Still sunny

I like painting flowers that are just past their prime, when they look a little wind-swept and flustered... possibly because that's how I feel most of the time.

"Still Sunny"
8 x 8 inches
oil on board

$150 (+ $5 shipping)

SOLD

Winter Sprig

Ahhhhh... it's been a while! Busy fall season meant little time at the easel to just play.

This sprig of rhododendron had been sitting on my kitchen window sill for weeks, and every time I would wash the dishes, I'd think about how I was going to paint it. Amazingly, it was just as fun to sit down and do it as it was to fantasize about it.

"Winter Sprig"
8 x 8 inches
oil on board

$150 (+ $5 for shipping)

 SOLD

Lake Michigan Afternoon

First plein aire painting of the year! My favorite spot on earth.

10x8"
Oil on panel
$65

Magnolia

I've been missing in action here for a while! I've been breaking the rules and working on big canvases that take lots of time.

But I wanted to get back to working quickly, it's a good practice. I think I'm kind of rusty, though... as evidenced by the attempts on this magnolia:

Then I added a really boring and flat color for the background!

Finally tried to save it by going with a higher contrast... 

"Magnolia"

10x8 inches

oil on paper

$95 (+$5 shipping)

SOLD

Peace Be With You

Easter Second Sunday

Peace Be With You

Jesus reveals himself to his disciples with a simple greeting, showing them his wounds.

6x6 Oil on Panel

Mary Recognizes Jesus

Easter

Mary Recognizes Jesus

Mary Magdelene recognizes the risen Christ outside the tomb.

6x6 Oil on Panel

Despised and Rejected

Lent 8 Good Friday

Jesus was deserted at his trial and suffered humiliation and complete rejection.

6x6 oil on panel

Footwashing

Lent 7 Maundy Thursday

Footwashing—Peter's Lesson in Servanthood

At the last supper, Jesus teaches Peter by patiently washing his feet.

6x6 oil on panel

Daffy

I must be out of practice... it took me four attempts to do a decent job of these daffodils. Putting in the failed starts, including one that flopped face-down on my wet palette, because that pretty much sums things up over here.

"Daffy"

8x10 inches

oil on paper

$95 (+$5 shipping)

Lent 6 Palm Sunday

Donkey and Colt

This is the very beginning of the Palm Sunday story. Our church does a narrative reading of the whole passion story. One thing that struck me as I read the story is that Jesus sent the two disciples to get the donkey and its colt, and that Jesus rode with both of them into Jerusalem. What a tender entourage!

6x6 oil on panel

Lent 5

Lazarus: New Life

Jesus raises him from the dead. He can't believe it and is overcome with joy.

oil on panel
6x6

Lent 4

Light in the Darkness

Jesus heals a blind man. He doesn't hold back, but enters the darkness with mud and life.

Oil on panel, 6x6

Lent 3

The Samaritan Woman

A care-worn woman challenges Jesus and receives Living Water.

6x6 oil on panel

Lent 2

Nicodemus—Night Visitor

6x6; oil on panel

Lent 1

The Temptation of Christ

6x6 oil on panel

Epiphany 7

Jesus: "Love your enemies."

from the sermon on the mount

6x6 oil on panel

Askew

These tulips are almost falling apart, but I managed to paint them while they're only dazed & disoriented.

My biggest challenge with flowers is getting the hues & values right. Then I get tricked into painting every petal instead of overall shapes, and end up with overmixed blobs with not enough contrast. Practice practice practice.

"Askew"

8x10 in

oil on paper

$95 (+$5 shipping)

SOLD

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Confection

There has been a lot of pink on the palette this week. This one looks kind of ridiculous, like a cartoon paint-by-number, but it was a playful departure for me to focus more on what's happening on the canvas than getting te rendering exactly right. 

"Confection"

8x10in

oil on canvas

$150 (+$10 shipping)

Where you go, I will go.

The story of Ruth the foreigner, who left her home out of loyalty to Naomi, is both tragic and affirming. I wanted to portray Ruth as a young woman who was determined to live her life to the full. She took her place in the ancestry of David and Jesus.

"Where you go, I will go."
6x6, oil on panel
$60

Blossom & Bud

I've tried painting this composition three times, and stumbled into the same traps every time... Why am I so determined to paint the world's trickiest, frilliest flowers?

This was attempt #2, and after giving up on #3, I went back into it while it was still wet to clarify some of the shapes and focus on brushstrokes instead of accuracy.

After all that, I couldn't be bothered to fill in the background, but I like it kind of raw like that.

"Blossom & Bud"

8x10 in

oil on paper

$95 (+5 shipping)

Peony 2

Another peony... I'm trying to simplify my brushstrokes and still convey the volume of the petals. 

"Peony 2"

8x8 in

oil on paper

SOLD

Walk at Sunset

It was so dreary and wintery today, that I thought I would cure my sadness by remembering the beach at sunset. My goal was to explore the subtle and intense colors of sunset.

"Walk at Sunset"
12x9"
Oil on Panel
$70

The Widow's Offering

For Jesus, this widow was an example of giving from the heart.

"The Widow's Offering"
6x6"
Oil on Panel

Peony

It's been a slow season in the studio... Finally getting some time back at the easel, and I have to be especially quick about it: when baby wakes, the session is up.

I did manage to do this sweet peony, such a confection of warm and cool pinks:

"Peony"

8x8in

oil on paper

SOLD

Peter Hears Jesus' Call (Epiphany 3)

Peter "Rock" was working in the family fishing business when Jesus came by and asked him to follow.

"Peter Hears Jesus Call"
6x6"
Oil on Panel

Baptism of Jesus (Epiphany)

John and Jesus were second cousins, John just six months older than Jesus. Imagine the dynamics of this moment, when Jesus walks into the Jordan river and asks to be baptised.

"Baptism of Jesus"

6x6"

Oil on Panel

Looking Glass Falls, Pisgah NC

Trying to capture the coolness and serenity of this lovely waterfall in North Carolina.

8x10"
Oil on Panel
$65