lilies

Lilies and pine cones. Two subjects I love. Both deceptively difficult, for me anyway.

Planted about two dozen lily bulbs this weekend; so, midsummer, I should get plenty of practice. (These were painted from a stalk of fake flowers.)

Also planted three dozen tulip bulbs! Hope the squirrels will not eat them all!

cats

                                 arya

The great thing about painting white cats is what great practice it is in painting as little as possible.

                   arya, sansa, and gilly

birds

A couple of flickers--i love their coloring and markings--and a kinglet. He should be a golden-crowned kinglet but I goofed and grabbed red, as if he were a ruby- crowned.

And heres a beautiful bird I was unfamiliar with, the strawberry finch, which I painted in Ronna Fujisawa's class.

for connie

                             9x12

Last week a woman in one of the online classes I attend passed away suddenly after a brief illness The people in the class have been painting together for a long time, and they were all devastated. I'm the newcomer but I will miss her too: her kindness and sweet smile, her beautiful, elegant paintings.

The homework this week: paint a floral and, in the spirit of generosity and friendship that defined Connie, gift it to a friend.

                                  8x8

                                  9x12

painting barns on zoom

                                  11x15

                                 11x15

Painted a couple of WI barns with artist Paul Oman this week. Really enjoy his classes and his painterly style.

In the first one, on top, I kept getting the paper too wet, especially in the background trees, where the paint kept diffusing.

I was able to control the water better in the second one.

bayshore

7x11

A subject I never tire of, and never "master"--each time I approach it, it's like I'm starting over, which maybe isn't a bad thing.

zoom workshop

                             11x15

                               8x10

From two separate workshops with Paul Oman. I really enjoy his classes and his approach, which is very painterly.

                               6x8