Cure for a Case of the Mondays

Sunflowers and Hydrangeas
12" x 16"
Oil on Panel

Gloomy day this Monday morning. Cold and rainy. Probably why I was motivated to paint a "Happy" picture.

I have always enjoyed painting flowers, but I am particularly fond of hydrangeas - any color - whether blue, pink, purple, mixed, or even the beautiful limelight hydrangea that has become my latest floral obsession. (So far I have killed only one, but my second one is really struggling...come on hydrangea weather!!!)

As you may have guessed, this oil painting was painted from photos. I did this on a hard panel which can be framed in a standard picture frame. It really is more detailed than I originally intended, but it served well in curing my doldrums.

Stay with me as I continue my efforts in daily painting, as I complete and post a new oil painting to this blog almost every day!

Back to the "Drawing Board"

Hello, again.

For the last several months I have been painting voraciously! Particularly, I have been enjoying the experience and creative maturity that (I hope) I am acquiring in painting a plethora of smaller, loosely rendered oil paintings.

I think that, after too many years to mention, I have finally fine-tuned a formula for an oil medium that suits my painting style. For those interested in creating their own "mini masterpieces", I seriously recommend experimenting for yourself with different blends of linseed, stand oil, turpenoid, etc., until the find what suits YOU as a painter.

I have NEVER opened a prepared "medium" and loved it. But, I have finally spent time perfecting a concoction that I use for looser paintings, with large brush strokes. This simplifies the process and mixing for me, and allows me to mix up a large amount beforehand, which I can use for several paintings, thus saving me valuable paint time.

Contrarily, I prefer the oil paints straight from the tube (usually) when I am working with a palette knife, or plein air. No mixing necessary, and this is again a time saver.

Also, I have learned that not all oil paints are created equal. While this may seem simpled and obvious, it is not always so. This is because there are quality oils available at reasonable to medium prices, while some lesser quality paints may be high priced. So please note that the price is not always indicative of the quality!!!



The painting seen here was created as a gift for a dear friend. I used mainly primary colors, and had fun with the creamy oil paint textures.

Little River in Autumn
16" X 20"
Oil on stretched canvas