20 x 16 inch oil "Oranges in Cello"

I have been admiring this photo on Wetcanvas for some time so I took the plunge and tried it in oil. I am happy with the results although I still have some finishing touches to make. I will probably make the background a warmer, richer brown and punch up the hightlights on the oranges, but overall I think it was a success. Since it is oil I will wait a couple of months before coating it with a gloss varish. I have the perfect vintage gold frame that it will be going into.

16 x 20 inch oil "Stalker"

This is the second oil work I have done and I am very pleased with how it turned out. I really enjoyed how the oils performed for me especially how I could blend so nicely and not have to worry about the paint drying so fast as with acrylics. I will definitely be using oils again.

8 x 10 inch pastel "Strawberry Delight"

This is my latest endevour after finishing a commission for a cat portrait. This one will probably be a Xmas gift this year. I have a lovely silver frame that I think it will look great in. It is done on suedeboard as per usual with a variety of soft pastels. I may do a little tweeking yet, but I think it is generally finished.

9 x 12 inch acrtylic "Mom"

I have been working on this for a while and am nearly finished. It will be for Dad for Xmas. I probably will play with the hair some more but I think I will leave the face alone. I am not sure this is a good likeness but the photo I had was terrible. Mom hardly ever smiled in photos.

8 x 10 inch pastel "Mason Jar"

Since it is a rainy, dark day here on Vancouver Island, I thought I would do another small painting. This is done on Wallis professional pastel paper, the first time I have used this (and I like it) with a variety of soft pastels. This one was done suprisingly fast for me - about 2 1 /2 hours. I have another picture of a mason jar that I want to do to make a pair for the kitchen.

11 x 12 inch pastel "Bowl of Cherries

I just finished this painting after a few hours of enjoyable painting. It is done on suede matboard with a variety of soft pastels. I just received my new order of pastels from Terry Ludwig Pastels and am loving the reds and oranges that I got. Just what I needed! I can't wait to get started on a couple of ideas I have for paintings! Stay tuned.

16 x 20 inch acrylic "Lavender Fields"

I wanted to have a go at some acrylics again since it has been so long. Lavender happens to be my favorite scent and garden plant so this picture really inspired me. I think I may fine tune it later, but for now I am going to leave it alone. Leaving it sit on my easel for a couple of weeks let me see things that I ordinarily wouldn't see at this point.

9 x 12 inches "As the Storm Breaks"

I though I would change things up a bit and do a little landscape. Again using my favorite colors, blue and purple with some orange thrown in. This painting is done on LaCarte paper with mostly a variety of soft pastels.

8 x 10 inch pastel "Purple Cabbage"

Here is another in my vegetable series done again on LaCarte pastel card. I loved all the blues and purples in the reference photo and really enjoyed painting this one.

9 x 12 inch pastel "Red Onions"

This is another little painting in my vegetable series. I love the colors of these onions, that is proabably what compelled my to paint them. All of these paintings are going to be put in a stainless steel frame that I think would look great in a modern kitchen (specifically mine, unless I have a buyer!) Again this is done on LaCarte pastel paper.

5 x 7 inch pastel "artichoke"

This small painting is another in the vegetable series. This one was very difficult for me and I though it would be so simple! This small size is a real challenge to work with even for someone with small hands like me. Again this is done on LaCarte paper. I think I will use the sudedboard for my next one. Perhaps some oranges? Stay tuned.

5 x 7 inch pastel "Peppers"

I am beginning to paint a small series on fruts and vegetables and this is one of them. I am really enjoying using the LaCarte pastel card for these still lifes. It really works well and holds lots of pastel. Although this is small it still managed to take me around 3 1/2 hours to complete, almost like a large one.

9 x 12 inch pastel "Blues Guitar"

This is quite a departure from what I normally do, but I am really getting to like doing still life. I am not at all musically inclined but I really like how the light shines on this obviously very shinny guitar. This is done on LaCarte pastel card in soft pastel

7 x 10 inch pastel "Cradled"

This one was definitely a learning curve. This is done on a new surface for me, LaCarte pastel card, which is a sanded paper. It was quite different to work on than my usual suedeboard. I did a lot of blending with my fingers, something I don't really do on the suede. I think I will keep doing small practice paintings until I get the hang of it.

8 x 10 inch pastel "Plate of Fruit"

Here is another one that I found a bit challenging. Again done on the suedeboard in soft pastel. I think I was drawn mainly to the red of the fruit when I saw this reference. Thanks to a contributor on WetCanvas for the photo.

