Art by Mary Rochelle Burnham

Shadow Play , Oil, 6x8", available I did not think of bananas as difficult to paint. Even though these went quickly, they took sometime before they came together. Funny how expectations can play with your mind. I ended up loving the outcome despite it looking like a jumbled mess for the first half.

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!

Eldon , Oil, 14x11", SOLD I had the honor of doing a portrait demo for a small group of artists down in Casa Grande, AZ last week. Eldon was the willing subject and he did a wonderful job of modeling. This was a quick two hour sketch with a few short breaks. Here is a portion of the thank you note I received: "Just wanted to thank you again for the workshop you did for our Art Class here at Las Colinas.  Everyone including our instructor Cathy expressed how much they learned from you.  I have been asked several times to bring out the portrait you did so that they could examine it more closely.  After seeing it, other folks have now expressed interest in checking out our class on Thursdays.  Anyway, thanks again." 

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

Her Gaze, Oil, 10 x 8", available Adrienne is a petite young woman with the most compelling gaze. The shadows are painted very thin and the light values, especially in the face, are impasto. My intent was to show some interesting brush work in this 2.5 hour sketch from life.

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!