Tiny Treasure #41

Still lifes are still one of my favorite subject matters! A simple pairing can bloom into a rich painting that has a life of its own; the sum of its parts equal far more than each of them alone.

Shadows are always a challenge and as I was setting this up, I didn't notice that there was a faint, second shadow that, when added, enhances the depth and reality of the painting.

"Opal Oval"
10x8" Pastel
SOLD Thanks Tracy C. from Wenatchee

Tiny Treasure #39

Leave it up to an artist to discover endless ideas for painting in a tiny earthscape. That's what I call my small pieces taken from little bits underfoot. Here is another in the "Treasures Underfoot" series.

This one was a challenge to create the same colors of flowers as the first one, yet the design was a little different and seems to keep you "off-center" as you enjoy finding hidden flowers throughout.

"Treasures Underfoot 2"
NFS

Tiny Treasure #38

"Treasures Underfoot" shows us what beauty we miss as we wander through our day. My challenge to you is to stop at random and look down. What treasures do you find?

And hopefully you'll share those with a friend, a child, a grandparent, a student.

As you look closely at this painting, know that each brushstroke was layed on with passion and love. My passion for painting ~ and living. My love of color and movement.

"Treasures Underfoot"
10x8" NFS
Oil painting on masonite.

Tiny Treasure #37

Subtle hue changes between shade and sunlight intrigued me as I worked wet in wet with luscious oils, laying a shy blue-green next to an energetic umber, and then scrubbing off a section of the background to reveal sunlight.

This wonderful piece will surprise you each morning as you look at it with fresh eyes!
Oil Painting
10x8" $95.00
SOLD

Tiny Treasures 35 & 36

How much fun I've been having with my "grapes" series! There are so many different composition possibilities with vines and grapes. The lighting of course is what makes the difference! Here you'll find one in pastel and one in oil.

The first, a pastel, is Sweet Syrah.
The affect of dappled sunlight on
the leaves and grapes
makes this one dance!
10x8" Pastel $75.00
SOLD

The second, an oil, is Syrah Study 1.
I was struck with the contrast between
the branches at the bottom and the ground.
I didn't want to bring too much attention
to the grapes, as they are such a rich color,
they stand out all by themselves.

5x7" Oil $75.00
first person to email me claims this painting
you will receive a PayPal invoice
jennifer@evenhusfineart.com

Tiny Treasure #34

"Gala Harvest" is a fun,
dynamic piece that will
liven up your dining room or kitchen.
What about
putting it in a wide black
stand-up frame and put
on your end table!


"Gala Harvest"
8x10 pastel SOLD
Thanks Cindy G.

Large Oil Paintings

My abstract leanings beckon. Large canvases sit waiting. Tempting me. Laughing at me as the paint dances onto small canvases called "Tiny Treasures." Yes. My passion encompasses not only these tiny treasures, but large canvases that will knock your socks off.

Take a minute and visit my website, www.evenhusfineart.com, click on "oil paintings" to view a few large oils that are available. These are perfect finishing touches for a living room or bedroom. They are wonderful in an office or reception area. If you see one that you'd like, email me and we'll figure out how to ship it to you, or deliver it in the Wenatchee area.

This piece is called ORG#1 30x36" Oil on Canvas $1200.00

Tiny Treasure #31

What a difference the time of day.

Light is everything. Light is magic. My favorite sky. Butter yellow. Not really yellow. Beyond description as so many colors are. You have to feel this yellow. You have to breathe it into your soul to know it.

A wonderful landscape of North Central Washington
on the Columbia River. More and more vineyards
are being planted . . .
the romance of Italy right here in our own back yard.

"Morning Vineyards on the Columbia"
Pastel 10x8" $75.00
SOLD

Tiny Treasure #30

This scene is reminiscent of landscapes you will find in Italy or France, but is found in North Central Washington state, USA near Pateros on the mighty Columbia River. We never take the Columbia for granted, those of us born and raised here in the Wenatchee Valley. It is one of our natural treasures and is used to irrigate thousands of acres of farmland, and provide all kinds of recreational opportunities. The Columbia is a wide gentle river, flowing from Canada through Washington into the Pacific Ocean near Portland, Oregon.

