Asian Eggplants

6"x6" oil on board
$100

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Not much painting done last week due to having my family here on holiday. I did manage to get this one finished just in the nick of time!!

I liked the different shapes of these eggplants from the Farmers market and love painting this color!

Spanish Red Onions

6"x6" Oil on gessoboard

These two were painted before they went in the pot! I found the values and color shifts tricky because they are so subtle...but I love the scraggly bits at the top!
My calendar will be ready by mid November...whew!! Cutting it fine this year!
I am going to Australia for a holiday with my family later this week so I won't be posting while I'm away.  Back in a couple of weeks!!

Limes and Garlic

6"x6" Oil on gessoboard

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Two of my favorite flavours in food... the limes are off my tree! I have painted garlic before and I'm amazed at how different the color of the outer skin can vary, some  are nearly white, others are pink/violet and these are an ochre color. It doesn't seem to affect the flavour!

My calendar will feature food again this year and I haven't quite finished twelve so I will have another few food paintings coming up in the next few weeks.

Last Iris

6"x6" oil on board

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This was the last Iris from my garden this season!! The color is not quite true, the violet is warmer in the painting itself...this is the best I could get it! 

I have been painting small figure studies this week. I bought Peggi Kroll Roberts video 'Translations from a Photo'....she is a great teacher!! There is a lot to learn and her "one idea at a time" exercises make it easier, I'm really enjoying it.

Bender

8x6 Oil on gessoboard

This is a commission for a birthday present...I hope Julia likes it! I love birds and Galahs are so colorful!  These colors were difficult to get right and the photo is not quite how it should be either. ( I hate it when that happens!) It looks better in real life. It is the only painting I have been able to finish since we moved...hoping that will change in a day or two!!

Spice is Nice

6"x8"Oil on gessoboard

$90 + s/h
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My new measuring spoons! I love spices and use them all the time in cooking. I saw a photo of spoons a long time ago set out with spices in them, I can't remember where, but it's always been my plan to paint them when I got around to buying new ones!! I love the little bit of  color with the grays.

Color on a Gray Day

6"x6" Oil on gessoboard

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I love the Agapanthus flower...I took this photo on a gray day when I was walking around the Estuary. There are a few of these growing along the walkway and they add such lovely color.  I loved the blue against the gray sky background!!
I'm a bit slow on the painting again...been too busy clearing out 'stuff ' so we can sell the house, I hope that will change soon!!

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!

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!!

Bowl of Garlic

6"x6" oil on board

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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!!

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!!

Mini Dahlia

Drawing #37

Graphite and Pastel

I wasn't sure if I wanted to color the petals on this dahlia...after thinking more about it I left it and just added a little in the centre. The petals are so small it would have made life difficult so I took the easy way out!! I have  three paintings blocked in...final stage on one tomorrow..things are looking up! I have had a week of  odd jobs that had to be finished and unfortunately I don't have any maids here to do them!!

Lean on Me

Drawing #28

Pen and watercolor

Back to pen and watercolor! I like to mix things up...a change makes it interesting and stops me getting stuck and bored! I bought these eggplants at the market, they are a beautiful amethyst color,  quite different from the darker ones I usually buy.  I HAD to buy these ones...they look so good and taste good too...love them!!!

Summer Color

8"x10" Oil on canvas

$120 + s/h
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I could not decide what to paint today! I had already started this one a while ago so went with finishing it. This is part of the Estuary and in summer when the grass turns gold, the colors seem very bright...I love these trees that are scattered every where....always good to paint them!

 My drawing today #7

Deco Style...Pen and watercolor.  We are celebrating Art Deco here this week where everyone dresses up in the style of the 20's and 30's. I used to paint a lot of  art deco paintings on silk before I started oils...this was done from a photo!

Gull

Drawing #2
Pen and watercolor sketch

I have enjoyed my break from painting after the 30 day challenge...I will be starting again tomorrow! I found this gull on my usual morning walk, he was sitting quietly in the grass along the top of the beach just resting in the sun. Again I added a bit of color...it's nice to  to sketch  for a change! I like this one and I'm going to paint it at some stage!

Thistles

Day Thirty- 30 Paintings in 30 days

6x6 Oil on Board

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Daily Paintworks FB pick of the day

My last painting in the 30 in 30 challenge!! It's back to the Estuary again, where I started this challenge and where these thistles grow everywhere. I love their color and the way they stand up tall!

I am glad I did this challenge...some days were better than others but it's helped me in so many ways! I am not a fast painter, I like taking my time but this certainly pushed me along. My own challenge was to paint life around me with  only three colors and white...and I did it!!

Onions

Day Eighteen-30 Paintings in 30 Days

6"x8" Oil on board

$90 +s/h

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Because it's Saturday here today, I thought I would go a bit easy on myself and paint something simple .... what could be hard about painting onions? Well I found out! There are a lot of subtle value changes for a start....then there is the skin that's peeling off in parts! Anyway I got through it and learned a lot...so it was worth it. I will  never think that way again!!!

Estuary Reeds

Day Twelve-30 Paintings in 30 Days

6"x8" Oil on board

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Another morning around the Estuary! I  love how the reeds that grow here are always changing color...this day was a bit overcast so they were not as colorful as they are on a clear sunny day! Tiredness  has been creeping in today, but I am still enjoying this challenge and looking at all the other beautiful work by the other artists! I'm off to bed to get a good nights sleep so I'm all ready for number 13 in the morning!!!

Boquet of Pins

6"x6" Oil on board

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I haven't posted for a few days because I have had family here on holiday, but I've managed to get this one in.  These pins have been sitting in this thimble for a while... I love the little bit of color with the greys and the shadow patterns... another one for my thread series!