Peony Tea Room

14x11 oil on panel

Available at Castle Gallery for the Living Color show, opening May 11.

This little tea house has been the source of much inspiration for me. I need to get back to Fort Wayne for another visit! The restaurant is in a beautiful historic home not far from Castle Gallery and they serve a lovely traditional English tea.

Thrill of the Grill

14x18 oil on linen

I often see stories about conservators using xrays and other technology to see what is under a masterpiece painting, and to learn about the artist's methods. I wonder if that will ever happen to my work? This canvas started as a cafe scene that just didn't make it. At some point, I used some of my palette scrapings to smear over that and lay down a nice grayish ground to paint this on. Its actually rather satisfying to use that palette mud to smear over a failed painting. It also creates a really nice, smooth, oil primed surface for a new painting.

This is still the same kitchen that has appeared in the other paintings. I got a lot of mileage out of dinner at Roaring Fork in Austin. Might be time to go back now. Valentine's day?

Topping Off

12x12 oil on linen panel

Ask Gallery la Place about this painting.

This will be available at Gallery la Place in Georgia by Feb. 2nd. Speaking of, they have their website up and running and I'd recommend looking over the artists they represent. I am really impressed and feel I am excellent company. Its a new gallery, so I am happy to see the quality of artists they were able to sign on. I think the gallery should do very well.

Refill

7x5 oil on panel
$100 + $11 s/h - sold

I love this theme!! I think what excites me most about these restaurant scenes is that I am basically painting "abstract". It just happens to look like something when I am done putting in my lines and color shapes.
I've been really pleased with my work lately. Hope I'm not heading for a crash!

Below is my larger version of the chefs from a couple days ago.
I also updated my website with larger gallery works if you would like to see what else I've been doing lately.

Chefs de Partie

12x12 oil on panel - contest entry for now

Low Conversation

16x16 oil on linen panel
sold

I love the ambiance in finer restaurants. The murmur of voices, low, classical music playing, the clink of china and crystal. Ahhh... I think my husband needs to take me out to dinner this weekend.

Table Setting

14x11 oil on panel - sold

Unfashionably Early

20x10 oil on linen - sold

This is an Austin restaurant - Louie's 106. I couldn't resist featuring the large painting of "King Louie" as I painted this scene of the early dinner hour. With a small child at home, we are often some of the first guests to be seated in restaurants. We don't want to wait a long time or be out too late. But fine dining is one of my great pleasures. In another life, maybe I'd be a food critique!

Early Seating

12x12 oil on panel - sold

This was in the fabulous Del Posto restaurant in NY. The large window with the sheers created such a dramatic setting.