The Last Of The Harvest, 6x6 Acrylic

The very last eggplant and little Heirloom tomato posed this morning.  This will be my last post before Carol Marine's Worshop in Santa Fe.  Fighting off a cold and trying to organize myself and my house (heh, heh... only kidding about that last thing) before I go, I have to stop painting.  **sigh**  Well, I'm going to try to blog from Santa Fe, and I'll take pictures and show what I've accomplished through the week.  I'm excited because I've never been to Santa Fe, and I've been wearing out the pages of "American Art Collector" magazine trying to pick galleries to visit.  Hmmmm, and Harry the cat was snuggled into my suitcase yesterday, between the t-shirts and the shoes... I think trying to be a stow-away.  The cats definitely know when I'm going away and start acting all crazy as soon as I pull out the suitcase!  Anyway.. it's supposed to be wonderful weather here and in Santa Fe, so I'm definitely counting my blessings!

You Say Toe-MAH-Toe, 5x7 Oil

SOLD

I think the third time's the charm.  This is (for now) the end of the tomato paintings. I like the way the composition worked out.  I also like the looseness of the brushstrokes, and I think I finally got a background that I like (radiant blue by Gamblin).  I hope to post again on Wednesday, but I'm going to try to set up a new blog for my trip to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.  I'm going on a painting trip with Paula Villanova.  This is our 3rd visit to San Miguel, so hopefully we'll hit the ground running this time!  I've also posted some new work on my Studio Blog, you might want to visit.  Let me know what you think about my 'departure' in style there, OK?

I Say "To-MAY-to", Oil, 6x6

SOLD

I decided to explore the tomato a little more and get a little looser (my husband is questioning my eyesight, saying I'm painting 'blurry' lines) and I like the background a bit more here.  I just have to say it - I LOVE oil paint.  Oh, I like acrylic, watercolor and pastels, too, but I love the feel of oil paint.

One Hot Tomato, 6x6 Oil

Oh, the wonders of technology.  I finished this yesterday before I left the studio, but cropped it and posted from the Honda Dealership, where my car is getting serviced!  The little tomato looks a bit flattened out in the photo - I'll look again, but it seemed to have more depth in real life.  I love the irridescent green background, thank you Daniel Smith Oils!

Now THAT's A Tiny Tomato, Oil, 6x8

Last Summer I tasted Currant Tomatoes for the first time - they are just miniscule! So we are growing them this year. Compared to cherries they're teeny. I was playing with neutrals and reds, of things inside glass, and outside of it. Just a fun day in the studio (you'd think I didn't have a SHOW coming up in 2 weeks...). Also using Carol Marine's recipe for Painting Medium, and I loved how smoothly the paint slid off the brush. Thanks, Carol.