Secret Garden

When my children were small my mother, an avid gardener, would let them come with her  to her "Secret Garden", which she had terraced out of the hillside in her back yard.  There were little paths with flowers on each side and places to just sit and enjoy the view.  This is a painting of my own back yard, which has flowers planted in her memory.  My little garden statue, tucked away under the large peony blossoms, always makes me think of that special place.  Gardens are good for the spirit. 

Here's the auction:  http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/172656

Purple Haze

 SOLD

Softly shifting light
reveals grass and dune and sea
today?  Purple Haze

I've done a lot of sunsets in this style, but this is a morning painting.   The sky has the delicate colors of sunrise and soft purples cover the grasses and shadows on the sand.  This watercolor measures 9.75" wide by 6.75" high, but is double matted to 11 x 14".  The mat colors I'm using are Whisper White and Cloud.  I chose them for the color, but loved the names, which seemed to go so well with this painting.

This piece is done on 140# Arches watercolor paper, with transparent Winsor & Newton watercolors.  The colors in the actual painting are more intense in the sky, with some beautiful peaches to complement the purples.  Hope you enjoy!

Here's the link for the auction

Along the Cher - Watercolor

 SOLD

I thought it would be fun to paint the same scene in both oil and watercolor.  I took a little artistic license for a few elements of the original reference, but it's basically the same.  I might just do it in pastel next!
It was a little harder to get the monitor image colors just right with this watercolor, but it's pretty close.  This landscape painting of scenery along the Cher River in France is done on 140# Arches watercolor paper.  It's roughly 13.5" wide by 9.75" high. 

Along the Cher - Oil

Ahhh--France.  The Loire Valley filled with charming chateaux and an abundance of flowers.  This painting is based on an area visited there along the River Cher.  No matter where you turned, there was a beautiful view.  This oil painitng is 4 x 5", done on an archival quality canvas panel.  Hope it makes you take a deep breath and relax. 

Here's the auction:

Summer Sunflower

Soon the farmer's field behind our house will be dotted with smiling, summery faces of sunflowers!  I love the way they have an "attitude" after a few weeks when the rain, sun and wind have weathered them a bit.  This watercolor is 4 7/8" wide by 11 7/8" high and is done on Canson 140# watercolor paper.  It's just a blue summer sky behind the flower with the slightest indication of additional foliage at the bottom.  I have it double matted with an off white acid free mat.  Hope you enjoy it!

Spring Chores

SOLD
"Spring Chores" is a pastel, 9 x 12", done on LaCarte pastel paper.  The location is New Pond Farm in West Redding, CT and it is an environmental education center and working farm.  It hosts many groups of children over the course of the year and opens the farm to visitors to meander its beautiful acreage.  Here's a link to view the site--it's a beautiful place!  http://www.newpondfarm.org/

I've only been doing pastel for about a year and a half but find I love the medium!  Hopefully, I'll be posting more soon. 

Country Barn

With warm weather finally here, I was reminded of this watercolor painting I had done of a barn in summer, with flowers blooming by the roadside, framing the tranquil scene.  It was done on 140# Arches paper, approximately 10 x 14".  Happy to say it caught someone's eye and just sold! 

SOLD