A Day in Balboa

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"A Day In Balboa"

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas.

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Now that I am back in town I am deeply committed to finishing the paintings for my "Headlines" show. I have all of the headlines selected (from the South Pasadena Review newspaper in the 1920's, 30's and 40's) and the inspiration photos taken so all I am doing now is painting! I will not post any of the finished paintings until the show opens ... so it will be another month before they are posted here.
I am trying to also complete a daily painting. I am doing a show in Balboa on May 16th so I am trying to complete some small pieces for that show. Be prepared to see lots of boats and coastal scenes this month. It might be a while before you see flowers again!

Waiting For Wind

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"Waiting For Wind"

6" x 6" on canvas panel.

$200 unframed.

I am finally back from our east coast college trip and although it was a wonderful week ... it is good to be home! My youngest is sick and I have so much to do I am kind of freaked out. I am in charge of a big school fund raiser in two weeks and I have a lot of paintings to finish for my upcoming "Headlines" show. So, it should be an interesting month. Back to reality!

Seeking The Sun

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"Seeking the Sun"

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel.

$200 unframed.

We have completed our "whirlwind tour" of college campuses. My son really liked them all and the only part of our trip he didn't like was all of the driving! We visited Georgetown, UVA, Duke, UNC and Davidson. On two different occasions we ran into kids from his school also visiting the same colleges. We had no idea they were on a similar trip. What a small world.
Now we are in Atlanta visiting my brother and his family and enjoying some down time. It just started to rain so my wish to head outside and take some photos for paintings will not happen today. Maybe tomorrow? I am looking forward to getting home so I can get back to my studio and complete the paintings for my "Headlines" show. It is going to be a really crazy few weeks when I get back. Yikes!

Pink Power - SOLD

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"Pink Power"

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel.

$200 unframed.
Sold.

Sorry I haven't been on my blog for awhile. I am on the East Coast touring colleges with my middle son and we are having a wonderful time! We have visited Georgetown, UVA and Duke. Tomorrow we visit UNC and then we visit Davidson on Wednesday. We have met all of the baseball coaches and have toured some great baseball facilities and games. We have attended all of the college information meetings and tours and wow ... these campuses are beautiful!

This is definitely a "boy week" so I thought it might make sense to post a "girl painting"! Enjoy!

He Loves Me ...

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"He Loves Me"

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel

$200 unframed.

"He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not" is a game of French origin, in which one person seeks to determine whether the object of their affection returns that affection or not. We played it as a kid and I don't remember if the daisy was usually right or not. What other ways have you determined if your loved one loves you?

I am heading out of town this weekend with my middle son. We are heading back east for a week to do the "college tour" and visit colleges in Virginia and North Carolina (and meet baseball coaches and watch lots of college baseball games!). It should be a wonderful time and I am really excited to spend this time with my son. I am trying to stock up on daily paintings but so far, no luck!


Check today's story about "color" at Empty Easel and you can learn about how and why I choose my colors to paint with! 

The Flower of Love

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"The Flower of Love"

Oil, 6" x 6"

$200 unframed.

I almost named this painting "The Misunderstood flower". Carnations are lovely flowers, but they just don't get any respect. Carnations are part of the "dianthus" flower family and their name is translated to "the flower of love". One of the world's oldest cultivated flowers, the carnation is appreciated for its ruffled appearance, clove-like scent, and extended blooming period.Carnations are nice flowers but somehow they just don't get the respect they deserve.

I think I know what happened. A while ago someone decided it would be really cool if you stuck a white carnation in a glass of blue food coloring because the flower would "suck up" the dye and voila ... you could have a blue carnation. Or a green one ... or even a black one.  I have to admit, when I see a green carnation I think they look "cheap". And yucky.

So, I panted this carnation to honor the true beauty of the flower ... as it was originally intended!

A Good Day

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"A Good Day"

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel.

$200.00 unframed.

Today was a good day. I got a call from a friend who is in the restaurant business. She and her husband would like me to display (and sell) my art on a new wall they are building in one of their restaurants. The wall will have custom lighting and the art will look great. The art will be featured in the restaurant for a year and I will change it frequently. I expect this will be a great place for me to display my daily paintings!

Some of you have asked about my upcoming "Headlines" show and why I have been spending so much time in the library doing research for my paintings. The show will feature 20 - 25 paintings and all will be titled after headlines that I found in our local newspaper. The headlines are all from the 1920's, 1930's and 1940's.  The paintings will depict a scene from the headline, but in today's world. For example, one of the headlines I DID NOT use was "Man Pleased With Broken Legs, Neck Saved". Hmmm ... I am not kidding ... that was a front page headline in 1935! The painting would have to be something that depicts this headline but in South Pasadena today. So ... by now it should be obvious why I had to pick the headlines carefully and why this example was not picked!

