Textures and shadows

In my quest to get realism and playfulness on my canvas, I'm continuing the Door Series.,

I'm concluding that American doors are the most prosaic in the world. Let us turn elsewhere for inspiration!  Pinterest Page, Architextures

New projects

Several of my friends have birthdays, so I am cranking up the paint projects. 

Still obsessed with old doors, i'm learning about shadows and rocks and when to quit. 

I got a new paint table. It's actually a drafting table from World Market. 

It's supposed to be used tilted, but I use it more often as shown above. 

It's a handsome piece of woodwork. So naturally, I've covered it with a cheap plastic tablecloth so as not to get it all nasty with acrylics. 

This is an unusually large picture of blackberries. No one likes it but me. I adore it. Maybe it reminds me of blackberry pie? Yes, Mom's blackberry pie.  We used to go in the woods with our boots on and longsleeved shirts, buckets belted around our waists.  You could pick buckets and buckets of berries at the right time of year. 

This is a painting of an old grist mill. It reminds me of the ruins of an old powder mill that used to be behind our house in New Florence, Pennsylvania. 

Our house was up Furnace Lane road, several miles out of town.  We had 50 acres in the middle of State Gamelands.  If you hiked to our upper field, then took off through the woods, you'd come to huge rocks, a briskly flowing stream that was almost a little river, and the ruins of an old powder mill. Some old-timer told us when we moved there in 1972 that it had been a place where gunpowder was manufactured during the Civil or Revolutionary War. There were big rocks that formed a sheltered area, which, it was rumored, had been inhabited by Indians years and years ago.  

Any way, this mill reminds me of that area.  A little nostalgia with fall colors. 

Summer Doors

I'm reworking some old paintings and trying others with architectural details.

Here's a close-up of the grillwork on the door. 

I added in the light gray tree branches.  Hmmm, I think the flowers need to pop more.  It's funny how photographing a work shows all the little issues more clearly. 

I 

I can see that this door is a little crooked. I'm pleased with the the bicycle and the overall feel. The play of light on brick turned out well. Shadows baffle me sometimes!  

This one was really easy and fun as the perspective is straight-on. 

Lovely Doors to Secret Gardens

I am starting a couple of pictures for my daughter's new place.  She likes doors.  She is not into the fall tones and earth tones that continually show up like unexpected guests in all my works. So here goes, something different.  

Here's my beginning:

I need to get the white bicycle in there. Keep it light, don't get overbearing.

I like the palette, although Krystal says the flowers to the left of the door are too blue.  And the bicycle looks a little off. I like the wisteria.  The doorknob is too high. There--the flowers are lightened up, the bicycle is straighter.  Tomorrow I'll blacken the tires and add shadows. Let it be noted that I'm not an art teacher, but I visit the art room frequently! Hmmm, I don't like that bike.  Let me finish the greenery, further straighten it out.