
Vincent Van Gogh, who died so young, is one of the painters that most inspire me. And amazingly, I continue to find paintings of his that are new to me. This wonderful painting really caught my attention. I couldn’t get it out of my head. So without looking at his painting, I tried to emulate the colors and contrast of it. That resulted in this little study:
And well, I want to try again!
How did he get all that energy by using that ONE color?
Unfortunately this is showing up on Facebook with only Vincent Van Gogh’s painting showing. I did not mean to deceive people into thinking I did that painting!

Last night on my walk, I was observing crows, so this morning at Seward Park, when I saw some hanging around, I seized the opportunity to paint them. The crows were very hopeful because a little girl and her parents were feeding the ducks. Alas, the tot did not like the crows, so the crows had to wait until the party was over to look for the dregs..
This May has been a perfect season of sunsets. I enjoy the light and the view from my front yard while I bask in the sun and talk to dear friends on the phone or just read. Oh, sometimes I paint! Flowers are such magical things, they catch the sunlight and literally glow in the long last rays of the setting sun. I attempted to catch what I saw last night, the velvet shadows, the glowing irises, the random orange poppy wanting a share of the sun.
This is a postcard-sized miniature painting. It is for sale for $35.00 to the first person who wants it.
Remember, all of the profits from my paintings go to animal conservation charities.
.
Thank you Tom Hoffmann! I have officially done more plein aire this year than I have the last 5. This morning, I seized the morning light and painted a Lake Washington view from Seward Park. I rushed down the hill before 8:00 AM only to discover I had forgotten my paints. Determined to make use of the trip, I sat down with my pencil and started to sketch the scene. In less than 5 minutes I knew I had to go back home to get my paint, this beautiful scene needed to be painted. This is Mount Rainier in all its splendor.
One of the things I am really trying to learn is how to paint depth with light, intensity and shadow. My house faces to the west so in the morning, things are shady until the sun creeps in slowly. Here you can see deep shadows, with the sun kissing the tips of the rhubarb flowers. This is a 4″ x 5″ miniature. I think I am going to mail it to someone.