The research was fun, interesting and also pretty emotional. I learned a lot about our town and was amazed that the headlines over the years are still about the same old thing ... fighting the freeway, local elections and human interest stories. Sadly, the headlines in the early 1940's frequently featured a story about a son, brother or father who was either killed or missing in WWII.  The paper is published weekly and every week there was a new story. So sad and so tragic.
So, the headlines have all been selected and I am painting away. When the show opens in the gallery, the original article (and headline) will be placed next to each painting. It has been a lot of work but I think it will be worth it! The show will be at the SouthPas Gallery from April 28 - May 29, 2010. I will keep you updated!

One Day At a Time

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"One Day At a Time"

Oil, 6" x 6" 0n canvas.

$200 unframed.

I think I am enjoying painting flowers this week because the sun is out and the air is finally warm! It has been a very cold and wet "winter" in Southern California and I know I deserve no sympathy from anyone east of here because your weather has been much worse! But there is nothing that reminds me more of spring than a single flower sprouting up in a bed of green ...

Pretty and Pink

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"Pretty and Pink"

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel.

$200 unframed.

As a mother of three boys I love it when I can paint with pink. There is just not enough pink in my life (or house for that matter). When I was growing up I thought pink was a sissy color (yes, I was a bit of a tomboy) but over the years I have learned to appreciate this yummy color!

My favorite ice cream is peppermint, my favorite flowers are pink peonies and my favorite item of clothing is my cozy pink robe! Here's to perhaps ... grand daughters someday?

Sunflower

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"Sunflower"

Oil, 6" x 6"

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One of my new Stanford swim mom friends is from Kansas City, KS and we spent some time talking about their wonderful state flower when we were at the Pac-10 swimming championships last week. I told her I would try to paint a sunflower and this morning I decided to give it a try. I rarely paint flowers and I think I need to re-think my subject matter! I kept mixing all different shades of yellow and they just kept getting brighter and brighter. I had so much fun today! So Barbara - this one is painted in honor of you!

Heading Home

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"Heading Home"

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel

$200 unframed.

Painting makes me happy. I love bright colors, reflections in the water and those three reasons are why I painted this painting. After a long week in the office, what better way to enjoy a Sunday afternoon than sailing in the bay? All it takes are a few hours and you will enjoy the beautiful seascape and silent peace while sailing on the water. Eventually it is time to head home ... back to reality and another week. But it is days like these that help us appreciate "free time".

Stanford From Afar

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"Stanford From Afar"

Oil, 8" x 8" on canvas panel.

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Wow, what a week. I know it has been way too long since I have posted a painting but I really did have good intentions to paint between sporting events! It just didn't work out that way.

The Pac10 swimming championships were amazing. Stanford won their 29th consecutive title. Thank heavens ... my son did not want his freshman class to be the one to break the streak! The races were amazing and we had the chance to get to know all of the parents of the swimmers. What a wonderful group of people. And yes, I have a sore throat from cheering so much!

Baseball and volleyball games went real well too. We caught a lot of those games in between the swimming prelims and finals ...

I am back in the studio and was waiting for the sun to come out to take a picture of this latest painting. I did a similar one a year ago and love the sunlight on Hoover Tower!

Serenity

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"Serenity"

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel.

$200 unframed.

Serenity ... hah! I think this week is one of my busiest weeks ever ... but as a mom, this is what I live for. Today I will drive one hour to watch my youngest play in a high school volleyball game. Then I will drive another hour and a half to watch my middle son's girlfriend play in a CIF semi-finals playoff soccer game. If they win they play in the championships this weekend! I am heartbroken I can't make the high school boys CIF semi-final soccer game today. But I had to draw the straw ... if you are not related to me (or in love with one of my boys) ... then I just can't watch your game this week. Sorry!

Then ... the Pac 10 swimming championships start tomorrow in Long Beach. So we will be driving down there twice a day for four days to watch our oldest swim. This weekend there are also more volleyball and baseball games (and maybe a soccer championship) and I am just not sure how I will be able to make it work. Somewhere in the middle of this I will find time to paint. I am not sure how, but I will.

So, if you think I am complaining you are so wrong! I love weeks like this!

Second Wind

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"Second Wind"

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel.

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OK, so I m back. I feel as if my little "Olympics" paintings were a nice change of pace and it forced me to paint scenes that I never would normally paint! It did require me to get out of my comfort zone and there were many great things that came from it. I found myself reading a lot more about the Vancouver Olympics and the heartfelt stories about the Canadian people and their incredible generosity. I love Canada!

So, back to boats for a while. I am working on a few commissions and my big April show so I will probably post a lot of these small fun ones. The reflections in the water make me smile so I will probably continue to paint them for a very long time.

