By the Grapevine

I painted this one from a plein air sketch, memory and a reference photograph.  I'm working out a composition to make a bigger painting.  So far, I like the square format best.

Oil on canvas.  6 x 6

Battery Park Series: #3, The Colgate Clock

I thought it would be nice to show my set up on location.  Tourists and passer byes are always curious about what I'm doing and I end up in a lot of photographs.  It's part of being an outdoor painter, also called "plein air painter".
This painting had a rough commute home, my carrying devise fell apart and as a result it got a lot of smudges and marks, I think it gives it character.
I hope the people on the train who got paint on their clothes are not too unhappy with me.

Oil on canvas.  6 x 12

My Tulip

Yesterday my garden was full of beautiful tulips, this morning they were gone, eaten by some critter. Only a few survived, so I cut this one and brought it inside to paint it.  You can't have this one!! This is my tulip!
 Another quick painting at the end of a long day.  It was nice to relax in front of my easel and enjoy the process.  I'm grateful to have this love for painting.

Oil on linen.  6 x 6

Orange and Blue Jar

This painting definitely needed more time than what I had to give this morning.  All the "players" wanted to take center stage and their colors were hard to manage.  I love the composition and the elements and will duplicate it in a bigger canvas.

Oil on linen.  5 x 7

Reflections

The Weeping Willow is the only color note in the landscape this morning. A quiet little painting, and I only used 3 brushes today, big  improvement!

Oil on canvas.  4 x 5

As per your Suggestion..

 Today I painted brown eggs, an exercise not only in turning form, but on patience. I shall do lots more, there's so much to be learned.  Practice makes perfect, or close to it.
This posting completes the first month of my blog, so far, I'm pleased with the experience, I think it was a very good idea; if I may say so myself.  I'm looking forward to the next eleven.

Oil on linen.  5 x 7

Rosas

Painting roses can be hard when you have a lot of time to think about it; that was not the case this morning.  I had no time for shenanigans, it's Easter morning!  I made this one for my mom, my number one fan and her name is Rosa.

Oil on linen.  5 x 7

Bear with a Slicker

I know..., I know..., I said I wouldn't do "cute", but he was soo cute wearing his little slicker on this rainy and dark morning, I just couldn't help myself. About the craft, I have been working with yellows lately and I like the different variations I have on this painting.

Oil on canvas.  8 x 8

Just a Pear

I usually paint outdoors in the city on Fridays, but I just couldn't face another grey, wintery day.  So I stayed in my studio, nice and warm with a pretty pear to paint my "daily".

Oil on canvas.  6 x 6

Early Morning

I love to paint very early in the morning; most of the colors are muted except the few lit by the raising sun.

Oil on canvas.  4 x 5

Fog

This was an exercise in restraint, my brushstrokes and colors had to match the mood of the morning fog.  I like this painting a lot, it's quiet and subtle, different from what I usually do.  There's a lot more pinks and purples than what the screen shows

Oil on canvas.  6 x 9

Bouquet of Trees

These four majestic trees share a very small space in my yard, but somehow have managed to do just fine and to stay out of each other's way. They were here before me and hopefully will stay around long after I'm gone. I paint them often; they are a beautiful shade of grey and have arranged themselves in a very interesting way.

Oil on canvas.  4 x 5

Grapes

Why I would choose to paint grapes on a morning when I absolutely have no time is beyond me!
But I did, and I'm very happy with the results. There's a few things that I would fix, change, etc., but it is what it is.  A plate of grapes under 1 hour.

Oil on canvas.  6 x 6

New Kid on the Block

A lot of birds come in early spring and leave soon after.  I wasn't taking a chance on this fellow being here tomorrow.  He was going to get painted today! I do hope he stays; he's such a good model.
I painted this very quickly, the trick was not to be intimidated by such beauty.

Oil on linen.  5 x 7

Solitary Yellow Flower

I was going to name this painting "Daffodil", but when I looked up the spelling in the dictionary,(yes, I still do that!!), it said: "A bulb plant with solitary yellow flowers" and I just thought that was so poetic I had to use it.
About the craft, this was not easy to do.  I'm not one for complaining, much, but the colors were very difficult to communicate because they were so soft and the transitions so subtle.  I predict that I'll be painting a lot of these solitary flowers in the future thus becoming a solitary painter myself.

