I Wish I Could Grow Stuff Like This

We all have our own gifts, and gardening is not one of mine, although I sincerely wish it was. Scott and I grew some tomatoes in pots on our patio this year and our plants were doing fairly well until I noticed some black spot on the bottom of them. I looked this up on the internet and it's something called 'blossom rot', which develops when your soil doesn't have enough calcium. The article recommended a few Tums ground up and sprinkled into the soil as a remedy. I had nothing to lose by trying and it seemed to help -- for awhile. The blossom rot returned and alas... I am starting to realize my thumb will never be green.

This time of year I like to stop at produce stands and see what they have to offer. I'm not especially interested in eating the stuff I buy. I want to paint it. I found this really awesome red onion with a long root and some awesome green peppers just a mile down the road. What reallly drew me in was the gorgeous indigo colored eggplant.

I think natural fruits and veggies make great subjects and I do tend to paint a lot of them.The reason is that I can always find a buyer and the textures of fruit and vegetables are all so unique they are excellent practice subjects. People like paintings of food. They work well in the kitchen or the dining room and if you choose the right foods and arrange them in a pleasing composition I think they're as beautiful as flowers! And actually, a lot easier to paint IMO.

Green and violet are secondary colors and they harmonize nicely. I spotlit the scene on the table in my studio and had a compelling composition right away. It doesn't take much to make me interested in producing a painting. If the light and shadow are dramatic I am intrigued every time.

Eggplant with Veggies

10" x 8"

Not your average cat

My daughter, who is 15 years old, is an artist too. Unlike me, she uses programs like Illustrator and Photoshop to create her masterpieces and is happy to follow her own individual artistic path. That's the way it should be. The child began drawing at age three and she has become really adept at caricaturing animals and she excels at creating fantastic mythical creations that don't really exist.

About a year ago she asked me when I was going to paint a picture of her cat. What she meant was: when was I going to turn her cat into a huge 24" x 18" wall painting, as I had done with the other two cats who live with us. I kept putting her off because her cat is not the most attractive animal in the world. I know it is to HER, but to me, it is a bit strange and I didn't really want to paint her. You see, Mooki is missing an eye. The poor cat had an ignominious beginning, as her mother abandoned her in our garage and she crawled up under our lawn tractor. For days we heard crying that would stop as soon as we opened the garage door and begin again when we closed it. We trapped the kitten with a bowl of milk and placed her in a dog cage until I was able to tame her by feeding her cat food on a fork. Eventually she was eating from my hand and not threatening to claw me.

My daughter grew very attached to this small gray cat and although it has never been particularly cuddly, it does enjoy human companionship and listens better than the other cats. When she was nine months old, Mooki's eye began swelling and the vet told us it was glaucoma. We had a few choices: we could put her down, we could pay a few thousand dollars and see if the eye could be saved or we could have it removed for $400. We had the eye removed and the cat has been fine ever since. Surprisingly enough, I've had a few people tell me they wouldn't have done it. "It's just a cat. You can always get another one," they say. How cold and heartless, and I would bet these are the same people who do not spay and neuter their animals, which is why we end up with homeless kittens living under our mower deck int he first place.

I am wondering a bit from my story. I promised Katie that I would do my large version of her one-eyed cat if she would create one of her caricatures featuring all six of our animals. Well, she fulfilled her part of the bargain and her creation was wonderful. I printed it and have it hanging in my living room. She captured the personality of each animal so well! I was amazed.

My turn! I finished her supersized cat over the weekend and I did struggle with how to present the one-eyed cat and make her beautiful. Ultimately, it was just a matter of being true to Mooki and emphasizing what is wonderful about her.

Digital Art

Mooki 18" x 24"

A Cat with Cattitude

Peachy Keen

This afternoon, I ran the dogs and gave them treats when we got back. I thought about going out and doing a plein air painting but after an hour of running I needed to relax. There sat the peaches I bought from a roadside stand a few days ago. My husband tried one and told me not to go there again. So I'm left with a container of peaches that need to be turned into a painting. Then I won't feel as if I wasted my hard-earned cash. This was a quick one hour painting and I used the palette knife exclusively until the very end when I softened a few edges. I like the organic quality of the base and the simplicity of the design.

With a basic subject like this you can often get away with using simple shapes and complementary colors.

Ashley from our Painting Group

Everyone at the Hyter Group was in love with Ashley's long wavy hair. I give the girl a lot of credit - she showed up dressed as a cowgirl or something. Straw hat, cowboy boots and cute denim vest. I brought my pastels with me so I could be sure to get done in one two hour session.

Not sure of the likeness but I like the slightly pensive look that came out of this.

18" x 19.5"

Black Lab Puppy Painting

This is Ruby, a nine week old puppy. Ruby wasn't feeling too well when I snapped her picture. She was having an allergic reaction to something and had bumps around her eyes and on her belly. The miracle of paint is that I could easily ignore those bumps when I painted her portrait. I also changed her glance so she was looking toward me instead of at the fingers her owner was snapping to gain her attention. Painting puppies is similar to painting children. You have delicate unformed features and a certain softness that needs to be emphasized.

I liked the colors of the porch swing Ruby was relaxing on and her soft green blanket, so I changed the design a little and used them. The collar has an "M" on it and her owner thought that was nice because he works at a school that starts with that letter. It's good to get their input too and if it's not too difficult or doesn't interfere with the design I'll usually try to accommodate them.

Ruby

11" x 14"

commission