9 x 12 inch pastel "Egg on Satin"

Here is another attempt at still life on suedeboard. I am not sure I was altogether successful at making the cloth look like satin, but I gave it a good try. Takes so much to the wonderful photography of Diane Ponting at Wetcanvas.com.

12 x 20 inch pastel "In the Forest"

This painting is quite a departure from my usual style. I wanted to experiment with color on the suedeboard. This is a stylized interpretation of a photo that was taken on one of my weekly hikes up Cobble Hill Mountain. Thanks Robin for the photo!

9 x 12 inch pastel "Wolf pair"

I did this painting while away on vacation in Narrows Inlet on the sunshine coast of British Columbia. Had a wonderful time in the great outdoors but i did find time to paint as well. This is done on suede matboard in soft pastel.

11 x 15 inch pastel "Dancer"

This is another painting on the suede board. This was done rather quickly as a study for a larger painting that I would like to do on black suede. There are a few things that I need to adjust for the larger painting, so this was a good practice for me.

11 x 12 inch pastel "Marbles"

This is another attempt at still life on the suedeboard. I found this one to be very challenging, mainly because it was hard to get good detail on the suede. Anyway it was a learning experience.

9 x 12 inch pastel "Ballet Slippers"

I am falling in love with my pastels again after briefly switching to acrylic. I like acrylic, but I really LOVE pastels. I can't seem to stop painting! I have so many ideas for paintings that I only wish I had more time! O well, someday I will be retired from working!

10 x 11 inch pastel Koi Fish

It has been a very productive weekend for me with the two paintings I have completed. This is a first for me and something that I have wanted to try for a long time. Again it is done on suede matboard in soft pastel.

24 x 24 inch pastel "Water Lily"

This is another pastel done on suedeboard. It is a lot larger than I usually work in pastel so I found it quite challenging especially since it is done on suedeboard. It was hard to cover that much space with the pastel but I think it turned out ok. It is a lot brighter in RL since I was photographing it at night and the colors seem a little dull.

11 x 12 inch pastel "Young Girl"

This is another attempt at portraiture, again done on suede matboard. This has been really fun for me trying new subjects lately. Each painting is a learning experience.

8 x 10 inch pastel "Egyptian Man"

This is a second attempt at portraits in pastel. This reference photo came from WetCanvas.com. Thanks very much to the contributor. I loved the character in the face and really wanted to give it a try. This is done on suede matboard in mostly soft pastel with some pastel pencils.

16 x 20 inch acrylic "Jar full of marbles"

I had a lot of fun working on this one. I love all the different colors of the marbles. This was quite a challenge for me trying to keep those marbles round! Anyway here it is finished I think. I am almost finished by ballet dancer in the window so I will be posting it soon.

Quick study of ballerina

This is completely out of my comfort zone, but I have wanted to try this for a long time. I did this very quickly (about 1 hour) with mainly pastel pencils as a study for a larger painting that I will do in arcylic or maybe even oil (that is REALLY stretching it!). I have this really gorgeous antique gold leaf frame that I am itching to put something in so if it turns out, it will have a home. Stay tuned!

Misc. paintings done in pastel

I have been working on this group of paintings, and I thought I would show them here as a whole. They are all done in pastel on suede matboard and are 5 x 7 inches matted in an 8 x 10 mat. They are in glassine envelopes, so there is a bit of a glare in the photos. I have a few more that I plan to do in the same way.

9 x 12 inch acrylic "Malahat Evening"

I finished this one a while ago and forgot to post it. This is from the top of Malahat mountain where my daughter works at the Aerie Resort. It is an absolutely gorgeous place with breathtaking views. I did this one as a little experiment on canvas paper with very watery acrylic paint, almost like watercolor. I like the colors and the way it turned out.

Revisited painting "Silent Watcher"

I have played around with this painting after some excellent suggestions from the good folks at Wetcanvas.com. It was suggested that hump of the mountain and the tree were too in line with each other and would look more balanced by putting in some more hills in the background. I tried to make them look further off in the distance by fading the color. I think this looks better now.

9 x 12 inch acrylic "Silent Watcher"

I took a bit of a break from my flower series to do some wildlife. I took this photo while on vacation last summer and have wanted to paint it since. I did this one on watercolor paper. I am not sure if I like this as a support for acrylic or not. I found the paint really absorbed into it quickly and I did not have as much play time as I do on canavas. I think I may do this one larger on canvas sometime in the future.

16 x 20 inch acrylic "Poppies"

This painting is another in my flower series. I am getting very close to my goal of 15 but I think I may go even further as I am really enjoying this. I have so many photos of flowers I would love to do. If only I had more time! This is done on stretched canvas done in the gallery wrapped style of painted sides and is for sale. If I don't sell it here I may put it in the spring show that I am entering in the near future. I have several paintings that I am planning on entering.

