Pizza Box and Menu painting

12 x 16" still life painting of a pizza box and menu. Abstract style, acrylic paint done on a stretched canvas with sides painted black. It's ok, but there were many mistakes, so I learned a few things.

Fortune Cookies and Rice painting

Still life painting done yesterday afternoon at my kitchen table. I only had one cookie, so painted one, then broke it and painted the other one, lol. Acrylic on stretched canvas, 12 x 12". I had to adjust the cookies toward the end because the one in shade was too light and the other was a bit too dark.

Card Designs: Valentine's Day or General Love, and 50th Birthday

Photographing candy and candles, and editing with Picasa, resulted in these card designs.

Birthday Cake Still Life Painting

I made this cake for my boyfriend's birthday (50) and within 24 hours it became a model for a still life painting! 

It's acrylic paint on a 12" square stretched canvas. Done in one afternoon! I like doing quick paintings--leaves less time for mulling it over, artist block, and negative thinking to creep in. Just set it up and DO it! That's what works for me lately. 

Rice and Beans Still Life Painting

Another still life done at my kitchen table. I like doing this "pairs from the pantry" art!

Acrylic paint on a stretched canvas, 12" square. Textured with gesso then painted from life.

Peanut Butter and Fluff Still Life Painting

I've been so depressed for a week now. None of my paintings I started in the last few months are coming out. Seven failures. I felt like giving up. I wrote some not so positive sentences in my journal and then wandered into the kitchen to make a list and go shopping.

But I'm too depressed to go anywhere. I stood there looking at the loaf of bread on the counter. I opened the lazy susan. There was a jar of peanut butter and the fluff to go with it, sitting there, looking quite attractive. The next thing I knew I was setting up a small still life on the table and painting...and this little 9 x 12 acrylic still life was the result!

I took photos every 20 minutes to see how much progress I made in intervals. I did it in one sitting too! I've also never "painted from life." I'm glad to see I can do it! And I love this messier style. Total time was 2.5 hrs. Yay, I'm out of my slump.

Changed the muddy background.

For The Birds painting

Originally I did this large abstract landscape triptych in 2007. It was a creepy tree on a hill against a green and yellow sky. It hung in my living room for years, then I packed it away. Recently I got it out and decided to add some birds to the branches to add life to the painting. It's for sale on ebay.

Steps in making it.