It's Owl Good in the Summer

"It's Owl Good" screech owl oil painting study 8x10 on linen

SOLD--Thank you!!

Summer is flying by (no pun intended)! I’ve been enjoying the outdoors and having a great time working on art projects with my summer students. I’ve also had some challenges and frustrations working on my of key art goals for this year: Improve plein air painting skills.

Ahh...Unfortunately as much as I love nature I’m just not “outdoorsy.” It’s one of those skills that I know will come in time with patience and practice.  As I think about where to practice again in a nice shady quiet spot I decided to put in some air conditioned studio time. But in 2 weeks am off to another one day plein air workshop.(Am just hoping not to get lost in the wilderness this time...)

On a much happier note I always enjoy participating in the Daily Paintworks challenges—especially when the theme relates to birds or flowers.  There’s something really motivating about painting something that you have a strong connection with.

So you can imagine my delight when I saw this week’s challenge was—hoot, hoot—owls! If you visit my studio you’ll find a cherished international owl collection thanks to my friends, family, and students. Yep, I’m a proud “bubophile.” (That’s a fancy word for owl lover.)

So I set aside a few other art projects to quickly paint this this adorable (and sleepy) little screech owl I fell in love with at a raptor education event.  Isn’t it cool how their mottled feathers mimic tree bark?

I often paint really large colorful owls but I really enjoyed painting this little guy. Thanks again to artist Linda McCoy for posting my dream challenge this week! Finally if you're an owl fan like I am, you'll find 100 owls to inspire you on my Pinterest board. P.S. Did you know a group of owls is called a Parliament? 

Just Like Vincent I'm Busy Painting These

"Flying Colors" 8x8 Oil on Ampersand Gesso Panel

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I am working with the enthusiasm of a man from Marseilles eating bouillabaisse, which shouldn't come as a surprise to you because I am busy painting huge sunflowers. - Vincent Van Gogh in a letter to his brother


I don't always have the chance to do a painting specifically for the DPW weekly challenge. But this week Carol Marine offered up a subject I couldn’t resist—sunflowers.  (I you read m blog you know I’m particularly drawn to these red orange striped ones you often see at the grocery store.)

For me, the sunflower is the flower that I associate the most with creativity. And I'm often drawn to sunflower paintings such as this Charles Weed (above) and this glorious Klimt (below):

Looking for more sunflower art? Here's a Pinterest board dedicated to sunflower art or just type “sunflower art” in the Pinterest search window.

Speaking of Vincent, have you ever wondered why Vincent's sunflowers look a bit strange compared to sunflowers we typically see today? Here's an interesting article about why Vincent's sunflowers look the way they do. Thanks everyone--have a wonderful safe holiday week!

P.S.Did you know the world’s tallest sunflower (grown in Germany) was 27 feet tall? That’s 7 feet taller than the tallest giraffe!