"Jefferson Memorial Twilight" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

sold

The Jefferson Memorial on the Tidal Basin in Washington DC is a beautiful neoclassical building. At twilight, it is breathtaking. I used the pointillist technique for the painting, pretending that my dots are stardust!

"Blue Door" (oil on linen; 12" x 9") sold

sold

Step into the blue door. Red climbing roses are blooming. The sun-drenched courtyard of this vineyard estate in Provence is scented with jasmine. Yes, those vines are covered with white jasmine flowers!

"Washington Monument Sunset" (oil, 7" x 7") sold

sold

The painting depicts the Washington Monument, viewed from the Lincoln Monument Reflecting Pond, against a spectacular sunset sky. It was fun to paint a big picture in a small size.

"You Are Nothing But A Pack Of Cards" (watercolor on paper; 11" x 8") sold

sold

Recently I reread Alice's stories and fell in love with her. After checking first the famous black-and-white illustrations by Sir John Tenniel are out of copyright, I decided to render in color some of my favorite illustrations. I drew with a watercolor pencil, then inked my drawing. The colors are my invention.

Alice has had enough with the Queen, who insists on sentence first and verdict afterwards at the trial. Honestly, the book is so full of nonsense that I don't even remember who was being tried on what crime! When the Queen cries "Off with the Head!", Alice responds with "Who cares for you? You're nothing but a pack of cards!" Hurrah for my brave girl!

"Down the Rabbit Hole" (watercolor on paper; 12" x 9") sold

sold

Recently I reread Alice's stories and fell in love with her. Somehow there is no original illustration for this famous scene of Alice falling down the rabbit hole that sets her off on her wild adventure. Here is my attempt. She is falling down slowly; she can even look around and think about things. That's why she doesn't look panicky. Doesn't she look graceful?

"Detail from Piero della Francesca's Madonna del Parto" (oil on stretched linen; 10" x 8")

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The painting is the copy of a detail from "Madonna del Parto" (c. 1460) by the Italian Renaissance master Piero della Francesca. It is housed in the Museo della Madonna del Parto of Monterchi. The painting was actually the first one I did for the "Let's Face It 2018" online workshop. I got out of posting my recent work and am now getting back into the good habit. I apologize!

The figure of this Madonna, the protector of pregnant women, with her austere expression and natural stance of a woman heavy with child, stands out against the damask canopy, held open at the sides by two angels. The sacred and ritual nature of the image is further emphasized by the fact that the angels are drawn from the same cartoon, repeated in mirror image.

In just seven "working days" Piero della Francesca painted the extraordinary and touching image of the Madonna del Parto, distant as a heavenly vision and yet alive and real in her post-adolescent freshness. 

Piero della Francesca, "Madonna del Parto"

"Detail from Sandro Botticelli's Venus" (oil on stretched linen; 10" x 8")

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The painting is the copy of a detail from "Venus" by the Italian Renaissance master Sandro Botticelli. The artist painted this solitary Venus in the 1480s, after "The Birth of Venus". The life-size painting shows her in a similar in pose, but her torso's strong contours and pale skin are covered with a sheer top. Her red hair is tightly braided, not blown by the breath of angels, making her more earthly than godlike.

When I painted the detail, I didn't yet see the entire painting and assumed that this version of Venus was more modest than the better known Venus. Not so!

By the way, the painting was done as the week 5 exercise for "Let's Face It 2018".

Sandro Botticelli, "Venus"