The Blue Veil

8 x 8 in acrylic on canvas
Here's the first in a series of 'Bobbed - Hair Women'. I added 2 views today because I didn't like the glare on the non-close up photo.


It's time for my close up...

Pencil Box Painting

Here is a wooden cigar box that I painted with a border around the sides. It is from a photograph of an old French clock I took in a museum in Arles. The background is a bit unresolved, I glazed a white wash over it, and will probably add a light color to it.
These boxes are great if you like painting on wood. I have done dozens of these as jewel boxes,lined with velvet. I'll have to find some photographs and post them sometime.



My beloved Prismacolor and Lyra watercolor pencils. My son can't keep his hands off of them!

Ferry to Balboa Island

This is actually a large painting I did about a year ago that is still unfinished. I believe it's 28 x 36. I took the photo while visiting friends in Newport Beach, California. I need to finish this one!

Monet's House

Monet's House 8 x 8 in. acrylic on canvas.

Here is my finished painting of Monet's house and part of the garden, taken in the month of June a few years back. The colors of the leaves are almost blue-green-gray, which I love. It reminds me of Bonnard's colors.



The color of the house above was more like the original color but, it just wasn't working and I had to change it.

Tadpole Hunting and Snow

Here is my woodcut that is progressing along quite nicely. There are so many leaves to focus on and cut with my hanga-tu (spelling!? It's phonetically correct, though.)
As soon as I clear more areas, I'll do a crayon rubbing and post it.



Here is a nice, fluffy tree near the corner of my deck, it normally reaches the railing but, the snow is so heavy it has flattened it out, practically to the ground! We were out shoveling snow for about 2 hours today, I can't believe the amount we've gotten in 24 hours. In a word... snowbound.
Just please let us not lose power, I need the computer, bath water and a way to keep the restless kids fed!!

Dreaming of Giverney

Funny that I've been painting California and France in summer while a snowstorm is hitting our city. Here's a look outside our window.



Oh to be at Giverney again. It is so beautiful. We were there in the month of June and took the train from Paris to the town of Verdun outside of Paris. (or was that town near Versailles? I can't recall. Now, I'll have to look it up or I won't be able to sleep!) Here's the inspiration to all that French daydreaming... my waterlily painting. It's still not finished but is coming along.

Sonoma Mountains continued

Here is a more finished version of Sonoma Mts... I would like to add some more colored shadows especially on the road and do something more with the leaves on the trees. It's a good thing these 'daily paintings' are not due for a show or something, because, I work best when I can mull them over for a period of time. Maybe I should change my blog name to 'Mulling it over...' nah.

Waterlillies and Woodcuts

Here is a painting I started today... it is taken from a photograph I took in Giverney, France - aka- Monet's garden. This is armchair travel for me, or "easel travel"... when I'm painting from holiday photos, it's like I'm there the entire time. Sorry to say it's not too pretty right now, but that will change.




Here is a woodcut I have just started tonight of a lovely summer day... kids at the park, tadpole hunting and tree hugging.

Stack O' Canvases

Here are those canvases waiting to be transformed into art... it's going slow. Hopefully I'll be posting a new or finished painting later this week.

I have been begun work for a show in April of woodcuts and "jewel box paintings" (which are on cigar boxes.) You all might think I am organized but the truth is, it takes me that long to be ready for a show! With 2 kids under 5, one really has to plan ahead. Paradoxically, I have never been more prolific than after I became a mama, go figure.

Sonoma Mountains - in progress

8 x 8 in acrylic on canvas

I received a nice shipment of painting surfaces from Dick Blick and built 15 8 x 8 in canvases! It was a grind but, I became obsessed and had to finish building them the other night while watching A Room With A View. (what a beautiful film that is... everyone looks so young in it! It is from 1986... )

Anyway, I was hungry for painting this morning and with a lovely stack of fresh canvases on my painting cart, I got started. This painting is from a photograph I took in the Sonoma Mts on a trip to the wine country a few years ago. We took 'shortcut' and ended up on this long, winding road which turned out to be quite scenic. Stopping to stretch and snack, I took some photos knowing there was a painting there, somewhere!

Dog Walking by the Frozen Pond

5 x 7 in acrylic on clayboard

A freezing day, during my daughter's car nap... I thought the dogs looked so happy to be out, even in the bitter cold.

Living Room Lunch continued

As he is now...

A few days ago version...

Here are 2 versions of Living Room Lunch... I think I'm at a stopping place, I could keep tweaking it for weeks if I don't stop myself. (however, I will be glazing the chair and his hair to "smooth it over.") Got the computer back and feel much better about keeping up my painting progress!

Night Sewing

Here is a corner of a 5 x 7 in painting I'm working on. As you can see it is rough and may stay that way for the most part. I'm getting the "good" computer back today, so, it will be much easier to post my progress!! More to come later...

Bird, one in a series of three

Watercolor, pastel, gesso, graphite, cold wax on wood 10 x 10 in. (sold)

Here is an experimental piece, I had never used watercolor on wood and it was quite a challenge. I added pastels and then mixed gesso with them, right on the surface - difficult to control, but fun! All three have the egg 'predella' at the bottom and similar borders. This lovely bird makes me long for spring.

Sledder in Manito Park

8 x 8 in acrylic on clayboard


Here is a painting I did after driving around one Saturday afternoon and taking photographs of snowy scenes. There will be several more in a series since I got so many nice ones. The sun was shining, casting beautiful, dappled light on the snow.

I had plenty of time to dawdle since my baby was having a "car nap" and there's nothing to do but drive if you want it to last!

Still painting...

Tea by Brenda acrylic on canvas (sold)

This is an older painting I did a few years ago. It is large, I think 24 x 36 in. I must say, painting on small surfaces if very difficult for me!!! I like to get big and move my arms, get into the 'calligraphy' of painting etc.

My computer is still broken, we got it back and have been putting all the "stuff" on discs so the whole thing can be reformatted. In the meantime, I have some photographs on the "older"computer that I can work with.

My paintings-a-day are coming slow but sure. This is a much bigger challenge than I thought, but, I will endure!!!

Quote for the Day

"It's better to say, 'I'm suffering,' than to say, 'This landscape is ugly." - W.H. Auden on ugliness. (Eric Maisel)

Too bad that kindness is hardly used in art school critiques!! :)

Quote for the Day

"With an apple I will astonish Paris." Paul Cezanne on his career.

My computer is still in the shop, but I have been painting away while my yard fills up with snow.

Another Kind of Painting

The Lovely Cellist woodblock print by Brenda 4 x 4 in

Still working on a few paintings before I can post them, but, now that my ink is dry after printing last week, I was able to paint some of my mini-prints. Here is one of them.

Livingroom Lunch

I started a new painting this morning, as you can see I have a ways to go! More later.... back to work. Bon Jour!!

3 Teacakes... finished!

After working on this painting this morning, I'm much happier with it now. I like to tweak my paintings after I walk by them throughout the day and think in passing, "Oh, it needs blue there, or lighter value there..."

Welcome to my Painting-a-Day Blog!!!

Cat, Thinking watercolor on clayboard 7 x 5 in

Cello Kids acrylic on clayboard 7 x 5 in

3 Teacakes 1.2.08 acrylic on clayboard 8 x 8 in.

I am a new painting-a-day painter as of 12.31.07, but realized I needed to have a separate blog for this endeavor! (these have appeared on my art history blog, Artslice.