A little coffee a little cream

I love painting landscapes but set ups are so much fun.  I am pretty lazy about them though.  I usually fuss around forever trying to set something up and am never happy.  It is so much better if someone just says paint this!
I painted this at an Elio workshop.  He always has several pieces in a set up and I usually pick a few things or an area I like and paint that.  For me the simpler the better.  At the time this seemed a simple set up but the creamer has a difficult shape and position.  Also the creamer and mug were white so all of the color had to come from the background and table cloth.  I used as much shadowing as possible to keep it interesting.  It turned out to be one of my favorite pieces.

 

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Tea Time

I love teapots.  I have no idea why but I just do.  I have a teapot collection and when my grandchildren were younger we would have tea parties.  They would dress in slips, scarfs, hats, high heels and beads from the play trunk and we would have a proper afternoon tea complete with little sandwiches, cookies or cupcakes.
This 11x14 collage is of one of my favorite teapots.  I used so many different colorful, textured papers to make the pot standout. There are even pieces of a cookbook page hidden in the pieces.
Donna Vines
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Tea Time
 

Workshop Time

I am off to an Elio Comacho workshop and am so looking forward to it. I have not had much time to paint lately so this is just what I need. Here is one of the paintings from his last workshop. I can't wait to see what I bring home this time.
Donna Vines

Flower Power

On Thursday I finally joined the group after many weeks away.  It was wonderful to be back in so many ways.  We were in our new space, which is so sunny and roomy.
It was my turn to lead the group and I chose to bring a set up.  I was anxious to see how it would be to paint in the new light.  I brought in a few luscious tomatoes, garlic cloves and a small bottle with a few flowers in it.  I had spend quite a bit of time the night before getting my paints ready, packing my art bag with all my supplies, deciding exactly what to bring  for the set up so, I was anxious to start painting but wanting and doing are two different things.  I spent lots of time drawing and redrawing, rubbing out and restarting but it wasn't happening.  I did finally get the bottle in the shape and size I wanted but that was it.  At first I was pretty discouraged but then I really thought about it and realized it didn't matter if I didn't paint something I considered worthwhile what mattered was that I was here with my friends and I was painting.
Here is something I did last spring while the muse was with me.



I'm a little teapot

I think one of the most difficult things to paint are teapots.  They look so innocent, so round, so beguiling, sigh, but in reality they are devilish little creatures with handles, spouts, lids and just look lopsided the first go round.
I am still getting back into my painting and after several tries came up with a teapot that looks like a teapot. I am trying to concentrate on one object at a time so there is no real "set up" just this plain old teapot.
I took this photo while it was still on the easel so I could stop, step away from the painting and say o.k. I am done.
Donna Vines

Tea time