Pacific Northwest, 5x8 Watercolor Journal

We've been in the Seattle area visiting relatives and friends, and I recorded various events in my sketch journal. What a handy dandy thing that is. When I can't remember what year or month I did something, I find it in my journal, along with happy memories. First we were in Sequim (pronounced "Squim"), where lavender farms are everywhere, with my cousins, Bill and Louise.

Hap and I in the Big Chair at a lavender farm. 

Opera music plays in the Sequim rest rooms. They appropriately played a selection from "Carmen" when I walked in. What a wonderful small town with a great community spirit and an appreciation for every shade of purple.

Carmen

Beets, 8x6 Oil on Canvas Panel, Still Life on Purple

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My husband and I had a little getaway this weekend, to South Florida. We stopped off at Palm Beach's Worth Avenue, which I call Net Worth Avenue. That area has the largest concentration of billionaires on Earth, according to the hype. It certainly has the largest concentration of Bentleys. They were everywhere.

Worth Avenue ends at the beach, and it is a very beautiful beach at that. The water was gorgeous-- blue and turquoise--and I got some good photos there and in Ft. Lauderdale. I'll be doing some beach paintings soon.

Carmen

Ocean Dawn, 8x8 Oil on Canvas

$89, Click to Purchase

While ice storms are predicted today for much of the country, I get to see scenes like this while walking on the beach. I am very fortunate. I was interviewed after winning a competition and was asked, "Where in the whole world would you most like to live?" After thinking for a moment I responded, "Right here." I like to think I have always known when I was well off. 

Out of Obscurity, 7x5 Acrylic on Canvas

I toyed with the idea of calling this "Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave." I find it a lot harder to title abstract paintings, though some of them are easier than others. I can't get enough of that bright turquoise color. Makes me think of when I lived in Bermuda, where the water is that color and didn't even look real at times.

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Serpentine, 6x6 Abstract

Had to loosen it up a bit after the previous post. This is acrylic paint and glue, truly mixed media. For some reason "Far out, Dude" keeps running through my head when I look at this one. Maybe it reminds me of a lava lamp.

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Poppy Shadow, 6x6 Oil Painting on Canvas

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I wanted the sidewalk hot and the shadow cool in this poppy painting. It occurs to me that I have not painted a still life in a long time, but I'll get my chance next February at the Qiang Huang Workshop here in Melbourne. Maybe I should brush up a bit; however, I have been to so many beautiful places that I've been inspired to paint outdoor scenes lately. Qiang is a fantastic teacher--his method is well thought-out, and he is kind and patient.

Anyone interested in the workshop may contact me at hbeecher@earthink.net. The dates are Feb 22-24, 2014.

Cascade Mountains, 6x6 Oil on Canvas Board

This scenery in Washington State just takes my breath away. We were above the clouds, in clear, crisp air, and we saw lupine and beargrass flowers blooming. The views were spectacular. At the very top of this little-traveled road we met two girls who were volunteers in a watch tower. They were as enthusiastic about the place as if they had not spent the cold night in a flimsy structure on top of a mountain. That's exactly who we want watching our forests!

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Aquamarine, 7x5 Acrylic on Canvas

I like color, can you tell? Vivid, deep, inviting color. Painting these abstracts is an adventure, and I look forward to trying different color combinations.

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Cyberspace, 5x7 Abstract Acrylic Painting

To Purchase

This is poured acrylic over stamped gold gesso, and the title is a nod to the internet, because of the most amazing coincidence this week. In our painting group, when it's someone's birthday, that person brings the cake. This keeps it simple. This week I brought a pineapple upside-down cake for my birthday (more about that later), and Carol Schiff gave me a birthday card that I immediately recognized as being made by my niece, Marta Pelrine-Bacon. Carol's cousin bought a set of the cards on the internet and sent them to Carol, who gave me one for my birthday, having no idea I was related to the artist who made the card. What are the odds?