Oil on linen.  5 x 7

Battery Park Series: #2 Statue of Liberty

I painted this scene this morning. It was a very grey, overcast day; no color anywhere!
The two things that attracted me were the Statue of Liberty and the bridge to the left.  The distance between them was too much, so I decided to eliminate one of the land masses between them.  That would be Staten Island, since I don't know anybody from there, I thought it would be OK. But the painting doesn't look right without it.   Anyway, the next time I paint this I'll bring a longer canvas and include the land that I left out.

Oil on canvas.  6 x 9

Quick Lemons

Not a lot of time today, a quick study is all that I can manage. When life gives you lemons, paint them!

Oil on linen.  5 x 7

Camouflaged Teacup

I wanted to make a companion piece for "Camouflaged Teapot", so I kept the cloth and stuff around.  I finally got around to painting it; now I can clean my studio and make some room.
I'm happy with the result, simple and cheerful. I like how the spoon steals the show.

Oil on linen.  5 x 7

Sunrise

I hear it's going to rain later, but this morning's sunrise was gorgeous.  I just had to paint it!  Besides, I won't get much time later.  The solution: big brushes, little canvas, no problem.

Oil on canvas.  4 x 5

Hyacinth and Magnolia

Everything in my garden seems to be blooming at once!!  The pressure is on; I must paint my flowers!!
My hyacinths and magnolias were too pretty to cut so I painted them outside under the watchful eye of a fat bumblebee.

Oil on canvas.  2- 6x6

Spring Shoes

Spring to me brings a sense of renewal and the excitement of seeing flowers and trees come to life.   It also brings the joy of once again playing outdoor soccer with people I like, of being part of a team. I am very grateful for this.  So, here are my cleats.  They are mean looking cleats!
I learned today that things can get out of hand very quickly when using black paint.

Oil on canvas.  6 x 6

Self Portrait #1

It doesn't matter how big the canvas, my face never fits!
I like doing self portraits, I don't take them very seriously.  Unlike when painting a model where I try to get a likeness or make them look nice or at least human; with the self portrait it doesn't matter, the model is very forgiving.

Oil on canvas.  6 x 6

Battery Park Series: #1 Looking at Jersey City

This is one of my favorite spots , looking at Jersey City from Lower Manhattan.  It's a beautiful view and it brings nice memories of painting with my friend Sandra. I might go back and touch up a few things  tomorrow.

Oil on linen.  5 x 7

Forsythias with Strawberry

I had finished this painting in a loosely manner and it was very pleasing.  Then I decided to explain the background a little better and things started to get overworked, so I just walked away, hopefully not too late.

Oil on canvas.  5 x 5

Forsythias in my Yard

I did a similar painting of this scene two years ago.  I'm very pleased with this one, the difference is that this time I understood to paint the entire tree, as opposed to individual branches.  Maybe I did not quite accomplished it, but I see what must be done.  So... that's what she was trying to tell me such a long time ago! :)

Oil on linen.  5 x 7

Forsythias

This is one of my all time favorite flowers.  I love the riot of color they bring, even on a rainy day like today!  I did not want anything else in the composition to steal the show. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to paint them outside.

Oil on canvas.  6 x 6

Composition Study #1

I saw this composition in a book and thought that it was very interesting.  Since I learn by doing, here is my version of it.  The artist used scallions, but I didn't have any, so I grabbed some asparagus and asked them to pretend.  The colors are pretty close to the original.

PS: I fixed the bottom on the light rectangular shape after the picture was taken.

Oil on linen.  5 x 7

Cloud Study #1

I spent most of the day working on a large painting, so for my "daily" I chose to do a cloud study.  Not to imply that these are easy to do, but because working from life, you have to paint fast. Well, here it is.   I will do a lot more of these.  Next time, I'll work from a photograph.

Oil on canvas.  5 x 7

3 Paisanas

I painted this under natural light so there isn't much contrast between light and shadow.  I wanted to focus on the beautiful colors of the pears.

Oil on canvas.  6 x 6

Early Bloomer

This little flower from my garden bloomed a few days ago.   I love Spring, I just wish it would get warmer soon!  This painting took a few hours, mostly spent on the bottle.  Subtract them from the 10,000 hours one has to put in to master a skill, as if one could ever really master it!

Oil on linen.   5 x 7