Morning Visitors

6"x8" Oil on gessoboard
$90 +s/h

This pair of Australian Rainbow Lorikeets arrive on my daughter's window ledge almost every morning for a spoonful of honey. Sometimes they get cheeky and even jump right inside!!  Last time I was on holiday there, I managed to get a photo...love their beautiful colors!!

A Little Bit of Leopard

6"x6" Oil on gessoboard

$90 + s/h
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Here is the shoe as promised! I love the little bit of leopard...oh to be young again!! This is my last painting until after Christmas. Thanks to all of you who follow my blog, I really appreciate you, I have so many great friends and the comments definitely inspire me to keep painting! I hope you all have a safe and Happy Christmas:)

Girls Stuff

6"x6" Oil on gessoboard
$90 +s/h
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Lipstick, nail varnish and earrings...all things a girl likes at some time or another in her life!! I like the red  because it has a festive feel to it at this time of the year.... there is a red shoe coming up next....so stay tuned!!

Little Cricket

6"x6" oil on gessoboard

SOLD

Something a little different from still life! I love the green color of the cricket and the bright yellow flower...a sign of summer!! I have Bec to thank for letting me use her photo for this...she has a creative blog called Clouds of Colour with wonderful art and photography...a lovely place to visit!!!

Garlic Bulb

6"x6" Oil on gessoboard

$85+s/h
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Garlic.... The big bold flavour with benefits! Good for flavour in cooking, health benefits and  great for painting!!! The range of values in the garlic was limited so I had to pay attention to the warm and cool color changes. It was good challenge I will probably try again sometime...it kept me busy for a couple of hours!!
I have been hit and miss with my daily painting lately. We have our house on the market so my peace is shattered from time to time. Hoping it will sell fast and I can get organised again!

Tea Break

8"x6" Oil on gessoboard

Well...I have had an extra long tea break this week!!! I have had no luck trying to get in front of my easel...must be the time of the year! I have had two of these glass tea mugs for over 10 years and they are still my favorites!! Hot tea or iced tea always looks inviting in them!

Olive Party

6"x6" Oil on board
$85 +s/h
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Time has been against me the last week and I have just started to get around to painting!! I am trying my best to stay nice to be around grrrr! This is one I did a few weeks ago...I like painting silver and  had fun painting the spoon! Here's hoping I get to do more this week!!

Spring Loquats

6"x6" Oil on gessoboard
$85 + s/h
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Still celebrating spring!  Ah... loquats are such a lovely fruit! These were a beautiful golden color...just right for another spring painting and I love their sweet, tangy flavour!!

Spring Celebration

6"x6" oil on gessoboard

DailyPaintworks FB  Pick of the day.
$85 +s/h
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Celebrating what is left of spring!!  These bright yellow flowers grow wild all along the beachfront and look beautiful against the blue sky.  They look like mini sun umbrellas! It's good to get painting again after nearly three weeks. I have some catching up to do...three big canvases sitting looking at me  ( one has been  blocked in for some months) it's a matter of getting my head around painting big again!!

Still on Holiday!!

I am still on holiday in Australia and enjoying every minute of it! I'm in Sydney now but while I was in Perth I met up with artist blog friend, Wendy Barrett. We had a lovely lunch together and talked about art... of course!!! It was wonderful meeting her, she is very talented ...as well as painting she has written and illustrated children's books! You can take a look at her blog here  It's so nice to be able to meet the people you blog with...we will keep in touch and meet up next time I'm over there.

Boldbrush FAV 15% September-A Couple of Kisses

Just found out that this was selected as part of the FAV15% (jury's favorite 15% of the entries) in the September 2013 BoldBrush Painting competition! Thanks FASO...so pleased to be selected!!

Spring Grasses

6"x6" Oil on gessoboard

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I had time to do one more painting before I go on holiday...love the colors of the grass in the Estuary at this time of year, especially  the mornings! I will be away for two weeks, so won't be posting any paintings..... I hope to meet  up with an artist blog friend  Wendy Barrett in Perth Australia... then will be relaxing with my family in the warm sun over there...can't wait!!!

