Summer Sale!

Collage of My 2016 Summer Sale

I hope you are enjoying a great summer. I just returned from the family road trip to the Midwest. I have a great news. Many of my paintings--both oils and watercolors--are on sale, 50% or more. Landscapes, cityscapes, florals, animals, and still lifes, you name it! Please click here to go to the sale section on my Etsy shop.

My prices are rising and many exciting things are happening in my studio. As my only child is starting college this fall, I will have more time to devote to, experiment, and deepen my art. It is a perfect time to start collecting my artwork; if you are already a collector, add a few more to your collection!

Thank you for your continuing support and I hope to hear from you!

"Kauai Sunrise" (oil on stretched canvas; 24" x 24" x 2 1/4")

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A few years ago, my family spent a blissful week in the tropical island of Kauai.  On the last day of our vacation, I got up early to greet the dawn.  As the blinding light almost obliterated the divides between the sky, sea, and beach, I felt melting in the warm, all-embracing light.  "Kauai Sunrise" is based on a sun-bleached photo I took that morning.  Isn't my painting much cooler?  What do you say?

The reference photo

The Collage of My June Paintings

The Collage of My June 2016 Paintings

At the beginning of each month, I share the collage of my work from the previous month.  Here is the one for June 2016.  Rather an odd bunch, I think.  I wasn't as productive as I could have been, thanks to my daughter's high school graduation hoopla--too many events, ceremonies, recitals, and parties! 

I have also been trying to balance my love for oils and watercolors by working on oil paintings in the morning and creating watercolors in the afternoon, in addition to experimental work in my sketchbook and art history reading in the evening.  Yes, it is an ambitious lifestyle, but life is short and as the Romans said, carpe diem is my motto!

"Julia" (oil on stretched linen; 10" x 8") gift

gift

This beautiful young lady is my daughter's best friend since middle school.  She is a straight-A student and an accomplished pianist and artist, which makes her choice of college major difficult.  For now, she will be an "arts and sciences" major at the University of Virginia.  Hopefully, the two girls will share a dorm room.  The portrait is my graduation present for Julia, as she embarks on her higher education and adulthood.  I wish you my very best!

"Baby Emperor Penguins" (watercolor on paper; 6" x 6")

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Whenever I work on an animal series in watercolor, emperor penguins are always one of the first animals I paint.  How can you resist their quirky beauty and resilient life story in the Antarctica?  Have you ever seen "March of the Penguins," the 2005 French feature-length nature documentary, narrated by Morgan Freeman?  If not, you must!

Here a couple of baby emperor penguins huddle together for warmth. Instead of fussing over the fuzzy texture of the fur, I used granulating paints, such as Holbein mineral violet.  For the black head and feet, I used ivory black, which may sound natural to you, but it is a major breakthrough for me.  There are many "stupid" rules in the world of watercolors; one of them is NEVER use black.  Why not?  I think it looks rather punchy, don't you agree?

"Bountiful Peony Bouquet" (watercolor and oil pastel on paper; 10.5" x 15.5")

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With this peony painting, I did something unusual and crazy.  After finishing the painting, I decided not to leave the background pure white.  I first tried several vertical stripes of dark colors, which made the background come forward.  Oops.  How about dark squiggly lines in oil pastel over those random stripes?  Then, I spritzed water where the flowers met the background to soften the edges.  It was a complete mess!  Finally, I strengthened the now fuzzy-looking bouquet with white gouache and dark paints.  I think the result looks rather dramatic and contemporary.  What do you think?

"Group Hug" (watercolor on paper; 7" x 10")

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The mother, aunt, and baby African elephant are having a group hug!  By the way, how do you like the not-realistic colors on the elephants?  African elephants are known for their intelligence, loyalty, strength, etc., but not for their beautiful colors.  So I used the artistic license to suggest the intense heat of the African savanna.