"Sonoma Stroll"

"Sonoma Stroll"
24" x 36" Oil on Gallery Canvas
© Monique Straub

With summer fast approaching, my thoughts are on vacation time! The vineyards of central California are always a favorite spot, as hubby and I motor our way to the Monterey and Carmel area each year. A short break from painting, and beautiful scenery is just the thing to recharge the artistic batteries.

Also, in just a few short weeks, it will be time once again for "Friday Night Liberty" at NTC Liberty Station. The date is June 6th, from 5-9pm. It is a fun evening of open art studios, music and dining. Oh, and you can see "Sonoma Stroll" up close and personal.

"Sonoma Stroll" is painted on 1-1/2" thick gallery wrapped canvas. The sides are painted black and it is ready to hang, unframed. You may purchase here and have it shipped to your door, or purchase here and pick up an my studio/gallery at Liberty Station, Pt. Loma, and I will refund the shipping. $1495 + $40 to ship anywhere in the continental U.S. or Canada. Updated 1/29/15: Sold...through Inspirations Gallery!

"Riverdance"

"Riverdance"
24" x 24" Oil on Gallery Canvas
© Monique Straub

Wind rushes clouds through the sky, ripples on the river lap at their tule clad banks, the bushes rustle a song...it's another day on the river. If no one is there to hear it...does it still make a sound?

"Riverdance" is painted on 1-1/2" thick gallery wrapped canvas. The sides of this piece are painted black and it is ready to hang, unframed. You may purchase here and have it shipped to your door, or purchase here and pick up at my studio/gallery at Liberty Station, Pt. Loma, and I will refund the shipping. $525 + $40 to ship anywhere in the continental US or Canada. Updated 11/23/14: Sold!

"Hot Nopales"

"Hot Nopales"
12" x 12" Framed Oil on Canvas
© Monique Straub

With weather in the triple digits this past week, a recent trip to east county resulted in a few new shots of inspiration for my upcoming show at the NTC/Liberty Station ArtWalk. The cactus garden at the Olaf Weighorst Museum, in spite of sweltering conditions, revealed hundreds of happy cactus blossoms. To my surprise, the delicate appearing blossoms were holding up quite well under the afternoon sun.

"Hot Nopales" is offered framed in a gold crackle finish float frame, and available here. You can have it shipped to your door, or pick up at my studio in Pt. Loma and I'll refund the shipping. $275 + $30 to ship anywhere in the continental US or Canada. Thanks for taking the heat! Updated 11/23/14: Sold!



"Garden Ballet"

"Garden Ballet"
12" x 12" Framed Oil on Canvas
© Monique Straub
 

So many times I am drawn to beautiful fragrances in our neighborhood. Across the street is a grove of orange trees in bloom, and last night I discovered our next door neighbor has this beautiful Brugmansia bush that is in full bloom. Also known as "Angels Trumpet" the night time fragrance fills the entire neighborhood. Evening walks always bring inspiration.

"Garden Ballet" is offered framed in a gold crackle finish float frame, and available here. You can have it shipped to your door, or pick up at my studio in Pt. Loma and I'll refund the shipping. $275 + $30 to ship anywhere in the continental US or Canada. Thanks for stopping by. Updated 2/7/14: Sold!

"High Humidity"

"High Humidity"
12" x 12" Framed Oil on Canvas
© Monique Straub
 

After spending a fabulous week on an Alaska cruise, the return to Southern California weather was a bit of a shock. Yes, I can hear you now..."What's to complain about with San Diego weather?" Well, it's this...my hair is limp and I'm not liking it! Big, puffy clouds over the San Diego skyline are a beautiful site, but inland where I live, it's a different story. It's humidity city right now, and I even captured a mosquito in the house.  I guess sometimes we just don't know how good we have it, so I'll just have to paint my troubles away :)

 

"High Humidity" is offered framed in a gold crackle finish float frame, and available here. You can have it shipped to your door, or pick up at my studio in Pt. Loma and I'll refund the shipping. $275 + $30 to ship anywhere in the continental US or Canada. Updated 8/25/13: Sold to a new collector at ArtWalk!

"Wide Awake"

"Wide Awake"
12" x 12" Framed Oil on Canvas
© Monique Straub
 

I'm so excited about the upcoming ArtWalk at NTC/Liberty Station, I can't sleep! I'll pack up my entire studio and have it all on display on the grass at Ingram Plaza on August 24th & 25th. So it's back to business after a week long vacation. It's been so much fun getting back to my studio, visiting with my art buddies, and moving some paint around.  My first project was painting these big, crazy sunflowers  from Trader Joes. I was intrigued by the purple veins running through the leaves...perfect for the "challenge" painting on DailyPaintworks.com! The challenge this week is all about sunflowers, and I'm on it!

"Wide Awake" is offered framed in a gold crackle finish float frame, and available here. You can have it shipped to your door, or pick up at my studio in Pt. Loma and I'll refund the shipping. $275 + $30 to ship anywhere in the continental US or Canada. Hope to see you soon. Updated 8/25/13: Sold to a new collector at ArtWalk!

"Forest Path"

"Forest Path"
12" x 12" Framed Oil on Canvas
© Monique Straub
 

Still having fun with the oil paints. This is another scene I've also painted in pastel. I still find that mixing the colors in oil is so much more of an interupption than when painting in pastel, but I'm now starting out each piece by doing all the color mixing before I start to paint. It's easier to work out and doesn't mess with my flow :) I'm still working with a limited palette, but now I know why some oil painters work with 10-15 colors to begin with!

"Forest Path" is offered framed in a gold crackle finish float frame, and available here. You can have it shipped to your door, or pick up at my studio in Pt. Loma and I'll refund the shipping. $275 + $30 to ship anywhere in the continental US or Canada. Hope to see you soon. Updated 3/19/14: Sold!

"Road Trip"

"Road Trip"
24" x 24" Oil on Canvas
© Monique Straub
 

It's summertime...time for a road trip! This was the scene out the windshield on my way to Las Vegas last summer. Perfect puffy clouds, wide open road, and not another car in sight. The first in a continuing series of "on the road" paintings, this piece is painted in oil on 1-1/2" deep stretched canvas with sides painted black, ready to hang and enjoy.Buy it here and have it shipped to your door. $475 + $35 to ship anywhere in the continental US or Canada. Updated 7/17/13: Sold...to a new collector in Sandpoint, Idaho!

"Along the Wash"

"Along the Wash"
20" x 20"
Oil on Canvas
 

Mmm...I love the smell of oil paint. It takes me back to the 60's, when my mom would sit and paint everything from Eucalyptus trees to kittens, using her tiny little brush and multitude of little oil paint pots from her paint by numbers kits. Remember those? The smell of the oil paint is what I remember best. I still have the pair of light blue kittens she painted for my room when I was six.

Well, here is another example of my transition from pastel to oil painting. Fun, but much messier than pastels for me! "Along the Wash" painted on 3/4" stretched canvas, is offered unframed. Buy it here and have it shipped to your door, or buy it here and pick up at my Pt. Loma studio and I'll refund the shipping cost. $325 + $25 to ship anywhere in the continental US or Canada.