Santorini

This image was captured by our good friends', the Nicholas', daughter Janell. Janell and her husband, Jonathon, were vacationing in Europe some time ago and Janell took numerous photos of places that they visited. This one, of Santorini, Greece was especially important because her father, Tony, was born in Greece. She was also kind enough to give me this image, as well as numerous others, for possible art pieces.

For the reasons above, her parents and I decided to do this piece and give it to Janell as a present. Kind of like my "surprise art". It worked to a tee and we were able to surprise them with this piece this Thanksgiving. I hope that it continues to remind them of a special trip to their Dad's homeland.

Quinlin In Motion

This is the third of a series of paintings of my four grand daughters. I painted all of these with the idea of catching the girls "in motion" rather than in tranditional "portraiture". Each of these paintings (see the past ones in the blog as "Madie in Motion" and "JoJo's First Ocean") are of the girls in their second year. This one caught Quinlin running at a museum in San Francisco on a visit with her Dad, Brian, and me.

There is one grand daughter left to paint, Ellie. She will be two in 2011. Better get the camera ready !!!

New England Harbor

This was another image that got my attention when I saw it. So tranquil !!! I love the serene nature of this image as it reminds me of the time Janiel and I spent sailing along the New England coast. In my painting style, I always like the reflections that show themselves in a water scene, like this. This image allows a lot of reflections with the boat, the house, and the rising moon.

The Beach House

This one shows the beach house in Myrtle Beach that is the "respite" for Barbara and Fred. Last summer, they let our Naples dinner club enjoy the house with them. We all had a great time and, to recognize the event, I painted the house. If you look closely, you'll also see one of the fluffy dogs who live in Barb and Fred's life. Thanks, Princess Foo-Foo!

Sundown Boat

This image from an Internet slide show of great photos spoke to me about serenity, the ocean, and a great sundown. It is so simple, yet makes a great statement. I'm starting to really like water reflections.

More Tubac Pots

Tubac Pots

During a golfing trip to Tubac, Arizona last Fall, we stayed with good friends at the Tubac Resort. They had some wonderful pots outside their home. Another friend from Tubac loves to have friends paint a pot for a wall in her Tubac home. It just fits!! This post and the next one are my interpretations of those pots. I hope that they like them !!

The Door

I started out naming this the "French Door", as I guessed that the photo image that I saw was from France. But, at an art show in Florida, many people envivioned it as somewhere else, like Ireland or another European country. The Irish won out as they pointed to the Irish linen in the window. In any case, it was a hit, and now hangs in a home in Naples.

Jo Jo's First Ocean

"Jo Jo" is Johanna, our two year old grand daughter. During Thanksgiving, 2009, the whole faimly got together at Stinson Beach, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in northern California. A great time !!! One of the highlites was seeing Johanna experience the ocean, first hand. The waves. The birds. Everything!! This painting is the second in a series of my four grand daughters. All showing them "in motion". Stay tuned!

Evening Sky and Snow (2010)

I found an image similar to this on the Internet. It showed a road and snowfence covered in snow, with amazing reflections of the late day sunset behind clouds. I felt that changing the road to a creek, as well as adding a more traditional fence and some small buildings would add to the effect.

I usually don't paint snow scenes, so this one was new. Given our cold winter this season, this fit right in.

Lily Pads and Sprinkles (2009)

This is a larger piece where I fell in love with the reflections and water droplets on the Lilypads. Arturo helped me with the droplet technique, and I am very happy with the result. This one is a "keeper"

Ellie's Room (2009)

This small piece is from a painting that was in the room where my daughter was staying while she was preparing to have our fourth granddaughter, Ellie, last June. On the wall was a painting of this cute European town. I couldn't help but do a quick sketch and then paint it later. It is in acrylic, which is new for me.