Painting No. 173, oil on hardboard, 6x6in
$40, click button below to purchase

Painting No. 172, oil on hardboard, 6x6in
$40, Click button below to purchase

Right now there's a wind chill advisory in Indianapolis...and as I'm posting this painting of my daughter's summer shoes, I realizing how much I miss warmer weather! The get-out-the-door time with be deduced dramatically when I won't have to bother with socks, boots, coats, mittens, etc! Okay, getting sidetracked here. haha  These little shoes of Natalie's are her 'fancy' pair...maybe a better label would be 'formerly fancy'. They have a sparkly finish that has mostly worn off and replaced by some dirt and grime from lots of fun backyard playing. It was a challenge to paint this subject in terms of color. Luckily my Still Life Stage helped me pull out some hues from the shadows, but I really had to feel out color variations around the composition to make it interesting. It was a great exercise in value too for me....and I'm super pleased with the result! 

Donated to Silent Auction for Cystic Fibrosis
Click here to learn more about an upcoming fundraiser with
Friend and Family of Cystic Fibrosis!

Painting No. 170, oil on hardboard, 6x6in
$40, click button below to purchase

My husband helped me make this video last week....and yes, my head is in the way sometimes and there's quite a lot of glare from the window....however, it's still really FUN TO WATCH! We've learned some things putting this together, so I'll be excited to try to make another fast-motion video here soon. Thanks so much for following my journey to 500 Paintings, I feel like I'm really picking up steam now and I have appreciated so much all of the encouragement from my friends and fans along the way! 

Painting No. 169, oil on board, 6x6in
$40, click button below to purchase

I'm not kidding you, this is my favorite painting I've done this year! I just LOVE the looseness of the strokes, and the adorable little subject (our plant named 'Mark'). Shortly after the new year, my husband made a still life stage for me, it's a really neat contraption for artists who like to paint still lifes. I can be in total control of lighting and shadows...I even have different types of bulbs and a blue filter where I can move things around until I fit what stikes me. It's very 'dorky cool' I guess, but just a wonderful tool for me and it's given my still life paintings a real boost! :) I'm so thankful for my cousin Joe who gifted this lil' plant to me for Christmas....'Mark' has inspired several paintings out of me, so be looking for more Mark portraits in the paintings ahead! :)

Painting No. 168, oil on board,5x7in
$40, click button below to purchase

Painting No. 167, oil on board, 5x7in
$40, Click button below to purchase

This painting is from a photo I took at a Paint Out in the fall of 2013 near Cliffy Falls State Park. This is over a beautiful vista at Hanover College. I painted this scene twice myself, but then also had my camera with me and snapped some shots of other artists painting. I really like how this out turned it...it was a bit of a challenge, especially since I rarely do figures, but I am really pleased with it!

Painting No. 166, oil on board, 5x7in
$40, click button below to purchase

Meet the little plants I have on my window sill above our kitchen sink. Mark is the little guy (Named by by 2-yr old son, no idea why he chose the name), and he was a Christmas gift. He is so cute, I have at least three more paintings coming of Mark. :) Helen (the hyacinth, named by me) I bought at Kroger. The painting was when Helen was new...she blossomed just a few days after this was painted, I was amazed at how quickly that happened! (Now her bright pink flowesr have fallen off...and I'm not sure what's to come with her life cycle, or if I can plant her in the spring? If you have a green thumb, feel free to comment on this post with your advice.)

Painting No. 165, oil on board, 6x6in
$40, Click button below to purchase