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!

Summertime

Today was my first day in my new studio (aka our spare bedroom.) It has a larger window, and I loved the extra sunlight. It is still a work-in-progress, but at least, I have a desk in there now. And I can paint!

I hope your week is off to a nice beginning!

Painting in the Woods

My husband and I spent this past weekend in a tiny cabin in Oklahoma's Ouachita National Forest. The scenery was so pretty, and the cabin was very comfortable. It was fun to rest, relax and of course...paint! This little oil can is one of my cabin paintings. I'm attaching a few pics from the weekend for you.

The windows were perfect for painting. I loved having so much northern exposure.

Friendly cardinals kept us company. I hope to paint him some day. If you would like to, please feel free to use this photo as reference.

Campfire breakfasts prepared by my sweet husband each day. And I loved drinking coffee on this little screened porch. It looks like it would be perfect for plein air painting with no bugs!

It was hard to leave the cool, mountain air and return to the Texas heat. I'm glad to be home, though! I hope you're all having a great week! Happy painting!

Grapes and Figs

It has been cool and rainy here today. As I started this painting, the light was so soft and gray. I really tried to focus on capturing the quietness of the light and the mood. Rainy days are my most favorite.

I hope you're having a wonderful week!

Wild Plums

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The wild plums are almost ready for making jelly. It was fun to pick a few today and try to paint their lovely pinkish-orange hue. Their values were so subtle, but I hope this painting reads okay. And it breaks all of the composition rules. The wild plums must bring out my rebellious streak.

I hope you're enjoying a wonderful week!

Still Life with Spoon and Blackberry

Wishing you a wonderful holiday weekend!