Speaking of things that make me smile, one of the advantages of having a blog has been the wonderful people I have met. It seems odd to call someone you have never met a "dear friend" but I must say there's one woman out there in "blogspace" that I want to make sure you know about. Dreama Tolle Perry has become not only one of my favorite artists, but she is also one of my favorite people. It is funny how I can just pick up the phone and call her at any time and we can talk forever. We are having fun trying to figure out how artists should take advantage of the incredible opportunities via the internet and she has been a wonderful mentor and teacher. She has way more art experience than I do yet she is so willing to discuss my crazy marketing ideas (at any hour). If you haven't had a chance to check out her art, please do!

Canadian Pride

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"Canadian Pride"

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel.

I posted an "abstract painting" a few hours ago and then decided to give it another try. I like this one a lot better so I re-posted the newer painting. I love the Olympics and I am not sure what I will paint next week ... I guess I am looking for ideas!

Curling?

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"Curling?"

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel.

$200 unframed.

Ok ... I have to admit that I just don't get it. I think it is great that a sport such as curling exists. But an Olympic sport? Are you kidding me? I have tried really hard to understand why this sport is part of the Olympic Games but I am sorry ... it doesn't make sense.

I am also angry. I do honestly believe that had I driven my children to the So. Cal. Curling Club instead of soccer, swimming and baseball for ten years then we would all be in Vancouver right now watching them complete.

Even David Letterman had fun with his Top Ten Surprising Facts About Curling. If anyone understands this sport and WHY it is in the Olympics (and don't tell me tradition!) then please, help me out here.

Canadian Warmth

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"Canadian Warmth"

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel.

$200.00 unframed.

If I had to pick one thing that reminds me most about this Olympics, it would have to be the wonderful Canadian mittens! Everyone is wearing them in Vancouver and Whistler and I fell in love with them. Early last week I actually found a pair on ebay for close to retail price! They arrived last Thursday and I absolutely love them.

We spent a long weekend up at Stanford and wow! The Cal vs. Stanford swim meet was so exciting. I honestly did not think Stanford could win and it came down to the last event. Stanford pulled it off and the roar in the stands was wonderful. What a great honor to watch our son swim for Stanford!

So we are back home ... watching the Olympics again ... and gearing up for the Pac 10 Swimming Championships in just over a week. Can you tell I love sports? I am a hopeless fan!

The Sunshine Award

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This past week, I have received the Sunshine award from Karen Bruson, Mitzi Easley, Julie Hill and Tammy Hext. Thanks guys! I am honored to have received this award. Now it appears that many of the 12 bloggers that I would pass this award on to have already received it!

The rules for accepting the award are:

Put the logo on your blog or within your post.

Pass the award onto 12 bloggers.

Link the nominees within your post.

Let the nominees know they received this award.

Link to the person from whom you received this award

The people I want to send this to are:

1. Randy Higbee - he owns http://www.kingofframe.com and they have the most amazing frames! His 6" x 6" frames only cost $30 and he does a "float mount" that allows for the entire canvas board to be seen. They are so cool! And e is the kindest person I have met in this industry!

2. Dreama Tolle Perry - because I think you are wonderful and I love your paintings. That is probably why I own three of them.

3. Vicki Shuck - because you have so much talent and your paintings of moms and their kids are simply amazing!

4. Robin Cheers - because your live paintings of weddings are about the coolest new idea I have seen in years!

5. Laurie Allee - because the photos you take in South Pasadena have served and an inspiration for many of my paintings!

6. Marian Fortunati - because you were so kind to me when I first entered the blogger world and I love your paintings!

7. Oriana Kacicek - because your paintings look more real than life itself!

Oh No!

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"Oh No!"

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel.

$200.00 unframed.

Perhaps I should name this painting "Oh Yes!". I think I held my breath for the entire two minutes and thirteen seconds it took to complete the final of the men's 1500m short track speed skating event. I am sure everyone watching was sure the two American boys were going to finish out of medal contention. And then ... a tragic crash for the two Korean skaters provided an opportunity for the Ohno and JR to take the silver and bronze. Anyone who heard the story of JR Celski and the courageous comeback he made from an injury last fall at the Olympic Trials can appreciate what a medal must mean to this young man. And I laughed when I heard the interview with Ohno when he said he is more noted for his "Dancing With the Stars" win. A fan once asked him when he started dancing and his response was, "Well, have you ever seen the Olympics?".

So gentleman, here's to the thrill of victory!

Let the Games Begin

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"Let the Games Begin"

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel.

$200.00 unframed.

I ended up getting a horrible cold this weekend and so instead of painting, I stayed in bed and watched the Olympics! Although just to be clear, had I stayed healthy, I still would have watched the Olympics. I have three different TV's recording all of the coverage so I am convinced I will not miss a single event.

In honor of my complete fascination with the Olympics .... check back for daily paintings highlighting the Olympic games. Fortunately I felt better today to finish this one.