Black and Red Poppies

I like to practice painting techniques with an occasional still-life. The poppies are from my garden. Medium: Casein on oil

More Dogs

Photos I took in Alameda in February of some of the local canine inhabitants.

For Pat, Ted and Evie

For Pat, Ted and Evie, who I met at the Alameda Art and Wine Festival,
I am posting some art with a "Doggie" Theme. Sketch of my dog, Punky and an ad I did for a wonderful dog named Romy.

Art from the Old Country

This piece was inspired by a photograph of my grandmother and her older sisters posing for a formal photograph. I think the photo was taken to send to my grandfather and great grandfather who were living in the U.S. so that my grandfather could pick a wife from their home village in Italy.

More Mythological Work

This piece was finished just before the ProArts open house.
It is part of the continuing work on the reinterpretation of ancient mythologies.
This piece comes from the middle eastern ancient Mithraic tradition. The god Mithras fighting and slaying the bull of heaven. Mithras was a solar diety who became very popular in Ancient Rome as a patron god of the soldier. His origins were in Persia and appropriately the images have a kind of resonance for what we are doing to the planet and to each other every day.

More Family Paintings

I finished painting these two paintings almost simultaneously. I knew that the portrait of the "Flapper" was from a photo of my husband's grandmother. I didn't realize that the other photo I used was of the same grandmother as a little girl. I loved the way she was wearing the bow and the jewelry, very seriously involved in her presentation. I titled this "Bows and Beads". I love doing the paintings from old photos. Some are very blurry or faded and all are sepia or black and white. I have not had any hand colored photos, so I get to imagine the colors that would have been worn or in the background. I try and understand the period as well as the people involved and try to find a way to allow their spirits to flow through the art.

ProArts East Bay Open Studios Last Weekend

Photo: Barn Silo Altamont, NY

My Studio is opened on Saturday, June 14, from 11AM until 6PM. 1361 Berkeley Way, Berkeley. Number 48 on the ProArts Map. Check out the ProArts Website