Thursday, July 31, 2008

Butler County Ohio Barn, Oil Painting by Linda McCoy

The Daily Painters group is celebrating during the month of August with a "beautiful earth" theme. One could wonder why I chose a barn for the first day. Can't say really, I pass this barn often, and for those of you who live here in Ohio it's on Cincinnati-Dayton Road in Monroe. What would our landscapes look like without the thousands upon thousands of barns that dot the rural fields? Traveling the midwest you can see them standing, roofs collapsing, hand laid foundations crumbling. The weather isn't easy on the old ones, and after a particularly bad winter they just fold in on themselves. So much history. Many are adorned with the American flag, much like this one. They are a symbol of those who came in the early days and worked so hard to feed their families. Some have been in the same family for generations. But disappear they do, bull-dozed aside to make room for new sub-divisions and corporate farming.
Take the back roads once in awhile..... a beautiful earth indeed.
6"X6" Oil on canvas.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Purple Glass Pumpkin, Oil Painting by Linda McCoy


I'm not sure what the intrigue is about pumpkins, but I guess to understand it you have to travel the midwest during harvest. Fields and fields of pumpkins. Who hasn't stopped at a rural farm stand and pondered over just the right one? Scooped out the gooey insides and spilled seeds all over the floor? Stuck a candle behind it's freshly carved spooky as possible face? Tried to make a pie from a real pumpkin instead of the canned? Roasted the seeds in the oven and sprinked while still warm with a bit of salt?
I purchased this glass variety from Michele at The Glass Studio in Berea Kentucky. http://www.kaht.com/multiple/glass_studio.htm . It's a beautifully hand blown purple glass with an amber color stem. I placed it in the sunshine so as to back light it. I'm sure my painting doesn't do Michele's glass art justice, but I just had to try.
6"X6" Oil on gallery wrapped stretched canvas.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Linda McCoy

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Green Vases, Oil Painting by Linda McCoy

Went into a local florist in Westchester http://www.flowersbynyla.com/ to purchase flowers, and this little green vase set was sitting on the counter. Really Green! I loved it so here it is in oil. Thanks to the staff at Nyla's for being so helpful. 6"X6" Oil on gallery wrapped stretched canvas. 

Friday, July 25, 2008

Red Berets Oil Painting by Linda McCoy

Berets were originally worn by Northern Basque peasants and were knitted from wool. Today berets are normally made from wool felt.
Berets are associated with a variety of different people. A beret completes the image of the stereotypical Frenchman (even though berets are fairly rare in France nowadays) or French peasants; artists, painters and intellectuals. It also was the stereotypical headgear of film directors until it was replaced in the public eye with the baseball cap in the 1980s. It also became the standard headgear of the Castilian peasant. (Description by I.Com)
A brief oil sketch, oil on masonite 6"X6"

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Lily of the Inca's and Perfume Bottles by Linda McCoy


The Lily is a Alstroemeria, or Lily of the Inca's. A Pom Pom mum and Hypericum Berries finish off the floral. The tall perfume bottle has a Calla Lily stopper, and the small bottle has a Closionne floral pattern. This is really a colorful painting, another addition to the perfume bottle series. 6"X6" Oil on gallery wrapped stretched canvas. 


P.S. July 29, 2008. I've changed the background on this painting three times. You are not seeing things, I just couldn't make up my other mind!
All images copyright by Linda McCoy 2008

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Watercolor Hydrangea by Linda McCoy

I painted this with a limited palette of ultra marine blue, cerulean, smalt, Winsor green and yellow. A little Winsor red was used in the first wash of color. I'm working in oils on larger pieces, but meanwhile the watercolor paintings are a nice change of pace.
7"X7" Watercolor on Sennelier Paper $100.00 tcoy1@msn.com SOLD
Images are copyright 2008 by Linda McCoy

Friday, July 18, 2008

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Watercolor Gladiola by Linda McCoy

Just abstract shapes really. I don't know much about these lovely flowers but I found this little bit of folklore.......
According to Jesica Conrad, Beltrami County Master Gardner:
"In gladiola folklore, when Apollo accidentally slew his friend Hyancinthus, gladiolas sprang from his blood. That is why gladiolas are often associated with grief, a common funeral bouquet. In folk tradition, young men wore gladiolas to the marriages of their friends symbolizing the parting of their youth. Gladiolas are also thought to be the lilies of the field that Jesus referred to in the Sermon on the Mount. In the Victorian Language of Flowers, the gladiola represents strength of character. The name Gladiolus is from the Latin gladius, meaning “small sword.”
7"X7" on Sennelier watercolor paper $100.00. tcoy1@msn.com
All images on this blog and my website are COPYRIGHT 2008

Friday, July 11, 2008

Peony, Watercolor by Linda McCoy


Watercolor on Sennelier paper. Every once in awhile I head back to the watercolors. It's a never ending search for the transparency of the petals. 7"X7" $100.00 tcoy1@msn.com SOLD
All images on this website/blog are COPYRIGHT by Linda McCoy 2008

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Snuff Bottle with Gladiola, Still Life Oil by Linda McCoy



Snuff bottles were used by the Chinese during the Qing Dynasty to contain powdered tobacco. Smoking tobacco was illegal during the Dynasty, but the use of snuff was allowed because the Chinese considered snuff to be a remedy for common illnesses such as colds, headaches and stomach disorders. Therefore, snuff was carried in a small bottle like other medicines. The snuff bottle is comparable to the snuff box used by Europeans. (Wikipedia)
A fun little painting with a lot of details. 6"x6" Oil on gallery wrapped stretched canvas. $100.00 tcoy1@msn.com if you are interested in purchasing.




Monday, July 07, 2008

Rachel's Bouquet, A Closer Look

6"X6" Oil on Gallery wrapped stretched canvas SOLD

Friday, July 04, 2008

David's Boutonnière, Rachel's Bouquet





Heartiest congratulations to you both! Many many years of happiness!


A bridal bouquet dates back to ancient old traditions that are still a major part of the modern day wedding. In the Roman Era, the bride and groom wore floral garlands, portraying their new life together and a hope for fertility. The bouquet was symbolic for showing the women in bloom -a coming of age, so to speak. In the Victorian days, the bride and groom would send flowers to each other. Each flower would have a separate meaning. Through this the bride’s bouquet became an unforgettable tradition. SOLD