Painting of the Week

"Dutch Treat"

6x8 oil on panel

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My painting this week was inspired by a friend who gave me a bunch of tulips that allowed me to setup and photograph this still life. As flowers go, I really love tulips. I even like the stems and leaves. When they bloom in the spring, they make the landscape sing with color. There are not too many other flowers that say spring, just by looking at them. One of these days, I am going to make the long jaunt across the water to Holland and see these growing in mass.

The wooden shoes were picked up on one of my many trips to the local flea market. I always say I'm not going to buy anything, but manage to come home with something. That's like going to the ice cream store on the premise of taking something home to my husband. The old will power just isn't what it used to be. After all, one can never have too many still life objects or ice cream cones! Until next week......JB

Painting of the Week!

"Moonshine"
7x12 oil on canvas
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This little landscape was inspired by the Smokey Mountains and a trip along the Blueridge Parkway. I love that part of the country and am envious of all those who are privileged to live there. I try to make it to the Smokies once a year, preferably during the months of July or August as the heat is usually unbearable in Texas at that time.

I love the way the mist just comes out of nowhere and before you know it you can't see your hand in front of your face. It brings back memories of all of those scary movies you saw as a kid and you really are tempted to look over your shoulder, or did you hear footsteps, surely it was your imagination.

The locals are honest, tough people who are used to the hardships mountain life can bring. When you get back in the hills, there are few luxuries unless you count the hush of the forest broken only by birdsong or the rush of a mountain stream. I was once caught in a ravine taking pictures of a waterfall when a storm broke out. By the time we climbed out, the air was so heavy you could cut it with a knife and my lungs felt like they would explode.

So, if you get a chance to visit the Smokey Mountains stop by Ashville and Little Switzerland up on the Parkway. I promise you won't be disappointed! Until next week......JB

Painting of the Week

"Cross Rose"

2.5x5 oil on gessoboard

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It's hard to believe that the year is half over. Time is a funny thing. We want everything to hurry up and when it does, we can't wait to slow down. Take just a minute now to stop and think of someone or something that makes you smile, close your eyes and say thank you to the maker of all.

My painting this week is entitled, Cross Rose, and was inspired by wanting to get out of the box and try something unconventional. The support is the cross brace of my old easel. I love to paint using fresh flowers, but they don't last very long. So, you have to either photograph them, or do quick, studies to try to capture their beauty. This painting is very small, even for me, and the surface of the gessoboard was tricky. It was an interesting combination of objects and in the end, I learned a few things so the journey was not wasted. What more can we ask for from painting or from life? Until next week.......JB

Summer Flowers

"Together Again"

5x7 oil on canvas

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I think summer has finally arrived. It was 98 degrees today and humid as it can only be in Texas. We have had so much rain this spring, and the good thing is that the flowers are blooming beautifully. As I look out back, my Hollyhocks are as tall as the fence and loaded with blooms. Hollyhocks are my favorite flowers. They remind me of old fashioned cottage gardens, and I love that wild, overgrown look. Hollyhocks are perennial flowers, meaning that they return each year without being replanted. Hence the title, "Together Again". I hope this imagery brings back fond memories for you. Until next week.....JB

Painting of the Week

"Redbuds"

8x11 oil on canvas/panel

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I went to my grandson's High School graduation last night. It seems like just yesterday he was refusing to sit down in his car seat, wanting to stick his head out of the sunroof! We have so little time on this earth to make a difference in someone's life. I hope it is for the better, positive and uplifting. There's just not enough of that nowadays. So, bite your tongue and think of something nice to say. It won't hurt you and just might be the bright spot needed in someone's day.

Speaking of bright spots, I love the spring landscape when the trees start to leaf out and the redbud and dogwood trees start to bloom. I took this picture when we were living in Kansas. It always reminds me of how wonderful it was when spring finally came and we could put the cold wind of winter behind us. I have always loved the four seasons. Change is inevidable and not always welcome, but somehow we manage. Spring brings new life and renews our spirit. The four seasons, especially spring, speak of a creator who will someday reconcile all things! Until next week.......JB

Painting of the Week #4

"Early Spring"
5x7 oil on canvas/masonite

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Boy, talk about just making it in under the wire!
I thought a painting each week would be easy, but sometimes life gets a little crazy. Good crazy, but crazy just the same. I don't want to seem redundant, but here in Texas, we have seen more than our fair share of rain this spring. Not that I'm complaining, because come the middle of July and August we will probably be crying for the same. It just seems like its feast or famine. Parts of the country are burning while other parts are trying to keep their heads above water. Too bad we can't cut and past the weather map. I guess that could be dangerous depending on ones agenda!


My painting this week is a small 5x7 oil on canvas, mounted on masonite. I took this photograph, early one foggy, spring morning, close to Lawrence, Kansas. I love to be outside so am naturally drawn to landscapes. I need to do more Plein Air work, but am not in love with the bugs or the elements as neither mix well with oil paint. I plan to drag myself out, kicking and screaming this spring though, if it ever quits raining! Until next week...JB

Painting of the Week

"Pitcher Perfect"

7x7 oil on panel

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Raining and raining! Not that we don't need the rain. Spring is here and the flowers are so beautiful. But, it's either feast or famine around here. We may all have to grow fins if this keeps up. It's not hard to see what the inspiration was for this painting. The roses are so beautiful with all the rain. I love old pottery, too. In fact, I love all kinds of old yard art. My husband swears we're the only people with a bed in our front yard. It's really just an old iron headboard made into a bench, not a whole bed! Let me know what you think of the painting, and what kind of treasures are buried in your yard. Until next week..JB

"Week Two"

"A Ribbon Runs Through It"

10 x 12 oil on canvas
with masonite backing


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Boy, that week went by quick! Hope yours was great. Working from home is not as easy as one might think. There seem to be constant interruptions, i.e., delivery people, repair people, weird phone calls, errands that can't wait, and just those well meaning people who think that because you're home, you won't mind them dropping in. It does have its benefits also, such as working in my pj's without putting on my makeup and being my own boss. I can only wish that you too will be able to make a living doing something you really love and are passionate about!

This week's painting is a pallet knife, oil on canvas, glued to masonite. I have rediscovered a love for pallet knife painting. I find that it is one of the few things that will allow me to loosen up as I tend to paint real tight with lots of fine detail. I will have to make it a point to do more pallet knife paintings for my painting of the week. Enjoy!

Welcome!

"A Piece of the Puzzle"
8x8 oil on panel

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It's amazing what I'll do to try and sell art. This is the first of my weekly posts for what I hope to be a Painting-A-Week endeavor. There are alot of painting a day sites out there, but being a wife, mother and grandmother, a painting a week is the best I can hope for! It's not hard to see how all the great artists are men--they don't have to do dishes, cook meals, wash underwear "come look at this", solve the latest family crisis, etc, etc....

I'll keep this one short--I'd appreciate your comments on the art and life in general. This week's painting is entitled "A Piece of the Puzzle".