Showery

Not my usual bright, macro flower in realism, but after redecorating the guest bathroom, which is painted the same green in this piece I wanted a large abstract to compliment the colors of the towels and shower curtain.

This piece will face the large vanity mirror, and flanking each side of the mirror will be two small oils using the same colors, but maybe with a circle and spiral subject matter to connect to the pattern on the bathroom accessories.

This was done with little brush work, and mainly with a palette knife, on a canvas previously painted light gray. I used Gamblin Asphaltum for the bottom and center portions, mixed it with Winsor Newton Titanium White for the top portion, and the green stripe is Gamblin Permanent Green Deep mixed with a little Winsor Newton Phthalo Blue and a small amount of Gamblin Cadmium Yellow.

Dutch Doozie

I loved the colors and composition of the reference photo for this painting as soon as I saw it, but I rotated it 90' clockwise for the painting. My intention is to capture the exquisite lighting revealing the transparancy of the petals, and also to focus the viewer on the flower's bold center and the contrast of dark and light colors, as well as textures found there.

I'd like to acknowledge Ada Zyborowicz for permitting me to use her wonderful photo of the tulip macro she shot in her home in the Netherlands. Here is a link to her website http://www.azfoto.nl/


Dutch Doozie oil on canvas 20" x 24"
$300

Spanish Beauty 2

The reference photo for this oil on wood panel was taken by Giovanni, and I am most grateful to him for his permission to let me use it. I found the composition and lighting inspirational, and the contrast of the dark purple background and the light pink, almost white petals in the foreground very pleasing. Thanks to Michele for purchasing this 11" X 14" painting for her home. I hope it brings her joy.






Spanish Beauty 2 - Oil on wood panel
11" X 14"

Dopers Suck

11" X 14" Oil on wood panel

I shot the reference photo for this painting last summer at a neighborhood gathering, where one of the kids ditched her trusty trike to play with the other kids. It sat in the middle of the road, posed in such a way that it looked proud, loyal. I captured the moment with the idea that I would paint it. The sketch came soon after that, but then the panel sat buried under other more urgent matters until its perfect opportunity presented.

Enter a young couple, Christy and Adam Coppola, cyclists who wanted to do something to help others while enjoying what they do, pedal. They formed a non-profit, Give A Bike, and set out to ride through all 50 states in one year. I first heard about them at High Desert Bicycles, my cycling team's local bike shop sponsor. One of the owners, John Kibideaux explained that a large portion of the money raised by Give A Bike will benefit World Bicycle Relief, a charity I am quite familiar with. For a couple of years now I have spearheaded a fundraising effort with my team, Big Wheel Racing, to raise money for World Bicycle Relief, and the owners of High Desert Bicycles have always stepped up to generously help.

Tracking the Coppola's progress is easy through their website, Facebook, and Twitter presence, so I finished the painting and donated it to be auctioned online. All proceeds will benefit Give A Bike, which in turn will help World Bicycle Relief (70%), and Achilles International (30%). They help wounded vets.

In total, with the auction for the painting ABQ contributed $331 to Give A Bike charities! What a fantastic opportunity - I am honored.

Christmas Blossom

Christmas Blossom
36" x 48" Oil on canvas $450

About a week or so before Christmas my parents stopped by unannounced, which is a big deal since they never do this. I had been at their house previously and said I loved their Christmas cactus, so my Dad told my Mom they needed to go buy one for me and drop it off. It is such a beautiful plant, and when they brought it there were so many blooms, nearly 2 on every little point!

I quickly took many photos from different angles, and with varying light. Later I spent time examing them all and cropping until I decided on this composition. Next I put the photo in Adobe Photoshop and experimented with some different filters. I wanted to create a slight abstraction of the image.

This filtered photo became a great reference from which to paint the different shapes and values, allowing me to capture the essence of the flower and blooms. For the green leaves I used a palette knife so that I could show the texture and color striations in them. I used thinned paint for the top layers of the blossom to capture the transparency of the leaves.

This was a really fun piece for me because I owned the project from inception to execution. Creating it really pushed me to stretch my abilities.