684 The Party's Over

Company has returned home, and the sunflowers aren't sunny any more.  The petals are dropping everywhere.  They are such a happy flower until that happens.   Painted from still life in my studio.
The Van Briggle vase was purchased many years ago, is my all-time favorite, and painted many times
for daily paintings.

"684 The Party's Over"
acrylic - 6x6 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/684-the-partys-over/411172

655 Public Enemy Number Two

Oh, they look so cute scurrying to and fro, don't they?  HA!  Not when they are in your kitchen!  Yep, Alvin somehow made his way into our house, and scared the living daylights out of me.  Neighbor Larry came to the rescue, but admitted he was beginning to think I was imagining things, because he didn't actually see the little guy at first, who wasn't so little, by the way.  From my vantage point of standing on the kitchen chair, I saw the chubby guy squeeze his body through the pet gate grid.  It was like a cartoon.  If only I was composed enough to take a video.  Alvin enjoyed his meal of peanut butter and Italian bread stick and was let back outside later that evening. 

"655 Public Enemy Number Two"
acrylic - 6x6 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/655-public-enemy-number-two/398063

598 Bringing Spring In

Last weekend I bought 2 flats of pansies but it has been too darn cold to go out and garden.  So I just brought some indoors to paint.  Pansies are so sweet and simply say "happy."

484 Empty Bowls

A week ago, I attended my first Milwaukee Empty Bowls, a fundraiser for the hungry in our community.  I arrived 15 minutes before the event officially started and was shocked at how many people were there.  The volunteers were quite humorous--you had your choice of going to the "in control" (long) line where you could see and choose your bowl(s) or the much shorter "don't care about control" line where you picked a bowl in a brown paper bag.  You've probably guessed by now that I like choices, so I went in the long line.  I ended up buying 8 bowls, presumably for "gifts,"  don't know how I can part with any of them, all so beautiful.  I know I'm getting too wordy here, but the object of this fundraiser is to pick a bowl, have it washed, then take it upstairs where your bowl was filled with soup.  That day, Empty Bowls raised $46,400 to feed Milwaukee's hungry!  I was excited to read on my cousin's Facebook page that there is a similar event in West Virginia too.

My recent series of bowl paintings has been to celebrate "home" and 38 of the paintings have featured bowls hand made and purchased years ago from Jean Wells Smaglik, one of the artists and organizers of Milwaukee Empty Bowls.  These are 3 of the 7 pieces of Jean's. 

I tried something a little different with this painting.  I nearly always ground my boards with black gesso but so many artists are presently grounding with a soft orange/coral color, so I thought I would try it with this painting.  Carol Marine just mentioned it in today's post, and one of Milwaukee's favorites, Shelby Keefe often uses this color.   I am eager to hear what you think.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/484-empty-bowls/274801

479 Eggplant Variety in a Yellow Bowl

I believe these are Asian eggplants, and I bought them from the farmers market because I thought they were so pretty. 

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/479-eggplant-variety-in-a-yellow-bowl/273533

469 Welcome

My friend Pam always has a bowl of green apples on her kitchen table.  They make her kitchen so homey and I always feel welcome there.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/469-welcome/271448

439 Gracie

Three of my friends lost their dogs within a short time.  This is Gracie, a springer spaniel.  I know firsthand how heartbreaking it is to lose a four legged friend.

166 A Gift of Still Life

A friend gave me three eggplants and a sunflower from her Chicago roof top garden.  What more could I ask for? -- a beautiful flower,  a new variety of eggplant, and a complimentary palette.
(Please excuse the poor quality photo.  It's a gloomy day and I cannot get the colors right even with manual adjustments.)

163 Cheery and Bright

155 Stealing the Show

Nearing the end of summer, the zinnias are so brilliant and beautiful in the farmers' bouquets.

154 Mixed Bouquet

I'm a sucker for the flowers at the farmer's market.  I can't resist buying them.   In this bouquet, sunflowers, stock, statice, gladiola and celosia--all so cheery.

150 Sunset Over Village

Still working on these darn clouds.  I'm losing patience, and patience is my strong suit.

147 Big Top Under Blue

For many years, families camped out days in advance in downtown Milwaukee to reserve seats for the Great Circus Parade.  Antique circus wagons, animals, a ferris wheel, merry-go-round, and clowns--Ernest Borgnine being the most notable, all traveled from Circus World in Baraboo, Wisconsin to entertain children and adults at our lakefront's Veteran's Park for days leading up to the parade.    On a beautiful July day, I visited the park, and felt 12 years old again.

Unfortunately, funding for the Great Circus Parade has dwindled, so what was an every-year occurrence, is much less frequent.

146 Big Brother is Watching You

I didn't realize it until I was painting this scene that there is a camera posted on the traffic lights.  Coincidentally, in today's paper, there is news that there will be 50 new speed cameras installed by year end in Chicago near schools and parks.  Watch your speed!

145 Chimney Rock, View from Ghost Ranch

I have never seen such beautiful sunsets as in New Mexico.  From Ghost Ranch, every night is a spectacular show.

144 Humming

Stopped by Suzanne's garden yesterday to check on color and it was humming with activity!  The hummingbirds, bees and other winged creatures were buzzing to and fro, really fun to watch. 

142 Ann's Dancing Poppies

My friend, Ann grows the most beautiful and interesting poppies in her garden.  They are the typical orange variety, but they dance to reach the sun's rays, their stems twisting and turning every which way.  I have tried several times to grow poppies, unsuccessfully.  I blame it on lots of things, but not the gardener.   

140 Cornered

There is a beautiful bed and breakfast in Taos, New Mexico called Hacienda del Sol, where charm oozes from every inch of the property, inside and out.  A row of pottery on a built-in shelf on the outer front wall offered me some irresistible painting subjects.

139 Farmer's Market Bell Peppers

A trip to Chicago's Division Street Farmer's Market is one of my favorite past times.  There are so many farmers from near and far with colorful and unique things to sell, and it is a great place to take pictures and to people-watch.  I'm a sucker for the flowers.

138 Stop and Go

Peppers at the farmer's market.