Brett, 11x14

I love to draw my portraits with a brush. I feel I can get a stronger drawing that way, and in this case I got this young man looking like he could don a cape and be a superhero. Which brings to mind a question I have often pondered: if there is life on other planets, do they also have fictitious superheroes?

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Sonja, 16 x 20

I spent last weekend in a portrait workshop taught by the fabulous Jon Houghton. The objective was to paint a portrait in three hours from a live model. I completed five portraits in three days, and I will be posting them here. This one was the last, and it is exactly as I painted it in three hours. Talk about pressure...!

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Leap of Faith, 10x8

I got tired of painting single objects and decided what I really needed was something difficult to give me a spark. This is my granddaughter leaping off a rock into a beautiful river. The stop-action shot is just filled with the joy of anticipation. This is the kind of fun that can be had without any technology or admission price whatsoever.

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Red Pepper, 6x6

I just couldn't think of a clever, or sarcastic, or odd, title for this. It's simply a red pepper, one of Nature's  beautiful and delicious foods. It just sits there quietly in all its vibrant red deliciousness.

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Mea Cuppa, 6x6

Yeah, yeah, I admit I got a bad case of the cutes with this title. So sue me. I couldn't resist.

I seem to be using a lot of red lately. Post-Valentine Syndrome? I don't know. My next post will be red on white.

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8 na Kampe, 8x6

This is my entry in the February Streetview Paintoff Challenge. The boundary this time is the city of Prague, Czechoslovakia. We are required to use an image from Google Maps Streetview, so as I was looking for a scene I liked, I got a nice feel for the city of Prague.

If you like my Prague painting, please vote for me here.

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Present and Accounted For

I posted this photo on a blog called "Present and Accounted For." Karen Appleton, the blogger, sends anyone who asks a little gift-wrapped box. You just take it someplace interesting where you live and take a photo. Mine is of manatees in a nearby canal, where they stay a bit warmer from the cold. Check out the blog, there are some very interesting locations.

Cherry, 6x6

After the last painting, which was a bit complex, I went for something simple, just a plain little cherry. Sometimes I just need a break.

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Pass the Salt, 8x6

I love painting with the Pieces of 8, eight like-minded women with so much in common. It's very inspiring. This one was a still life setup at the Artists' Guild in Melbourne.

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Little Pitcher, 7x5

This was a lot more complicated than I thought it would be. I enjoy my handmade objects, especially pottery.

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We were eating at a family restaurant where a man was making really great balloon animals. He came over and made us a ladybug. It was so cute, I had to paint it.

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Feed Me, 6x6

I read online that artist Carol Marine challenged herself to do a painting using one color for each stroke, so I decided to try it. It was challenging and messy, but I was really happy with the result.  

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Triplets, 8x6

This makes me think of little boys playing marbles. Pears can look so perky. No wonder they are such a popular subject for artists.

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Marie's Hamlet, 7x5

Imagine having so much money that you build your own village, so you can go play at being a milkmaid. That's what Marie Antoinette did, and no wonder the people of France got so mad. They couldn't even get a loaf of bread, for crying out loud. I'm very thankful this little extravagance of Marie's was preserved so that I could visit it. It is quaint and beautiful, and has thatched roofs, my favorites.

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