Aguacate

Original/Signed Painting

Acrylic on Canvas

5" x 5"

'Maybe Tomorrow'

This lonely paint brush wasn't in the mood to paint today. Perhaps tomorrow will be a better day.

Original/Signed Painting

Acrylic on Canvas

6" x 6"

'I Give Up'

We took the kids fishing last weekend. This was all that was left after about a half hour of my youngest son catching nothing. Funny, after he got bored looking under rocks and trying to find sea shells (at the river - ha ha) he decided he wanted to fish again. He actually caught a small cat fish later on in the day.

Original/Signed Painting

Acrylic on Stretched Canvas

5" x 5"

Vanilla Caramel Verona

Original/Signed Painting

5" x 5"

Acrylic on Stretched Canvas

Summer Shade

There is a street by my house that I sometimes go out of my way to drive on to get home because it is so beautiful. I often see deer on this street and beautiful old homes.

Original/Signed Painting

Watercolor on Cold Pressed Paper

5.5" x 8.5"

Old Keys on Wood Hook

I love old keys and old doors. They are very interesting. These old keys hanging on a piece of weathered wood were painted from a photo.

Original/Signed Painting

Watercolor

5.5" x 8.5"

'Go Green'

I made this collage using all recycled materials.

Original/Signed Work

Collage on Recycled Paper

Irregular Dimensions (Approx. 9.25" x 11.75")

Bowl of Cherries

Who said life isn't a bowl of cherries?

Original/Signed Painting

Acrylic on Stretched Canvas

5" x 5"

Harbor Fish Market

Original/Signed Painting

Acrylic on Stretched Canvas

5" x 5"

What's In Your Garden?

Every year I plant a garden. I always plant tomatoes. I try to plant other things, but usually it is the tomatoes that are successful. Home grown tomatoes are so much better than store bought ones. Don't you think?

Original/Signed Painting

Acrylic on Stretched Canvas

5" x 5"

Rasberry Chip

Original/Signed Painting

Acrylic on Canvas

5" x 7"

Lustre

Another similar watercolor of bottles. This time the arrangement was a little different and the lighting was more subtle.

Original/Signed Painting

Watercolor on Cold Pressed Paper

9" x 12"

Iridescent

Original/Signed Painting
Watercolor on Cold Press Paper
9" x 12"

Magnolia Morning

Original/Signed Painting

Acrylic on Deep Cradle Canvas

12" x 12"

210 to Carry

I took a break from my American Ruminations series to paint this piece for a fund raiser. Being that I am not a golfer, my husband helped me come up with a clever name.

Original/Signed Painting

Acrylic on Deep Cradle Canvas

12" x 12"

Bid at Auction on 6/28/08 (Sold)

Shrimp Market

I took pictures while at Kings Island with my family a few weeks back. We passed this restaurant and I snapped a photo from across the water. This was another challenging piece for me but ironically it was the signs that were difficult to paint, not the people or the water. When I started painting I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to tackle the ripple effect of the water but it turned out better than I thought. Although this painting took longer than originally expected, I was pleased when finished.

Original/Signed Painting

Acrylic on Canvas

6" x 6"

Campanello's

This sign reminded me of being in Italy (o.k., well not really), but it does have a slight charm with the black and white striped awning to add as an accent. I'm still trying to figure out where the Beach is. Perhaps I drove further than I thought. : )

Original/Signed Painting

Acrylic on Canvas

6" x 6"

Hitching Post

This sign was a bit more of a challenge due to its complexity for a small scale painting. I enjoyed working with all the colors and I am drawn to signs with old fashioned light bulbs. I've passed this sign many times on my way into town. By the way, they really do have the world's best fried chicken!

Original/Signed Painting

Acrylic on Canvas

6" x 6"

Take Me To The Cleaners

I grew up in a town called Mt. Washington in Cincinnati, Ohio. When I was little, my parents would take us to the King Kwik to get an ICEE after church which was right next to the dry cleaning store. This sign always made me think of a giant lollipop. I would sit there and stare at it while I slurped my cool treat.

Original/Signed Painting
Acrylic on Canvas
5" x 7"

Lebo's

This sign wasn't part of the 'sign graveyard' but I felt it an appropriate fit with the genre of the American Ruminations series. Lebo's Restaurant sits on the cusp of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky nestled on the edge of the Ohio River.

Original/Signed Painting
4" x 5"
Acrylic on Canvas

Chris' & Pitt's

As I painted this old rickety sign I thought about all the families that had visited this restaurant at one point or another. I wonder how good the sauce tasted. I wish I could have eaten there. I did happen to do a little bit of research and found that:

" The year was 1940. Chris Pelonis had a dream to open a restaurant and serve the best BAR-B-Q in the world. On a wing and a prayer, and a loan of $2000 from his father, a Greek immigrant, he began his search for a good location. In a defunct dry cleaning shop on Tweedy Boulevard in Lynwood , Chris™ & Pitt™s Bar-B-Q Restaurant was born. There was sawdust on the floors, wood benches, and the customers flocked in. Chris spent his days at his restaurant and his nights in his own kitchen experimenting with recipe after recipe until each one was perfect.
Fast forward to today. Chris Pelonis still oversees the Chris & Pitts restaurant chain, with the help of his family. Chris & Pitts is the home of the live wood fire, and customers, returning time and time again, still say the food is..."The best bar-b-q in the world."

I copied the above noted quoted information from the link attached.

http://www.chrisandpittsbbqrestaurants.com/cnp_history.html

Original/Signed Painting

Acrylic on Deep Cradle Canvas

12" x 12" (305 x 305 mm)

Jack's Restaurant

This is my second painting titled 'Jack's Restaurant' in my American Ruminations series. I remembered going to a restaurant as a child and thinking how cool it was to sit in the car and have someone bring out our food and set it on a big silver tray while we ate in the car.

Original/Signed

Acrylic on Deep Cradle Canvas

12" x 12" (305 x 305mm)

Sid's Motel

A couple months ago I was driving home from the doctor's office when I noticed what I like to call 'the sign graveyard'. As I sat at the light, I looked at these old, weathered signs that had obviously served their purpose when I flashed back to my childhood. I remembered being on vacation in our BIG station wagon and passing signs like these on the highway. Those were the good ole days. So, I decided to go home, grab my camera, and snap shots of these old relics to put on canvas. This series will be bigger than originally thought as I have noticed other signs around my town that take me back in time.

Original/Signed Painting

Acrylic on Deep Cradle Canvas

Dimensions 12" x 12" (305 x 305mm)