Partridges and Pears

Victoria Boster makes the most beautiful bird nests out of yarn! She has an idea for Christmas, to make her nests with Partridges and Pears. She asked me if I would make them for her from earthenware clay. I am honored that she has commissioned me to this delightful creative challenge. The pieces are small (2") to fit in the nests.I have linked to her beautiful blog so that you may see her lovely creations!
Look for her Designer Christmas nests possibly in November? I can't wait to see them!  Please take a moment to see her lovely things:
http://vicki-2bagsfull.blogspot.com/

ART and Wine Festival

11"x14" oil on Canvas
My Friend Vicki Greene and I have collaborated on another painting. This time for the up coming Art and Wine Festival. Vicki is the sea scape artist at the Chambers Gallery. The Festival isn't until January and this will be our entry for the poster competition!
 We are surrounded by vineyards here with so many of them in Paso Robles. We always have a festival with artists painting and lots of fun things to do, including wine tasting,an auction and prizes.
Mark it on your calendar for January!

BIRDS in PORCELAIN

3"x4" handbuilt porcelain clay birds .
New birds this morning, more soon. I have glazed these with a clear glass glaze fired in to bring out the colors of the feathers.I think I like it better!

CROWS with HEARTS

6"x4"  hand built earthenware clay. I've been painting these heartfelt crows with hearts for some time and it just occurred to me to make them in clay! This was fun, having these little crows come to life, so to speak!

Derby Shire Farm

More berry's and Gayle with her basket.

A Day at Derbyshire Farm

Yesterday morning Gayle and I drove out to meet Pam Derby at her beautiful ranch in San Simeon.Truly a day in the country. Her ranch is nestled in the hills just minutes from the central coast. In that beautiful warm and balmy setting sits Derby shire Farm.Row after row of plump succulent black berry vines growing in the gentle sunshine.
We met Pam and her wonderful friends for a truly amazing day of laughter, getting to know one another and picking the sweet juicy berry's. Pam provided the baskets for us and even gloves!
Her ranch also has avocado's and she provided bags for us to take as many as we would like!
Up on the hills for a drive to visit the vineyard. Beautiful big green leafy vines with rows as far as the eye can see almost reaching to the coast! Spectacular views of Hearst Ranch in the back ground and if you sit quietly you may encounter a zebra and family just roaming through.
Everywhere one looks is a painting! I especially loved the out buildings and the old Hearst barn. Delightful!
Another treat  from Pam was lunch at the Hamlet just out side of Cambria and if you have never been the view of the ocean is stunning.
We ended our very special day at Gayles, Chambers Gallery so everyone could enjoy Gayles wonderful artists work.
that's Gayle in the picture up above with her blackberry's.
What a special day. I will never forget. Thank you Pam!!


  

White Rooster

24"x30" oil on canvas
New painting finished this morning. I haven't painted a white rooster in a while. This was fun! I love painting them they have their own personalities! this will go to the Chambers Gallery.

Cream With That?

9"x12"oil on canvas  Warming up this morning!  SOLD!

Cream and Sugar

8"x10" oil on canvas Playing fast and loose this morning!SOLD!

KOI POND

6"x6" oil on board
I so love Koi Ponds and love to paint them. So much color in a Koi pond. Delicious!!

PINK LILY

6"x6" oil on board
I love lily ponds. I haven't painted one for quite a while. This is one that I painted a while back but re painted the back ground yesterday. I had concentrated so much on the lily I really hadn't spent time anywhere else! So this was fun. I do love to go back into a painting and re- work and play a bit. Never know what will happen!!

ROBIN

                              
                           
5"x7" oil on board

Painting the Robin today I thought it would be fun to paint a close up of him. Such a beautiful bird don't you think? This painting is going to the Chambers Gallery.

ROBIN

6"x6" oil on board
A big fatty Robin! These colorful birds are in the warm back country here. I live a  bit too close to the ocean so I take a little getaway up Santa Rosa Creek
Road to catch a glimpse!
This painting will be going to the Chambers Gallery.

