Irish Cream

This was painted for the December Virtual Paintout challenge in County Clare, Ireland. With the Christmas holidays, I despaired of finding the time to paint (just when I needed it the most, bah humbug!). Finally squeaked this in near the end of the month but had to scan it rather than photograph it and the color is off. Oh well! I really enjoyed painting these cows. My Christmas gift to me! :)

Rope Swing

It's been a busy month with family, work and the holidays. It was even more enjoyable then to take a break in Rio de Janeiro today, virtually, and paint this seashore scene.

Light at the Top

I was first attracted to the blue wall with pots of flowers on its ledge, brilliantly top lit by the strong Mexican sun. As I rounded the corner, I expected a colorless alley but instead saw the contrasting brick wall of an adjacent building, the long flight of stairs and the overhanging black iron lamp, which stopped me in my (virtual) tracks. Bricks, intense color, sunshine, flowers, ironwork--from what I have seen on this month's virtual paintout challenge in San Miguel de Allende, these are what make this city so breathtaking.

Peekaboo

This month's virtual painting challenge in San Miguel de Allende is a treasure trove of sights to paint. It's packed with color and sunlight and people doing interesting things. I found this lady taking a break from sweeping to look at the Google Street View car driving down her narrow, cobblestone street. I was charmed by her white collar and lace peeking out from under her skirt and apron.

Walk in the Park

This month's virtual paintout on Manhattan Island was a real challenge. With all the cars and crowds and tall buildings blocking the light, it was downright claustrophobic until I found this scene. It feels like a crisp spring day to me.

Clouds Roll By

This month's virtual paintout was on Prince Edward Island. A virtual stroll around the countryside brought me to this farm scene with heavy clouds overhead. It was an interesting challenge to capture the softness and the movement of the clouds with acrylic. I borrowed the laundry hanging on the line from a nearby house to add some needed bits of color to the neutral landscape. Note: this painting differs from my earlier posting here and on virtualpaintout.blogspot.com. A viewer to my blog (sorry, I didn't get your name) commented that the painting would be stronger if it was cropped. I took the suggestion to heart and it really did improve it. Thank you for the suggestion!

Hotel on the Hill

While walking (virtually) around Hong Kong, I came upon this intriguing white building. I'm not sure if it's a hotel, a hospital, or a private mansion. Painting it was a little like putting together a puzzle, with all its angles and layers.

Hong Kong Traffic

It's been tricky trying to find my way back to painting after a long absence. I've tried water soluble oils, acrylics and watercolors, and all have been a struggle. This painting of a Hong Kong street scene, for the Virtual Painters July challenge, was done in fluid acrylics and was an exciting process. I'm looking forward to more experimentation with this medium.

Cliffs from Kahekili Highway

A late afternoon cloud forms over a calm sea, as seen on a virtual drive on Kahekili Highway, Big Island.

Kilauea Hale

I painted this house on Kilauea Avenue, Honolulu, en plein air several years ago. It was fun to see it again via Google's Street Map (http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&source=embed&layer=c&cbll=21.273507,-157.800901&panoid=1kjdgbMl4wb8QnyICfsXyg&cbp=12,42.12,,0,2.13&ll=21.273379,-157.81723&spn=0,0.219727&z=13). There's quite a bit more vegetation than there was before. Lots of ripe papayas!

Pike Place Poppy

After a trip to Pike Place Market in Seattle, my daughter and her boyfriend returned with a huge boquet of mixed flowers, lucky me! The fragile poppies quickly began to drop their petals. I captured this last one at the last second.

Paradise can be going home again...virtually

"Diamond Head Bougies" - watercolor

This was painted from a google map photo for inclusion on the virtualpaintout.blogspot.com web site. The painting experience felt oddly close to painting en plein air, right there on Diamond Head at the top of the road leading down to Diamond Head Beach Park, a favorite spot for local surfers. I could almost feel the sun and the tradewinds.