We spend a lot of time in the heart of our homes, gathering with family and friends and creating good food and memories. Kitchens are a natural place for art - and not just the masterpieces taped to the refrigerator! Still life paintings of fruit and vegetables are natural subjects for art in the kitchen, but have you ever considered a landscape? 
This beautiful gourmet kitchen in Washington state is the new home for my recent oil study of Mt. Tamalpais. The owner chose a warm cherry frame to complement the cabinetry, and the cool gray-blue color palette of the painting picks up tones in the slate backsplash and the skies of the Pacific Northwest.

When I spied these geraniums on my friend's back deck, I knew I had to paint them. It's a good size painting - 22" x 28" - that is dry and ready for a new home, so tonight I sent out an e-mail to my list announcing my first "Painting of the Month." 
Another idea I'm giving a try: a store on my Facebook page for smaller, unframed paintings.

As many of you know, my professional career has been in marketing communications. Now, I am working hard to divide my time between consulting for clients and painting. And on some days, like today, I am my own client!

Going back to the same spot to paint in different weather or different times of the day is a great exercise in painting what I see -- not what I know, or what I think I see. 

One dry afternoon, Mt. Tam looked clear and the grasses along the creek were hot orange. The result is a very warm painting.

On another day, the air had quite a bit of moisture and the mountain had a vague mist around it. The grasses were more uniformly green, and the water seemed more blue. It was a warm day, but the painting is cool.

I've been doing these smaller paintings outdoors ("en plein air" as termed by the Impressionists) as studies for a larger one. 

The same paint colors were on my palette each time, but the results are so different, I am tempted to go back to the scene again this week with fresh eyes and see what happens! What do you think?

A group of painter friends and I went out this week on a rare hot summer day in Mill Valley to paint in the cool, shady Old Mill Park, locally called "Dark Park." 

WOW what a challenge. I brought my painting home and put it on a shelf to dry. Later that evening, I caught a glimpse and was shocked at how awful it looked. So I took out a palette knife and scraped every bit of paint off, leaving just a ghost of the composition. 

The next day, my friend and houseguest Jessica came to town from Montana and was anxious to stretch her car-weary legs on a hike. She started off in the park, and I went back to my same painting location with my easel to try, try again. The shadows of the redwoods and the dappled summer light filtering through on the creek bed were so beautiful. What you don't see in this painting is the steady parade of beautiful toddlers wading in the cool water...that's another challenge for another day!

It's the time of year when my little town of Mill Valley is bustling. Starting with the Memorial Day parade, and then the 101st running of the Dipsea Foot race and moving on to the 30th annual Wine, Food and Gourmet Festival. 

To celebrate, I'm giving away a beautifully matted print of my painting, "Mill Valley Depot." To be eligible, (1) click on the Facebook "like" button below this post, and (2) leave a comment saying what you love most about Mill Valley. Thanks, and good luck!

Several of my flower paintings have just been curated in to Turning Art, a new type of gallery that lets you "borrow" fine prints of artwork and build up credits to buy original art.

The site is designed to help people choose art for their homes. Turning Art sends out a frame and the subscriber builds up a queue of images they like, and prints are sent out. 

Turning Art is definitely worth a look -- there is a lot of diverse and interesting art being made!

Just got the call that another Mount Tamalpais, Richardson Bay print sold!

I am so grateful for the response to this limited edition print of my painting. This giclee is 10 x 20, printed on dense watercolor paper, surrounded with an 8 ply thick mat and framed in a 14 X 24 wood frame.

It is now hanging in homes throughout Marin County and in Colorado, Ohio and Virginia.

There are 7 framed prints remaining in this final, signed edition.

My Landscape Reduction series has morphed from nature to technology with these new iPhone and iPad cases!
 

Now you can personalize your phone, and the small royalty I receive will help me buy more paint! See all the options for your iPhone 3, iPhone 4 and iPad at Zazzle.

The hard shell cases are covered with an easy-grip fabric that has been imprinted with the paintings. They are made by Speck, a leading supplier in the Apple stores, and Zazzle has a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

"Mt. Tamalpais, Richardson Bay" is a 10" x 20" giclee, printed with archival inks on heavy watercolor paper, was featured in the Mill Valley Arts Commission Show in April 2010, and on the main gallery wall of the Marin County Fair in 2009. Beautifully matted and wood framed, measuring 14" x 24" and priced at $300 at Moss & Moss on El Paseo in Mill Valley, or send me a note if you would like to buy direct. 

The iconic Mill Valley scene - people and yellow dogs enjoying a warm spring day at the Depot Plaza - has been made into prints that were very popular at Open Studios. year. It is available as an 11 x 14 photo print, matted and ready for framing for $50, and as a 16 x 20 poster, for just $30. Contact me to purchase one.

P.S. It is also the profile photo for the Mill Valley Food, Drink & Hospitality Facebook page - a great page to check out if you like finding out what's good and happening in town!