January

Some of my favorite little paintings from the January Alla Prima daily painting challenge.

Still lifes have never been my favorite subject, but when it's January the winter weather forces you to stay inside and find something interesting at home to paint.  When I went grocery shopping, I selected vegetables based on colors, and bought flowers to create cheerful, colorful displays. Sometimes in the past I've done that and the veggies get eaten and the flowers wilt before they get painted.  But in January I was motivated!

With these radishes, I enjoyed the red reflections in the green bowl, and the green reflections on the wood table.

Three onions and a garlic, a study in composition.

Beets with their greens, complementary colors, rich winter roots.  A composition of three things again, somehow that just works.

Three daisies in green and blue glass bottles.
Not completely symmetrical composition.

 Bunch of daisies.

 Cowboy boots, old and worn, but still kickin'!

Hat with poncho, old and ragged.

Farmers Market

The South Park Blocks in downtown Portland become a Farmers Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays,
providing feasts of every type.  I set up my easel across from flower sellers displaying sunflowers and dahlias of every color and variety and painted in the dappled shade, with nearby banjo music.  This 9" x 12" canvas board is painted in oils in plein air.  I brought home more dahlias to inspire more paintings.