Red Geranium in Shadow Oil Painting by Maria Soto Robbins

 I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers. (Claude Monet, 1840-1926) 

The holidays have come and gone and I'm ready to get back to work  painting.  One of my favorite subjects, that I never tire off it seems, are flowers.  Lately it's been geraniums.  Here is the latest one. It has the textured petals in thick, rich buttery oil paints. Hope you like it and remind you that spring is right around the corner!

Copyright 2013 Maria Soto Robbins

You can click below to purchase directly or visit my Etsy shop here.

Dimension: 8x10x.75 inches gallery wrap canvas 
Media: Oils

Price:  $55.00 with Free Shipping

Thanks for stopping by today!

Cariños,

Maria Soto Robbins

msr107@gmail.com
http://www.artbymsr.etsy.com
http://www.art-by-msr.com

Red Geranium Original Oil Painting

Red Geraniums Impasto copyright 2012 Maria Soto Robbins

These impressionistic Red Geraniums were painted with thick, rich buttery oil impasto strokes. They always remind me of my mother. Having been born in Spain, it was one of her favorite flowers. And as a way of thanking you for reading my newsletters and blog, and being my friend on Facebook, I'm auctioning off this lovely 8x10 gallery wrap canvas for $1.00 on Ebay, with free Priority Shipping! Please click here to check out the auction!  

It will bring a smile to your mom's face for years to come!

I'm also having a sale on my Etsy shop.Click here for some freshly painted flowers that are all 10% off with Free Shipping. Use code  MAY10PERCENTOFF when you check-out in my shop. Everything is 10% off! Remember, I am always happy to personalize the back of the painting for you.

Nude at Home

My friend of a lifetime, the CPA, the budding photographer, the frustrated designer, the creative persona.   All these describe Raquel. She managed to design, contract, and re-hab her master bathroom. Sorry that I don't have any "before" pictures so that you can appreciate the re-model all the more.  It's a beautiful open spa-like bathroom, I think.

After the completion, she wanted a piece of art to hang over the toilet (of all places!)  in a large, narrow wall.  She couldn't find a   perfect piece so that's where I came in.  She explained what she was after and we collaborated to design the perfect painting for this area. A nude. Tasteful and discreet, I think.  I'm very pleased with the way it looks but most importantly, she's the one who loves it!

Here are some photos I took recently when I dropped off the painting.

Long Lost Loves~A True Valentine's Day Story

"Marta" and "Luis"-Then and now

In honor of Valentine's Day, this coming Tuesday, I'd like to share a true love story of my friends, and how they found each other after almost 40 years of leading separate lives.

"Luis" and "Marta" (not their real names) were noviecitos or sweet hearts in our beach side town of Santa Fe, Cuba during the early 1960's.  They both taught catechism to the young children in our parish.  Marta's grandmother, in particular, loved Luis. "He's so handsome and sweet" she would tell her grand daughter.

Fidel Castro, and his communist regime, came to power and Marta's parents knew they had to leave the island.  She was 15 at the time and it broke her heart to have to leave the love of her young life behind.

Marta and her family came to the U.S. like so many others, and settled in Yonkers, NY.  She missed Luis terribly since he stayed behind with his family, who were all on the island.  Life went on and Marta believed that she could get Luis out of Cuba if only she could claim him as her spouse, since this was the only viable way of getting a loved one out of Cuba, at that time.  If was referred to as "reclaiming" or reclamar a relative. So they agreed to a proxy marriage.  Marta's grandmother stood in her place, next to Luis, during the marriage ceremony in Cuba.

However, even with the civil marriage established, no one was getting out of Cuba, legally by this time, so Luis stayed behind in spite of their efforts. He thought he would never see his “niña bonita” again.  Life went on and seeing that there was no way out, he met someone and married.

Marta was devastated but her father encouraged her to forget about him and go on with her life. A dissolution of marriage had been gotten but Marta never forgot Luis.  Ever. She, too, married and had two daughters.