Olive Grove Sunrise

6"x8" oil on gessoboard

 

My last painting for the Art and Olive Festival!  I am disappointed with this image, for some reason it changes when  I upload it to my blog, I have no idea why, it looks fine in my photo program! I have tried so many times but failed to get it to look any better!!!

Olives

I am almost finished with olive paintings for a while!! I think the setting up takes just about as long as the painting! These are for the Art in the Olives Festival at Telegraph Hill in November, I am going on holiday about a weeks  time so have to finish them before I go... whew!!!! Just blocked in a landscape of the olive grove then I'm done!! Should be a fun day with fantastic food!

Miss Daisy

6"x6" Oil on gessoboard 

SOLD

First time I have painted a white cat and I found it very difficult!!  Daisy is a beautiful cat and I wanted to make sure I did her justice. I am happy with the end result but the photo did not turn out well, it looks much better in real life...frustrating when that happens!!

Chocolate Strawberry

6"x6" Oil on gessoboard

$85 + s/h
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On the chocolate trail again! This time I melted some Hersheys kisses and made a dip for the strawberries...one of my favorite desserts!! It's the first time I have painted chocolate and I have to say, it was a bit of a nightmare! The good part was I got to eat it after!!

Summer Dune Grass

6"x6" Oil on gessoboard

$85 +s/h
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Daily Paintworks challenge this week is 'paint the grass'..it makes a nice change from still life and I haven't painted grass for a while! This was done from a photo I took last year when I was on holiday. I love painting dune grass...thanks for the challenge Carol!

A Couple of Kisses

6"x6" oil on gessoboard

These are the two kisses I saved from a bag of Hershey's kisses I bought a couple of weeks ago. I had intended to paint them in the cellophane bag....but the simple truth is... I ate too many of them! That means I will  have to buy another bag and try again!!

Kingfisher

6"x6" Oil on gessoboard

$85 + s/h
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Out of all the birds that inhabit the Estuary, the little kingfisher has to be my most favorite. Their color is beautiful...not as bright as I thought but still lovely. The color here looks better in person. There were 4 or 5 perched on this line and I managed to get a few good photos before they flew away! I will be painting more!!

The Young Ones

6"x8" Oil on board

Click here to bid

A little break from food paintings! I am waiting for some new seasons fruit and vegetables to appear at the markets, so in the meantime I will have a mix of  other subjects I love to paint. It stops things from getting boring!!!

Springtime is a good time to paint calves...so out came the photos I took last year when we were on holiday! They are just as curious when they are young as they are when older....not at all frightened, I love them!!

Chilli Peppers

8"x6" Oil on gessoboard

SOLD

I am still on the food theme...these chillies were so beautiful and fresh...had to paint them!  Again I liked the shadows!!

I used three colors and white for this... because I use neutral mat board for backgrounds I find this way I can usually mix the gray I want! 

Blogiversary- Giveaway Winner

 

We have a winner for this giveaway painting! Congrats John Lancashire....who just happens to be my hairdresser!!! I will deliver it to you this week John. Thanks everyone for your support and taking the time to enter. It's been a great two years!

Blogiversary...Giveaway!

Early Evening Sky

Today it is two years since my first blog entry and I have enjoyed every minute of it! I have made so many friends and been inspired by all the wonderful art I see by following their blogs!! It has also made me  commit to regular painting and  helped me develop the skills to grow. To celebrate and say a BIG thank you to everyone I am giving this 6x8in painting  away! This is a view from my studio window one spring evening...and in three days time it's the end of winter here!!

If you would like a chance to win this painting.. you can either leave a comment here or if you follow me on facebook share this post...simple! You can enter by Saturday  at midnight and I will announce the winner on Monday September 2nd. Good Luck!   

Cheese and Olive Snack

6"x6" Oil on gessoboard
SOLD

A cheese and olive snack with a glass of wine...always goes down a treat!! Well I've found out lately that I love painting olives as well as eating them, so there will probably be more of these as time goes by. 

On 28th...which is in a couple of days... it's my 2 year blogiversary, to celebrate it  I have a painting giveaway...so stay tuned!

Bowl of Garlic

6"x6" oil on board

SOLD

This is the first time I have painted garlic and I found out it's not easy!! These bulbs were very pale and difficult to see all the variations of color in them. The green bowl is one that my husband Bill made a long time ago and is always kept full with garlic! Love it!!

