The First Egg   oil   8x6
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I had the idea to make this painting about the unwrapping of a present- just a peak at the egg.  Seems like maybe a bit too much narrative, but I always have a difficult relationship with narrative.

I'm writing a cookbook and plan to do a series of food paintings that are vaguely related to the recipes-just enough to give some structure to subject matter. This is the first one. (I usually wipe the first one of whatever I'm painting).  I've been collecting recipes for a few years from a dear friend and fabulous cook- really gifted. The first chapter is about eggs. I will probably post only one recipe a week as this is an art blog and not a food blog. More eggs coming: boiled, fried, raw, whole and broken, alone and in tandem.

Star Burst  oil  6x8
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How much can I infer without directly stating it?  Sometimes I think I should do a painting and try to "nail" it.  And then paint another one and allow myself to abstract it.  I've even considered putting up two canvases side by side. After 25 years as a medical illustrator old habits die hard.  I'm very happy with the little purple flowers- merely inferred.

Green Energy  oil  6x6

Same garden different view from yesterday's post.  My friend and neighbor has a very green thumb. I've wandered over in the afternoon to paint for several days. The garden gate depending on the light is a wonderful graphic element.

Blue Bottle oil 8x6
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I loved the way the shadow is cast on the surface of the flower as it turns away from the light.  I particularly like the stem seen through the bottle- nice and loose and juicy. More striped fabric from asia-this particular fabric makes many appearances.  It's subtle, but nicely divides up this space and gives some movement to the background.

Daddy's Tulip oil 8x6 

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I painted this for a dear friend for her birthday.  After her father passed away a red tulip appeared in her and her sister's gardens.  This year she picked it and placed it in a vase.  I secretly took it into my studio and painted it against one of her red striped tea towels. She loves red and I wanted the painting to be about red.  The tea towel appears many times in my paintings. not easy to paint as it has quite a bit of contrast, but there's a graphic quality to it that I like.

Gather Us Up oil 8x8.5
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I painted this one in class with my students. I was showing them that anything is fair game-that you can turn a cut banana into a fun painting.

Familiar Faces  oil 8x6
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I talk endlessly about negative space and shapes in my classes.  My motto is "it's not about the thing". It is about the shapes butting up against each other, each square inch of paint on the canvas, how the shapes and edges interact.

Rising Joyfully oil 8x6
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I tell my students that the sides of the paper and canvas are magnetized and every object, limb and branch is being pulled horizontally and vertically.  They need to fight the pull to right angles.  It's hard, I feel the pull and am always trying to resist it.