Crab Apple and Silver Cup + Hurricane Sandy Fundraiser

Still Life with Crab Apple and Silver Cup

6" x 4" (15.2 x 10.2 cm) – oil on linen panel}

Available for purchase via Online Auction

Unframed painting: $100.00 starting bid + S&H

To help those affected by Hurricane Sandy, 100% of the net proceeds of the sale of this painting will be donated to the Red Cross.

We were lucky that Hurricane Sandy did not affect the DC region as predicted, and instead I have been amazed at the level of devastation that other areas along the Eastern seaboard have experienced. This image from New York Magazine really brought the magnitude of those affected home to me, I am really a visual person and a picture says a thousand words.

{New York magazine via DesignMom}

When thinking of all the chaos that this storm has created, all I want to do is contemplate something calm and soothing, and find a bit of distraction. So on Monday when I set out to paint something to donate to the DPW fundraiser auction, I settled upon a small crab apple and the beauty of a silver cup, reflecting its surroundings in such a reassuring manner.

If you are interested in this painting, please visit the online auction, and to learn more about the other auctions taking place on the DPW website, please click here.

Thank you,
Liz

Heirloom Apple {a daily painting}

Heirloom Apple

{7" x 5" (17.8 x 12.7 cm) – oil on linen panel}

SOLD

Painting a still life is an opportunity to celebrate the fleeting quality of life by taking the time to slow down and absorb the qualities of the object in front of me. I love how when working on a particular painting, at that moment, I am totally in the present. My senses are focused on the goal of understanding what I see, and deciding how I want to convey my impressions in paint.

Hopefully sharing my sense of wonder and delight along the way, and inspiring you to occasionally slow down and absorb what it is you see and have in your life.

Figs {a new daily painting}

Figs

{6" x 5" (15.2 x 12.7 cm) – oil on linen panel}

Available for purchase via Online Auction

Unframed painting: $100.00 starting bid + S&H

All days are full of possibilities and choices, with this painting I decided to keep the composition simple and play with color and temperature.  The purple of the figs, a neutral dark background edging cool in color temperature, and a warmed up yellowish foreground.

Three Lemons

Three Lemons on a Blue and White Dishtowel

{4" x 6" (10.2 x 15.2 cm) – oil on linen panel}

This painting is going home to a very special person, it was made especially for her after she shared with me that her favorite fruit were lemons. This painting was created in the late afternoon when the light coming in through the windows was touched with a golden sheen, making the lemons almost glow.

Do you have a special something you would like interpreted in paint? If so please feel free to contact me about your idea, contact [at] elizabethfloyd [dot] com.

Lemon & Lavender {a new daily painting} SOLD

Lemon & Lavender

{5" x 7" (12.7 x 17.8 cm) – oil on linen panel}

SOLD

Unframed painting: $100.00 starting bid + S&H

Sometimes for compositional interest I will pair items of complementary colors, as in this painting the yellow of the lemon with the purple of the lavender. By placing complementary colors together a visual vibration occurs heightening interest and actually enhancing the perception of each color.

A lot of things in everyday life are made up of complementary colros such as, red and green in Christmas decorations, and blue and orange stripes found on rugby shirts.

If you look around, I am sure you to will notice complementary color combinations in all areas of your life...

Marigold and Brown Bottle {a new daily painting}

Still Life with Marigold and Brown Bottle

{7" x 5" (17.8 x 12.7 cm) – oil on linen panel}

Available for purchase via Online Auction

Unframed painting: $100.00 starting bid + S&H

As an artist, I am inspired by the beauty found in the common objects that populate my life. I strive to share my sense of beauty by developing scenes that evoke emotion, spur a remembrance, and find a way to communicate an observed detail.

One of the pleasures related to creating a still-life painting is the opportunity it affords to slow down and really absorb, with intention, the objects in front of me. Providing the opportunity to appreciate and revel in the layers of contemplation that make up the experience of creating a piece of art.

My goal as an artist is to also share this experience with you, the viewer, creating paintings that cross over and maybe speak to you. Encouraging you to find a moment to be still, pause in the busy course of the day and feel the wonder and beauty in your life.

I hope this blog post inspires you to stop and notice something that strikes your fancy today.