Fast forward 38 years.  Marta is now living in Miami, after having divorced her husband.  Luis has finally left Cuba via Mexico and is now settled in south Florida too.

A group of friends from Santa Fe started meeting regularly at La Habana Vieja restaurant on Coral Way, in Miami. Everyone enjoyed seeing old friends and re-telling favorite stories. Around this time, Marta started going to these reunions.  Luis did too. Emotions that had been buried for so long started to surface. They felt like a couple of teenagers in love again.  Neither one had ever forgotten the other and there was no stopping them this time.

They have now been married, again, for nearly 10 years. Marta says that her dreams have all come true when she reconnected with Luis. "My grandmother would have been so happy to know that we're finally together and married-again", she says. Luis is still the love of her life and it’s evident that she is the same for him too. They act like a  pair of deliriously happy teenagers who are very much in love!
 
Happy Valentines Day!

cariños ♥

Sunflower Sunshine

copyright 2012 Maria Soto Robbins

Spanish Sangria

Spanish Sangria 2012 Maria Soto Robbins

Spanish sangria was inspired by this lovely pitcher, that a good friend gave me some years back. I use it to mix the ingredients for our sangrias, and love these colors. 

Sold with a frame, ready to hang. Varnished to protect it from dust and ensure longevity. This painting also makes a great gift.

Dimension: 11x14 canvas panel
Comes with flat brown wood frame measuring 16.5x19.5 overall with 1 inch white cloth mat insert)

Media:Oils 


Check my etsy shop for Spanish Sangria oil painting.

New Painting for January

Cuban Coffee, Lime and Creamer Copyright 2012 Maria Soto Robbins

Happy New Year!  

  

"The days are long but the years are short." I love this quote from Gretchen Rubin and her Happiness Project, because it's so true!  

Two thousand eleven came and went in a blur as did Christmas. Nevertheless, I hope the holiday season was a happy one for you.  Although I was sick with the flu during Christmas, I spent quality time with my family and had a much needed break to rest and recuperate.  

 To start out 2012, I'd like to share this piece I've just completed.  This series of Cuban Coffee paintings are definitely my most requested pieces.  I love the comments I get from collectors telling me about the pleasant memories this subject brings to mind.  Erin purchased one of these and recently wrote telling me:

"I want to let you know how excited I was when I found this piece! My boyfriend saw the image when he was doing an image search titled "Cuba". An image of this piece came up and he really admired it. His family is from Cuba and he does enjoy a cafecito every morning. I just want you to know that this was a much enjoyed birthday gift!!!" 

 Please check out Cuban Coffee, Lime and Creamer in my etsy shop here.  

Cariños,

Maria

  

Poinsettia Closeup

Poinsettia Closeup by Maria Soto Robbins 

This is the quintessential Christmas plant. I explained about my poinsettia inspiration here and this is the first painting I've done as a result of that. I've been working and sketching a couple of others and I'll try to finish those before Christmas, I hope. There is so much going on!

Did you know that poinsettias are native to Mexico? That they represent over 85 percent of the potted plant sales during the holiday season? And you can tell if a poinsettia is fresh when they have little or no yellow pollen showing on the flower clusters in the center of the bracts. I love poinsettias and wanted to do this one in an impressionistic style and to show the bracts in raised impasto. Hope you like it!

Click here for purchase information in my etsy store.

Mojito & Havana Club

Copyright 2010 Maria Soto Robbins

Mojito and Havana Club shows an impressionistic oil painting of my absolute, most favorite drink in the world (after water ;) . Mojitos are made with mint, lime, soda (Sprite or 7 Up, ), some sugar, and of course, rum. They are so refreshing. It even taste good without the rum!

