Art by Mary Rochelle Burnham

Red Pepper On Plate , 5x7, oil,  Available I used a photo of my previously sold painting, ' Red Pepper Salute ', to make a new and improved version.

Swans , oil, 5x7", SOLD Thought I do the Daily Paintworks Challenge , today. I took the original morgue file photo and altered it considerably in Photoshop. I can view photos from a flash drive on my TV because it has an USB port. Then, I just work from the monitor and never have to print out my reference. This is my new way of working, if I need to work from a photo. I love it. My TV screen is a 43" and I can zoom in on a photo, too. Sometimes, I just love technology.

Backyard Trees, oil, 5x7",  Available These trees are in a neighbor's yard that I see from my studio window. I enjoy how the evening light dances upon them. It's the best of both worlds, when I can paint an outdoor scene from life, in the comfort of my studio.

Water Lily , oil, 5x7", Sold This is from a photo I came across on Paint my Photo . It reminds me of going out in the rowboat to find and pick water lilies to bring home to my mom.

Milk Break , oil, 5x7",  $109 I took the reference photos for this painting a few years ago when I lived in the farming community of Manchester, Michigan. It was spring and this little one was adorable!

Dawn Breaks Over Mt Shasta , oil, 5x7",  $109 I took the reference photos for this painting while on a trip up to Oregon over Thanksgiving week. It was a cold morning and the fog had lifted to this majestic scene.

Seaside Seagull , Oil, 5x7", available I took a loose impressionistic approach with my gull. I learn a little more with each painting I do. I have been busy with commission work lately, and its nice to find the time to try out ideas and new methods.

Broken Egg, Oil, 5x7", available It has been awhile since I have done a DPW Challenge. This was engaging for me on so many levels. I look forward to doing another.

Eggs , oil, 5x7" available This is my submission for the Shadow Challenge by Laurie Miller. The rules are simple;  Shadows can be really fun to paint. Find a subject with a dramatic shadow and be sure to make the shadow an important part of your composition.

Peek-a-Boo Farm, Oil, 5x7", available This scene from our living room window was on a humid and rather overcast afternoon, with no direct sunlight. We are situated on a very large hill of many acres and the farm is about a half mile away as the crow flies. Through the thick foliage, the farm is barely discernible as it peeks through the trees.

Donuts Make My Brown Eyes Blue, Oil, 5x7", SOLD This week's Daily Paintworks Challenge by Kelley MacDonald is a real fun one! Donuts, yum, let me count the ways I love you! Neither I, nor my husband, can be trusted around them, so I downloaded an image off the internet that I cropped and made revisions to make my own. I almost downloaded a virus in the process and had to shut down my computer real fast! Just another reason for me to avoid donuts like the plague. :(

Three Little Tomatoes Sitting in a Tray , Oil, 5x7", SOLD I really, really like what I did with this painting. OK, first came the influence from the Carol Marine workshop. I don't think I would of thought to do a still life from a bird's eye view. But more importantly, what I garnered was how the shapes and angles make an interesting design, rather than painting the objects for themselves. I love how the diagonals lend motion, the strong light and shadows add drama, as well as, the intense reds playing off the cool blues of the shadows. The hard linear qualities of the tray in juxtaposition to the organic shapes of the tomatoes also add contrast and excitement.

Red Pepper Salute , Oil, 5x7" SOLD This is my first painting in my new studio with my new shadow box. I want to thank Carol Marine for providing the detailed instructions to make it, and my dear hubby, Rich, for building it. By the way, my pepper was delicious on my salad and in my spaghetti sauce!