"Tulip Shadows" (watercolor on Yupo; 14" x 18")

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Taking a break from my February challenge of "Pastry Pleasure" paintings, I worked on a watercolor yesterday.  It is nice to switch gears every now and then.  Red tulips and yellow miniature tulips cast purple shadows on a white ground.  Which is prettier--the flowers or shadows?  The matted size is 20 x 24".

"Peony Season" (watercolor on paper; 6" x 6")

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matted size: 10" x 10"

Recently someone asked me why I don't promote my watercolor paintings.  She said: "They are gorgeous!"  Well, I suppose they are my little secrets.  A great thing about watercolor is that if you use the white of the paper effectively, the painting can really sing for you.  How do you like this little gem?

"Spring Woods" (oil on linen; 10" x 8") sold

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When trees start budding, they turn yellow green.  Leaves are not yet big, so they don't cast heavy shade. Walk in the early spring woods.  It's airy and bright.  I see a red bridge up a small stream.  Ah, what a wonderous place to be!  This is a real place--a Virgina native plant trail in the Green Spring Gardens Park in Alexandria, VA.  I haunt the park in early spring, which has always been my favorite time of the year.

"Smithsonian Castle" (oil on linen; 8" x 10")

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I have painted the Smithsonian Castle before, as you can see below.  The old painting from the last fall was also titled unimaginatively "Smithsonian Castle," I apologize. From the moment I finished it, I didn't like it, but didn't know what to do.  So I did another painting based on a different photo taken on the same beautiful autumn day. Of course, you cannot tell from the paintings whether it is spring, summer, or fall.  Hey, I was going for a timeless beauty!

Please tell me which painting is better.  I am voting for the new one.  I have a tendency of preferring new paintings to old ones, perhaps based on the delusion that I am improving by the day.  But this time I am hoping that everybody will agree with me.

The new painting is more painterly, reads better, and compositionally superior. The mock Gothic castle is in shadow, so it is dark.  Don't the sun-struck slivers in the clock tower sing?  I didn't really need all the foreground either.  Even without it, the castle in the new painting sits back, doesn't it?  I guess the morale of the story is: if a painting of your favorite subject doesn't turn out well the first time, do another and another until you nail it!

The old "Smithsonian Castle" (oil, 14" x 11")

"Winter Woods" (oil on linen; 12" x 12")

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Take a walk in the woods on a winter day.  There is a light cover of snow on the ground.  The late afternoon sun casts long, blue shadows over the snow and fallen trees.  Dry leaves still dangling on bare branches catch the sun and glow.  A magical moment to savor.

"Winter Shadows" (acrylic on canvas; 24" x 18")

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In case you are wondering why I haven't been blogging often lately, here is why.  I came down with shingles over the Christmas holidays.  Yes, shingles.  Yes, it really hurts!  So I have been taking it easy.  Yesterday I felt a little better and overdid things.  Boy, a big mistake.  There is no reason, however, why I should always talk about new paintings.  I have plenty of old paintings to share with my readers.  Today I am going to share one of my all-time favorite paintings.

In northern Virginia, where I live, we get very little snow in some winters.  2012-13 seems to be such a winter as well.  Anyhow, this particular winter was one of those disappointing ones.  So when we had a little snow overnight, I was eager to take a walk in the neighborhood park.  There I saw this scene of the mellow winter afternoon sun casting long shadows over the fallen logs.  You wouldn't believe from the painting, but on top of the hill were suburban homes, which I edited out.  The painting was juried into The Art League show in Alexandria, VA in 2007.

"Winter Shadows" hangs proudly in my living room.  I don't paint this big very often, which is a shame.  I could play with subtle changes in color temperature and soft/hard edges throughout the canvas, while maintaining the mood of a brilliant light pouring through and uplifting the viewer.  Do you feel like you are standing in the woods and looking up?

"Last Leaves" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

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Last leaves cling on to the snow-coated branches of bare trees on a bright winter morning.  I have painted the same scene before.  I would like to think that the new painting has more impact with a dynamic composition, bravado brushstrokes, and loads of paint.  What do you say?

"Winter Creek" (oil, 8 x 10")
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