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?