#160: "Persimmons in a Jar", oil 6" x 6"

The last posting of 2012. Even with all the Holiday festivities I managed to make one last little painting. Did you know that persimmons are really delicious when they are ripe? We had lots of them around the studio, so we got a chance to find out. I love the word "persimmons". The challenge in this painting was to paint glass. Again, if I had thought too much about glass it would not have been so successful. I thought about shape, color, value. Faye said "paint the persimmons and then put the jar around them". I did something like that. I love my color choices here. I painted the background several times before I came up with this. I'm happy with it. Happy New Year everyone. The Ray for the Day is "Persimmons in a Jar".

#159: "Cup 'o Cherries", 6"x6", oil

This one makes even my mouth water. Not just those luscious red orbs, but the thick juicy paint. Again, there was color bouncing all over the place especially on that white cup. Notice the Holiday color theme? Yep, red and green. Can't get away from it right now. This one and the last posting both sold at Art Walk last night. Yay! I really enjoyed piling the paint onto this little 6"x6" square. This blog may go quiet for a little while as I go off to all kinds of parties and gatherings and family events. Today I'll put up our tree. Happy Holidays everyone. The Ray for the Day is "Cup 'o Cherries." SOLD

#158: "It's All About the Cherries", 6" x 6" oil

It's interesting how the environment, season, mood effects my work. I somehow can't quit painting things that are red and green. Right now I am drawn to anything red. I reach for the red sweater, put on my red coat, eat the red pear, and can't seem to stay away from these gorgeous red cherries!! Studio 106 is filled with round, red fruits. We paint 'em and then we eat 'em! Happy Holiday Season everyone. Studio 106 is open tonight for Art Walk in case any of you are near enough to drop by. The Ray for the Day is "It's All About the Cherries."
SOLD

#157 "Poppy and Persimmon", 6"x6", oil

One of my studio mates, Faye, is positively coo coo for painting persimmons lately. She brings them in by the bagful. And when they get ripe we eat them. They are delicious and I never knew that before. So how could I resist painting one as well. They are such a wonderful shape and color and those little green leaves are almost turquoise but not quite. I thought the persimmon and the poppy made quite good companions. It's another one hour wonder that took longer. Studio 106 will be open for Art Walk this coming Saturday and we are featuring Small Wonders. I now have 5. Hopefully I'll be able to complete 6 or 7 before the weekend. The Ray for the Day is "Poppy and Persimmon."

#156 "Tete a tete", oil 6"x6"

Much of the fun in painting this little one hour wonder was not only the shapes (all that volume), but the colors were bouncing around like crazy. We've all been able to spend some time in the studio lately so the place is full of stuff for still lifes, and many of them start with the letter p. We have pomegranates, pears, persimmons, poppies, and you will see them all in the next few days. I am really partial to those cherries though. They are so much fun to paint, and it is always a challenge to decide just which way I want their stems to point to lead your eye through the painting. Don't the Pear and the pomegranate look like they are having a private conversation? The Ray for the Day is "Tete a tete".

#155 "Pumpkin Wonder", 6"x6", oil

Now for a change of pace. Life has been hectic lately (isn't it always?) and I've had very little time in my studio. So I've decided a little time is better than no time at all. I've come up with the idea of One Hour Wonders. The idea is to complete a 6" x 6" oil painting in one hour. Of course they end up taking more than one hour, but somehow it works to get me to the studio when I don't have much time. Today, however, I got to spend the whole day at Studio 106 with both of my partners, Faye and Barb. The music was playing, the place was a creative mess and we were all happily painting away. My favorite kind of day. We ended the day going out for pizza and wine. I felt I was somehow back into my "real life". This is one of two One Hour Wonders I completed today. The Ray for the Day is "Pumpkin Wonder".

#154 "Entry Courtyard", watercolor and ink

Okay, so here's one more. Not technically an interior sketch. This is the little entry courtyard to Dar Louisa. Many, many  Moroccans use bikes for transportation in the narrow streets and alleyways of the towns. I spent a pleasant time in the courtyard listening to birds sing and sketching these familiar sights. There was just one bike when I began the sketch, but then Abdelilah returned from an errand and added the second. It created an extra challenge to the sketching process, but by no means interrupted the fun. The Ray for the Day is "Entry Courtyard".