Steve Jobs, 24 x 30 Collage

This was a brain strain, but Steve Jobs has my undying gratitude for the products that I use every day, so it was worth it. I am not the most patient person (my children are nodding), so anything I can use to easily manage images and documents is absolutely essential to me. It's a lot easier to work hard on a portrait when you are inspired, and my only regret is that I didn't buy Apple stock years ago. I would be able to afford all these art supplies now.

As far as collage goes, this should hold me for a while. I'm going to use some squishy, expensive oil paint now.

Young Cardinal, 5x7 Oil on Canvas Board

It would seem that Winter was missing this year, but I'll bet Summer will come on with some scorching heat. How bizarre that our country had tornadoes, floods, snow, record heat and earthquakes all in a couple of weeks. Pretty soon insurance premiums will be as high everywhere as they are in Florida, where we have not had a hurricane in years, but are still paying through the nose for the last one. But don't get me started...

Anyway, this little cardinal just puts me in a Spring Fever kind of mood, which caused me to dash outside and do yard work.

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Self-Portrait, 8x10 Oil on Canvas Board

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I flattered myself. It's an opportunity to have improvements without surgery. Still, it's a humbling experience to stare at yourself in the mirror for hours. Maybe two mirrors would be smarter, because it occurs to me that I have painted a reverse image of myself.

Sargent said a portrait is "a painting with something wrong with the mouth." I think he should have said "something wrong with the eyes," because I alternately looked startled, Asian, shifty, out of focus, and crosseyed. And artists are supposed to squint to get the values right; just try to paint yourself while squinting. That would be a pretty funny self-portrait.

This portrait is for the Brevard Artists' Guild show in April. If you are an artist in Brevard County and have not checked out the Guild, please do so. It is a wonderful place for artists to come together and work.

NFS

Sittin' and Fishin', 6x8 Oil on Canvas Board

This guy looks so peaceful. It was nice of him to arrange his accoutrements for me. He was unaware he was posing for a painting. I don't fish, but I understand why others enjoy it.

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Red Book, 8x10, Oil on Canvas Board

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I love books, so I don't know why I don't paint them more often. They are good still life subjects. The apple and strawberry are all snuggled up, aren't they?

Brass Bowl, 8x10 Oil on Canvas Board

The only thing that would make this painting harder would be to add a lemon. This was the result of the Qiang Huang workshop, which was a fabulous experience. If you like a challenge, try painting pewter, glass, brass and fruit in one painting, like this one.

I painted one yesterday that was a "scraper." I don't often scrape a painting away, but the one yesterday deserved it. A large part of a still life painting is the actual setup, and I should have known the pot was too bright yellow and the spotlight too far away. The irises were beautiful, but they got scraped too. Darn yellow pot.

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A Rose is a Rose, 8x10 Oil on Canvas Board

This is my painting on the third day of Qiang Huang's workshop in Melbourne, Florida. Qiang is an incredible teacher, and he generously shares a vast amount of information in three days. His demos are magical. He is also great company, and we will make sure to get on his schedule (which is booked two years out) for another enjoyable learning experience!

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Qiang's Painting Demo

Cindy's Cardinal, 4x4 Collage on Stretched Canvas

This is my last little bird collage. It's way too much work for such a tiny piece of art. It was fun, but takes more patience than I actually have. To be a woman of a certain age, I am remarkably impatient. When does that mellowing stuff set in?

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Green Parakeet, 4x4 Collage

This little birdie is actually named "Birdie," and loves the guitar. These tiny collages are just as hard to do as big ones, so I think I will stick to bigger ones soon. However, there is a tiny cardinal coming up...

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