9th Hole, 16x20, golf, golf paintings Father's Day gifts, last minute gifts, framed paintings, paintings of golfers

9th Hole, 16x20

I am not a golfer, but I know many people who are avid golfers. I tried it once, and became frustrated, trying to hold my wrist just right.

Well, I figured if I can't hit a golf ball, I can at least paint one. And so this painting came about.

This painting would make a lovely gift for that special golfer in your life. Please contact Gallery 444 at  

444 POST STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102 
PHONE : (415) 434-4477 for purchase info about this painting.

"Balancing Act", 11x14, still life, realism, red onion, eggs, pottery

"Balancing Act", 11x14, oil on linen

Sometimes it seems as though our lives are precarious balancing acts. How quickly our daily joys can turn into stress and pain over some unexpected turn of events. How quickly our relaxation can turn into stress, when we are unprepared for a turn of events.

The holidays can often be a real "Balancing act". Unexpected costs for gifts, unexpected company, unexpected illness or even a delayed flight can turn what should have been a happy time into a period of stress and even dread.

This Christmas I have promised myself that I will not stress out. I will stay focused on the true meaning of the season and share this blessed time with those I love and friends I cherish. I will not cave in to the negativity of shopping at unreasonable hours, cleaning till the skin comes off my hands or eating sugar-laden treats till I can't close my pants!

Although Jesus Christ was not really born in December, (see here), I will still stay focused on the fact that his birth whenever it occurred, was a blessing to the entire world. And for those who choose to follow the path of Christianity, there are rewards that are most certainly beyond our current level of understanding to comprehend.

So if you are currently trying to juggle a "balancing act", sit back for a moment and meditate on your life's blessings- those that are past and those that you still hope for. The Christmas season is about Hope, Love and Peace. Let's try to enjoy it!

"Balancing Act" can be shipped framed and ready to hang in time for Christmas. I was always very proud of this piece and while it is not really indicative of my current style of painting, I have received many compliments on it, over the past few years.

"Juicy Fruits", 5x7, oil on linen on panel, pears, grapes

SOLD

"Juicy Fruits", 5x7, oil on linen on panel

This painting is a study in using specific colors and is a continuation of the Limited Palette Challenge that I joined over the weekend. In this challenge, I used only white, cad yellow medium (Gamblin), Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue and Gamblins's transparent Chromatic black.

It was quite challenging for me to try to get a vibrant red from this cold, fugitive red (Alizarin Crimson) and the impure, orangey yellow that I had to use. In the end, I had to be satisfied with much less vibrant colors than I'm used to.

However, I've been learning a lot from working from a limited palette and I would encourage all my artist friends to try it too! You can join the Limited Palette Group that is posting on Facebook here.

It's a great opportunity to mix color combinations that you would not normally use, and the color harmony achieved is a great plus! The challenge began as a result of Ken Auster's demo at the 1st annual plein air convention held recently in Las Vegas. The colors I used above are the colors that Ken used in his demo.