Pallette challenge

Someone challenged me to paint with a new palette. An Italian earth palette. Think ochre, Sienna, umber and mars black. So outside my comfort zone. Painted today with the Sugarloaf group and stuck with it kicking and moaning but I am pretty pleased with the outcome. Definitely a challenge and took some mixing , not so sure the colors vibrate, but maybe they are just meditating. I will use it again and have already thought of some new ways of using the colors, maybe grounding the canvas in a red oxide? All the paintings in today's session were about pattern and more pattern.

New little painitng

8"x10" "Green Bowl"

Snail Mail update

I'm heading to the post office after finally finishing the snail mail project with Maggie Ruley. Check out the before http://maggieruley.blogspot.com/2009/10/snail-mail-project.html and here is the after. Also check out Kate Millers blog http://circularspace.blogspot.com/

New Painting

Here is a new painting this week. Even with Thanksgiving and a house full of people I was able to finish this one. It is a gallery wrap so no frame and I believe it will be called "key West Morning"

Glitter

Christmas has snuck up on me and I am terribly unprepared. I have been decorating ornaments though and my studio is covered with glitter. We have a tree at the gallery and everyone is bringing in ornament to sell.

Adios 2009 Hurricane Season

Celebrations were held in Key West for the end of this unusually quiet hurricane season. Yeah! Here is a link to the story in the Key West citizen. http://keysnews.com/node/18951

Thanksgiving

What an amazing week. So many people in my little house! Hope every one had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I spent the week with this vivacious group. So interesting and interested. It is always so nice to share the Keys with folks who have never been here.We packed it all in, swimming on Thanksgiving morning before the cold front came through. The water was flat calm and warm. Because we knew we were not having turkey for dinner we instead picked up all the turkey wing shells we could find in our beachcombing. Then we came home and started cooking, roasted veggies...

Grilled octopus.....

Pan fried and grilled fish ........and of course mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry and fried squid.

We were able to eat outside under the bright moon and under the travelers palms with the tiki torches going.

I worked in the gallery on black Friday and it was a joy with loads of my tourist friends flocking in to buy Xmas gifts. Everyone was in a jovial mood and wallets were opened and money was flying. Thanks to that nice local couple who bought paintings of mine for their family! Saturday was My daughters 18th birthday so we had to party yet again. Taco bar and pinata! Even a little hot tubing because the water was so warm. Had to squeeze in 2 gallery openings this weekend also, which were great fun. Add to that some snorkeling and green parrot dancing and it was a full and wonderful weekend.



Also joined my friend Nancy and friends for her early turkey dinner, so yes I did have turkey. Great fun and love her burnt orange wall.

Pie and coffee.....
In the end this is all I am left with a almost eaten birthday cake and loads of laundry. but it sure was fun. I am back in my studio and working away to make more fun things for all my fans.


No one wanted to leave, especially with the thought of 18 hours to Asheville and they had to stop and put real clothes on half way there.