"Lilies and Carnations" (oil on linen; 12" x 12")

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White Oriental lilies, purple Peruvian lilies, and pale yellow carnations make a sumptuous, yet elegant bouquet.  When I was arranging the bouquet and pondering the title for the painting, the famous painting by John Singer Sargent--"Carnation, Lily, Lily, and Rose"--came to mind.  Someday I will paint like this!

John Singer Sargent, "Carnation, Lily, Lily, and Rose"

"Venice the Most Serene City" (oil on linen; 12" x 12") sold

sold

The best way to see Venice is by a gondola.  Hop into a gondola and glide by the famous Basicila di Santa Maria della Salute, on the way to the Piazza San Marco.  The domes of "The Salute" glow in the golden light of late afternoon.  No wonder that Venice is called the Most Serene City!

Step 1: Drawing for "Venice in Late Afternoon"

Step 2: Transparent underpainting

Step 3: The first layer of opaque paints down

Step 4: Time to refine the painting

"Rialto Bridge Dusk" (oil on linen; 12" x 12") sold

sold

Venice is always beautiful.  At dusk, it becomes breath-takingly ethereal.  Ride a gondola, like the couple in the painting, and glide under the famed Rialto Bridge in the sunset.

"Dingle Peninsula, Ireland" (oil on linen; 12" x 12") sold

sold

Have you ever been to Dingle in County Kerry, Ireland?  The only town on the Dingle Peninsula, it sits on the Atlantic coast, at the westernmost point of Island and Europe.  Greens are even more vivid in this Emerald Isle after a squall.  The painting brings back the fond memories of our trip in 1996--driving on the "wrong side" of the narrow roads, frequent rain showers, rocks and ruins, green rolling landscapes, and the pub visits.

"California Sea Stacks Sunset" (oil on linen; 12" x 12") sold

sold

Have you ever seen the sea stacks along the Pacific Coast?  These picturesque landforms, formed by erosion, consist of steep and vertical columns of rock in the sea near a coast.  My painting is of the stacks in Trinidad Head in northern California.  The setting sun transforms the summer scenery with wildflowers into an enchanting place where the sky, sea, and shore become one.

"Happy Year of the Sheep" (oil on linen; 7" x 7")

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2015 is the Year of the Sheep.  The sassy Icelandic sheep wishes you a Happy Chinese New Year!

"Winter Goose Pond" (oil on stretched canvas; 12" x 16")

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Exactly a year ago, my daughter and I went for a walk after a snowfall in the nearby Green Spring Gardens Park.  Geese were swimming in the half-frozen pond.  I even caught a goose in flight in one of the photos.  As we were expecting a snow storm yesterday, it seemed appropriate to paint "Winter Goose Pond".  When I showed the finished painting to my husband, he said: "It looks cold!"

"Sunset Harbor" (oil on linen; 12" x 12")

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A small working harbor at Newport, OR is one of the most charming harbors I have ever seen.  At sunset, it is even more beautiful.  I have painted the subject four times in different mediums and styles.  What can I say?  I am enchanted by Newport, OR!

"Red Sails" (watercolor on Yupo, 20" x 26"; sold)

"At Ease" (acrylic, 18" x 24"; sold)

"Red Sails" (oil, 18" x 18"; sold)

"Moonlit Lighthouse" (oil on linen; 12" x 12")

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The full moon peeks through the clouds over the Yaquina Head Lighthouse in Newport, Oregon.  I feel serene as I look at my new painting.

"Chesapeake Bay Tranquility" (oil on stretched canvas; 11" x 14") sold

sold

I once saw a lone house on an inlet to the Chesapeake Bay. I imagined tundra swans flying over the house. In my mind it was the dusk with the mauve sky and the dark, choppy water.

"Bodie Island Lighthouse, Outer Banks" (oil on linen; 12" x 12") sold

sold

Perhaps the best time to be on the Outer Banks, NC is winter when sunbathers are all gone.  Visit the Bodie Island Lighthouse at dusk.  The luminous peace soaks one's psyche.

"Lupine Fields of Prince Edward Island" (oil on linen; 12" x 12") sold

sold

Imagine coming upon a meadow filled with lupines like this in early summer.  It could be Prince Edward Island or Maine. Wow!

"Emmy" (oil on linen; 8" x 6") sold

sold

"Emmy" is for Joanna who lives in Singapore.  She found my custom pet portraits on Etsy and decided to commission me to paint her beloved Emmy.  I am becoming world famous!  Emmy is a 5-year-old beagle.  She is spirited, mischievous, and life-loving, which I hope you can feel in her portrait.

"Japanese Bridge at Monet's Giverny Garden" (oil on stretched canvas; 10" x 10")

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The climbing roses are blooming over the famed Japanese Bridge at Monet's Garden in Giverny. Isn't it utterly romantic?

"Eiffel Tower Spring" (oil on stretched canvas; 12" x 9") sold

sold

It is springtime in Paris. The Eiffel Tower surrounded with cherry blossoms, I dare say, is the ultimate in romance!

The Collage of My January 2015 Paintings

The Collage of My January 2015 Paintings

Wow.  Did I really paint all these fabulous paintings?  I am proud!  As I said in yesterday's post, this month I will be painting in oils, perhaps, landscapes and cityscapes.  I don't know where the flight of my creative imagination will take me and you!