Patchwork River, 16x20 Oil Painting Landscape on Canvas

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The Pieces of Eight were hiking in the woods on an artists' retreat and came upon this peaceful scene. This was in North Carolina, the same mountains where we went whitewater rafting and bonded over a near-death experience. Below is my drawing commemorating that scene.

Carol, Donna, Denette and I were airborne. We were The Flying Grannies.

Pair of Pears Watercolor Painting 8x10

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I don't do much watercolor except for my sketch journal, but I recently was inspired by a watercolor demo. I thought I'd make our Pieces of Eight September Challenge a real challenge by departing from oils.

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Koi with Gold, Oil Painting on Canvas, 10x10, Fish Pond Painting

 

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Been feeling a bit uninspired lately, so what perks a woman up more than a little gold? I added metallic gold leaf to some of the Koi in this painting, although it's hard to appreciate when viewing online.

 The canvas has deep sides and needs no frame.

A Closeup

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But Cereusly, Original Oil Painting on Panel 8x8 Flower Art

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I have called these flowers Dragonflower, Cereus, Night-Blooming Cereus, and I still am not sure of the proper name. I welcome any enlightenment anyone can give me. All I know is, it's very hard to catch it blooming, and I was happy to get a good picture of it.

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Florida Vista, 6x8 Original Oil Landscape with Clouds, Free Shipping

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I enjoy the contrast in light that Florida weather creates. In this instance the clouds were putting the foreground in shade and the sun was shining brightly on the pasture in the background. This is an original 6x8 inch oil, signed and ready to frame. 

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Beach Birds, 14x11 Seascape on Canvas Panel

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I enjoyed painting this bright and airy beach scene. The birds were very busy that day. This is an original oil painting on canvas panel, 11x14 inches, signed and ready to frame. 

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Dragonfly Wings, Watercolor on Paper, 11x14 Wildlife Painting

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This departure from my norm is in response to the September challenge for the Pieces of Eight painting group, to create art from patterns in nature. I love oils, but it's fun to do watercolor now and then. There is an actual blue dragonfly like the one I painted.

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Cardinal, 7x5 Original Oil on Panel, Bird Painting

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I don't have a thing to say about this painting, except that I squeezed this in while busy with a lot of other exciting things. I finished a huge illustration job, then published my children's book, Dibble the Dragon. Now I am working on illustrations for someone else's children's book. I'm also spending time traveling, gardening and studying Italian. Life is good. La Dolce Vita!

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All About the Clouds, 9x6 Oil Painting on Canvas Panel, Daily Painting Skyscape

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This painting started out to be a cardinal (the bird, not the church office).  I went to my painting group, Pieces of Eight, with my palette all loaded with colors for painting a cardinal, and found I didn't have my photo of that cute little bird. I shifted gears and painted a cloud scene instead, using my palette of colors meant for painting a cardinal. 

Where is the red, you ask? It's there, helping make the brown. It's also in the purple of the clouds. 

Don't miss our group challenge on our blog on June 1st. It's very different from anything else we've done.

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Pelican at the Port, 5x7 Original Oil Painting on Canvas Panel, Daily Painting

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I usually paint just what I see, and I am trying to get away from that in cases like this, where the photo colors were quite dull. I ramped up the color and I like it much better.

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The Photographer, 8x10 Original Oil Painting on Canvas

I took this photo of our Pieces of 8 member Kathy Garvey while she was intently photographing poppies. She liked them as much as I did. It was really fun to paint her, and of course it was an excuse to paint more poppies. Here's a little slideshow of the painting as it progressed:

SALE 20% off and Free Shipping, Oil Painting on Canvas Panel, Stepping Stones, 5x7 Landscape

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I love the play of light and shadow on this scene. This is a wonderful memory from our artists' retreat in Boone, North Carolina. North Carolina enticed our member Cindy Michaud to move there, and Carol Schiff is soon to follow. I love to visit the mountains, but when winter comes I like living here by the beach.

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Hanging Onions, 6x8, Oil on Canvas Board

Hanging onions are both decorative and fresh. My daughter has a massive number of onions from her garden. They should be called Onyums. What would life be without onions and garlic? Darn dull, I'd say. Maybe it's just the Italian in me.

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$79, free shipping