I drove the length of the Blue Ridge last spring, and found so many beautiful vistas. Along with the iconic blues, there were many shades of green as well.
Early Thaw, 12x16, Oil, 2024.
This winter I painted a series of snowy scenes, thinking of the beauty of snow while Virginia remained warm. This is how I remember snow when temperatures begin to rise and the snow cover begins to melt.
Snowy Day, 12x16, Oil, 2024.
In this snow painting, I tried to create the sense of a snowy day, with light snow falling. I used a gently splatter technique for the snow.
Stormy Winters Day, 10x10, Oil, 2024.
I liked the dramatic light in this scene of winter. My sister took this photograph near her home in northern Vermont where the winter is long and cold.
The Red House, 10x10, Oil, 2024.
Part of the snow series. I tried to create a sense of the cold, frosty outdoors, and the idea of a warm fire, cozy fire inside the red house.
Williamsburg Pond, 16x12, Oil, 2024.
Williamsburg has many water features, ponds, lakes, wetlands, and rivers. I always enjoy painting water and reflections. This was in the late spring as all the trees have finished leafing out.
Crystalline Trees, 10x10, Oil & Mica Flake, 2024.
When the sun comes out after a deep freeze, the trees start to glitter. The blues are a combination of cerulean and Prussian, with a bit of cobalt in the foreground. I sprinkled a bit of mica dust in the treetops while the paint was still wet. It catches the light in a surprising way with twinkles that disappear as soon as you notice them, much like sunlight on icy branches.
North Carolina River, 8x10, Oil, 2024.
North Carolina has many beautiful places to hike. The last time there, we hiked many river and waterfall trails. This is a quick, alla prima painting. I was originally going to keep painting, but I really liked the loose gestures.
Pan, 10x10, Oil, 2024.
My husband's great aunt Marion was a mid-century artist in San Diego and Carmel. In addition to her paintings, she created a number of sculptures. This one currently lives in a church garden in Dennis on Cape Cod. I painted this from a photo, and thought of pan in stone trying to pipe himself back to the world of the living.
Starfish, Abalone, and Pearl, 6x6, Oil, 2024.
I've joined an art class to improve my understanding of materials and techniques, and one of the assignments was to paint the white dish. I had some sea objects lying around my studio, so I added them. This was a fast painting, but I like the interplay of the colors and the light. It was a good way to memorialize some of my favorite objects.
Treetop, 8x10, Oil, 2024.
My house is surrounded by tall trees. This is a quick alla prima painting of one of the tree tops. I like the way it feels: loose and gestural.
The Yellow Tree, 16x12, Oil, 2024.
I visiting my sister in Ohio last fall and we visited the Fort Ancient Ruins. The paths were surrounded by brilliant foliage. I especially liked this huge yellow tree.