Dimension:8x10

Media: Oils

SOLD

Maria Soto Robbins
Miami, Fl
Msr107@gmail.com

Using Google Reader

A good friend recently asked me to send her an email every time I post on my blog because she'll forget to go and specifically check for a new post. And she doesn't want to miss seeing my art and stories-how sweet! I mentioned Google Reader and she’d never heard of it. So it seems not everyone knows how cool and functional Reader truly is.

Since I subscribe to dozens of blogs, I have no idea how I could keep up with all of the new blog posts. This way I can track my favorite blogs in one central location. It’s a great time saver! It even keeps track of the ones I’ve already read!

To get started with Google Reader, just click here.

In case you're wondering, I thought my painting, Miami Beach Path, was appropriate since we're all looking for ways to move in the right direction!

Oil Painting Demonstration: Simple Geranium in Terracotta Pot

This is the third and final post about my step by step demonstration of my geraniums oil painting. Again, this is a fairly simple, straightforward, floral painting. It could have been far more intricate and detailed but I chose not to go that route. Flowers, I think, are very forgiving to paint since nothing in nature is perfect. And then again, it is.
~~~
I keep adding a bit more texture to the blooms. Ultimately I want thick impasto on those little red leaves. But not yet! I’ll have to wait until the next day to continue with the petals.

Here I’ve added more highlights and started the impasto:
More details and layering of thickened paint:

Here I’ve added more highlights and impasto:
I missed the shots of the tabletop being painted.
Here’s some details of the final, and the finished painting.

That’s it!. I hope you liked seeing this process as much as I enjoyed doing it!

Oil Painting Demonstration: Simple Geraniums in Terracotta Pot

This is the continuation of Tuesday's post of my painting demonstration of the Geraniums in Terracotta pot.

I keep refining and adding to the table, the leaves and the clay pot, giving it more shape as I go.

I’m using burnt sienna mixed with yellow ochre and a bit of cad red for the pot and giving it more shape with the oil paints:


I keep adding my greens from the cad yellow light and ultramarine blue and ivory black mix and work it into the leaves, trying to remember the impressionists "broken color" mantra. I don’t want the entire leave to have one solid color:

Here I’ve gotten to the stage where I want to start adding the geranium flowers. I want to fill in the upper portion of the canvas and add a bloom at the top to fill in this area and give a more asymmetrical feel:

A small little bloom will be growing at the top:

Next time, I'll continue with the geraniums, pot, and tabletop.

Oil Painting Demonstration: Simple Geranium in Terracotta Pot

In a recent post I mentioned that I had taken some photos and written some notes while I was doing this particular painting, and here is the beginning. This is the first of three posts on this subject.

Here are my reference photos:


I use water based oil paints Winsor & Newton Artisan, which I love. I had to quit using the genuine oils and mediums because the fumes made me sick.

For this painting I’ll be using a fairly limited palette:

cadmium yellow
yellow ochre
cadmium red
permanent rose
ultramarine blue
burnt sienna
titanium white
ivory black

The support is 18x24x.75 gallery wrap canvas with staples on the back.

First step of course is the initial drawing on a lightly toned yellow ochre canvas. This will be my background color as well and will infuse the painting with light. With this subject, I’m basically doing a pretty loose sketch of the main shapes, with water-thinned yellow ochre to outline the subject and tabletop. Awareness of where the light is coming from is important at this stage:

I’ll fill in the background next and add some pronounced brushstrokes. I’m still thinking about the light and shadows, which adds interest, I think:

I’m not worried about accuracy here. Just getting the canvas covered. I’ll start by adding the darkest darks, which includes the plant shadow. One formula suggested for shadows is to always add a touch of blue to the main shadow color. I'm using my favorite #8 filbert:



I'll continue putting in basic shadow shapes and details on the leaves.

