paintings for art competition

I was excited to have two paintings accepted into the Energen Corp. art competition, open to all artists of Alabama. This one, titled "Bottega-Favorita" (22x17), depicts two diners entering a favorite restaurant in Birmingham, AL, which is housed in an historic building. The scene is at night and presents a different kind of lighting than I am used to painting.....more dramatic with the spotlights and street lights. This painting won an Honorable Mention award.

A second painting is a street scene in the Montmartre village of Paris. You will always find many artists set up in the village showing off their painting skills and selling their work to tourists. This painting focuses on the adjacent shopping area on a misty day in February....people milling around regardless of the weather. The painting is titled "de Montmartre" and is 20x24.

Coffee with Cream & Sugar

I do a lot of paintings related to food and wine, mainly the chefs at work or a sidewalk cafe venue. Then I thought about the food itself. I don't do very many still lifes but I thought it would be fun to do some with a little twist. So I dug around and came up with props for this one. Not really trying to do a super detailed painting but just an interesting composition.  I really had fun doing something different, at least different for me.
So the next time you are having artist's block, go to the pantry and see what you can come up with. This one is 15x12 oil on gallery wrap canvas.