Calla with Cherries

15x22 watercolor I was asked to repost which was a still life white calla lily set up with fresh red cherries on a tapestry.  Photos were taken to paint from later and this is the first one I attempted.  The lily was artificial.

Red Irises in oil

24x18 palette knife oil using Winsor Newton Artisan watersoluble paints on gessoed board.  From a drawing I did from life of a purple iris I changed into red; this image shows a bit pink as it is more red actually.  Background is imaginary with various shades of blues, white, and lemon yellow.

White Cat "Sinatra"

15x22 watercolor on Fabriano 140 lb cold press paper, finished just now and what a lovely fellow he is surveying each visitor to his antique shop.  This was a fun but difficult painting!

White Cat "Sinatra" WIP Step 6

Getting more done and nearer to completion in this view with more glazes on the table and correcting curves, shadows, and light reflections from the lamps and his white fur.  Typically cluttered with treasures as most antique stores are, the cat seems to know he belongs here.

White Cat "Sinatra" WIP Step 5

Today I worked on Sinatra another 2 hours mainly on the background and table front.  Its curve is not shaped right so will correct the curved line to match the bottom, as well as darken to dark brown.  Once that value is established, his white fur should show up better.
If I go back to Tyler I'll revisit this store and let his owner know he has surfed the Internet.  I did tell her he would be painted.

White Cat "Sinatra" WIP Step 4

Now you can view the whole picture plane and see more background items revealed such as old lamp, glass clock dome, cut glass, and a small desk lamp.  I did manage to paint negatively, his whiskers against the dark brown table edge (no masking used).  The area over his left eye was glazed more as it fell into shadow and I did not have it dark enough.  He is center stage now just like his namesake.

White Cat "Sinatra" WIP Step 3

Continuing on with background areas in this cat portrait work in progress; I've done dark tapestry folds and its reflections in cut glass. So keep watching for more reveal...

Caviar Chef - torn paper collage on canvas

12 x 12 torn paper collage on canvas done today at Suzy's class held at my studio. From his Hershey's hair to his caviar on crackers coat buttons, to his Denali/Yukon headlights for eyes, I think he is too cute! What do you think?

White Cat "Sinatra" WIP Step 2

Step 2 of white cat named Sinatra showing soft edged delineation of his shoulder, legs, neck and back.  Beginning background of a dark but rich tapestry frames behind his head and shoulder.  This pet portrait will emphasize values on a white subject and how to paint fur. I dare not mess this up as those blue eyes are following my every move!

Perfect Poppies

15x22 watercolor of vivid orange poppies on Italia 140 lb paper.  During last year's trip to UK, dozens of poppy photos were taken with the orange ones in Wales being my favorite.  This was painted wet in wet with one direct application using 1 inch sable flat brush.

White Cat "Sinatra" Work in Progress pet portrait

A work in progress of antique store kitty named Sinatra; this is a detail of the 15x22 watercolor on Fabriano 140 lb cold press paper begun yesterday.  Last year I met this solid white fellow while teaching a workshop in Flint, TX.  He lives in Tyler and looked so handsome draped across the dark brown wooden furniture amongst the lamps and cut glass, right at home. 

French Daisies

15x11 watercolor of fresh daisies in a French pitcher; initial version lacked strong frontal shadow values so I've gone back into it and added those to anchor the vessels.

Paper Tigers

16x20 watercolor of two tigers done in cool blues and hot pinks in an imaginary scene.  I cut out their stripes then placed an old dog painting behind for pattern that was not there.  The old painting was actually a still life of strawberries that just didn't work out. This one would work well in a child's room with jungle decor.

Popular Poppies

11x13.5 watercolor painted today in a loose splashy manner using no references, just a 'for fun' painting.  Parts of it I'd started as a demo for students to illustrate how to paint in a direct manner doing darks first. This paper was given to me so don't have a clue what brand or weight it is, and it was quite slick.

Pass the Salt for Fresh Tomatoes

15x22 watercolor of ripe red tomatoes on a sunflower plate ready to eat if we only had a shaker of salt.  I set this up and drew from life a few years ago when we had enough rain to grow vegetables in a garden.  Maybe next year!

St. Ives Calla Lilies

15x22 watercolor of pure white calla lilies from one of many floral photos taken last year while visiting Cornwall.  There was no sun that day so here have tried to lighten the blooms as much as possible.

Tag, You're It!

15x22 watercolor of my brother's two cats playing on the fence with the old farmhouse in the background.

Buttercup Cat Portrait

16x20 watercolor of one of my cats taking a siesta on an old brick.  As our Caboose group gets ready for a pet portrait art show next month we have to get ready with various varieties of our furry friends.  This is my second time to paint this fellow.

Christian's Koi

15x11 watercolor on gessoed watercolor paper, drawn and painted from one of my giant koi pond photos taken at the Las Vegas Flamingo Hilton.  Their darting about under the water seemed to go with the gesso streaks as if water was actually above them.

Watermedia Reworked Art "Gone with the Wing"

15x22 mixed watermedia:  acrylic, ink, collage over failed red rose watercolor.  This work was a demo for the Amarillo Art Institute a few years ago.  In its former life it was a vertical red rose that I can post here if anyone wants to see it.  Classes using the techniques I have developed are in demand and I'm scheduling out of town demos about once a month along with workshops on mixed watermedia as well as transparent watercolor.  Moral of the story is never throw out your old dogs!

Day Brightener

22x30 watercolor on Kilimanjaro 140 lb cold press paper of orange and red daylilies and daisies growing through an old weathered fence.  A few years ago I first painted this country scene and even then thought it needed more work.  So I've now spent the day reworking its background and adding blooms, enhancing values, and trying to add a bit more punch overall.  There is something about worn out wooden picket fences that beg to be painted.

Berries and Books

15x11 watercolor still life of various yellow and green berries in old grey urn set up before I left the mountains Sunday. Textures of the wood table, books, and pointed leaves work well together to establish a casual mood at home.

Pond Patterns Lilypads

22x30 watercolor on Saunders 300 lb cold press paper from photos of lilypads in a neighbouring town.  I have reglazed some areas and enhanced others that needed attention as this one was started awhile back and not completed to my satisfaction.  Look closely and you can see a few insects buzzing around the flowers.

Porky Pig

22x15 acrylic and ink over a failed watercolor of watermelons that just did not work well.  This pig is a few years old.  I took some of the lemon shapes in the fruit still life and made pig rears as you can see in the background, and also did negative painting where needed. The hardest part was his large head as I wanted some of the watermelon to show yet needed basically one color in the shape.  On the farm, we used to feed the pigs watermelon so this just fit the bill.