I welcome your comments. Until next time...

Spanish Shawl and Fringe Original Oil

Copyright 2010 Maria Soto Robbins

This is the entry for "Fringe". K.Madison Moore's May Challenge from Daily Painters International Art Gallery.

I received this Spanish shawl or "manton" from a cousin in Spain, a few years ago, when she visited us in Miami. I think it's beautiful and because of it's fringe and the fact that I love it, I decided to paint it! Thanks Madison for your creative inspiration!

(Did you know that the Spanish shawl or Manton de Manila, as the Spanish call the shawl, originally came from the Far East, in China? Read more about it's history here in the New Embroidery Group Blog. )

Dimension:
8x10x.75" gallery wrap canvas with staples in the back

Media:Oils

Please go to my Etsy store to purchase Spanish Shawl and Fringe

Miami Beach Lifeguard Shack 41 Street

Copyright 2010 Maria Soto Robbins

This impressionistic, vibrant, painting with gently textured impasto was inspired by a visit to a favorite part of Miami Beach, around 41 Street & Collins Avenue. This beach scene shows one of the many unique Art Deco inspired lifeguard shacks along the Collins Avenue stretch of Miami Beach.

Dimension: 11x14 gessoed canvas panel

Media: Oils

Please click here to see the ebay auction on Miami Beach Lifeguard Shack-41 Street.

Pink Magenta Hibiscus

Copyright 2010 Maria Soto Robbins

This past winter was unusually cold in south Florida, and consequently my plants have suffered. The hibiscus were dormant and it's just been in the last two weeks that they've begun blooming like usual. I have a pink variety that are very vibrant. This impressionistic painting was inspired by my one of these lovely hibiscus flowers.

Varnished to protect it from dust and ensure longevity.

This would make a lovely Mother's Day gift!

Please click here to check out my ebay auction to see Pink Magenta Hibiscus

Dimension: 8x10x.75" gallery wrap canvas with staples in the back

Media: Oils (with gently textured impasto)

Blog2print

April 15th will mark one year since I started blogging. It's been a challenge. Writing, for me, is not an easy thing to do. But it is a wonderful format to showcase my art and anything that will help get my art out there, is worth doing! And so I blog.

A company by the name of Blog2print is always sending me promos for their service. You've probably seen them too. The thought of having all my blog posts in a book format chronicling my first year of blogging was very appealing. After all, everyone has heard of blogs disappearing or crashing and one can loose all of one's work in a moment. So, with a few simple clicks, I ordered my book from blog2print, last week, and I just received it. I'm so pleased! Although somewhat thin since it only covers the period from April, when I started, through December, 2009 it does include all of my posts and all the corresponding art I blogged about. Since I try to be organized, I'm planning on ordering a 2010 edition, next year...I even put my picture in the back...

Pineapple Impasto Oil

Copyright 2009 Maria Soto Robbins

This impressionistic painting was done in thick, rich oil impasto with palette knives and brushes and it shows a pineapple sitting on a tabletop. I love the fruit of the "bromeliad pineapple" plant and it is also a wonderful symbol of hospitality.

Dimensions:9x12

Media: Oils

Maria Soto Robbins

Miami, Fl

msr107@gmail.com

Coconut Lime Oil Painting

Copyright 2009 Maria Soto Robbins

About the painting:
This impressionistic painting was done in thick oil impasto with palette knive and brushes and it shows a coconut cut in half a long side a cut lime.

Dimension:8x10 canvas panel

Media: Oils

Varnished to protect it from dust and ensure longevity.

Please click here for more information about Coconut Lime Original Oil Painting


Maria Soto Robbins
Miami, Fl



msr107@gmail.com

Red Hibiscus Original Oil Painting

Copyright 2009 Maria Soto Robbins

This impressionistic painting was inspired by my love of the hibiscus flower. These bloom in my south Florida garden year round! It has a gently textured impasto.

Lightly damar varnished to protect if from dust and ensure longevity.

Dimension:5x7 canvas panel

Media: Oils

For more information click here.

Maria Soto Robbins
Miami, Fl
Msr107@gmail.com