Painting

Cherries in a Blue Bowl

/ Merilee / 2 Comments

Some paintings always seem to start with a trip to Trader Joe’s.  Like last Thursday when I went in to buy food for Memorial Day Weekend.  I saw the cherries.  Then I thought, well, what if I threw them in a blue bowl and did a quick study in red, white and blue for the holiday?  So I did.  But I did not end up finishing it until today.

I really, really enjoyed painting cherries and trying to capture the juice that is inside, to feel as if you can taste it.  Tart, sweet cherries.

Cherries in a Blue Bowl

Oil on linen board

16″ x 20″

Purple Tulips

/ Merilee / 4 Comments

One day about a month ago I decided to buy a bunch of purple tulips from Trader Joe’s so I could paint them.  Nothing serious.  Just a quick, fluid study of tulips.  I was rather down at the time and thought that a fast floral might perk me up.  Well, it did, but it became a thing.  Several weeks and four, separate bouquets later (because tulips get kinda yucky after three days and need to be tossed) this is the final outcome.  It became a hard course in “I’m gonna make this work”.  No being precious.  Just hardcore, teeth gritted “You’re gonna do what I want you to do or else.”  The composition changed and shifted and I tried to keep it effortless as best as I could, without falling too far down into the detail trap.

I’m pretty pleased with my purple tulips from Trader Joe’s.  They listened to me.

Oil on Canvas

22″ x 28″