"Dark Kisses and Hugs Swirl" (oil on stretched linen; 10" x 10") sold

sold

I am on a roll.  For the latest Hershey's Kisses painting, I went back to the violet glass tile for the ground.  Look at the confusing and marvelous reflections!  If you have seen the dark chocolate Kisses, you may realize their foils are actually violet, not magenta as in my rendition.  I had to push their color toward reds to have them stand out in the cool violet negative space.

"Dark Kisses and Hugs" (oil on stretched canvas; 8" x 10")

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I am becoming ambitious with my Kisses series.  This new painting is the largest so far, but I have bigger plans.  I've also added the stripy Hugs chocolate to the mix.  Now I can paint till the end of the world!

"Dark Kisses" (oil on linen; 6" x 8")

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The annual small works show in November at the Art League Gallery in Alexandria, VA is coming up, and I couldn't think of a better subject than Hershey's Kisses.  This year I decided to paint them on a reflective surface (a mauve-colored glass tile used for architecture) for maximum challenge.  Think about it.  Kisses themselves are wrapped in a reflective foil and they are being reflected on the mirror-like surface.  I absolutely love the effect!

"Chesapeake Bay Sunset" (oil on stretched canvas; 12" x 12")

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The sun is setting in the Chesapeake Bay. Tundra swans are flying over the dock pilings. It is an altogether peaceful scene.

"Elizabeth at the Lake" (oil on linen; 11" x 14") sold

sold

The boyfriend of Elizabeth commissioned me to paint this painting of a figure in landscape as her birthday gift.  The peaceful setting is Emerald Bay, near South Lake Tahoe, CA.  One thing the couple were not able to do for their idyllic vacation was bring her dog Slick, which she would have loved. Tommy asked me to paint Slick, an English springer spaniel, into the picture with her.  How can I say no to such a sweet request?

"Sea Turtles and Corals" (oil on stretched canvas; 24" x 18")

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Green sea turtles and countless tropical fishes swim around a beautiful coral colony. Let's keep the oceans healthy for ever for the generations to enjoy the wonders of the ocean!

"Winter Wonderland" (oil on stretched canvas; 24" x 30")

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I have been working on this painting for a few months.  It was initially a plain snowscape.  It was boring, so I decided to have fun by turning it into a zoological painting by adding the kinds of animals that are likely to appear in a suburban park.

After a light snowfall, the sun is out. So are the animals in the neighborhood. I see a white dog and her bouncy puppy, a red fox watching them, a stag and a young deer, a white rabbit and a brown one which must have spotted the fox, a robin and a great horned owl. I could have gone crazy by adding a coyote, more birds and dogs and deer, but my husband said there were already enough animals. Ha! 

"Goosey Goosey Gander" (oil on stretched canvas; 20" x 16")

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Goosey goosey gander, Whither shall I wander? Upstairs and downstairs.... Well, this family of goose, gander, and goslings are swimming in a row in a pond. How many goslings do you see?

"Bouquet with Irises Nigella and Foxglove" (watercolor on paper; 10.5" x 10.5")

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Yellow, blue, and purple bearded irises, yellow Dutch iris, Nigella, and foxglove in a white porcelain vase with rose decorations are really the very best my garden can offer.  Yup, I have been holding out the best among my recent watercolors until the last!

"Spring Posy" (watercolor on paper; 8" x 6")

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Daffodils surrounded by a ring of pink lungwort make a lovely spring posy.

"Tulip Love" (watercolor on paper; 6" x 8")

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My husband tried these adorable miniature scarlet tulips with yellow edges this spring.  We'll find out whether they come back next year.

"Pink Japanese Anemone" (watercolor on paper; 6.5" x 4.5")

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Pink Japanese anemones, which just started blooming, are the joy and pride of my autumn garden!

"Poppy Beauty" (watercolor on paper; 5" x 7")

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I don't know about you, but just looking at these two beautiful red oriental poppies makes my heart beat a little faster!

"Red and White House by the Sea" (oil on stretched canvas; 12" x 12")

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Build a red house with a tall chimney by the sea. Paint white stripes for fun. Kind of a grown-up fairy tale.  One wonders what goes on behind the dark door and windows.

"Detail from Vermeer's Girl with a Red Hat" (oil on linen; 10" x 8")

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The painting is the copy of a detail from "Girl with a Red Hat" (c. 1665–1666) by the Dutch Old Master Johannes Vermeer.  The original hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

"Girl with a Red Hat" is a rather small painting (9.1" × 7.1").  I was indeed shocked at the size when I first saw it at the NGA, even for Vermeer, whose masterpieces are known for their intimate scale.  My copy is of a slightly larger size, a tiny bit of the bottom cropped off, along with a simplified background, to make it a version of the original.  It is seen as one of a number of Vermeer's tronies – depictions of models fancifully dressed that were not intended to be portraits of specific, identifiable subjects.
 

"Detail from Vermeer's 'Girl with a Pearl Earing'" (oil on linen; 10" x 8")

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The painting is the copy of a detail from "Girl with a Pearl Earing" (1665) by the Dutch Old Master Johannes Vermeer. The original hangs in the Mauritshuis in The Hague in the Netherlands.

The most beloved painting by Vermeer is a tronie, the Dutch 17th-century description of a 'head' that was not meant to be a portrait. It depicts a European girl wearing an exotic dress, an oriental turban, and an improbably large pearl earring.

In case you are wondering about these copies of masterpieces I have been posting lately, they are for my own pleasure and education. I carefully select my favorite paintings of Old and Modern masters and copy details from them as best as I can, observing the brushstrokes, color blending, facial modeling, and so on. I sometimes go to a museum if it is nearby to look at the originals for accurate coloring and take my own pictures. It has been highly educational and rewarding process so far, and I intend to do many more for the next few years. Perhaps trips to Amsterdam, London, Paris, Rome, New York, etc. are in order?