Red Pepper Trio

Oil on masonite, 6x6"

My fiancée noticed these little peppers at the grocery store and thought they would be a great subject for a painting. I had to agree with her. I tried several arrangements but liked they way they nestled in together in this arrangement.

The blog has been a bit neglected lately as work has gotten busy and the wedding is only six weeks away. For the next couple months new entries will likely be few and far between. But I will paint when I can and post when I do. Thanks for checking in!

Split Rock

Oil on masonite, 6x6", SOLD

The north shore of Lake Superior is very rocky and full of granite outcroppings. Split Rock Lighthouse was constructed nearly a hundred years ago to help guide ships safely through this treacherous shoreline. While on a camping trip to the North Shore several years ago, I snapped a photo of this lighthouse. The weather throughout the trip was rainy and overcast, but we managed to do a fair amount of hiking and even swam in Lake Superior one afternoon (not recommended, the water is always very cold). I recently dug out that old photo and decided to make it into a painting. Here is the result.

A Red Pear and Its Shadow

Oil on masonite, 6x6" SOLD

Finally! I'm able to get back to my studio. After a relaxing walk by the Charles River the other evening, Fiancée and I stopped by the market on the other side of the Common and found this lovely red pear (as well as a gallon of milk and some mint chocolate chip ice cream). I thought it would make for a good painting subject and after a few sketches I settled on this composition, showing both the pear and it's dark shadow.

Not Yet Guacamole

Oil on canvas panel, 6x6", NFS

My fiancée and I love the avocados. They are the perfect addition to a sandwich, and nothing tops a tortilla chip better than guacamole! But it's actually a rather funny looking fruit, kind of shiny but all lumpy and bumpy at the same time. Because of this texture I thought it would be interesting to make a painting of an avocado. I started this a couple nights ago, but it was getting late and I was getting frustrated. When I came back to it this morning, I found that I was actually pretty pleased with what I had done thus far so I just darkened some darks and lightened some lights and decided it was time for guacamole.

Backlit Lemon

Acrylic on canvas panel, 4x4", NFS

After a trip to the grocery store to stock up on painting subjects (and, of course, food), I made this little lemon painting. I wanted to capture the yellow glow reflected from the top of the lemon, so I kept the other lights low in my studio, increasing the contrast on my subject. It might have strained my eyes a little, but I'm happy to have caught that yellow glow from the top of the lemon.

Artificial Cherry Flavor

Oil on masonite, 6x6", SOLD

The nice thing about doing a painting of something like a dum-dum is that you get to take a humble piece of candy and admire it two times: once by painting it, and twice by eating it!

Orange Peppertop

Oil on canvas panel, 4x6" SOLD

I'm not much of a fan of peppers, to be quite honest, but I sure was excited when my fiancée brought this orange bell pepper home from the little grocery store on the other side of the Common. So at the first chance I got, I stole it from the fridge, set it up on my drafting table, and went to work.

Pitcher and Grapefruit

Oil on masonite, 6x6", SOLD

The grapefruit had such a squat shape, I thought it would be a good partner for the stout pitcher.

White Donuts on a Black Plate

Oil on masonite, 6x6"

I really like the triad of red, black, and white. Something about it really gets your attention (perhaps that's why you see it in so much advertising these days). The other day, my fiancée had a plate of mini powdered donuts and the contrast of the white donuts on the black plate was really striking to me. So when I sat down to paint last night, I made the same arrangement, putting the plate on some red paper.

Three Rainier Cherries

Acrylic on masonite, 6x6", SOLD

These three cherries were about to get thrown out. I rescued them, plopped them into a little white dish, and called it a still life.

Twisty Topped Tomato

Acrylic on unstretched canvas, 9x12"

The fridge can provide many things, today it provided inspiration. That's where I found this tomato with crazy, twisty leaves coming out of it's top. I set it up on my drafting table and went to work. Obviously, this was my first attempt at a painting for my blog. Since I feel satisfied with the result, I feel a bit bolder about this whole daily painting endeavor.