"At the Cafe Counter"

12"x16"

Oil on Board

sold

I just finished this commission of a painting I've done just a few times before! It is still a pleasure to work with this subject. This couple is at a cafe in Portland, OR called the Byways Cafe. It's a great little place with an Americana travel theme going on and looks like a diner out of the 50's. Good food, too!

I'm taking a couple of month's break from being in the Daily Painters Gallery (www.dailypainters.com). I need to be putting my energies towards painting for an upcoming show, illustration work and marketing and it's difficult for me to do that and try to do small paintings regularly, too--if you've been following, I'm sure you've noticed!! I'll be posting whatever I'm painting on my blog, though, so keep on following, or become a follower! I appreciate you all!

"Rachel &Thomas & Their Wedding Cake"

6"x6"

Oil on Board

NFS

Though illustration work and teaching are taking up most of my time these days, I managed to get to work on this little painting of my niece and her new husband at their wedding reception as a gift for them. As always, it was so good to paint! Can't believe how much I miss it! Oh well, paychecks are good, too!

"Sunday Breakfast Conversation at the Pancake House"

6"x8"

Oil on Board

$135 plus $10 domestic s/h

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This painting was inspired by my nephew and his wife as we had a family breakfast at the local "Original Pancake House" last Sunday morning. I liked the composition of this subject, but am not quite happy with the color yet. I spent quite awhile trying to get what I wanted, but finally ran out of time! I may work on this some more. . .

"Late Afternoon at Santa Monica Pier" (sold)

6"x6"

Acrylic on Board

This is another painting from our trip to southern Cal. It was great to remember being on that pier as the sun was getting low and it was WARM while it was snowing today! I was having a hard time with this painting, so pulled out my palette knives--seems like that's just what was needed! Also, this is acrylic, and I'm not used to it! It was good to not be in control (do I really mean that?)!

"Counter Act"

6"x6"

Oil on Board

$100 plus $10 domestic s/h

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Change isn't very comfortable! I've been thinking about what I said yesterday about needing to do something different and this is a result. As I look at the photo, I see that there's a couple of spots that I need to tend to--I'll have to do that and replace the photo tomorrow. Anyway, I've been thinking how much I love color and that my eye is drawn to shapes, so I decided to take this theme that I've painted before and play with it in a way that addresses that. I like the simplicity, the palette and the composition.

I find it a little disconcerting, though, to do something so off the path I've put myself on!! I have had "have a consistent body of work" so drilled into my head, that doing something outside of that makes me itchy! But, hey, it's only a little painting! It's interesting how much importance one can place on something so UN-important- -importance and expectations. I hope I'm not so neurotic that I'm relatively alone in this!

"Reminiscing"

6"x6"

Oil on Board

$100 plus $10 domestic s/h

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I saw this couple at a coffee shop in Sisters, OR on a lazy Saturday afternoon recently. As I painted this, I kept thinking of the comfort of a long-established relationship that they seemed to be enjoying. I wasn't really able to put that into words for a title, so took my husband's suggestion of "reminiscing". It's kind of wondrous, though, when you think about it--looking past the surface of a couple of people and start imagining the depth of life that's gone on between the two. We're so close to our lives that we don't get to see the miracle of them, I think.

"Lunch at the Byways Cafe" (sold)

6"x8"

Oil on Board

$Before I talk about this painting, I want to mention two blogs--one is Leslie Saeta's who has great little paintings she does with a palette knife. I was so impressed that she could do what she does with a knife!! The other is one I've mentioned before, that of Tracy Leagjeld. She creates beautiful monoprints of landscapes and has an amazing sense of color.

I have painted two other versions of this subject: on an 11x14 inch painting and then a 6x6 inch of the couple. I love this subject!! And each time I've started it, I've thought that there is no way I'm going to manage to pull it off! It is somewhat of a miracle to me how the process of painting happens and what seems impossible just sort of works itself out. Way opens. . .