The Gift: Guess what I got for Valentine's Day??Roses

Roses I
5x7 oil on linen panel
$80

Roses II
5x7 oil on linen panel
$80

Been itching to paint these since Thursday!!! Just a couple of small ones!! :)

My First Ever Self Portrait!

Self Portrait
16x20 oil on linen panel

I've never done a self portrait before and (as my grandson's classmate said the other day) I am old. 59 in fact. I have been painting now for over thirteen years and I thought it was time to tackle my own face.  The model kept moving...can you believe it? I did learn a lot and will probably do this again not because I am enamored with myself but because I am determined to learn how to paint people in all their nuances! I did discover a real cool way to make a lovely deep flesh tone by mixing Grumbacher Red and Richeson Shiva Yellow Citron (which is a relatively new color on my palate that I am in love with). My friend Carolyn said I was the kid in school who always had the big box of crayons!! Ha!

Loosy Goosey:

8x10 oil on linen panel

Just how loose can one get and still have have the mind create form?  What does this look like to you?? Today's experiment...

30 Day Challenge: Epilog

I sit today surrounded by the distinct smell of oil paint and 30 fresh new painting. I have most of them in frames which I did as a protective measure. For the most part I did not paint small. Five of them are 8x8 and the rest vary up to one 16x20 so storing wet painting with thick paint applied with palette knife was a bit of a challenge!

Starting next Tuesday you can find these paintings at Gallori in Oconomowoc WI:

And this piece has already found a great home!!