Mexican Birds Diptych

We just came back from Mexico so it seemed fitting to paint some tropical flowers.  I've always loved Birds of Paradise.  They remind me of my childhood.  

Sorry about the crooked picture.  This is a diptych, two paintings that are painted as if they are one.  I painted them to hang one inch apart but a person's eyes will complete the picture through that one inch space.  I think it makes the painting a little more interesting because it's different.

Mexican Birds Diptych

Image size  24" x 12"

Acrylic 

A Pungent Bundle

This is probably the loosest watercolor that I've ever done.  It was fun to play with the washes and leave indistinct edges - so out of character for me.  I started this as a poured painting but only did a couple of pours and decided to paint it in a more traditional way.  I like the variety of colors in the garlic which is from the initial pours.  I used a 140# Arches hot press paper.  The paint lifted a little too easily on this paper and it was hard to build up my darks.

A Pungent Bundle
Image Size 28" x  20"
Watercolor and Gouache

The Lone Tree

Just a small oil painting for this week.  I painted the canvas with a thinned cadmium red and allowed some of it to show through.  It's a warmer and more subtle red than I've used recently to prime other canvases.  I think I like it better than the bright red for a scene such as this one.  Also, by using it thinned rather than as an opaque red, the white of the canvas is able to glow through it.

The Lone Tree
Image Size 6" x 6"
Oil

Tracy Arm Falls

I was out of town for several days this past week and I didn't have much time to paint so I decided to finish a painting I had started a (long) while ago.  It is such a good feeling when I finish a project that's been hanging around the studio so I don't know why I have so many unfinished projects.  I guess it's an even better feeling to start a new project.  : )

Anyway, I was glad I had a painting that was almost finished so I could stay on track with finishing a painting a week.  I was cutting it a little too close this week.

This scene is in Alaska.  We were on a cruise a couple of years ago and I have many photos of wonderful places that will provide reference material for paintings for a long time.  Alaska is so beautiful that by the end of the week, my eyes had overdosed on 'beautiful'.  The Tracy Arm, where the reference photo for this painting was taken,  has many waterfalls and amazing vistas as well as wildlife.  I was wishing that my camera had a better zoom so that I could get some close-ups but even without it, I got some nice pictures.  The water in this area is such an lovely shade of turquoise.  The glacial ice pulverizes the rock as it moves over the surface and as the ice melts, the powdered rock is suspended in the water and it reflects the light and makes the water a milky turquoise color.  It looks unreal.

Tracy Arm Falls
Image size 8" x 16"
Oil

Determination

Don't feel sorry for this poor neglected onion.  Obviously, it was past its prime for eating purposes, but  was determined to use its strength to grow, even though it sat ignored on the kitchen counter.

This onion was part of a still life set-up that my friend brought over for us to paint.  The other vegetables on the plate didn't catch my interest enough to paint them, but I thought this onion with its greenery had a graceful look and a lot of personality.  I also liked that it could grow so much without dirt or water.

I used a dark background to give it a dramatic effect and a sense of importance.  This poor onion that was so neglected has now been immortalized, which is good because I never did plant it and now it's gone forever.

Determination
Image Size 14" x 21"
Watercolor