"Passionate Lilies" (oil on stretched canvas; 8" x 8" x 3")

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"Passionate Lilies" viewed from the left side

"Passionate Lilies" viewed from the right side

"Passionate Lilies" viewed from the top side

Have you ever seen more passionate lilies than mine before?  Very tropical!  Doesn't the painting remind you of Paul Gauguin's Tahiti paintings!  These days I am having so much fun with deep stretched canvases.  This small painting continues to the 3-inch-wide edges, so its impact literally goes beyond its 8" x 8" size.

The painting pulsates with heat and passion.  The jewel-like colors made a friend of mine call the painting a jewelry box.  What I am particularly proud about the painting is that I had the photo reference for the front part only.  So I had to make up the sides!

"Pot of Gold" (oil on linen; 5" x 4") sold

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It is generally acknowledged that you cannot buy happiness with money.  I insist, however, that it is quite possible to purchase an intense satisfaction with less than five dollars at a pastry shop.  Look at this adorable chocolate cupcake with green icing and cookie crumbs.  It is bearing a chocolate pot of golden sugar!  I was happier than I would have been if I had found a leprechaun with a pot of gold.  You know, you cannot eat a pot or, for that matter, gold!

"Pot of Gold" is the eighteenth in my February Challenge paintings.  Only two more to go!  If you want to win a painting from my "Pastry Pleasure" series at the end of the month, please sign in to follow my blog.  Thanks!

"Chocolate Caramel Cupcake" (oil on linen; 5" x 4") sold

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Reference photo

The other day my husband and I had a hot date at a local joint called "Rock Bottom Restaurant Brewery."  After dinner, I ordered this delicious-looking dessert and, of course, I wanted to paint it.  The original picture  taken with my phone had a black shadow, but no matter. Thank god for Photoshop.  Thus was born "Chocolate Caramel Cake."

Cream cheese icing was delicious.  But what really made the cupcake visually appealing was the sauces.  Today's forecast is partly caramel sauce and partly fudge sauce!

"Mini Lemon Tart" (oil on linen; 4" x 5") sold

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Who doesn't want a mini lemon tart with a swirl of clotted cream?  It's a two-bite bliss!

"Seagulls at Sunrise Sea" (oil on linen; 12" x 8") sold

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Wake up early in the morning.  Take a walk at the beach.  The sun rises.  Its glow envelopes the world.  The moment doesn't last long.  While it lasts, you feel warm, safe, and hopeful.  "Seagulls at Sunrise Sea" would have been the perfect painting to greet the dawn of the new year.  But, hey, I wasn't well then and nobody's perfect.  So here we go belatedly.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

"Light at the End of the Tunnel" (oil on linen; 7" x 7") sold

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Reference photo

Last Saturday was such an exceptionally nice day that some of my plein air friends went to a park to paint.  I couldn't join them; instead, we had to drive to Washington, DC for a rehearsal for our daughter's Christmas concert.  I brought along my camera just in case, as I knew that we would be driving along the beautiful Rock Creek Park. 

Near the end of a tunnel I took a shot of a familiar, yet always dramatic sight.  How many times have you seen the light at the end of the tunnel? 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

"Sunrise" (oil on linen; 12" x 8") sold

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The beginning of a new day.  The beginning of a new year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!