20 x 24 inch acrylic "White Peony"

Here is another in the flower series. I like this size for florals as I can get them in the 2 inch profile gallery wrapped canvases. I paint the sides and they look very good hanging on the wall without a frame. This painting was quite challenging for me as I used a very limited palette of black, white and yellow.

20 x 20 inch acrylic "Cherry Blossom"

Here is another flower painting in my series done on gallery wrapped canvas. This one has an almost abstract feel to it, a bit different than what I have been doing lately.

30 x 30 inch acrylic "Red Dahlia"

This is # 7 in my floral series and the largest. I actually stretched this canvas myself on stretcher bars (a first for me) because I wanted it large and square and I couldn'd find the right canvas. It worked out ok but it was a little more work and the canvas really soaked up a lot of paint (because I didn't prime it!). Tomorrow I think I may work a bit on the background, perhaps adding a few leaves, as it is a little bare as it is.

20 x 16 inch acrylic "Gerbera Daisy"

This painting is another in my flower series, #6. It is again done on stretched canvas in acrylic paints. For now I left the background as white but I am thinking that I may go for a darker color, perhaps a dark burnt sienna. I think I will just look at it awhile as I am sure the right color will come to me.

12 x 24 inch acrylic "Tulips #2"

This painting is #5 in my floral series. I am enjoying working on this series, trying to complete 1 painting a week (working mainly on the weekends). This one was fun to do. I am still trying to improve my technique with acrylic. It can be quite challenging at times because the paint dries so fast but I think I am getting better with practice.

20 x 24 acrylic "The Rose"

This is #4 in my flower series and probably the one that gave me the most trouble. I spent around 12 hours on this one and I think I may be finally finished except for the varnishing.

22 x 26 inch acrylic "Four Tulips in a Row"

This painting is #3 in my floral series, done on stretched canvas, gallery style in acrylics. I love tulips just before they open, and I fell in love with this photo. This is the largest acrylic that I have done to date, although I found that it did not take me any longer than some of my smaller pieces. I am having fun and discovering new techniques with glazing multiple layers of paint on the canvas. I found that by glazing a thin, transparent bright yellow over the painting at the end, really makes the painting glow. This painting is for sale. Please contact me at lyurge@telus.net for more info.

18 x 18 inch acrylic "Clematis"

This is #2 in my flower series. It is done on stretched canvas in acrylic. I found the photo in the WetCanvas.com reference library. I loved the backlit effect on a white flower.

8 x 10 inch pastel "Road Through the Field"

This little painting is done on a foamie that was primed with colorfix primer. This makes a great support for the pastel to cling on to. I really enjoyed working on it.

24 x 20 inch acrylic "Daylily"

I wanted to do an acrylic very large and bold with a lot of impact. This is the first in a series of large floral macros that I am planning on doing. I really had a lot of fun playing with this one because I love the colors and because of the size I was able to use large brushes and be more expressive with my strokes. I painted the sides of the canvas so that it can be hung on the wall as is, gallery wrapped style. This painting is for sale.

8 x 10 inch pastel "Chipmunk"

This is a quick little painting done in under 2 hours. It is 8 x 10 inch done on one of those foam sheets that kids use to make shapes etc. It was quite interesting to use, almost like suedeboard, but I found that I could not do very much blending of colors nor could I get defined lines very easily. I found that very soft pastels like ludwigs worked the best.

I quite enjoyed the process but I think the next time i will coat with colorfix primer first.

16 x 20 inch acrylic "Cariboo on the Bluff"

After many hours of painting and repainting portions of this one, I think I am finally done. Because of the size and complexity of the subject I found this one to be very challenging. I know the more I practice with acrylic I am bound to feel more confident and I know it will show in my art.

20 x 30 inch pastel "Frozen Lake"

This is the largest pastel I have done to date. It is from a photo that I fell in love with and have wanted to paint for a long time, but haven't really had the time to devout to such a large piece. The funny thing is it really didn't take any longer than my smaller pieces. Go figure!

8 x 10 inch acrylic "Wood Duck"

This is another practice painting for me in acrylic. I really love the colors in the photo, green being my favorite. I don't usually go for paintings of birds, but for some reason I was very attracted to this photo.

11 x 14 inch acrylic "Bowl of Fruit"

This is another try with acrylics. I am beginning to get more confident with it now after doing a couple of paintings recently. I found this reference photo at Wetcanvas.com and have a wonderful gold leaf frame for it.