Thanks for stopping in,

Liz

Tomato & Shelling Beans {a new daily painting}

Tomato and Shelling Beans

{5" x 7" (12.7 x 17.8 cm) – oil on linen panel}

Available for purchase via Online Auction

Unframed painting: $100.00 starting bid + S&H

These are also from my garden, the tomatoes have been somewhat successful this year, and to my surprise the Italian shelling beans have really begun to produce in the last few weeks. For the majority of the season they were looking kinda beaten down and puny.

I am looking forward to using these shelling beans in a new recipe I got from a new cookbook I purchased over Labor Day weekend, the Art of Simple Food. This cookbook is for those who like to read cookbooks...

Which I admit I LOVE doing. Before Naomi came into my life, I would often spend a Saturday or Sunday morning reading through one of my cookbooks, just reading different recipes and thinking about how I could incorporate an interesting recipe into our diet.

I thought those days were gone, but lately I have been doing it again, this time looking for recipes that will work for Naomi's diet {the poor dear has terrible food allergies} as well as explore new flavors and combinations for the adults in the house...

Peach {a new daily painting}

Peach and Bowl

{5" x 7" (12.7 x 17.8 cm) – oil on linen panel}

SOLD

Unframed painting: $100.00 + S&H

Five years ago this month I began my blog, and it all began with the desire to share my journey and to grow as an artist. And I just wanted to say how much I appreciate you stopping in and reading my blog.

Thank you!

Liz

Daisy {a new floral painting}

Daisy

{7" x 5" (17.8 x 12.7 cm) – oil on linen panel}

In a Private Collection

Hello,

Have you ever seen the movie the Girl with the Pearl Earring?

While working on this painting, I kept thinking of the scene where Vermeer asks Griet what color are the clouds. At first she responds "white", but then at further investigation, she then observes other colors, yellow, blue, and gray. Then Vermeer says "now you understand"

With this painting with so many whites, I was captivated with the different tones and colors seen in the white petals and the white bowl behind.

Strawberries {a new daily painting} SOLD

Strawberries

{5" x 7" (12.7 x 17.8 cm) – oil on linen panel}

SOLD

Unframed painting: $100.00 starting bid + S&H

Strawberries are one of my favorite treats of summer. And Naomi is also developing a taste for them.

Today I was making a fruit salad while Naomi was eating her lunch. During much of the process she was very preoccupied with spooning her lunch herself {she is entering the independent phase where she does not want any help in eating} and not that interested in what I was doing. Until I began chopping up the strawberries, then she began fretting and fussing. At first I did not understand, but once I figured it out and handed her a few pieces of strawberries, all was well in the world.

Don't you wish all problems in life were so easily solved? A few strawberries and happiness ensues.

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Here is a photo from today...

Pansies and Saucer again {a new small floral painting}

Still Life with Pansies and Saucer

{8" x 6" (20.3 x 15.2 cm)) – oil on linen panel}

SOLD

Sometimes I get the opportunity to revisit a previous composition for a collector. Today's painting was such an opportunity. I liken the experience to visiting with a friend, someone you like and know, and on this particular visit you get to learn something new, deeper, something that helps you admire and value the friend more than ever before.

The revisiting becomes an opportunity to ponder and absorb nuances that previously were overlooked, adding value and color to my life. While working on this painting I was struck with the sense of depth and the visual affect of the lighter areas of the saucer shining through the brown bottle, something I would not have been aware to look for if I had not returned to this composition.

I had such a great time creating this artwork for a special couple. Do you have a composition or image in mind that you would like me to re-capture for you in a painting? I would be happy to interpret it for you.

Nasturtiums {a new small floral painting}

Nasturtiums

{6" x 6" (15.2 x 15.2 cm) – oil on gessoed panel}

Click to purchase

Framed painting: $225.00 + S&H

I am sometimes inspired to explore and experiment with paint handling techniques. I liken it to choosing to drive home by a new route and learning something new about the community I live in, maybe I get to see some beautiful gardens, or learn about a park, or even realize that this new route is better than the way I have always gone before.

For this painting, I decided to try working on a gessoed masonite panel, which has a slippery smooth surface versus the rough “toothy” linen surface I typically favor. Working on this smooth surface was much like trying to spread whipped butter across a glass plate, a challenge but a fun experience because I was able to accomplish a juicy lush paint finish that is not possible when working on linen. So I think trying this again will be a good idea to see how far I can push this technique.

