amaryllis

My final amaryllis is about to bloom.

still life

                              10x11

Been dabbing away at this little still life for days and I think it's finished.

My red and white amaryllis is about to bloom; I am forcing several hyacinth bulbs, which are in various stages ...

Having a hard time painting of late, feeling low, anxious ... Started about nine days ago😟

classwork

small scenes painted during a workshop with Molly Hashimoto.

amaryllis

.                               16x18

My red amaryllis is pretty wilted now; I think the white one will hang on a couple more days. Then I have one more getting ready to bloom!

still life

                                8x8

I picked up this bottle at a thrift store. Just loved it shape.

Below: my patterned cloth sampler, in progress, before one of my amaryllis fell over onto it and converted it in wet dirt. I was liking the results so much that I may do another.

.                              16x18

sumi

And a litle homework practice.

These are also small, about 3x4.

sumi

Started a sumi class today online with the Seattle Art League.

Today we were doing practice, getting used to the brushes and paper by painting tree shapes.

These are small, about 4x6.

finished

                              16x16

I don't know why but I'm not as pleased with this as I'd hoped to be. I love the cloths and the postcard, Matisse's Red Onions but the cup and the oranges ... Meh.

I wish I had had some red onions!

amaryllis

                                12x16

My amaryllis are still in bloom! And I have another that hadn't bloomed yet.

                              12x16

classwork

In class with SaltyWaterArt this week we practiced painting grasses

classwork

I'm taking a class called Expressive Watercolor with Susan ONeill, who is a really great painter, on zoom via the art League in Alexandria VA.

These are some exercises done on scrap paper during our first class.

daffodils and hellebores

                            10x12

I started painting this on a sheet of hot press paper and soon realized the paper had lost its sizing: the paint sunk right in. I was going to trash it but today added a few darker touches, and I'm not unhappy with it.

violets

.                       11x15 Arches

                       10x12 Fabriano

Violets painted in class with Megan Swoyer.

I always enjoy Megan's classes; she has a very loose and painterly style and I find painting with her very relaxing!

Afterward I did another version because I wasn't happy with my violets.

I used Fabriano paper, which I hadn't used in some time and was amazed by it's lifting properties. I don't usually do much lifting, but I guess it's good to know.

                         8x14

A still life painted with my friend Gina.  We are going to try to turn out attention to still life for the winter, along with our friend Robin, and see if we can learn, advance, have new ideas.

Below, a few 6x8 paintings I did to hand out to guests at Christmas.

cardinal

                           8x10

Another bird painted along with Tom Shepherd on YouTube.

classwork

                                 6x8s

.                                2x3s

Starting another round of landscape classes with SaltyWaterArt.

Last night we did the small wet in wet studies, with a limited palette, trying to keep it simple.

Getting the right amount of wetness and the right amount of paint continues to be a struggle.

snow!

                              8x10

Woke up to snow--light but steady and accumulating. I love snow, so beautiful, so quiet. I have filled all my bird feeders twice so far today, and the cats are mesmerized.

Looking forward to going out and getting some photos!

studio

                            6x10

.                       10x10

Tidying and puttering in studio, made these two little paintings of different views in the room.

amaryllis

                            8x10

Still trying the amaryllis. This was a quick study, no drawing.

It's almost in full bloom now.

And below: finished this one. I like the cloths and the Matisse "Red Onions" postcard copy but I wish I had left out the cup and oranges.

.                         16x20

The painting above was an assignment for a class: paint a painting within a painting. After finishing the more elaborate one above. I turned and did this quick sketch of a part of a wall in my studio.

.                          8x12

sampler

                               6x12

.                               11x16

Really struggling with the amaryllis, so instead I started painting a scrap of cloth I have. It was pretty relaxing.

Thinking three or four of these might look nice framed together, like a sampler.

still life

                            16x16

Working on a still life with an interesting cloth I've acquired and a postcard of Matisse's "Red Onions."

Most decisions are made, but I thought I might need something more in the foreground. Ideally I'd have figured this out before starting, but sometimes you can't see what it needs till you get there. Or I can't anyway.

I drew, painted, and cut out some orange peels and placed them around ...

Not sure what I'm going to do yet.