Peanut Butter Jelly Time - Small Study

My goodness, life has been busy and I have gone 3 weeks without painting! Aaarrghh. I needed to do a little warm up before I started back on some of my larger, long term works and wasn't quite sure what subject matter to choose. Around lunchtime, I decided to have some fun and make myself the kind of peanut butter jelly sandwich I would've eaten as a child (before we had any idea at all about grams of fat per tablespoon): lots of peanut butter and lots of jelly (with a tall glass of ice cold milk - definitely not my usual diet!) Sometimes, I wish I was still a kid so I could eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich everyday, that's how much I like them. Some people like to go light on the peanut butter and heavy on the jelly, or maybe the other way around. Several members of my family add bananas (for extra nutritional value?) There are lots of versions out there. Didn't Elvis like his fried? I usually don't use white bread, but I decided that I needed to make it on white bread for the sake of my artwork. Oh, the sacrifices we artists make! My sister called while I was working and asked what I was painting. She kind of paused like she wasn't sure what to say to that, but artists enjoy most painting the things we love. Can you tell that I love PBandJ by looking at this painting? I hope so.

"Peanut Butter Jelly Time" Small Study

8x10 oil on canvas, NFS

"Hunger of the mind and spirit is as strong as hunger of the belly."

~Camille Pissarro

Leftovers (small study)

I happened across a picture of an old homestead and decided to use the leftover paint on my palette for this small study. I chose the title "Leftovers" because of the leftover paint, and then because of the fact that these old buildings and homes that I see as we drive out in the country remind me of leftovers. I wonder what stories they would tell "if walls could talk." I suppose some might find the term leftovers depressing, but not me. I'm not sure why I find them so endearing, but they seem to be representative of a different time and era in history that speaks to my family heritage, I suppose.

"Leftovers"
8"x10" oil on linen
Small Study $55+s/h

Donkey Love (Small Study)

I have a friend who graciously forwarded some fun pictures of her horses and donkeys and this little donkey couple was just too cute to resist. I am fortunate to have many friends who are kind about sharing their photos with me. That is an enormous asset as an artist.

Another painter friend of mine has been encouraging me to start working on small studies and I've finally decided to follow through. Small studies are often done with the intention of completing a painting in a single day. Many artists these days are participating in this "painting a day" approach. While I have no desire to do a painting a day, it's good practice and very liberating because the whole goal (in my mind anyway) is to be less formal and restrictive and more creative and experimental. Even the brush strokes are more loose as I keep reminding myself to have fun with the brush and not over think any particular area of the painting. They are a welcome break from some of my long-term, planned commissions and larger works and should be easy to work in when I need a break from a more intense project.

As such, they are a great opportunity to own an original work of art at a reasonable price. I will be selling these small studies (8"x10"s) for $55 +s/h.

Donkey Love - SOLD

8"x10" oil on canvas

$55+s/h