Do you ever mix it up? I hope this inspires you to try something new. Sometimes a change brings about some wonderful results…

{here is the painting framed}

Posy of Flowers {a new small floral painting}

Posy of Flowers in a Spice Jar

{8" x 6" (20.3 x 15.2 cm)) – oil on linen panel}

Click to purchase

Framed painting: $275.00 + S&H

I captured this composition and was enamored by the way each flower had its own distinct form and how the tangle of stems interplayed with the reflections on the glass jar. I love the strong vertical highlights, how the color shifts from a warm white to a cool white all within the same area of white, providing a sense of the outside beyond.

If you get a chance today, stop and observe how the light from a nearby window is reflected in your water glass, see how the light sparkles and plays on the hard surface. Painting is all about the surprise and wonder seen in such moments, captured and conveyed so these instances of insight are not lost but shared and treasured.

Purple Irises {a new daily painting}

Irises

{8" x 6" (20.3 x 15.2 cm)) – oil on linen panel}

Available for purchase via Online Auction

Unframed painting: $150.00 starting bid + S&H

This painting was completed on a beautiful sunny afternoon, at the end of the day when the light was fading but the golden sheen was still present. I like how the dark purple petals are almost a blue-black in places.

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And I want to give a shout out to Lenny Campello, who I met this weekend at the Meet the Artist's Night at Artomatic, and for the nice review of my still-life paintings on display {scroll down to the heading Best Flower Art} and other artists displaying in this year's Artomatic.

Petunia with Blue Willow Saucer {a small floral painting} SOLD

Petunias with Blue Willow Saucer

{7" x 5" (17.8 x 12.7 cm) – oil on linen panel}

SOLD

Unframed painting: $100.00 starting bid + S&H

Another petunia made it into the studio... and as the weather warms up I am hopeful more will be available to paint...

It is raining here in the DC region, good for the flowers!

Have a good evening,
Liz

Two Petunias {a small floral painting}

Two Petunias

{7" x 5" (17.8 x 12.7 cm) – oil on linen panel}

Available for purchase via Online Auction

Unframed painting: $100.00 starting bid + S&H

Last month one of my birthday gifts from S. was the removal of a dying juniper that took up almost half of the flower bed that boarders our driveway. Now that it is gone I have been able to fill in the space with a lilac bush and other annuals, including the petunias in this painting.

Pear and Pewter {a new daily painting} SOLD

Still Life with Pear, Pewter Mug, and Bottles

{7" x 5" (17.8 x 12.7 cm) – oil on linen panel}

SOLD

Unframed painting: $100.00 starting bid + S&H

Hello,

After a few weeks of being pulled in different directions, I was able to paint a daily painting, which really means these little paintings are really *almost* daily paintings :)

Last week I was working on a larger 20 x 16 inch painting and it is almost done, so soon I will be able to photograph it and share it with you.

Thanks for reading,

Liz

Pansies with Saucer {a new small floral painting} SOLD

Pansies with Saucer

{7" x 5" (17.8 x 12.7 cm) – oil on linen panel}

SOLD

This painting is a compositional homage to this painting created a few months ago... It uses flowers that are currently in season, a different saucer, and bottle... however it was an investigation on how to create a new painting with different items and to see how it would change or stay the same.

I think going back and revisiting a lot of the previous daily painting compositions will be a fun activity, so expect to see more in the future.

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Also, I want to thank everyone who has signed up for my monthly newsletter. I so appreciate your support and interest in my work.

If you have not signed up, here is more information about signing up for email updates, and here is the March 2012 edition, my first newsletter.

Thanks for stopping by and reading,

Liz

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P.S. Here is how this painting would look framed...

(available framed upon request after auction)

Pink Hyacinths { a new small floral painting} SOLD

Pink Hyacinths

{7" x 5" (17.8 x 12.7 cm) – oil on linen panel}
SOLD

Unframed painting: $100.00 starting bid + S&H

This was the first time to paint hyacinths since working on the de Heem copy. Initially I started off real tight, and after a few hours realized that the painting was not going in the direction I wanted, so out came the palette knife and I scraped the painting down.

With the initial experience in mind, I set out to capture the essence of the flowers without tightening up, and I am pleased at how it turned out. There is an abundance of soft edges, paired with some specific focused areas.

Lemon and Silver Cup {a new small painting} SOLD

Lemon and Silver Cup

{7" x 5" (17.8 x 12.7 cm) – oil on linen panel}

Unframed painting: $100.00 starting bid + S&H  SOLD

A quiet moment captured.