La Jolla Beach - California Landscape - 6x12

We visited La Jolla beach for our anniversary this year. There were so many seals (or sea lions? the zoo tried to teach me the difference, but it still won't stick in my head) on these rocks, they just sat there barking, and competing for the best spot to sit.  So funny to watch :) 

Oil on panel, 6x12 inches

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Ps! My Cyber Monday coupon expires tonight, so if you wanted to take advantage of it do it before the end of today :) I love that Etsy lets us have coupon codes now!

Cyber Monday Sale & Via Real - Carpinteria oil painting - 5x5

Don't miss my Cyber Monday Sale! I'm having fun adding little free gifts to all my orders this week.  Because everyone knows that packages are more fun when there are extras inside :) 

Oil on panel, 5x5 inches

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Avocado Doom - Still life oil painting - 5x5

The house is all decorated for Christmas now :) And according to Charlie the cat,  me wrapping the garland around the stair rail is the best new game in the whole world...I think  he plans on eating most of it before Christmas is over. 

Oil on panel, 5x5 inches

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Rainy Morning - Carpinteria Landscape - 5x5

I'm so excited to put up my Christmas decorations today! :) 

Oil on panel, 5x5 inches

To view in my shop click here
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La Jolla, California - Landscape Oil Painting - 5x7

So excited for Thanksgiving! Off to bake a pie! 

Oil on panel, 5x7 inches

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Linden Avenue Morning - Landscape Oil Painting - 6x6

This is what November looks like here.... 

It did get a little chilly the past few days, and somehow it's colder in the house than it is outside? We don't have a heater, but lots of blankets will be just fine :) 

Oil on panel, 6x6 inches

To view this painting in my shop click here
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Carpinteria Avenue - 9x12

I ride past this field on my bike sometimes, I always love how the light shines through the trees at certain times of the day. 

Oil on cradled panel, 9x12 inches

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Lemon Blue V - Still life oil painting - 5x7

I'm so excited this morning, you can now make coupon codes for your etsy shop, yeah!! 

Oil on canvas panel, 5x7 inches

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Lemon Blue IV - Still life oil painting - 5x7

This is my second to last one, just in case you're tired of looking at them :) It's pretty gloomy here today so bright yellow isn't the worst thing.  

Oil on canvas panel, 5x7 inches

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I don't want to be spammy, but if you feel like it you can vote for my painting in this online competition.  All you need to do is enter my number (23) and an email address :) 

Lemons in a bowl - Still life oil painting - 5x7

A little break from blue today.  I just love that blue and yellow together, but lemons in a white bowl is okay too :) 

Oil on canvas panel, 5x7 inches

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Lemon Blue III - Still life oil painting - 5x7

I ran out of my favorite panels...I didn't even realize it, I thought for sure I had at least 4 more.  So until my order comes in I will be making use of these 5x7" canvas panels.  They're actually not that bad, I usually hate canvas texture but these are pretty smooth.  Much better than the Winsor & Newton canvases I had been using before. 

Oil on canvas panel, 5x7 inches

Click here to view in my shop
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Out of the Storm - Landscape Oil Painting - 18x24

I recently sold out of these storm paintings in my shop, so I figured I should do another... they're so much fun anyway :) 

Oil on canvas, 18x24 inches

3/4" painted sides

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Lemon Blue II - Still life oil painting - 6x6

More lemons for today :) I had the perfect "girly" day yesterday, got my haircut, spend forever walking around Michaels, went to Target, then crafted the night away while watching Desperate Housewives (my guilty pleasure:) 

Oil on panel, 6x6 inches

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Lemon Blue I - Still life oil painting - 6x6

I'm painting a lot of lemons this week, I guess I'm in a bright color mood :) I'm also getting excited for holiday craft fairs...brainstorming ideas to make my table cute, any suggestions? 

Oil on panel, 6x6 inches

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Santa Claus Lane - Landscape Oil Painting - 6x12

I painted the umbrella first in this picture, it was the part that I was most excited about, and I loved it even when nothing else was painted in.  It made me wish I could always paint things that way.

Oil on panel, 6x12 inches

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Sea Cliffs - Carpinteria Landscape Painting - 8x16

I finished this painting probably a month ago and forgot to post it.  

Oil on 2" cradled panel, 8x16 inches

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Santa Barbara Palms - Landscape Oil Painting - 9x12

I had fun painting this one, I'm loving these medium sized panels :) 

Today I'm going to attempt to make a very simple version of a quilt...I have very limited sewing skills, but since I own  sewing machine I feel like I should use it. 

