When is it finished?

Canning

This was started almost a year ago. It's gone through quite a few incarnations. For a long time there was an additional jar (empty), more tomatoes, no onion, no bell pepper, all sorts of decisions and second guesses. The shape of the enamel ware bowl kept changing too. After the still life set up was gone, the angle never looked right. The garlic in the jar was glowingly white, but it always seemed too bright until I dulled it, then it looked wrong that way too. I learned a lot on this one. Mostly patience and practice. Now I have either finished it or given up on it.
 I welcome suggestions or comments, but I might not make any changes in this one. It's been through so much already.  This goes in to the group I call Kitchen Pictures. They are Still Life's, but of a kind that would work well in a kitchen or casual dinning room.
It's time to probably do something more formal again. Right now landscapes are getting most of the painting time.
The weather is not being cooperative, but there are some regularly meeting plein air groups in the area with which it will be great to work with again. I use oils so the paint doesn't dry out while I'm working  outside.

The Second Day of Christmas:

Redberry Wreath 6X8 watercolor

Boxing day in some areas. A day to reflect. Or ...whatever. I'm just not in that solemn a mood! So I painted! This is using a little plein air pocket sized set of half pans and a block I can carry in my bag. This, however, was done inside.
Christmas was a lovely day for all the family and most of us were together. Today we are all "resting" after the preparations. Especially my sister-in-law, she decorated their house beautifully and together they fixed a scrumptious meal, plus lots of snacks of every kind, cookies and candy to raw veggies and dip. Yum!

 This all means heavenly leftovers of course. I got to bring some home, so I don't have to cook to night. I think I am showing rather a lot of unsuspected self control in not eating all the candy, I also brought home, in one sitting. Do you people have any idea what it is like to have an OPEN box of See's in the house? Time for some carrot sticks!

Autumn is here!

As the trees start to turn, and the apples start to ripen, it's time to paint those things! I've thrown in an extra. It's a palette I rarely use, I remember an art teacher at the Academy of Art University who was working in pastel that time, he said to look at your pastels and see which ones are longest. Then make yourself use them because you are probably avoiding that part of the spectrum. Excellent advice. What a school!