In Honor and Memory of Pa Baker

 

Pa's Bounty

5x7 Oil on museum quality panel

 

Pa's Pink Hollyhocks

5x7 Oil on museum quality panel

 

This post is in honor of memory of my father-in-law, Henry Baker, who passed away on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 after a brief illness.  He was 94 years old and lived a good life.  He loved gardening--both vegetable and flower gardening.  Above are two paintings I did from his labors of love.  When we brought vegetables home from Pa's garden, it was understood that they would be photographed before they were eaten.  And the flowers were always so beautiful and so bountiful.  Everyone that knew him, knew he was a man of the soil and had an extensive knowledge of how all things grow.  Today he is in heaven surrounded by the most beautiful garden of all. 

He has left us with a little bit of that knowledge and a great love of flowers and plants--even his grandchildren and great grandchildren.  He is missed by many.



 



Pretty Boy Roy

 

Pretty Boy Roy

8x8 Oil on museum quality panel

 

Good Morning Monday!  Pretty Boy is painted in all his brilliant colors to brighten your Monday.  He was so much fun to paint that I also painted him in pastels--maybe a later post.  This is also a palette knife painting.  I picked up fresh color, applied it and did very little blending.

 

Thanks for your visit.  Have a great day!





Blazing Star on Sapelo

 

Blazing Star on Sapelo

5x7  Oil

 

 

Another painting from our trip to Sapelo Island, Georgia.  The purple flowers are called Blazing Star and grow wild on Sapelo.  You see them a lot in florist arrangements.  I knew when I saw all those purples, I just had to get a photo for a future painting.  I really like all the colors in the trees and carrying out the purple color scheme. 

Thank you for your visit today!  Have a great one!



Callaway Gardens

Callaway Gardens

Oil  6x6

 

Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia is a beautiful place, and the azaelas should be blooming soon.  The many flowers, walking trails and the lake make this a great place to visit as well as providing material for paintings.  Hope you enjoy these bright colors on a chilly Monday morning.

 

Thanks for visiting today.  Have a great week!



Hey Chicken Head

 

Hey Chicken Head

Rooster Series #3

8x8 Oil Museum Quality Panel

 

 

I love thinking of up titles for my paintings.  Sometimes something just pops into my head that I think fits perfectly.  I could just see these two roosters sauntering up to each other and starting a conversation.  Another palette knife painting using bright colors.  Those "in the know" say we should name our paintings before we start.  It gives you a clearer direction as you work through the process to the finished product.  Most of the time, when I decide on a subject matter, a title just naturally comes to me--sometimes not.  This one was fun from the title to the last paint stroke.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful weekend!



Out to Lunch II

 

Out to Lunch II   Oil

12x12 on Museum Quality Panel

 

 

This painting was taken from a photo of sailboats docked in North Carolina while their owners were "out to lunch".  I couldn't resist the vivid colors reflecting in the water.  I painted this one twice with a few variances in color as birthday gifts--one for my son and daughter.  Colorful, sharp reflections in water or on a glass surface are fun and challenging to paint. Hope you enjoy the birthday present.

 

I want to thank all of you who have signed up for my email updates.  I would love to hear from you.  If you have questions, either comment at the bottom of each post or email me.  Thanks for stopping by today.  I appreciate you!



 

Aqua Boat   8x8   Oil

on Museum Quality Panel

 

 I really love painting boats and especially the reflections in the water.  This boat was painted with a palette knife, a bit smoother than you normally think of palette knife paintings.  I think the soft colors create a peaceful painting.  Makes me want to jump in and take a ride.

 

Wishing you a peaceful Monday.  Thank you for stopping by for a visit today! 

 

 





Stone Steps  Oil  8x10

 

 

This painting was done en plein aire (French for "in fresh air").  After taking a plein aire class, I set up my easel in front of our stone steps leading to the lower level of our flower garden.  Actually, I should say my husband's flower garden, as he is the horticulturist.  It was a challenge trying to do justice to these beautiful steps.  It was a sunny day, and I wanted to capture the sun striking the tops of the stones.

 

Painting en plein aire is quite different from studio painting as you have so much information in front of you and a decision has to be made as to how much to include.  The light doesn't stay the same for very long and there always insects and other obstacles to consider.  Even so, it is so nice to be outside on a beautiful day, and nature is a great teacher. 

I appreciate your visit!

 



Sunflowers in Blue Vase

5x7  Oil

 

 

Sunflowers are such a happy flower to paint.  I love the bright yellows against the blues.  I thought this would be a good painting to post on a cold winter day--brighten us up a little and think about warmer days.  I actually like all the seasons and thankful that we get to experience all four seasons here in north Georgia.  Occasionally, we even get snow, which is always exciting to me. 

 

Have a great week!  Thanks for visiting!



Blue Umbrellas  8x8 Oil

 

As promised yesterday, above is a palette knife painting from a workshop I took in Atlanta one year ago.  Leslie Saeta was the very talented instructor.  I also posted another of the paintings from her very informative class entitled Two Boats, for which I failed to give Leslie credit--oops.  I loved her technique, energy and enthusiasm.  It was so much fun learning to paint with the palette knife--very liberating after my tight painting with a brush.  Due to this class, most of my paintings in the past year have been done with a palette knife.  However, since I love details (more on that personality trait later), I still tend to put in a lot more detail than most palette knife painters.  But that's what makes the world so interesting.  We all have our unique qualities and different ways of interpreting a scene.  As you will see as we go along on this journey, I like to try different techniques and subject matter.  To me, that makes art even more fasinating and keeps me going back to the easel. 

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day and spending a little time here!  Have a wonderful weekend!