I wanted to portray the calmness I saw that day by how smooth I layed on the pastel in the lower part of the painting. Those of us who really know the Columbia, know that it isn't always that gentle. Those of us who jet ski on her. Or kayak. Or waterski.

Once you're in the water, you can feel the mighty tug of the current, pulling you ever south, towards the ocean. Of course you'd have to go over several huge hydroelectric dams before getting there!

The challenge I gave myself with this small study was to see if I could create the distance from one shore to the other. The shrubbery on this side of the river is crisp and clear, with good contrast. The vineyards and trees on the other side are less clear and have less contrast. Standing back from the painting about 10 feet is a good test . . . looks like it works!

Vineyards on the Columbia
10x8" Pastel $75.00
SOLD
www.evenhusfineart.com

Tiny Treasure #29

OK, I have to confess
Yes, I did it.
Just because I already have hundreds, maybe thousands of pastels . . . does that mean I cannot indulge my obsession for just a few more creamy colors? Of course not!! That's one of the perks of being an artist - just one more excuse to shop! Not that I love to shop - like for clothes, shoes - that's way too boring. But when it comes to paint or pastels - look out!

The other night I logged onto Dakota Pastel Art (located in Mount Vernon, north of Seattle) and found a set of Holbein pastels that was a perfect mix to add to my collection. My collection of pastels includes Schminke (my favs), Rembrandt, Unison, Sennelier (all of which are round) and a few Holbein.

What I like best about Holbein, is that they are square. What a novel idea! And they aren't quite as soft as Schminke, but softer than Rembrandt . . . and the colors are deliciously sensual!

My latest "Tiny Treasure," Picker's Cabins Study 4 uses quite a few colors from my new set of Holbeins. My challenge for this piece was to paint the sun dappled buildings in such a way that they "glow."

Picker's Cabin Study 4
Pastel 12x9" $75.00
SOLD
www.evenhusfineart.com

Tiny Treasure #28

Isn't it amazing how different pastels can be from oils!
When I painted the picker's cabins in oils, I knew I wanted to keep it loose and emphasize the different colors of "white." Then when I completed this pastel of the same subject, it just blew me away that they can be so different.

It could be the colored ground I used with this pastel. I began with a bold orange/red ground that would tie the painting together. I also allowed the cabins to remain more colorful and less "white."

I also added figures and a picker's bucket, giving the
painting a different "feel."

Picker's Cabins Study 3
8x10 Pastel $75.00
SOLD

Tiny Treasures 26 & 27

There's white and then there's WHITE.

Ah yes. White. A fabulous color. These two Tiny Treasures forced me to REALLY look at the whites in each of the individual picker's cabins. At first glance, you would say they are white. Yet on closer scrutiny, I discovered each cabin exuded its own character hidden within its WHITE.

So, I accepted the challenge to portray each of their attitudes. One was a funky shade of melon white, another was a mellow guacamole white, and yet another was a crisp starched cotton white.
Now you're getting the idea of WHITE.


Picker's Cabins
Study 1 $75.00
first person to email me claims this painting
you will receive a PayPal invoice
jennifer@evenhusfineart.com


How fun would these two Tiny Treasures be,
sitting in the bedroom of your beach-side cottage,
or on your baby grand piano - bringing a
chorus of WHITE into your life!!



Picker's Cabins
Study 2
SOLD

Keeping it Simple

I have good intentions of keeping my artwork simple. Like, can you count the brushstrokes in one of my small oils? You should be able to count them and see where one stops and the next begins. That's what is so fun with this project of mine: "Tiny Treasures."

I paint many different subject matters, but the real subject is the paint itself. Take a look at this small piece of my pond. Keeping it simple.
From the detail you can see the brushstrokes. That's what I'm talking about. Now that's fun!
"Cerulean Dusk" is still available.
5x7" Oil $75.00 Buy Now

Midnight Beauty

My artwork is my life preserver. Endless possibilities present themselves with each blank canvas ~ offering me simple joys only artists experience. August 2006 surrounds me with stifling heat and a panic I knew would come. Every parent knows it's inevitable ~ the day when your “baby” leaves home. Sure they left home for college. It’s not the same. She kept coming back. Then. But now she has moved out. Into an apartment all her own. Oh, sure, she’s 24 and I’ve enjoyed her company for way longer than many parents . . . but . . . but ~ just another year. What’s wrong with that?