I wrote to my niece, who has had serious health problems lately, and saw that she was having a big craving the same day for pineapple upside-down cake!  Again, what are the odds?
Here is the very cute card:

 Link to Card

Sunny Grapes, 10x10 Oil on Canvas

I'm so happy with this painting, because I see the light through the grapes exactly as I saw it in Grandfather Vineyard in North Carolina. I love grapes, whether they are on the vine, jam, juice, raisins, wine, or fresh at the produce market. Besides their deliciousness, they are wonderful to paint. And the seedless grape? What an agricultural achievement that was!

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Purple Shoe, Collage, 10X8

Yes, I was taught and inspired by Derek Gores, the fabulous collage artist. Now I can't stop! I love painting, but this is fun too. Thank you, Derek!

I have had two paintings accepted into the Women Painters of the Southeast 2012 Members Show; Leap of Faith and Spoonbills--oil paintings, not collages.

 NFS

Pineapple and Friends, 10x8 Oil on Canvas Board

Pineapples are a real challenge to paint. This one was so little and cute, and needed some companions, so I added strawberries.

On another subject: just when you decide all politicians are, shall we say, character-challenged, you see someone like Gabby Giffords. She has a light from within. They should all take a lesson from her. That's my soapbox message for the day.

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Esmeralda, Collage on Canvas Board, 24x18

This collage took me way longer than I anticipated. I used a canvas primed with gold gesso, some of which is peeking through. After doing the whole painting I added touches of copper and gold paint, keeping with the whole gypsy vibe.

This is all fashion and home decor magazines. The finished product is varnished for protection from UV rays and other atmospheric problems. I must say, a small "daily painting" is going to be very restful after this!

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Homage to Hokusai, 8x10 Oil on Canvas Board

This is a nod to the great Japanese artist Hokusai, who created The Great Wave of Kanagawa in the 1800s. There have been as many reproductions of The Great Wave as there have been of the Smiley Face. This was the second in my series exhibited at the "Agua" show in Melbourne, Florida.

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$99

Church at Auvers-sur-Oise, after Van Gogh

Yes, this is a copy. I painted it while studying the Impressionists. I have been sick all week and haven't painted, so I decided to post this one. It has been exhibited a lot, with my painting group's "Friends and Faux" exhibit, and in a mobile tour of schools in Volusia County called, coincidentally, the VanGo Exhibit. check out the tribute to Vincent on YouTube. It gets me every time. What a sad life. He never sold a single painting, yet he never stopped painting in his own unique way.

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Cliffhanger, 8x6

Now I'm getting the hang of it (no pun intended). These grapes remind me of an old movie with someone hanging off a cliff. I am still laughing at the comments from Carol, Catherine, Kathy and Susan about my last post, where I couldn't come up with a colorful title for the painting.
I've been working on a newsletter, and writing it is the easy part. I'm dealing with templates, html, lists, mail merge, etc. and my brain is tired. Who knew it was so complicated? If and when you see a subscription box for it on this blog, you'll know I finally got it done.

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Rain on the Horizon, 7x5

I love it when I get a shot like this of rain over the ocean, especially with the golden light in the background.

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Gimme Shelter, 5x7

I called this Pear and Grapes, and I thought, what a boring title! Carol Marine cleverly animates her still lifes with her titles, so I pictured these grapes as hiding from the little old winemaker.

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Life Gives You Lemons, 6x8

The Pieces of 8 painting group went back to still life for a day, and this was the result for me. Lemons always challenge me for some reason. I'd rather paint a river. However, I will soon be learning about still life at the workshop this weekend with the great Qiang Huang at our artists' guild. I'm so excited!

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Departure, 8x10

This is a complete departure from what I've done lately, but it is still a North Carolina painting. The sun was shining in so beautifully on the wine and the pottery, I rushed to paint the scene. You don't realize how quickly sunlight moves until you try to paint it. Cindy has a whole collection of lovely pottery, which I really appreciate not only for its beauty, but for the fact that Cindy supports local artists wherever she may be.

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