"The First Tulip_the joy of spring"

9" x 6", oil



I brought some tulip bulbs from Armsterdam last Fall. It came with a tin and soil altogether for a 'townie' like myself.
The morning is getting brighter little by little in London.
The first tulip opened up at my kitchen window sill.
I never knew such a joy of Spring after a long Winter by living in California for 37 years, without the distintive sign of seasons or the expectation or the wating eagerly for the little longer sunshine.


v.2

It is gone. I painted over.

v.1


This was the beginning of 'Tulip" painting. It doesn't exist anymore since I worked over. I like this more than the finished one. It has such a vitality and freshness in the painting.

"Girl with a Pearl Earring" _ after Vermeer

10" x 14", oil

Last Fall, I visited the Mauritshuis, Den Haag. I saw the painting of Johannes Vermeer(1632-1675), Meisje mer de Parel / Girl with a Pearl Earring.


I fell in love with this painting and wanted to copy this since then.
Finally this week, I am having a week break from the studio, was able to have this luxurious experience of examining this master's beautiful work.
The expression of this face is so delicate and intriguing, has similar impact as Leonardo DaVinci's "Mona Lisa".
It might be different if I put mine next to the original, but I feel somewhat freaky about this copy since it turned out so close to the original.

12"x 10", charcoal, tonal


I did this study only using the tone, no line.