It feels good to be back at the easel again. I had a few days of catch up to do. Things that I put aside while in the whirlwind of preparing for the show in Santa Fe. Most all of the important stuff is done so it’s back to work. This piece is for my gallery in the Napa Valley, Gallery 1870. The owners, Paul, Kathy and Kassia Thoren, have become wonderful friends over the years they’ve represented my work.
Andalusia, Spain is the setting for this 14″ x 14″ gallery wrap piece. I love the quirky architecture with the steps going up and the door almost hidden under an arched porch. The stairway makes a great place for pots of flowers, as does the wrought iron bench at the base.
The basic plan is sketched with a brush dipped in a thin wash of MUD (Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson) + Liquin. Flowers are all labeled and we’re ready to begin applying opaque oil paint in our next session. You may click on this or any of the other pictures to see them larger.
But before I go I want to introduce you to our newest kitty, Bosco! He’s actually Talavera Pottery, I got him at a delightful shop in Santa Fe. Molly was totally indifferent to her new porch mate but Sissie????? Well, her name says it all, she’s a complete sissie! I didn’t notice her until she’d worked her way from the sliding glass door to this spot. However, I imagine it took awhile.
While I was watching it took Sissie over 5 minutes to get to this point. She looked like a cobra with her head dancing back and forth.
Another 8 minutes passed before she worked up the courage to sniff Bosco’s nose! She jumped back as if she’d been burned! After a few more minutes she crept back up to sniff him several times. When she was absolutely assured he wasn’t a threat she casually walked away. Now she doesn’t even notice him. But I bet if I move Mr. Bosco we’ll go through the entire process again.
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Mikki Senkarik 
September 10, 2017 at 6:46 PM |
Love, love, love the story about Sissie and Bosco. That’s hilarious! Happy to hear about your show and visit in New Mexico.
September 11, 2017 at 8:08 PM |
That’s pretty cute. By the way, love the update website. Looks clean and fresh!
September 14, 2017 at 4:57 PM |
I love the new addition to your family :). And Sissie is just like my cat, whenever there is something new in the house, she approaches it like she’s going through a minefield! So cute. Glad they made friends, and I just love this painting! Thanks for always explaining everything so clearly. I am grateful!