Art by Mary Rochelle Burnham

Touched by the Spirit , Oil, 6 x 8" "Apple symbolizes wisdom, because in the Bible, it is the fruit of the tree "that gives the knowledge of what is good and what is evil"1(Genesis 2:9), which Adam and Eve are forbidden to eat. God had said "You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, except the tree that gives the knowledge of what is good and what is evil..."2(Genesis 2:16-17). Nevertheless, being tempted by the evil serpent, Adam and Eve eat the apple. After they consume the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve "[are] given understanding"3(Genesis 3:7), and are thrown from paradise, the Garden of Eden. Therefore, the apple may also symbolize the beginning of an exile, or suffering." --Dominique Mao

Something Borrowed, Something Blue,  Oil, 7x5", SOLD I borrowed the blue glass from Judy Goral of Lemons, IL. The flowers were given to me from Carol Marine . This lesson was to use one color per one stroke. I groaned at first then decided that I loved the results! Got to do this more often.

Apple with Cup & Saucer, Oil, 7x5, available I set up this arrangement after our lesson on composition at Carol Marine's workshop . I borrowed the cup from  Cathe Hedgespeth of Henderson, KY. She is a sweetheart. I worked at the same table as her each day. I borrowed the background papers from Trish Lyons of Louisville, KY, who also shared my table. Trish is a wonderful gal, too, and I was happy to loan objects along with everyone else. We had a fantastic group of people, which included two great guys!

Three Amigos , Oil, 6x8", available If you ever get a chance to attend a Carol Marine workshop, your money will be well spent! Carol is a fabulous instructor and a teaches a wealth of information. Even an old dog like me can learn a new trick or two. This piece is one I did on my first day. I will be posting more and putting up on DPW.

Gar's Shoes , Oil, 5x7" available A simple still life that I set up for my students. Gar provided the shoes. I did this as a demo.

Art Center Coffee Mug , Oil on panel, 5x7, SOLD Last Thursday, I had some time in between classes to eat my dinner and set up this simple still life. I teach an oil class for beginners and I like to keep it simple. "what the hey", I thought, "I'll knock this puppy out myself before class". Well, I am very pleased with the results.

Memento Mori, pastel, 12 x 9" SOLD One of the skulls that either my husband or I have found and cleaned up over the years. I guess its an artist thing...at least this artist. I have always been fascinated with anatomy. I used to study my father's manuals from when he was a medic in World War II. I believe all the copying of skeletons and muscles helped me to develop tremendously in portraiture. On this particular piece, I was mostly concerned with painting the light and not the minutia of the skull. I was going for drama with the color. It was sad to me that this healthy young buck was shot and ran off to die, undiscovered until he could not be eaten. My husband came across his corpse while taking a leisurely walk in the woods and brought home his head. I find his skull both beautiful and disturbing, just like this story.

Missed You For Tea , color pencil, 2.5 x 3.5", available  I entered this miniature into The Color of White Challenge, posted by Susan Abbott on Daily Paintworks. It is my second piece. My first sold this past Thursday. Missed You For Tea, although small, was a complicated piece that took approximately four hours to draw.

Red Pepper ,  water soluble color pencil, 3.5 x 2.5"   available I love to garden and to cook, and the red pepper is a vegetable that I also love to paint as well as eat! It has wonderful color and shape. Notice the subtle reflection on the surface that it sat on. All in all, a tasty treat!

Red Apple , Oil on RayMar Panel, 6 x 6" available I'd like to introduce you to my new blog, where I will be posting new work (and some old) for sale. Please visit often, leave your comments and let me know how I'm doing! Besides having an avenue to sell my work, I hope that you will comment on both the quality of the work and my progress. As I have learned and been inspired by countless artists, I hope you will find something to glean here, too!