Happy Hen

oil on board  9"x12"
One of the clients at the Chambers Gallery here has requested a hen painting. She raises them! So interesting to talk to her, did you know you don't need to have a rooster to have a hen lay eggs? Did I know that? I don't think so, never really thought about it!!! Anyway, this is a "Happy Hen " for her!SOLD!!

Sculking Crow

Crow with Acorns

5"x7" oil painting on board
It will be fall befor we know it and the crows will be wearing their acorns again!

CROW with HEART

 6"x6"oil painting on board
I love to paint the crows with hearts. Crows have feelings too!

Crow with necklace of Bittersweet

6"x6" oil on board

He is very fancy in his necklace of bitter sweet!

Crow with Sunflower

6"x6" oil painting on board.

Piquetassiette Bird

5"x10" hand made tile in the shape of a bird. Embellished with cut and clipped chards of pottery.Another bird, such fun! I've been doing so much painting lately it is fun to take a break and get into my stash of broken pieces of pottery and play. Sort of like a puzzle. Also working in clay, everything is fairly wet so haven't been able to fire.Posting soon!

Off to the studio, let's see, what to make today??

SUNFLOWERS and the SEA

24"x30" o/c

This painting is a collaboration of Vicki Greene and me. I did the still life part with the fruit and sunflowers and she did the beautiful sea scape which she is known for.
Our paintings are in the Chambers Gallery here in Cambria and we thought it would be fun to to something together!

So this is it, just finished today. What fun this was and we will do it again for the wine festival in January if not before!

POPPY

16"x20" o/c This painting is the last in my "POPPY" series. This was fun with all the color!Sending these to Art's Desire for the workshop in October!

POPPY LAKE

16"x20"o/c
There isn't really a Poppy Lake, that I know of any way, more a figment of my emagination.

It's a combination of many parks and lakes I've seen and loved. Another painting to add to my Poppy series.

Piquetassiette Bird

5"x10" wall hanging
A wonderful day yesterday on Vicki Greene's beautiful patio. We celebrated our friend Lynn Walsh's birthday with a craft day making mosaics with chips of plates and tiles. A lot of laughter and food and cake in and amongst the chipping and gluing!! Such fun to be with good friends, Happy Birthday Lynn!
I have to get back to painting today, more poppies!!SOLD!!

GARDEN POPPIES

16"x20"o/c this is the second in the series of the" poppie theme". I am just having such fun with all this red!
The next two paintings will be poppies growing in fields. I will start those maybe Friday, have a busy couple of days coming up. Really don't want to stop though, this wonderful little flower has inspired me!!

POPPIES

16"x20" o/c I'm painting now for the workshop in Washington. I have a theme and this will be a series called "poppies". There will be four paintings all with poppies! I think themes are fun!

Next ??!!

CROW with HEART

6"x6" oil on board. Every crow with a heart needs a friend with one!

This one is new this morning. SOLD!

CROW with HEART

6"x6" oil on board. New crow today. I've been working on new paintings for the Chambers Gallery and also some new small crow paintings. I love it when they wear the heart, they are very loving after all! SOLD!

PORCELAIN BIRDS

3"x4" Black Capped Chicadee

Another little bird this morning. We have these sweet little birds here and I always have them in my garden.

PORCELAIN BIRDS

2" to 4" tall. Birds made of porcelain. Hand built and hand painted.
These happy little birds bare a loose resemblance to a robin, goldfinch and sparrow.
The birds out side my studio door yesterday were singing and scuffling around in the trees and flowers with the blue jays coming by for their usual hand fulls of peanuts. A simply perfect day to be forming and painting a likeness of my charming friends.

BITTER SWEET

6"x6" oil on board
New Crow this morning! He is very festive in his necklace of bitter sweet berries. It's amazing what they will do for attention! SOLD!

CECILE BRUNNER ROSE

My Cecile Brunner Rose is in bloom! All the rain we've had has encouraged this beautiful rose bush to flourish and blossom. Many years ago in my garden I had this lovely little rose cascading over a trellis greeting visitors coming up the walk way. My young daughters placed the sweet little roses in their hair. It makes me happy to think of it and to see how pretty it has become. I want to share it!

