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This Saturday, December 5, I will be at the St. Nicholas Day Craft Show and Sale at Leeds Episcopal Church in Markham, with my paintings. I am showing with another artist, Jean Beckham. At the moment, most of the paintings are gathered in my living room, in various stages of framing. Relatives are curious as to the prices - one thing is for sure, they keep going up! My father was considering buying one last night, and I kept upping the price by 100 dollars each time he dithered. We had to laugh, and he agreed my final price was what it should be, although maybe he regretted not buying it when it was 300 dollars less.

What did sell last night at the family council was the cow triptych - my brother bought all three and I was willing to let them go rather cheaply as he agreed with me that they shouldn't be framed and that they should also be displayed as I like them - propped on a mantle or table next to each other. I had thought about hinging them together, but I kind of like the looseness, also it is important that they be seen as a group of three. And, I can visit them when I visit him.

It's so hard to let my paintings go! I need to get over this...

autumn maple

This little maple tree is not all that noticeable to me, even though it is one of a pair that flanks part of the driveway. Other trees around it and behind it drown it out, but for a few days this fall, this tree took center stage on its small hill.

8 x 10, oil applied with palette knife, on linen covered board.

more pear trees

A small painting, 8 x 10, again of the Bradford pear trees that guard our driveway entrance/exit. I love this view of the path winding into the trees - this is the fourth painting I've done so far of this image. I used my palette knife (really green and clean, no solvent involved) and instead of canvas, this is linen adhered to board. I found these at the Pratt art supply store - the only place I know that sells them. I'm checking into Pearl Paint and online art stores - such a wonderful surface to glide paint onto with a knife! The downside is finding frames to fit them - they are exactly cut to measure and have no excess to fit into frames - they fall out of the hole! But the manufacturer carves holes into the back so that they are easy to hang onto a nail or screw in the wall. I like to keep costs low for buyers - paintings are way cheaper without frames provided by me. Keep that in mind!

morning mist

This painting is 16 x 20 inches, oil applied with palette knife. I enjoyed painting the back tree line, trying to convey mist and morning light breaking through. The front field grass is dense, and changes color according to how the light hits it. I put the path on the corner - a risky move compositionally, but it felt right. I wanted the sense of the road just there, but the center of interest is the sun's presence, about to break out.