Yes, she’s more than ready. But am I? I guess I don’t have a choice. I know I’ll be fine. I just am not sure of the definition of “fine” right now. I’m not sure of a lot of things right now. And you’ll say that’s normal ~ the empty nest syndrome.

Which reminds me . . . it was one of those God-things. As she was packing and we were going in and out of the house, she walks in holding an empty bird’s nest that she had found. Perfectly shaped. But empty. I held it in my hands for a moment, then placed it on a shelf in my living room where I can see it every day.

God’s message ~ loud and clear ~ give her wings.

So I did.

And so I paint. Today’s offering is a study of an iris from my huge flower bed of irises – I must have hundreds of plants – but to capture the color and attitude of a single iris is quite a challenge. I’ve just begun to explore their peculiar shape and regal stance.

Midnight Beauty
$75.00
Buy Now

Tiny Treasures #22

Is there no end to the colors found in a single cherry? If you look closely at each of these cherries - each one is an individual right down to the stem! They sit in a blue bowl with a basketweave border that gives the painting texture and movement.

My goal with this piece was to show how the blue of the bowl is reflected in the cherries and the red and magenta of the cherries is reflected in the bowl under each one.









Cherries Study 4 - $75.00 SOLD

Cherry Pie Anyone? Tiny Treasure #21

You'll be seeing several more cherry studies coming from my studio. These little gems offer such a great opportunity to create fun compositions and experiment with colors on the plates that hold the cherries and the reflections of color on them.

I was attracted to this grouping because the stems create a sort of tension, drawing your eye in 3 different directions at once. The abstract design on the plate is in direct contrast to the definite roundness of the cherries.

Check out the detail – how fun the brushstrokes are. This piece pretty much painted itself as my kitten, CoCo, and I watched! After I was done, I let her up to investigate the cherries and she carried one off in her mouth! I found it two days later under our ottoman!

Cherries Study 3 $75.00 BUY NOW

A Bumper Crop - Tiny Treasures #19 & #20

Cherry Harvest in Washington State is risky business with sudden rain storms and hail, then unbearable heat, threatening to split those still on the trees. But this year we had a bumper crop and when my husband brought home a sack of ripe bings, I couldn't resist the challenge of painting them.

I wasn't sure if I could actually make them appear shiny, delicous and the right color, my goal for these two tiny treasures, but when I step back, I've accomplished just that! They look good enough to pluck off the page and pop in my mouth.

These two studies would look awesome together,
above a sidetable or in your breakfast nook.

Cherries Study 1, above,
oils, 7x5", $75.00. SOLD

Cherries Study 2, right,
oils, 5x7", $75.00. SOLD

Tiny Treasures #18

Happy Independence Day! What do we love to do on the 4th of July? Have picnics of course. Here is another one in my peppers series called, "Southwest Picnic." It's 12x9" and is $75.00. SOLD

This was a fun piece to do. I tried to keep the same hues in the peppers as my last pepper piece, "Southwest Heat," but added a colorful napkin to surround the peppers. This will add some spice to your kitchen or dining room! Enjoy! and have a great 4th! Jennifer

Tiny Treasures #14

Gladiola Morning, seen here on the left, is a study in true warm colors and dynamic design. This piece is 9"x12" and is $75.00. An eye catching color spot that would liven up any room.
SOLD

Tiny Treasures #16

Tiny Treasures is an ongoing project where I create one, two, or three small pieces each week, then offer them for sale to the first person to follow the link to purchase the painting. This is my latest Tiny Treasure - "Southwest Heat" - and is SOLD already - thanks Sheila of Spokane, WA!

If you are on my Tiny Treasures email list and haven't purchased one, it's OK to just enjoy them each week, until you see one that you can't live without! Don't wait too long, though. They sometimes go quickly.

If you're new to this site and want to be one of the first to have a chance to purchase one of your favorites, go to: www.evenhusfineart.com/TinyTreasures.htm to register.

Please give me feedback on my work - I'd love to see your comments. Jennifer