Overlook - 5x7 Oil Painting

5"x7" oil painting on archival canvas panel
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"I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me."

- Isaac Newton

Steadfast - 6x8 Oil Painting

6"x8" oil painting on archival canvas panel
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"Imagination is the one weapon in the war against reality."

- Jules de Gaultier

Today was a beautiful day and the week promises more of this kind of weather. The parks were packed. Even the seagulls, pigeons and ducks behaved themselves today and didn't dive bomb me when I went to feed them bread; no doubt they were already fat and happy from previous handouts.

Promise of Summer - 8x10 Oil Painting

8"x10" oil painting on archival canvas panel
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"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."

- Albert Camus

This is based off a photo reference I took at Cape Lookout, but heavily rearranged to make a more welcoming composition. I find myself really enjoying painting these 8x10s, they're definitely a comfortable size to work with.

Stillness Keeping - 6x8 Oil Painting

6"x8" oil painting on archival canvas panel
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"Beware of undertaking too much at the start. Be content with quite a little. Allow for accidents. Allow for human nature, especially your own." - Arnold Bennett

Winding - 6x8 Oil Painting

6"x8" oil painting on archival canvas panel
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"Seize the moment of excited curiosity on any subject to solve your doubts; for if you let it pass, the desire may never return, and you may remain in ignorance." - William Wirt

This painting is being an absolute beast to get a decent picture of. This was the best of the bunch that I've taken in the past two days but I'd still like to try again. Some day everything will come together at once!

Low Tide Marsh - 24x24 Oil Painting

24"x24" oil painting on stretched canvas
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"A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval." - Mark Twain

After a week's hiatus from blogging, I'm back. I've spent the week with my nose in a few art books and haven't spent much time on the internet. While this is in mostly a low-key value scheme, let me know if it looks ridiculously dark to anyone. I saw it on my husband's ancient CRT monitor and it wasn't pretty, but that thing is older than dirt and isn't the most discerning in terms of values or colors. Since I myself recently had to get a new monitor I just wanted to make sure my photo values were coming out about the same as they used to, or if they've suddenly gotten darker in the last few weeks. I've done a calibration on this monitor but you can never be too sure.

Marsh Days - 8x10 Oil Painting

8"x10" oil painting on archival canvas panel
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"Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures."

- Henry Ward Beecher

Bogue Sound - 8x10 Oil Painting

8"x10" oil painting on archival canvas panel
SOLD

"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club."
- Jack London

I find it helpful to go back to painting this spot whenever I'm feeling low on inspiration. It's just one of those spots that I feel deserves to be painted endlessly.

Marsh Pier - 6x8 Oil Painting

6"x8" oil painting on archival canvas panel
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"Did you ever walk into a room and forget why you walked in? I think that's how dogs spend their lives." - Sue Murphy

I spent a large portion of the day working on two 8x10s so I could have something to list Wednesday and Thursday, and then I forgot to take any pictures! In the meantime, I have this smaller marsh painting listed.

The End II - 6x6 Oil Painting

6"x6" oil painting on archival canvas panel
SOLD

The rules for accepting the award are:
Put the logo on your blog or within your post,
Pass the award onto 12 bloggers,
Link the nominees within your post,
Let the nominees know they have received this award.
Link to the person from whom you received this award.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I was flattered to recently receive this award from two amazing bloggers, Julie Davis and Trish Siegel. I love their work and have followed both for quite a while now, and think everyone should take a chance to check out their blogs. Edit to add: Artist Diana Marshall was also kind enough to pass this on to me! Thanks ladies!

I admire the work of so many artists out there in the blog world and have lately been falling short of visiting them all as often as I'd like, but I appreciate every artist that takes time to connect with others and share their art with the world. It's a great community to be a part of!

Here are twelve great artists that deserve a visit:

1. Steven Walker
2. Kelley MacDonald
3. Angela Elledge
4. Lauren Maurer
5. Kim Rempel
6. Douglas Hoover
7. Elizabeth Seaver
8. Gwen Bell
9. Dana Cooper
10. Karen Bruson
11. Edward Burton
12. Becky Joy

And if you're still hungry for more artists after those, check out some more of my artist links on the right of my blog - there are many more!

Unveiling - 5x7 Oil Painting

5"x7" oil painting on archival canvas panel
Click to bid or purchase this painting on eBay

“Dawn: When men of reason go to bed.”- Ambrose Bierce

I love misty mornings. The colors in this piece were a joy to work with; I liked transitioning from the greens to the purples to the pinks. I want to thank everyone that's stopped in and left a comment lately. They're always appreciated!

Reflections on a Lake - 6x6 Oil Painting

6"x6" oil painting on archival canvas panel
SOLD

"We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand... and melting like a snowflake. Let us use it before it is too late." - Marie Beyon Ray

Unexpected Visitor - 8x10 Oil Painting

8"x10" oil painting on archival canvas panel
SOLD

“Everything starts as somebody's daydream.” - Larry Niven

I love seeing the moon hanging against a daytime sky, especially when there are puffy clouds involved. The colors aren't QUITE right in this picture; there is a little more pinkish-purple in the clouds that doesn't really show here. I'll take more pictures tomorrow and see if I can get it more spot on. - Update: 2/10 - Picture has been replaced with a more accurate one.