Oil on 3/4" cradled panel, 9x12 inches

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San Diego Beach - Daily painting - 6x6

Here's another little scene from my recent San Diego trip.  There were lots of interesting cliffs and rocky outcroppings, this one was inhabited by tons of pelicans, but 6x6 is too small for that sort of detail :) 

Oil on panel, 6x6 inches 

Click here to view in my shop 

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In other news, this afternoon I was rushing to make myself some lunch...I decided on a spinach salad, I got out all the fixings, opened my new bag of Trader Joe's organic spinach, put a few handfuls in a bowl...and screamed a little when I realized I had just let go of this:

                             

Big gross dead moth...and eggs I think.   I still love Trader Joe's, but they better give me a refund. 

Somewhere San Diego II - Landscape Oil Painting - 6x6

I was trying to think of what to write about here, when Charlie (my giant orange cat) just bolted across the room, jumped as high as I've ever seen, headfirst right into the closet mirror... it seems he thinks he has a mirror friend... or enemy.  

Oil on panel, 6x6 inches

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Somewhere San Diego - Landscape Oil Painting - 6x6

Usually around this time of year I start getting really crafty.  Scrapbooking, crocheting, baking, etc.  I make lists and brainstorm ideas of homemade gifts I can start making for Christmas. 

 Not so much this year.  Ever since I started on this full time painting gig I've been far less crafty in other areas.  I think all my creative energy is just used up everyday....or else I've just become really lazy! I hope not! Maybe it's because the nearest craft store is 40 minutes away....or because crochet patterns are written in another language, one that I just don't care enough about to master. 

I think I'll stick to painting.  My holiday "crafts" will just be different than the usual.  Maybe I'll break out the watercolors.  

But there will still be baking :) 

Oil on panel, 6x6 inches 

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Avocado Scrub - Still life oil painting - 6x6

I painted these avocados on a very dark, almost black canvas.  Like the landscape I experimented with a few days ago.  It's kind of like painting in the complete opposite way that I'm used to, which makes it a good exercise . 

 Oil on stretched canvas, sides painted, 6x6 inches

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Landscape and Ink - Original oil painting - 8x8

Sometimes I get an urge to do a little mixed media...I don't know if you could even call it that, but I love sketching in ink and sometimes I like to try to mix that in with my usual oils.  What usually happens is I use the oils more like watercolors...I don't know what to call it, but it's fun.  

Oil on canvas panel, 8x8 inches 

Click here to view in my shop

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A Little Bit Quaint - Landscape Oil Painting - 6x6

Another little landscape, made with the same technique as yesterday's.  This one is from one of my South Dakota reference photos. 

Oil on stretched canvas, 6x6 inches 

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Clouds and Field - Landscape oil painting - 6x6

I was tried a different approach to this little painting, sometimes I feel like I just have to try something new....it doesn't always work, but I always learn from it.  I like how this one turned out though.  I started by covering the canvas with a very dark, almost  black solid wash.  Then I painted as usual but made sure to leave some parts unpainted....something I never do. 

 Oil on stretched canvas, sides painted

6x6 inches

To view this painting in my shop click here
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After the Rain - Carpinteria Landscape Oil Painting - 6x6

Another painting of downtown Carpinteria, I loved the color of these clouds! 

Oil on panel, 6x6 inches

To view this painting in my shop click here

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For the Locals

For those of you who live in the Santa Barbara area...and care about this sort of thing :)....I have a few pieces up for the month of November at Gallery 113  in Santa Barbara.  The First Thursday reception is tomorrow night (Nov 4). I'm a little ashamed to say that I've never even been to one of these first thursday events, tomorrow will be the first, but I hear it's a great time.

A bonus game can be "try to find Sharon's work in this gallery"....it took me about 20 minutes, I didn't know about the secret display area.

Hollyhock Cottage - Carpinteria Oil Painting - 5x7

Here's another in my little Linden series.  It was SO gorgeous outside! It had rained and rained, and that morning the sun was finally breaking through some of the best clouds I've ever seen.  I had wanted to paint this cottage for a long time, but could never decide how to do it.  The colors in  the sky that day kind of brought it all together for me.  

Oil on panel, 5x7 inches

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ps. this painting is SO much better in person...my photography skills just don't do it justice. 

Linden Avenue Fountain - Carpinteria Oil Painting - 6x6

I really enjoyed painting this one.  I don't think I've ever painted a fountain before.  If you live in the area you know exactly where this is :) 

Oil on panel, 6x6 inches 

To view this painting in my shop click here 

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Avocado in Red II - Still life oil painting - 11x14

Here's a larger version of the painting I did last week.  The panel I painted this one made it turn out very shiny, I'm not sure why, but the same thing happened with yesterday's plein air painting.  

Oil on gessoed panel, 11x14 inches

To view this painting in my shop click here 
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I'm now off to declare war on the aphids attacking my vegetable garden! If anyone has any suggestions on how to get rid of them I could use it!