Bartlett Pears on Wooden Crate

Bartlett Pears 6” x 8” Oil on Canvas Panel SOLD


This pear still life has a wooden crate in it. I found this crate on the side of the road and wanted to include it in a painting. My current focus on painting is to improve in my ability to depict materials and textures. The wood crate was a wonderful opportunity to paint wood grain and the signs of aging where the metal nails have started to rust and discolor the wood boards. Pears are also fun to paint; their color and form are interesting to me. And I have a very positive association with them.

I hope you enjoy the painting.


Thanks, Liz

Still Life w/ Sunflowers

Sunflowers 6” x 8” Oil on Canvas Panel SOLD

I enjoy painting sunflowers; they are so cheerful and bright. For this composition I was drawn to it because of its brightness and the addition of the Osage Orange. I liked the varieties of green in this still life, the yellow green to dark blue-green of the sunflower leaves depending on how shaded they were. Where the Osage Orange was a more uniform cool green, except where yellow was reflected from the petals of the sunflower.

This painting is available for sale, please send me an email if you are interested in it.

Still Life w/ Eggs

Eggs – Color Study I 6” x 8” Oil on Canvas Panel SOLD


With this composition I was working with the idea of form and color. My goal was to play off the repetitive ovoid forms against the formal and rectilinear background while emphasizing the complementary color palette of the brown eggs with the blue drapes.

Celebrating Life

From Garth’s Garden 16” x 20” Oil on Canvas


The sunflowers and tomato were gifts from my friend’s backyard garden. I really enjoyed painting these items, I just felt in sync with the image in my mind and what I was able to produce on the canvas. I love the colors of the flowers and the informal composition.

I hope you enjoy viewing this painting. Friendship and the fruit of one’s labor makes life so very wonderful…

Still Life w/ Apples

Gala Apples 6” x 8” Oil on Canvas Panel SOLD

In the fall I enjoy all the apples that are available in the stores. A few weeks ago as I was entering my favorite international food market, there in the entrance was a large container of petite gala apples, I bought several, but only had the opportunity to paint these two apples. Needless to say they were very tasty.

When fruit looks bright and beautiful, they will also be flavorful. In this painting I used the cool, crisp backcloth to embody the crunch and tartness of the apples, while the color and form of the apples are inviting and fun.

In the October Art League Show!

Spanish Colonnade 18” x 24” Oil on Canvas SOLD

I wanted to share that this painting was selected for The Art League’s October All-Media Membership Show, the juror was Marlene Rothacker. Ms. Rothacker serves as Senior Exhibitions and Marketing Manager for International Arts and Artists, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing cross-cultural understanding and exposure to the arts.

The Opening Reception will be held in the gallery at the Torpedo Factory, Sunday, October 7th from 2:00 to 4:00 pm, and here is a link if you are curious about the Art League that is located in the Torpedo Factory Arts Center in Old Town Alexandria, http://www.theartleague.org/

I worked on this painting on and off since the end of May, there was a period this summer where all devoted painting time was dedicated to this piece. I am very happy with its outcome and to date this is the largest and most developed painting I have completed. I used the typical wet-in-wet techniques that I like so much, and I also played with glazing to deepen the shaded areas of the scene. This image is adapted from a 1999 photograph I took in Carmona, Spain as I was completing research for my Master’s of Architecture thesis.

This painting has been sold.

Pear on a Plate

UPDATE April 2009: Since 2007 Forelle Pears have often been my painting subjects. Here are some more recent Forelle Pear paintings: Forelle Pear #1, Forelle Pear #2, Forelle Pear #3, and Forelle Pear #4. Thanks for visiting, Liz

Pear on a Plate 6” x 8” Oil on Canvas Panel SOLD

The Forelle Pear is my favorite fruit. It has a very crisp and sweet flavor, and they always are beautifully formed. Forelle pears initially are yellow and green at the grocers, but as they ripen they begin to develop a rosy tint, that eventually turns into a deep crimson color. This is the best time to eat them. I also believe that this is the most interesting time to paint them...

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Liz