Crystal Bowl Strawberries - by Darren Maurer

6" x 6"

My good friend, Mick McGinty, is one of best painters of glass I have seen. I always marvel at all the little reflections and refractions he paints into his work to make the glass real. I found this little bowl at a second hand store today and loved how it looked with a couple of fresh strawberries inside. The glass bowl has little raised ridges that are twisted around the bowl from the top to the bottom. They are also wider at the top and narrow down as the reach the bottom edge. I have painted many glass objects in the past but this piece might be the most complex one I have attempted. painting glass is actually just like painting anything else.....paint what you see and not what you think you see. Check out Mick's work also, you can find him by clicking here http://www.twiceaweek.blogspot.com/

This is painting 278 in my Painting A Day Series. Painting Available $100. (Click Here for Purchase Details)

Micro-Masterpieces "Lifesaver" Exhibit by Darren Maurer

Paintings are Listed for Sale.
Lifesavers by Darren Maurer
Click HERE to see the entire collection of paintings.

Lady Bug - Daily Painting by Darren Maurer

4" x 6"

Before anyone emails and says, "Hey!!!!! That's not a lady bug!!! Its a rare European Derbyshire Aphid Eater." Please continue reading this educational blog post. Coccinellidae is a family of beetles, known variously as ladybirds (British English, Australian English, South African English), ladybugs (North American English) or lady beetles (preferred by some scientists). Lesser-used names include ladyclock, lady cow, and lady fly. The family name comes from its type genus, Coccinella. Coccinellids are found worldwide, with over 5,000 species described, and more than 450 are native to North America alone. So......I don't know which species this particular beetle is but he or she landed near my easel tonight while I was working and the inspiration hit me. A very fun subject to paint and also a very cooperative one I must say. This is painting 277 in Painting A Day Series. Painting Sold.

Peeps #3 by Darren Maurer

5" x 5"

I have painted a Peeps portrait every year near Easter time since beginning this daily painting blog almost three years ago. Here is Peeps #3. I always try to come up with a different view and composition for the Peeps. This is painting 276 in my Painting A Day Series. Painting Sold.

Announcement!!!!!!

I am going to be adding a new concept to my miniature paintings very soon. I am opening a new online blog gallery entitled "Micro-Masterpieces." The name is courtesy of my daughter Emily and is a spin off and addition to my current "Miniature Masterpieces" blog. I think the name is brilliant! The concept for this blog will be original micro-sized 3" x 3" paintings posted in themed groups. Groups of paintings will be posted throughout the month and email invitations will be sent to those on my subscription list. I want it to simulate a gallery opening with the paintings available to view and purchase at a listed price of $29.99 to $49.99. If you are interested in a piece, just click the "Buy it Now" button to complete the transaction on a first come first serve basis. A brief preview period prior to the exhibit becoming available for purchase will allow you to view the pieces in anticipation of a purchase. I am currently working on the first themed group that will be entitled "Lifesavers". Stay tuned for more information. If you are not currently on my email subscription list you have your name added by clicking the subcribe to mailing list shown to the right.

Coca Cola Can - by Darren Maurer

8" x 8"

Is there a packaged product anywhere that is more recognizable than a can of Coke? You can instantly recognize Coke in any foreign country. The red can and trademark letter style with wavy stripes always tell you it is a can of Coke. I decided to just paint the top portion of the can and it still works. This was really fun to paint. This is painting 275 in my Painting A Day Series. Painting Sold.

Lollipop - by Darren Maurer

6" x 7"

When I was kid and one of my parents would use the drive-thru at the bank, the teller would always do a head count for kids in the vehicle. Then my sister and I would get a piece of candy. My favorite bank candy was always these lollipops with the rope handle on them. I don't know where the bank got these because I have never seen them anywhere else. To this day I have never seen them for sale anywhere else. This week I was doing some business at a bank other than my own here in town. I had never stepped foot into the door of this particular bank before today. When I went inside, what did I see in a basket behind the counter? A pile of these lollipops. Of course I had to ask for one. I for sure wanted to use it for a painting and then consume it while riding around in the back seat of a green 1968 Ford LTD. We thought the built in 8-track player was soooooooooooooooooooo cool. This is painting 274 in my Painting A Day Series. Painting Sold.

Bobber - Daily Painting by Darren Maurer

3" x 3"

A good friend of ours, Diane, is a teacher in town. She has a student this year, Parker, that is interested in painting. We invited her to bring Parker by sometime to talk about painting. This evening Diane came over with Parker and his mother. Parker brought a painting that he recently finished of a black labrador retriever with a mallard duck in his mouth. Very nice work. They hung out in my studio and watched me paint while I was working on this bobber painting. We discussed color control, mixing color, differences between oil and acrylic paint, catching largemouth bass, our favorite lures to fish with, treating your sister nice, and lots of other things. I finished the painting and signed it and wanted to give it to Parker. He agreed and we found a small box for him to transport it home. We will get together again and use some acrylic paint next time. I enjoyed meeting him and his mom. I'm sorry to inform all of you out there that might have been interested in this painting......it is now in the private collection of Parker. This is painting 273 in my Painting A Day Series. Painting Not Available.

Peppermint Candy Daily Painting by Darren Maurer

5" x 5"

I'm sort of at a loss for anything too interesting to write about tonight. The peppermint candy isn't very interesting I guess. I do like how the candy and the clear plastic wrapper look though. It was fun paint. This is painting 272 in my Painting A Day Series. Painting Sold.

Tootsie Pop - by Darren Maurer

3" x 6"

Is there a better lollipop anywhere than the tootsie pop? I think not. This painting went very well. I like all the subtle details in the lollipop area. There were all kinds of reflections coming from my window. The reflections on the unlit side were blue in color. This is painting 271 in my Painting A Day Series. Painting Sold.

Egg - Daily Painting by Darren Maurer

5" x 7"

I like cracking open an egg and letting it do whatever. It is the same everytime and it is different everytime. The time of day, location in the room, the difference in the light from the window, the color of the surface beneath the egg all of these variables plus and endless amount of others make a contribution to how the egg appears. This one had a funky light reflection on it from a nearby window. It reminded me of painting an egg and then painting little abstract paintings on top of it. My favorite part of the entire painting is the little bubble in the egg white. This is painting 270 in my Painting A Day Series. Painting Available $100. (Email Me for Purchase Details)