Portrait of a Loving Family

8x10

Commission.  Due to the small size, I used more pastel pencils than I normally do.  I feel I'm done with this "for now," but I always like to take a break for a few days and come back with fresh eyes, to be sure I'm happy with it.

Still Life with Roses

11x14

Finished a few months ago!  I find painting still lifes, especially florals, to be very calming.

Waiting for the Boy

10x8

I love the play of light and shadows that hit our piano in the afternoon. 

The end of 2013 was a jumble of activity, with little time for painting.  I'm really hoping to find more time at the easel in the the coming weeks and months.

Harmony

16x12

Palms

11x14

There are so many beautiful places in Florida.  :)  I tried to capture the feelings of peace and calmness with this painting.

Catching Waves

14x11

I've been trying to work through a painter's block, and finally I feel that I've made some progress.  (The last painting I worked on was relegated to the "not to be shown" pile--so the fact that I'm posting this one is progress!)  I'm not sure why painter's block happens to me occasionally, but when it does, it's frustrating.  I feel that nothing I'm working on is looking the way I want it to look, and I lose enthusiasm for what I'm doing.  I think so much of painting, for me anyway, is dependent upon getting in the "zone" --that place where the work flows easily and all else (stresses, worries, non-art related thoughts) are quieted.  It's pretty much impossible to find that zone when I'm dealing with a block.  I'm really hopeful this will be the end of it, for now, anyway.

Mallard

10x8

There are several of these cute little mallards at a nearby park.  On the day I took the reference photo used for this painting, the mallards were acting wary of the many geese that obviously rule the pond.  This one was especially cautious and stayed close to the water.