London Breezy

London Breezy. Oil on panel, 12" x 12".  $595. [buy now]

London was already calling Camrin Costello when Teya and I met her one summer night at Casper Fry. The bar wasn't terribly busy, and as usual, the subject of the work-in-progress book came up. Camrin, intrigued by the book idea, told the story of a cocktail she invented on a trip to England.

In London for an interview at the University of Westminster, she spent a day at Westminster Abbey. The breeze blowing through the city provided both the inspiration and name for the drink she made that night: a concoction of gin, chartreuse, lemon and lime. I think she must have known the interview had been a success when she finished her new drink off with a splash of celebratory champagne. (Camrin lives in London now. Bully for her!)

For the painting, I wanted to capture the contrast of the citrusy drink with a cool cloudy background that suggested the tradition of an old english pub. I changed the color of the purple flocked wallpaper to a stormy gray, and was quite happy with the result—especially the way the oversized pattern leads into the composition.

The recipe for the London Breezy is available in Mixology With a Twist: The Art of Modern Cocktails,

The Usual Suspects

This was sort of a breakthrough piece inasmuch as I really liked the tighter crop. As I got more comfortable with the technical aspects of painting, I thought more about composition. 

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The Usual Suspects. Original oil on panel, 6" x 6".

With a name like "the Usual Suspects," I suppose I ought to have turned the beadboard backdrop on its side. It would look more like a proper lineup. Still really happy with this piece.

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Moon Shot

Paul snapped this one up the second I finished it. You may notice that I have the tag "gifts for men" on all of my painting posts. Seriously, in a few months I have had more of these bought by or for men than any of my other artwork in all the years I've been painting.

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I think there are about eight shakers in my collection at the moment. My husband Paul only has one: the world's most awesome shaker, in the shape of a retro-futuristic rocket. I'm pretty sure he still has me beat. I thought the little onion looked like the moon.

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Drones Club Fruit Salad

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I don't know how many reading this might be P.G. Wodehouse fans, but Plum hooked me at about age seventeen. I've enjoyed imaginary trips to the world of Jeeves, Bertie Wooster and company ever since. This piece has a jazzy, old school feeling about it that I really liked. And, it's sort of how I imagine members of the Drones Club took their vitamins.

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