Mendocino views

These two I have done as a happy remembrance of many visits to the Mendocino coast. I haven't painted rooftops like this since college when I painted my roof view from Berkeley to San Francisco.

Mendo Glow 8x8

Mendo Village and Bay

the glow and what I know

I am a painter. I have spent years developing my technique. I have been inspired by so many artists lately,  doing the daily painting thing, and admiring what they can do with paint. I have tried to emulate that ease and flow of the paint in a single session. I failed. So much so that I kind of lost my mojo so to speak. There are other factors too, like being a type 1 diabetic and having bad days with  my blood sugars, or being sick from the flu- those are bad painting days for sure. Little sleep, and emotional stress is also a deal breaker on the canvas for me. All of these things have been present the last couple of months and it has been a real struggle for me to get back to ME. What do I know? DO I have IT still? Did I ever have it?
Yesterday I was in the studio and I just let it go. I let go of what I thought I should do and just painted what I know how to do. I felt at home. It may not be my best work, but at least I felt back to me. Art to me is not a competition, but it can be so influential it is hard to stop wanting to do it all and just do what is natural to me. So, here is that:

cypress afternoon 8x8 oil on canvas

peppers

three peppers- all in their shininess, and waiting to be chopped into a big salad.

peppers 5x5 acrylic on canvas

more spring yellow

I like this daffodil close up. I let loose a bit and went with the flow. Literally! I let the flow of the paint and the linear flow take over. My fave of the three so far.

daffy 8x10 inches

these limes just called to me today. I didn't intend to use such a contrasting background color, but I like it.

limes acrylic on canvas 8x10 inches

Alaska on paper

I am taking my first cruise to Alaska in June. I thought I should familiarize myself with some upcoming sights, so i chose to paint a scene from the town of Ketchikan. I love the colorful nature of the bldgs. I look forward to seeing them in person soon!

Ketchikan acrylic on paper 8x7 inches

bicycle challenge

This was for Daily Paintworks challenge of the week.

The topic was wheels. The photo came out a bit grainy. I also kept the paint on the washy side, so that probably was part of it as well.

cruiser 7 x 5 inches acrylic on canvas

gerbera daisy arrangement

This is an acrylic I am happy with. Lots of paint!!! I was patient and let the underpainting dry before I went in for fine tuning. I think that is the way to go for me for now...

gerbera acrylic on canvas 8x8 inches