Tomatoes and Peas, Please

This colorful painting is the third in a series, and now I’m ready to mat and frame it along with the berries and cherries paintings for the kitchen. After experimenting with mat colors this weekend, hopefully they’ll be matted and framed in the next couple of weeks.

Tomatoes and Peas, Please

This painting is based on another tutorial led by artist, Vivian Cooper. She’s a wonderful teacher and explains in detail how she evolves her paintings. She teaches newcomers as well as intermediate and advanced students, so if you’ve ever thought about trying out watercolor, you should check out her website!

Corfu Canapés, II

Hi Friends. How have you been? Last month I was busy working on a commission for dear friends. We had traveled to Greece years ago and enjoyed sightseeing and lunch arranged by a local fellow. I had painted a picture of that lunch and it now hangs in my dining room, and they asked me to paint one for them.

Corfu Lunch II

It was fun to revisit a painting. I feel like my art decisions were made more knowledgeably than when I painted the first one, and I arranged some of the items a little differently. The bottom line is they loved it, and I’m honored that they wanted to have one of my paintings to hang in their home.

It’s definitely autumn here, my favorite season, and I’m enjoying the cooler temps and beautiful, bright colors of the leaves. Hopefully all is well in your neck of the woods. Take care, and thanks for stopping by!

Fetta di Pizza, Slice of Pizza

Fetta di Pizza (translates from Italian to English to Slice of Pizza) is my newest watercolor and is a companion piece to the previous Cibo di Comodita painting from last month. I don’t really considered myself a food artist, but these were such fun to paint with the wide variety of colors needed and challenges of food textures.

Fetta di Pizza in Italian translates to Slice of Pizza

I don’t eat much pizza nowadays but certainly enjoy it. Most toppings are fair game, but I generally prefer to go the veggie route. What are your favorite pizza toppings?

Cibo di Comodita, Comfort Food

This larger painting is one that I’ve worked on for the last couple of months. What drew me to the subject were the bright pops of color and the contrast between the hard, rustic wood table and the soft flour and fresh food. When deciding on a name for this watercolor, to me it represented a hearty meal of comfort food, Italian-style, which translates in Italian to cibo di comodita. Can’t you just imagine the hands of an Italian woman making the noodles and creating an awesome homemade meal by following her grandmother’s recipes?

Painting the flour was a little intimidating because as I wasn’t sure how to approach it, so I practiced a few options. It turns out that an old, stiff, and heavily frayed Crayola brush from a children’s set of years gone by was the perfect candidate to help stipple in the fluffs of flour. Who knew?

Cibo di comodita in Italian translates to comfort food

I continue to attend a local, weekly Art Club where a gallery is being created, and plans are to put up this painting for sale when the gallery is completed. The thought of this is a little scary, yet a bit exciting at the same time. Wish me luck!

Corfu Canapés

A few years ago, we were lucky enough to travel to Greece, and my all-time favorite stop was the island of Corfu.  We hired a local man, Spiros, who drove us around, showed us some of the gorgeous off-the-beaten-path beauty, and explained what daily life was like in the small town.

Corfu Canapés – Lunchtime in Corfu, Greece Watercolor

At lunchtime, Spiro stopped at a tiny store and bought a loaf of fresh, crusty bread and local soft cheese.  We drove down the road to a building that had outdoor seating, as well as gardens of basil and tomatoes.  Spiro sliced the bread, cheese, and tomatoes, drizzled them with olive oil, and sprinkled fresh basil and herbs on top. This was served to us with local olives and tastings of red wine followed by shots of powerful, black-licorice-tasting ouzo. I can still remember the crispy bread, the creamy, delicate cheese, the pungent herbs, and the fresh-pressed olive oil.  Opa!

Cherry Tomatoes, #WorldWatercolorMonth

 

Cherry Tomatoes

Summer is the time of year when tomatoes are quite delicious, juicy, and abundant, and I painted this vine that I picked up from the grocery store.  The painting turned out just okay but the real tomatoes were the best!  My favorite part was painting the quirky little blossom leaves because each one was different, and they give the tomatoes a little life.  Have a great day!

 

World Watercolor Month is almost over! Remember, we are raising awareness for the Dreaming Zebra Foundation and the Art Room Aid project sponsored by Dick Blick with hopes of bringing art supplies and teaching to children who otherwise would not have exposure to the enriching world of art. Please consider a donation today!

World Watercolor Month 2016