Turquoise Twosome

I was on a roll last night with these peppers and put them on a light turquoise cloth for this one. Using my slippery new Utrecht #239 Brights felt like ice skating over the surface of the painting. They are synthetic like the ones Kelley gave me. Amazing that I could stop the brush since I coated my panel with Liquin prior to beginning, something I never do. I've always painted with bristle brushes, rarely a sable, ever. It gives a completely different look to the paintings. This one's going up on eBay later with the same starting bid of $60, which reflects my, 'adjusted for recession', prices. I would also like to mention that I once had a subscriber list through FeedBlitz. which no longer responded to my password or emails for some unknown reason, so I ditched it and installed the FeedBurner box to the right for that same purpose. I would so appreciate for all of my visitors to sign up for an email when I post a painting. The more subscribers the more recognition my blog gets in search engine hits. Type in your email address and then verify by clicking the link in the email you'll receive. Thank You! Check out Not Really a Cleaning Lady for a new post about my upcoming Open Studios Liquidation Sale!

I'm a Pepper, You're a Pepper.... 6x8

This lesson was about keeping the darks vibrant and not beginning the painting in too high a key, a foible of mine. If you start too light you can't make the highlights 'pop'. I also worked my edges more than usual to get a more vibrant feeling. Sorry about the glare but I really wanted to post it tonight rather than wait for daylight to shoot it again.

Five Little Peppers 5x5

I never read the story but I remember the title of the book Five Little Peppers and How They Grew . You can probably get it from your local library. I was always a reader but the computer and painting have largely taken its place. I like books on cd but find that my mind wanders and I have to rewind unless of course it's a fascinating book like Into Thin Air, which was the first book on tape I listened to. It was 9 hours long and I did the whole thing in one day.