show the heaviest texture in the light.  The shadows are thin, transparent paint.

My Daddy's Roses

My father has been a rose-grower since I was a small child.  All our pictures were taken in our rose garden located along the side of the house where I grew up.  These past few years, Daddy has gardened the neutral ground across the street from his home.  There is a long stretch where he has installed crape myrtles, zinnias in the hot summertime, impatiens and other low-growing seasonal blossoms all beneath his gorgeous roses.  I picked this bouquet of antique roses, the old-fashioned fragrant varieties.  We just celebrated his 87th birthday.  Gardening and his volunteering and bridge group have kept a spring in his step.  He is an inspiration to us all.

LUCY

For Christmas, I received a new camera which color corrects.  I decided to repost 'LUCY' because she shows off so much better with the right coat.

Hereford

This is a neighbor of mine out last week for a stroll.  Quite the beautiful cow, the hereford.

Spoon Knife Fork

OK---not so much texture.

Fork Knife Spoon

I'm trying very thick application of paint here to get an effect of texture.  The basis is drawing, as usual. What fun to paint with great piles of paint and to aim for design in the process.

Out of Bounds

These happy two pups are the loves of my friend, Carol.  They are actually both black, but the fellow on the top has turned a little brown, I notice.  They were frolicking in Cypress Creek.  Love the pooches!

SILVER SPOON

My hydrangea and reflected-light exercise gave all the beauty and much distress.  I believe it was worth it!

TRIO

The little teaspoons danced right into my painting.  I like the way the shadows worked out with the overall design.

BLOSSOMS

This is part of my orchid series.  The structure and shape of the orchid petal is my latest obsession.  This one is part of a glorious couple of stalks of very prolific orchids.  Grocery store, of course!

TECOMA BELLS OF FIRE

We are enjoying the last blossoms of the Tecoma Bells of Fire, a heat and drought-hardy plant which flourishes here in Austin landscapes.  Because of a little recent rainfall, we are blessed with many beautiful wildflowers out here in the country.  Lots of purple and gold, my two favorite fall football colors.  Geaux Tigers!

I DO LOVE LUCY

I love her so well that I painted her again this week with a high-key palette.  These eyes seem not only more accurate but more soulful.  Sweet puppy!  Getting to know her has been fun.  I'm not a whole-hog dog person, but I do love a dog who will hold a pose like Lucy does.

Very Near

These last four paintings done in California were all painted on Arches Huile, a paper made especially for oil painting.  I loved trying this paper, most of all because the paintings were so portable.  This is painted in Carmel at the end of one of the streets.

I LOVE LUCY

This pretty girl belongs to friends.  I've painted her as a surprise for Christmas...Shhhh!

Red Fishing

Breakfast in Bed

Yesterday was my birthday.  I was surprised by breakfast in bed.  Mr. Wonderful went to the top of my list (his permanent spot!).

VESSELS

We are all vessels, some upright, some rotund.  Some more fragile than others.  This painting gave me more ellipses to negotiate.  I'm looking still for the glow from within.

Grace

This orchid represents grace and light and a quality it is very difficult to express.  It seems to be lighted from within.  Nature provides the example.

Evening Roses

Here is my newest work.  I'm enjoying cool summer nights in Birmingham.  What a wonderful city.  The roses love it, too.

Morning Has Broken

Morning Has Broken---these beautiful orchids have cheered me on these long, rainy Birmingham days!

GoldLeaf

'GoldLeaf' is from a trip to Lake City, Colorado, to depict the beautiful aspen leaves changing from green to gold.  What a fantastic phenomenon.

Junior League of Birmingham Exhibit

This collection of my paintings was displayed along with the beautiful work of members of the Junior League of Birmingham Sustainers.  It was a rainy night last Friday but a wonderful evening of art.
Most of the paintings have appeared on my blog over the past few months.

Le Bleu, Le Blanc et Le Rouge

This painting is dedicated to my mother, Meredith Miller.  She made all the clothes for her five girls.
What a fine seamstress she was.

This is the Day!

This is the day that the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it!  Merry Christmas to all.

The Night Before the Night Before

Home from Birmingham for a bit of a break, I am finally posting the paintings I have painted lately.  Happy little pansy face!  Nothing like the little faces of my new twin grandbabies.  Ho.Ho.Ho.

Mutt and Jeff

I'm calling this one 'Mutt and Jeff.'  These are my favorite little pewter cups, one slightly warmer than the other.

Pearl Earring

My grandmother, Rosamond Ethel Dietz, was married in 1920.  We are so fortunate to have this wonderful wedding portrait.  I'm going to post a series of my progression with painting her, all young and innocent and beautiful. 

The photograph is very clear, not too many clues of the real colors.  I'm imagining she wore this blue sash.  The gown is tiered.  Love the chapeau!  So Dodie!  This was our name for her.  We loved our Dodie.