Summer Vegetables - New Different Strokes Painting

Summer Vegetables

8" x 10"

Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

~~Sold~~

Reference photo, Courtesy of Karin Jurick

for Different Strokes from Different Folks

I have finally had time to once again participate in the "Different Strokes from Different Strokes" Painting Challenge. I love following the blog and watching the different artists interpret the same photograph.

This painting is currently available for purchase in my EBSQart.com online gallery and in my Etsy.com store.

I am almost finished with a new version of The Swan. This time it is an 8" x 10". I will try to get it available for tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by~

Torrie

Two New Paintings~ A Pear and a Martini

Martinis and Fire

5" x 7"

Oil on Canvas Panel

~Sold~

Yes, this one is a little different. I guess I still have a lot of emotion coming out in my painting. I love the way this one turned out. I guess emotional upheaval is good for something. This painting is currently available or purchase in my Online Gallery at EBSQart.com and in my Etsy. com store.

Golden Pear on Blue

6" x 6"

Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

~ Sold ~

I bought this really expensive shade of blue paint. Manganese Blue was worth every penny. I love to the wonderful shade! You will be seeing a lot of it! This painting is currently available for purchase in my Online EBSQart.com gallery and in my Etsy.com store.

I am slowly getting caught up with everything since my trip home. It is so nice to be painting again.

Thanks for stopping by,

Torrie

Art of the Day!

Sunday Pears

6" x 8"

Oil on Canvas Panel

~Sold~

How exciting! My Sunday Pears was selected as "Art of the Day" at EBSQart.com It is such an honor for one of my paintings to be on the front page. Sunday Pears has found a new home in Massachusetts.

We had a wonderful Christmas! My collectors were very good to me and my family, now I have to get busy replacing the paintings in my online stores. I have finished a new avocado painting that will be listed today~~ as soon as the weather clears and I can get a good digital photo. I am almost finished with a new gold pear painting that is very muted and coming along nicely. Check back later today to see if the weather cooperated and the avocado painting can make it to the blog.

I am still working on the pastel portrait for the "Different Strokes from Different Folks " portrait challenge. I am very excited about the opportunity to participate. I do not paint many portraits, so this is a stretch for me. I love the reference photo Karin Jurick sent to me. I can't wait to find out who the artist is and check out her portfolio, she seems very interesting! Miranda told me I was "doing really great with the use of the negative space" Huh? It is times like these when the difference between a college-educated artist (Miranda) and a self-taught, checked-out-every-art-book in the library artist (me) starts to show.

Well, back to the studio!

Thanks for stopping by~

Torrie

Two New Pear Paintings

Two Christmas Pears

5"x 7" Oil on Canvas Panel

~SOLD~

The Christmas Pear

8" x 10"

~SOLD~

I love painting pears. Two new pear paintings available for purchase. These are just listed in my eBay and Etsy.com stores. You can also purchase directly from the artist.

Today, I will be making Christmas candy and finishing up last minute Christmas shopping. It is hard to believe Christmas is almost here and then 2009! Where did the year go.

Check back again soon... I am hoping to sneak back into the studio before the day is over and paint!

Torrie

Avocado on Red and No Sushi on Tuesday!

Avocado on Red

6" x 8" Oil on Canvas Panel

***SOLD***

Miranda had bought two avocados the other day for her dinner. I "borrowed" one for a few minutes to take some reference photos to paint for later. The children are getting used to me taking pictures of their food and fruit for my artistic adventures. I have been having so much fun playing with red paint. I am going to have to paint something else with all the reds. I think I have about seven tubes of different shades of red!

No Sushi on Tuesday

6" x 8" Oil on Canvas Panel

There is only one place in Shelby to get sushi. (This is a very small town...) There is a sign on the front door the says: "No Sushi on Tuesday". The only lady that knows how to make sushi is off on Tuesday.

Miranda's computer is currently being repaired, so she has been on my computer all day long getting ready for her finals this week. That gave me an excuse to lay on the sofa all day with the dogs watching movies~ I never do that! I will be paying for it tomorrow as I rush around to get everything done before the work week starts on Tuesday!

Up next~~ Finishing up the flamingo paintings. Then, I had better get my Christmas shopping finished.

Thanks for visiting!

Torrie

Home for the Holidays!

The Family

Mom, Miranda, Courtney,

Sadie, and Stella

Every year I try to get a nice picture of the family to add to the Christmas card so family and friends who live across the United States, that we rarely see, can keep up with us. You would think as the children got older this process would become easier......not really. It is one of my most favorite days.....all of us together laughing, remembering.... Not one good picture out of the group! Well, check back over Christmas and we will see if I can photoshop a decent one of all of us!

