The Carpet Dealer

"The Carpet Dealer", 14 x 11, Oil on Panel
It is always difficult to take photos of the people in other countries, especially women. It helps to have a long zoom lens, and many times I took photos from our bus. But in the carpet shop, the men didn't seem to mind.

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Desert Girl

"Desert Girl", 10 x 8, Oil on Panel
The expanse of countryside northwest of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco along the coast is green and fertile--not what I expected. But on the other side of the mountains we stayed in a desert camp by the dunes. It was beautiful and we hiked one day to a Berber camp about two miles away. The young girl was in the tent with her mother when we crowded in to talk. She was extremely shy.

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Morrocan Woman

"Moroccan Woman", Oil on Linen, 9 x 12"
I pulled out some old panels that I made some time ago with #66 Claessens linen on plywood. Its a really different surface because of the rough weave and I haven't painted on it for a few years. I also started to go through my photos from Morocco and for some reason this one spoke to me today.

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On the Road

"On the Road", 12 x 10 In, Oil on Panel
For the last two weeks I have been on a non-painting trip with my husband in Morocco. The thing I was probably most fascinated with was the dress of the Arab and Berber women. Almost all, even in the large cities, wear a cloak with a head scarf, the hijab. They are almost all unique fabrics with harmonious colors. To see groups of women walking down the road is an aesthetic experience and one very foreign to the westerner's way of thinking. It is not easy to take pictures (very rude), so I often took them from our bus. Many men also wear the cloak, but with the women, it is more universal. In Marrakesh and other towns we did see some younger women wearing pants but still with the hijab. Not many wore straight western clothing without a head cover.

I want to thank everyone who commented on my paintings while I was gone--you must have wondered why I didn't get back to you! I do appreciate all your comments!

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Girl in Red - NFS

"Girl In Red", 9 x 9 In, Oil on Museum Board
Another painting in my portrait series, the profile is always a challenge. But that's what its all about--challenging ourselves out of the comfort zone!

Sugar and Creamer

"Sugar and Creamer", 8 x 10 In, Oil on Museum Board
This strange little "sugar and creamer" set created an interesting challenge for design. People occasionally ask me about museum board.  It is a surface that William Reese used sometimes out in the field and I learned about it back when I first took workshops from him.  It is 4-ply all cotton museum board and the brand I use us Risings because it has two good sides, unlike some other museum board I have tried. I purchase 32 x 40 sheets in packs of 25. I seal the sheet on both sides with Gamblin PVA using a big 4-5 inch brush. Then I coat one side using a fine white roller with three coats of gesso letting each coat dry in between. You could also use a big painter's brush for this part, depending on the surface quality that you want.

I like the Liquitex Basic gesso because it is absorbent. The Liquitex Pro gesso and some other gessos that I have tried are glossy and just about completely non-absorbent. When it is dry I can cut the board to any size I want with my mat cutter. If you are interested, send me a note and I'll send you a somewhat more detailed instruction sheet. These are great for taking on a trip, because they are lightweight and thin, but I do need to tape the board to a piece of foam core to paint on it for stability.

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Dark Creamer - SOLD

"Dark Creamer", 8 x 10 In, Oil on Museum Board
When she was home last, my daughter went to the Good Will and came home with some interesting still life objects for me--one was a set of a sugar and creamer with squarish dimensions. So this is really looking at it for the first time.

Three Apples

"Three Apples", 10 x 10 In, Oil on Museum Board
It is interesting to me that at the end of a painting like this, my palette itself is far more organized by color and variation of color than it is when using a brush. Its so easy to smush paint with a brush whereas with the knife, I have to really focus on the value and temperature of the paint.

Purchase this unframed painting.
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