One More Olive

6"x6" Oil on gessoboard

One more olive...I  drew this in graphite and pastel earlier this year with the intention of painting it later so...here it is! I like the fact it is mainly neutrals with a little color  and it's in another  of my favorite small dishes!!

A Day in the life of an Artist - A Blog Carnival

This is your chance to find out what daily life is like for an artist....Today I share what my day is like!
Click on the links below to read about the days of other participating artists.

Sally Binnard        Sharon Graves

   

Joanne Grant      Kevin Larson   Marla Laubisch

Jo MacKenzie     Charleen Martin   Cindy Michaud

Christine Parker   

This is where I paint my smaller paintings, I use a the glass palette seen here and the easel to the left of the photo....larger ones are painted in my studio at the back of my house.

A day in the life of an artist.... well I am not sure I have a typical day! There are so many different activities to keep an art business going. Some days I gesso boards, varnish paintings,buy art supplies and package paintings to name a few. Other days I  simply sit and wonder what I am going to paint!!

This is what happens on a painting day:

My day starts between 6.30-7am, I get up and take my dog for a walk for 30-40 minutes...I take my camera too and often take photos for reference. When I return I have breakfast and do whatever household chores are necessary.
I like to get into my studio by 9am. (not always possible) The first thing I do is spend an hour checking emails and facebook. Because of the time difference here in New Zealand I find it easier to do this before I start to paint. It's an important part of my day because I use social media  to build relationships, having conversations with artfriends, followers and fans.
I start painting around 10am...I mix my colors on my palette first. Most times I use a limited palette so it does not take very long to do it.

I paint until 12.30ish then break for lunch for an hour...during this time I check social media again. I am back painting at 1.30pm, coffee at 3pm, then finish up at 4pm. (If I am working on a larger painting I will work longer.)
I take photos of the finished painting so it is ready when I want to upload it to my blog, daily paintworks, and website. The last thing I do is clean my brushes and turps tin...by this time it is about 5-45pm.
That is me finished for the day!!

P.S. This probably seems very organised, but believe me it is only like this when I paint. Other days only relate to the first sentence of what happens on a painting day and can be a complete shambles!!!

For this carnival I will  hold a two day sale on my available 6x6in or 8x6in daily paintings...$50 each!  View here. Sale ending on August 20th. Send me an email to let me know which one you would like and I will change the paypal button to the new price or if you would rather I will send you a paypal invoice.

Thanks so much for reading about my day..and thanks to Marla for organising this!

Sewing Essentials

6"x6" Oil on gessoboard

One of my little bowls again! This turquoise one is my favorite. I'ts been a while since I did a thread painting and I still have a few more to do. I liked the shadows the scissors created in this one!  Funny how we all seem to have a favorite spot in our paintings!!

Olives for Lunch

6"x6" Oil on gessoboard

SOLD

There is not a lot to say about this painting really! I love to eat olives and I love painting them...especially these green Spanish ones!!

Raven

6"x6" Oil on gessoboard

SOLD

Daily Paintworks Challenge this week ...to paint this black Raven without using black! This is painted from a reference photo. I really had to look hard to find other colors and never used any black at all!!  My palette...ultramarine blue, cad red light, cad yellow lemon, burnt umber, a touch of cerulean blue and white. Great challenge thanks  CJ!

Chilli Group

6"x6" Oil on gessoboard

$85 + $15s/h
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This is painted from a watercolor study I did a few months ago... I felt like painting something bright and simple today!  Love the lively color of these chillies together!!

Two of a Kind

6"x8" Oil on gessoboard
$85 + s/h
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These two look like brothers don't you think? Same hairstyles too! There were a lot of other cows in the paddock but this pair stood there looking and let me get up close to take a photo. I love their white faces with the black patches around the eyes!!

Daffodil Duet

8"x8" Oil on board

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It's not spring in this part of the world yet, but my friend gave me these two daffodils from her garden. It was a nice reminder that the warmer weather is not far away! I find yellow one of the hardest colors to paint...so...I had to have a go!! I think I liked the initial block in best.... always hard not to over work...but here it is!

