Still Life with Temple Bottle and Cherries

I received the beautiful temple bottle from Jury Smith this week, and I couldn't wait to paint it. Her  "Bottle and Bowl" online store is an invaluable resource for still life painters. She is incredibly talented and so sweet. If you haven't visited her store yet, please do. 

For a little daily painting trivia, I think this is my first self-portrait. Usually, I paint myself out of the reflection, but for some reason, it seemed to work with this bottle. It sort of made me look skinny. Who can resist that? Lots of fun!

Have a great weekend!

Wild Plum Jam

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Some of our favorite summer pleasures are wild plum jelly, butter and jam. A couple of years ago, my precious father-in-law shared his recipe with the McDowell girls and taught us the fine art of making jelly. We spent a week learning from him. So many good memories! Now, we are trying to carry on the tradition. My sweet and very talented niece does the lion's share of the work, but I am happy to help as her jelly-making assistant and dishwasher. Lots of fun!

I hope you're having a great weekend!