Queen Mother Mary

18"x24" oil on canvas. Portrait of my mom and her cat. I started painting this pink years ago, and realized it was silly not to finish it, especially since I just used it as a birthday gift. 

Detail

Effort-decor

I know it's well into January. Happy New Year. Last month was my great big DIY Christmas. I presented my sister with a painted stick. There was lamb complete with homemade tabouli and baba ganoush, for a Christmas dinner straight from Israel that I somehow managed to sell the family on. And I painted over 60 pinecones that were strung up in my apartment. Here is my non-tutorial, ladies and gentlemen. Spray, drip, dry, tie, hang.  You can even do it late at night in the dark! (See below.) One time for this is probably enough, so I have a free pass to leave these up until I want winter to be over already. Pine things are still nice in February, and color is always welcome. 

Wine Fest

So PS- the dessert and wine painting actually made its way to the winning poster design for the 2012 Chesapeake Bay Wine Festival May 5 + 6. Held at the Bay Bridge Marina in Stevensville (Kent Island).  See below post (April 17) for another (modified) version!
http://www.chesapeakebaywinefest.com  for tickets and other information.

Midnight Special

(Shine a light on me. Think CCR, and The Lavish.)

detail

 detail

acrylic and ink on panel, 8"x11"

Clear Satin

I recently had a very vivid rose, and a tendency to dip things in a gallon of Minwax Polycrylic. It seemed a good enough idea to apply this to the rose petals now half dead, but perhaps in hopes of a little preservation. They look good here, but barely kept that color overnight, making for a nice light pink and brown. Strung together with metallic gold thread I gave it to my mom on Mother's day. She said that if it were longer she'd wear it around her neck. So here's to the fleeting and beautiful..