Tuscan Hillside

I'm messing around with texture by adding some new elements to my painting besides the gels, pastes and paints - I cut up an Italian newspaper and adhered pieces of that to my board as another visual element. It adds a little spice and interest in otherwise flat areas. There is no end to the amount of cool effects you can incorporate when you 'let go of the side of the pool', so to speak. The layers just keep adding up and contributing to the overall effect.

Tuscan Hillside

8.5 x 7" Acrylic on Board, Price on Request

Tuscan Church

I've been experimenting with texture lately, using various mediums on my board, and using different tools to apply paint. The challenge in this piece was to communicate an intricate, weathered old building on such a tiny canvas. It seemed impossible at first but I realized I needed to approach it in a less detailed, more abstract way. Using pattern and texture, rather than rendering, to convey the landscape foliage was an interesting way to approach that.

Tuscan Church

6x6" Acrylic on Canvas, Price on request

Winding Road

I loved the dramatic pattern of the winding road and the cypress trees in this countryside setting in Italy, with the late afternoon shadows casting cool stripes over the warm fields.

Winding Road

8x8" Oil on Gessoboard

Price on request

Finding Colors

This is another painting of Tuscany, where I will be teaching a workshop next September. The challenge in this piece, as with many landscapes, is to take what is essentially mostly green and find the colors. What made this piece tricky is that by mistake I left all my paints at home and didn't realize it till I got to my studio, all set to work. I was not driving back. So I scrounged up three trusty tubes of paint, (plus white), and managed to coax out all the colors in this piece. There is much to be said for working with a limited palette - cheaper and less schelpping!

Tuscan Vineyard

8x8" Price on Request

Tuscan Garden

After a wild two weeks that included a freak snowstorm resulting in an 11 day power outage, a family emergency and a hijacking by my husband to drive with him to an Orlando trade show for the purposes of being his "booth babe" (quite a stretch for a gal my age), I have had no time to paint. Until last night. When I finally made off to my studio and stood before my easel, I found myself in a stupor. 'What was I painting before all this comotion - apples? martinis? shoes? Oh yeah - Italy!' Although this little garden pathway could be anywhere, its a Tuscan countryside scene. I've decided to focus on landscape for a bit, in early preparation for next year's Italy workshop. So many hues - all so uniquely different, adding their voice to the lush natural tapestry.

Tuscan Garden

8x8" Acrylic on Panel

Tuscany Valley

The Tuscan countryside often looks like a patchwork of various greens, dotted with pinks, browns and lavenders. Altho I moved many elements around to create a more defined composition, I think I could have eliminated more of the shapes. Its always a balancing act to capture the character of the landscape, including all its colorful spots of information, and simplifying the scene for more dramatic impact.

Tuscan Valley

Acrylic on Board, 6x6"