Labadie Missouri

     Here's a new 8 x 8 in acrylic and glazes from a photo I took a couple of years back.  I was enamored by the geometric shapes in this pic.  They give the composition it's strength, I think.  

     It's completed in soft glazes of color.  

Sunset shadows

I'm trying a new style, as well as a new medium.   Acrylic is not usually what I paint with, but I've been exploring it lately, since a friend did a demo for me a couple of weeks ago.  

     Here is a painting from a picture I took one evening, while driving in Illinois.  I caught sight of this scene, with it's intense red-orange as the sun was setting.  I've been wanting to paint for awhile.  Fun...

Deep Vista

Another study, 8 x 8 oil to play with composition and color.... Wide deep vista...

Colorful skies at sunset

     A sketch for a larger painting... experimentation with color.... These are ALMOST complements, but not quite.... the light in the sky is always a warmer hue near sunrise and sunset.
     I admire this combination in artwork I've seen and would love to incorporate this color palette into my arsenal of techniques. 

Steinberg skating rink- update

     The person commissioning the painting asked for a few more skaters.  Here's the final draft for the painting, which will be quite a bit larger.  This one is only 11 x 14...

     More skaters, a good idea, I think..

Steinberg skating rink

     Here is a small study for the larger painting commission of the Steinberg skating rink in Forest Park, St. Louis.  We have a wonderful park, right inside the city, with great facilities that are used by citizens constantly.     The Forest Park began with the 1904 World's Fair, which was hosted in St. Louis.   Our Art Museum, Muny Opera and fabulous St. Louis Zoo are three main attractions. 
     The one buying the painting wanted the hospital buildings in the background.  Steinberg is very close to one of the city's main streets, Kingshighway, with it's row of great hospitals. The one to the right is Barnes, where I was born.  
     My friends and I would skate every Saturday at this winter rink.  Great memories.....

Kentucky Dam Village

      This painting is from a picture I took while my husband and I were in Kentucky with my sister and her hubby.  The guys played some golf, while we went antiquing and shopping for quilt fabrics !  It was a fun trip staying in the village in a condo and cooking meals together.  Fun stuff...

Silver compote

     Does anyone still use these compotes?  I found 2 of them at a garage sale that had tons of pieces of old silver, that nobody wants to polish anymore.   We went to a Christmas House Tour today, in a little town in Illinois, where they had LOTS of old things like that, that people still treasure !
     I guess it's all a matter of 'perspective' and 'priorities',  Ha Ha !
     It makes a nice addition to a still life, though, with it's reflective qualities.....

Little 'lady organics' from Whole Foods

     I thought these were so adorable, I had to buy them.  They are all two-toned, and very, very, small.  I've never seen them before, but they are called 'organic lady'.  I haven't tried to eat one, I just had to paint them, though..... (That's how some of us think.... ha !)

persimmons

     With snow on the ground, it's a little hard to plein air paint for me.  I set this up because I love the look of persimmons.  They are fun to paint, now I guess I'll have to figure out how to eat them.

"Dorothy"

     I started this at the gallery on Saturday, where my plein air painter friends and I did a bit of studio painting.  The gallery is not usually open on Sat., during the day, so we decided to paint and open the doors, so visitors could come and look around.  We had quite a few wander in, including some friends, and chatted and showed them the exhibit.  Here's the painting that I finished up when I got home.

Plein air at Lafayette Park yesterday

     I was enamoured by this wonderful tree.  The house started out in the dark, and later in the day it began to lighten... Darn, I was already done painting.  I did like the way it turned out, even though my hands were freezing by the end... ha !

Plein air today in Old Orchard in Webster

It was a relative windy day, but enjoyable too.  I was planning on doing a painting of the outdoor market next door to this building, but couldn't get the right angle for it.   I really like this building, which ia one of the older ones in Webster Groves.  It's been a furniture store and a record store, and an outdoor clothing store, too, in the time I've been alive.   It's now a pretty cool upscale interesting restaurant, with outdoor seating and very different dishes on the menu. 
     As I was finishing, this nice older woman walked toward me, glanced back to look at my viewpoint, and then said, with somewhat surprise.  "I thought that view wasn't very interesting until I saw your painting  You made the painting look better than the real thing."  I thought that was very sweet, and told her thanks.  She said ,"Where are you going to display this?" so I told her about the plein air show I'm participating in next month.  She said, "I'll have one of my children bring me."  It's so fun to talk to people who are interested in art !