Courtney is home from school for the Holidays. She looks thin, but I can fix that! Miranda is still in the middle of finals and she is very crabby!

I plan on painting all day today, there are several new paintings that need to be finished, at least that is the plan for now. Check back tomorrow evening and there should be a new sushi painting, an avocado still life (Miranda's dinner the other night), and another new flamingo painting.

Well, off to clean the kitchen, then to the studio!

Torrie

Cherries and Shadows ~~Sold~

Cherries and Shadows

5" x 7" Oil on Canvas Panel

~~SOLD~~

This is the newest painting. The weather has been quite rainy and I take my photographs outside in natural light, so I had to wait for a clear day. This painting is currently available for purchase in my EBSQart Gallery and in my Etsy.com store. It will soon be listed in my eBay store.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday, I know we did as evidenced by my five pound weight gain. Now, back to the diet with no lemon or pecan pie! It was nice to have the girls home laughing, playing on the computer, and shopping. I will need to get the electrical outlet fixed in the living room. It seems when you overload it with guitar hero, two laptops, the ceiling fan, every light in the living room on, and a space heater all plugged into the same outlet using an adapter and an extension cord, the smell of melting plastic brings all fun to an end.

~~Not to mention a screaming women with paint brushes in her hand exclaiming, "can't you smell that"......Miranda's allergies were acting up and Courtney had a cold, they could smell nothing and the dogs evidently haven't learn to bark FIRE yet.

I will be finishing the weekly painting challenge for this week today. Hopefully, the weather will stay good and I will be able to get a picture of it tomorrow and turned in on time! After that, there is so much I want to do~~more lemon paintings are on the way along with more small oil paintings. I did miss the political art show at EBSQart.com, but I am still going to finish the President-elect Obama painting and enter it in the Better Late than Never show this month.

Thanks for stopping by!

Torrie

An unexpected break!

Miranda and Courtney at the Journey Concert

I am sorry I disappeared for a while. Courtney has not been feeling well lately and it is hard to feel creative in the midst of worry. I made a quick trip to Chapel Hill this weekend to be with the baby. I will be traveling to Chapel Hill more often until she is back to her old crabby self.

I am in the middle of a Martini commission that will be finished by the end of the week... and then I don't know. I am extremely fortunate to have two wonderful, beautiful, intelligent daughters who make everyday an adventure in laughter and love. I am going to slow down, enjoy my girls and the canine babies Sadie and Stella.

When I get back in the studio, it will be with new ideas to fill all the blank canvas.

Thanks for stopping by~~

Torrie

In the Studio~~

New Tuscan Sun

The Original Tuscan Sun - 6"x "6 ~~Sold

I have begun working on the commissioned recreation of Tuscan Sun. This is going to be 18" x 24" acrylic on canvas.

I will be expanding on the original composition, I have such a large canvas to play with. Check back soon to see the finished painting before it is shipped off.

Just Finished!

Leftover Pear II

The new Leftover Pear II is completed and varnished. The case of small canvas I had ordered has arrived and I will be starting more Pear paintings as time permits.

Pear I

Flourish Boutique and Gallery

This painting was created especially for Flourish Boutique and Gallery in South Bend, Indiana. This painting has recently sold and I will be sending more new pear paintings to the gallery soon.

Well, this is what I am currently up to. I really need more hours in the day.

Thanks so much for taking a peak in my studio.

Torrie

Naquaiya's Cupcake, Show Entry EBSQart.com

Naquaiya's Cupcake

11" x 14" Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

I have finished my entry in the EBSQart.com RIPPED show. I partnered with Naquaiya and painted my rendition of her scratchboard painting "Cupcake".

I had not planned on entering, but Naquaiya asked me to partner with her and I could not pass up the opportunity. It was a tough decision looking through her body of work to select a painting to RIP....so, I passed off the responsibility to my daughters. They thought it would be funny for me to do the cupcake...since I am currently on a strict "no sugar" diet. I love her scratchboard work and jumped at the choice of the cupcake

In painting Naquaiya's Cupcake, I used my background color that I have used with several of my pear and lemon paintings. I also replaced her cherry with my favorite.... a strawberry. This has been a wonderful opportunity to work with a gifted artist, thanks Naquaiya for inviting me! Visit Naquaiya's Etsy Store for her paintings that are available for purchase.

Cupcake, by Naquaiya

Currently in the Studio~

Leftover Pear ~ sold

I have been requested to recreate the Leftover pear. That is currently in the works. After that, I have a commission to complete a larger version of Tuscan Sun.

That's the studio news!

Check back again soon.

Torrie