BIRD NEST

3"x 1.5" hand built porcelain nest.

Being unglazed this has a different look I think than the others I've made with glazes.The color here is from under glazes, fired into the clay.

I'm working on some others with a red clay and very little paint, more fun!

The birds and un glazed,unpainted nests will be going to "Birds of a Feather" a sweet shop here all about birds and bird related things. You will also find antiques, jewelry and yummy taffy!!!

My paintings of birds and all of my paintings and clay work are available at the Chambers Gallery in Cambria.

Porcelain Birds

New birds this morning. These little birds are hand built and hand painted on porcelain clay. 2.5"x 3.5". I have to say the birds bear a very, very loose resemblance to the actual Junco, Sparrow and Chickadee.
I'm making nests to go with them, unglazed.Working with out the glaze gives the works a soft look .
I'll be making new birds today because these little birds are now SOLD!!

Mom's Window Boxes

I was just at my mother's house and was really taken with her lovely window boxes! She loves pink and blue and a bit of yellow here and there ( very Monet)and not always the same flowers but the colors are usually the same. She does have a favorite though, a big pink and cream rose,Double Delight. That is in her rose garden, today it is ode to the window boxes.

BEACH BABIE'S

9"x12"

oil painting on canvas.

Who doesn't love summer at the beach? Just the thought of it makes me smile.Lots of fun memories racing the little waves and building all manner of things in the sand (mostly we dug big holes and let them fill up with sea water) with shells and drift wood. Looking for shells, sea glass, playing in tide pools and never wanting summer to end!

BIRDS on TRAYS

Little metal trays painted in oil with birds and touched with gold. 6 1/2" x 5 1/2".

I am always looking for a new support to paint on. I found these little trays and thought these would be so fun to paint on. These are the first of 5 until I find more trays!!
I'd like to give my self the credit for the idea of trays but it was my friend Vicki Greene who said "how about painting your birds on trays "??

Love input! Thanks Vicki!!

BIRDS

New birds this morning!! These little birds are 3"x 2" and that varies just a bit. They are made of porcelain clay,one of a kind, all hand built and painted with mat glazes that are fired into the clay. All 3 birds are SOLD!!!

Sculking Crow

New crow this morning! This is a sculking crow if ever there was one! He has his acorn and he is very pleased with him self.

Hand built in red earthenware clay and glazed in black glass glaze 11"x4". This will go to the Chambers Gallery today!

BIRDS

I'm having fun with these little birds. They are made of porcelain and hand built. 2"x 2 1/2".

I have several in the firing right now in different colors. These are painted with pure clay colored pigment, fired and left unglazed,to give a soft look.

SOLD!!

CROW

Made of earthenware red clay this is a new crow taken out of the kiln yesterday. He has an acorn in his beak. He is 4"x 11"long . I have another crow in the firing right now. I can't wait to see him, he is a bit skulkier than this one. I'll post him as soon as he's finished!

SOLD!!

WHEN PIGS FLY!!

Just pulled this little piggy from the kiln yesterday. I love the white glaze.He is 8.5"x4.5". I'm working on birds next, little birds but they will be painted . Back to working with porcelain after working with the earthenware clay. It's all fun!

Paula's Avocados

A trip to Paula Teplitz the wonderful potter.

Gayle and I drove out to the country to Arroyo Grande to Paula's house and studio. Paula had work for her for Gayle's Chambers Gallery here in Cambria. It was a gorgeous day and her home sits on a beautiful avocado ranch .

After business was completed she took us to her back yard that is actually a huge vegetable garden with avocado and several fruit trees.It backs up to enormous old oaks and a forever vista of soft hills, citrus and avocado.

She plucked a big box full of avocado's for us and a big bag of oranges, what a treat!A very fun day, all of Paula's beautiful pottery, her studio and the delightful trip to her vegetable garden.

Thank you Paula and Gayle for a special day in the country.

WHITE EARTHENWEAR SCULPTURE

Wall sculpture 5" wide 24" tall.

A different piece, fun to make and a bit of a challenge!I seem to be doing alot of that lately!

This sculpture is hand built with white earthenware clay and glazed with an all white glaze.