Plein air in Lafayette Square

     The Lafayette Square districts is one of the greatest older neighborhoods of our fair city.  It surrounds the wonderful Lafayette Park, and contains a quaint shopping area and great restaurants, as well as fabulous old houses which are so unique !   It's possible to find a great scene to paint by turning in almost any direction.

Lemp Avenue plein air

     After 2 days of non-stop partying for my high school reunion, I managed to drag myself out of bed on Sunday morning to go painting with my plein air buddies.   I was situated in front of this lovely home across from Lemp Mansion (next to their dumpster) and directly above highway 55 overpass.  I never realized how many loud motorcycle gangs traveled up and down the highway all day long... Boy, are they loud.  
     I'm happy with the way this painting turned out, even though I had to leave right after lunch for an appointment, and I had to get the information down pretty fast.   Mark in the shadows and establish your lightest lights, and your darkest darks ! voila !

Fun city backyard garden

Not a plein air, but instead from a photo I took in a friend's garden a few weeks ago.   I lovely woman that I paint with wanted to show me her garden after we painted on a Sunday a few weeks ago at Tower Grove Park.  She is amazing with design and color, and has the most beautiful big century home with a garden boasting almost every conceivable variety of flower.  Her garage on the alley has this cool color scheme.  I had to get a picture of it.  If I had to guess, I'd say it's a split-complementary, with yellow, plus the two colors on either side of it's complement, red-violet, and blue-violet... (periwinkle)
     NOW I'm sounding like my "art teacher" mode.... ha ha
     This one is a 10 x 10, on canvas board.

Grand Basin plein air

  We met at the Grand Basin this morning, in front of the Art Museum to paint plein air today.  It was beautiful everywhere, making it hard to decide what to paint.  I picked this bridge, because somehow these bridges tell a story, I guess.   Seems like I learn something every time I go out with this wonderful group of artists.  Today I learned a bit about different brushes !  I even stopped and got a few new ones on the way home.  I've never used 'flats' before, only 'brights', so I'm excited about getting to know these new ones !

  

Plein air- beautiful day !

Last weekend was a beautiful sunny day.  Our group met at the Muny and found our spots.... I picked my bridge again, with several other painters.   We stopped briefly for lunch, then got back to work.  I finished around 3:00, when Gwendolyn and I were the last to leave.  Such fun.  Here's my painting, it's 8 x 10 on gessoboard.

Tower Grove Park, St. Louis, Missouri

     Tower Grove Park is a wonderful park inside the St. Louis city limits.  Joggers,  cyclists, families, dog walkers, and plein air painters occupied a small, beautiful, area of the park today.  We positioned ourselves by the Piper Palm House... famous for it's fabulous Sunday brunch.....I tried to stay in the shade, and found this great pond with lily pads, and a few flowering water lilies in view.    This time I worked with an 8 x 10 gessobord, and was able to complete my painting.  I was very happy with the flow and movement I tried to convey.  It seems I learn something every time I paint outdoors... Either something TO DO, or something  NOT TO DO..... ha
      We had a great big group of at least 12 artists painting.... such fun, and such support everyone gives to each other... love it.

Sunflower/gerbera demo #147

     Here's the painting I did yesterday, as my demo.  I was working outside, with my new easel, at the Webster Groves, Mo. 'Art on the Town' event.  It was fun, with music, art, kids' activities, and lots of food.  The local dance studios participated, and entertained the visitors.  It was the first time I had done a demo and I didn't realize how much stuff you have to bring along.....
     I had lots of traffic and great people in my booth.  I made some sales, too, and even got a couple of commissions.   A really fun experience, that I plan on doing again next year !