"Sunspots"

This painting is in my own collection.  I'm down-sizing before putting my house on the market as I'm returning to live in my native country of New Zealand.  Unfortunately, I can't take everything!

Sunspots, a 40" x 20" oil on canvas, shows a male hooded oriole in palms.  It was in 2006 Birds in Art at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Museum.   It is custom framed and includes the 2006 Birds in Art Catalog.  Contact me for the price.

"Sunspots"

40" x 20" oil on canvas

"Shadows"

This is a 36" x 36" oil on canvas that I did a while ago.  I was inspired by the shadows of palm trees on a street in Charleston, South Carolina.   The bird is a mourning dove.  It's one of my favorite pieces because of the abstract composition.

"Shadows"

36" x 36" oil on canvas

An unfinished illustration...

I was hoping to have this finished to post this evening, Christmas Eve.  It's not finished - but I like the way it looks so I'm posting it anyway.     This is the second illustration for my book,  No Peanuts for Santa which I hope to have published by late August, 2011.  Though it's the second illustration,  this is for the first page of the book.   The previous post shows my first illustration which will be used for the last page of the book.

Merry Christmas to those that celebrate the occasion and Happy Holidays to those that don't!

No Peanuts For Santa

A few years ago I wrote a Christmas poem for kids with peanut allergy, as I am one of them.  I got a good response so I've decided to illustrate and self-publish.  Three years later and the project still isn't finished but I have sworn to finish it and have it on the market by Christmas, 2012.

T'WAS THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS, 

IT WAS STARTING TO SNOW, 

THE REINDEER WERE HITCHED 

AND ALL READY TO GO. 

THE ELVES WERE STILL PACKING 

THE LAST OF THE GIFTS, 

WHEN SANTA GOT ITCHY 

AND STARTED TO SNIFF. 

HE HAD SPOTS ON HIS TUMMY, 

THE ELVES HEARD HIM WHEEZE. 

MRS. CLAUS CALLED THE MEDICS, 

‘OH DO HURRY, PLEASE!’ 

THE MEDICS ARRIVED 

AND SPRANG INTO ACTION. 

THE DOCTORS DECLARED, 

"THIS IS A REACTION!" 

NOW THINK VERY CAREFULLY, 

WHAT DID YOU MUNCH? 

CAN YOU REMEMBER 

WHAT YOU HAD FOR LUNCH? 

SANTA PONDERED AND SCRATCHED 

AT THE HIVES ON HIS BELLY. 

AND THEN HE REMEMBERED, 

PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY! 

THEY GAVE SANTA EPI, 

ANTIHISTAMINES TOO, 

AND THEN THEY TOLD SANTA, 

"NO PEANUTS FOR YOU!" 

THE NEWS WAS ANNOUNCED 

BY T.V.AND FAXES, 

THAT SANTA CLAUS SUFFERS 

FROM ANAPHYLAXIS 

THE WORD TRAVELED QUICKLY 

FROM LONDON TO MAINE 

NO ARACHIS! NO GOOBERS! 

AND NO “MAY CONTAINS”. 

PLEASE READ THE LABELS 

ON COOKIES AND SWEETS 

THAT YOU LEAVE FOR OL’ SANTA... 

ONLY PEANUT-FREE TREATS! 

THE REINDEER WERE READY, 

THE SLEIGH WAS ALL PACKED 

AND AROUND SANTA’S BELLY 

WAS A NEW EPI-PACK. 

"HI-HO" SANTA YELLED 

AS THE REINDEER TOOK FLIGHT. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL 

AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT! 

Copyright Adele Earnshaw 2007

Painting Plein Air

I just read an interesting article in the Huffington Post on painting plein air.    I enjoy painting outside but am not a hard core plein air painter.  One of my galleries, the Santa Ysabel Gallery in San Diego County, California, insists that the work for the annual plein air exhibition be 100% plein air.  I honor the gallery owner's  commitment to the plein air tradition and I paint by the rules for the annual show.  My work for the Sedona Plein Air Festival is also 100% plein air, but when I'm painting plein air for me, I'm not opposed to tweaking paintings in the studio with a bit of light here or a darker brush stroke there.   I sit my outdoor studies on the studio mantle for a day or two until I know if they are finished or if they need a 'tweak'.  Yellow Umbrellas - Uptown Sedona, is one of my favorite 100% plein air paintings.

My artist friend, Susan Faust (her website is down for a few hours this morning...try the link later) uses plein air painting to gather information, seldom finishing her outdoor studies.  Instead she uses them for larger studio pieces.  She is painting on location today with  Michael Chesley Johnson and Michael Coleman and asked if I'd like to go but I declined.  In early December, I much prefer a warm studio.  

Yellow Umbrellas - Uptown Sedona

Another "Square Dog"

5" x 5" oil on board

SOLD

Called 'Square Dog' because of the 5" x 5" format, this is another piece for my dog project.  This pup is really pretty with one blue eye and one amber.  It's done on Ampersand gessoed board as are all the pieces in the Square Dog series.  

"Dora Jack"

"Dora"

5" x 5" oil on board

SOLD

This little oil is part of my Square Dog series.   This little Jack Russell looks like such a character, I really enjoyed painting her.   

My artist sister, Joanne Hanson,  spent the week of Thanksgiving at my house painting in the studio   while my brother-in-law worked on my house.  (Have I mentioned that I've got the best brother-in-law in the world??)    Take a look at Joanne's work!