High Heeled

Two 6"x 6" Oil -Framed

$250 each

Available at Quay Gallery

These two paintings have been finished at last! I have just picked  them up from the framers and they are now available! I usually paint black and red shoes but  me being me I get a bit bored with the same thing, so this time it's blue!!

'I Am Ewe'

6x6 Oil on board

$85 + s/h
SOLD

The words of Helen  Reddy's song 'I Am Woman' came to mind while I was painting this ewe. I'm not sure if it is the look in her eye or what but I think she looks pretty invincible...whatever it is I like the attitude!! Must say I always enjoy painting sheep!

Tamarillo Twosome

6"x6" Oil on board

$85 + s/h
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A cosy looking couple!!

I bought these Tamarillos to paint first then eat. They were sitting around a few days, so I had to get moving and paint while they still looked good! They tasted good too!!!

Studio Daisies

6"x6" oil on board

$85 + s/h
SOLD

Some more daisies from my garden...with one of my miniature yellow roses! I love to always have some flowers on my studio desk...brightens up the day especially in the winter!

Curious Cows

8"x10" Oil on board

$120 +s/h
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I love the way cows stop and stare when I stop to take photos! They are very good models...very calm, gentle animals. It is winter here and  this day was quite dull!! I liked the way the black cows seemed to stand out in this light...but I must admit it was a challenge painting the black in this kind of light. This didn't photograph that well and looks better in real life...I tried about 6 times and gave up!!!

Today-Pastel Sketch

Pastel sketch

A quick sketch of what today looks like here...cold, dull and yuk!! It's supposed to be a warm up before I start to paint but I'm not feelin' the warmth!! Not much more to be said! Painting to be done!

Winter Day- Sketch

Pastel

This last weekend it was so cold I couldn't be bothered even getting my palette set up! I sat looking out the window at this view across from my studio...after a couple of hours it got the better of me and I got my pastels out and did this quick small sketch! Felt much better for doing it instead of procrastinating....and it beats housework!!

Winter Harmony

8"x6" Oil on board

$85 +s/h
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Our first month of winter is nearly over!! We have had some nice days this last week and I have been walking around the Estuary in the mornings. It will always be one of my  favorite places...love the cool winter light!! 

Hibiscus Bud

6"x6" oil on board

$85 +s/h
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This is one of the buds off my  hibiscus bush. It is covered in buds and flowers at this time of the year, the flowers are a beautiful dark orange and brighten up the garden in the winter months! Love them!! I used three colors in this painting...cad red light, ultramarine blue and cad lemon with a bit of white.

Mynah

6"x6" Oil on board

$85+s/h

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After all my troubles yesterday I ended up painting this cheeky Mynah that was perched on my fence outside the window.... this was not what I had in mind to paint! I started with flowers! Anyway...I used the colors  on the chart below and  they worked well!!  

These are the colors I was playing around with a couple of days ago and said I would post. They  are cerulean blue, ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, yellow ochre and white. I found I could mix some nice neutrals!  I often use ultramarine and burnt sienna for my black, so on the top row I started with the black mix then as I went along I added more ultra blue, then a little white, cerulean blue, yellow ochre and some more white. The bottom row started again with the dark mix then added more burnt sienna, white, yellow ochre, cerulean and more white.

Little Shags

Drawing #67

Charcoal and pastel

What a day!! I think today was a follow on from yesterday....I ended up binning one painting!! I did paint another but haven't photographed it yet. I will post it along with the color mixes tomorrow! In the meantime here is a drawing of these Little Shags  that sit on the old wooden piles down near the Marina...they sit there  most mornings. Because the day was dull and overcast I used grey paper and let it do some of the work!

Bucket of Limes

Drawing #66

Graphite and pastel

More limes! This bucket is not a very big one and I had just enough limes to fill it. I hoped to post a painting today but yesterday all I had was a wiper...could not get it together at all...I hate it when that happens!!! I ended up trying out different mixes of colors, so It wasn't all bad!! I will post about them when I have finished.

Daisies and Limes

Drawing #65

Graphite and pastel

I have had a rest from painting this weekend, but still like to do some drawing! Both the limes and daisies are from my garden...an easy setup! It's nice when I don't have to look very far for subject matter and it's even better when I can use these delicious limes growing just outside my door!