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.