Back to (Still) Life....

 "Trio"

16 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

$350

Click to buy

 It's a new week, and I'm shaking the coastal sand out of my shoes, ready to get back in the groove of life. Still life!

It's been awhile.

On the Boardwalk

"The Sea Hunt and the Heidi Sue"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

$350

Available here

My final morning on the coast, I knew exactly what I wanted to paint: more boats! Newport's historic bayfront is a great place to find them. I set up on the sunny boardwalk around 8 am, loving the morning light and the clear reflections on the water.

 

The boardwalk is a busy spot, and many people stopped to chat with me while I worked. Combined with coffee, the warm sun, and the sounds of the harbor, it made for a truly idyllic painting outing.

 I know I'll be back soon!

A Newport Nocturne

"Sunset Bridge, Newport"

11 x 14 inches, oil on canvas

$200

Available here

I don't mean to brag, but Thursday was an incredible painting day. First, I painted the lighthouse, then I painted the swirling water, (then I took a rest), and THEN I went back for more!

Just a little more...it was getting dark fast. And cold. And people kept pulling over to investigate what I was doing by the side of the road, which is fine, but it's a little unnerving with the headlights and all.

 

I'm definitely in love with Newport.

The Sea, The Sea

 "Sea Chasm"

16 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

$350

Available Here

The Oregon coast offers incredible vistas just about everywhere you look - including down! I loved painting the color shifts in this swirling water, and the foamy highlights - so satisfying! 

Here's my start:

These lava cliffs are really a challenge to paint. What color are they anyway? I don't know! I had to make a decision and go with it, instead of chasing what I actually saw - which would have been an endless struggle, since I couldn't even name the colors I was seeing.

I like the way it turned out.

To The Lighthouse

"The Lighthouse at Yaquina Head"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

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I wanted to watch the sunset out at Yaquina Head last night, and it cost me seven bucks to get my car through the gate! A seven dollar sunset? And a drizzly one at that! 

This morning I was determined to get my seven dollars' worth (it was a 3 day parking pass), and boy did I!

Here's my work-in-progress:

 

Ok, I haven't really started yet, but setting up my easel, palette, and brushes sure feels like the progress of work to me! I suppose this photo is of the planning phase.

And here's everyone's favorite phase: the happy painter. Finito!

Out of the Fog

 "The Old Sailor"

14x11 inches, oil on canvas

$200

Available here

 A work-in-progress above, and a glimpse of my subject below:

Today at the Oregon coast started out foggy and stayed that way.  Luckily, I have connections - namely, Patti - knower of all things coast-painty. She suggested I try heading inland along the Yaquina Bay Road, and just as I happened upon a promising spot, who should pull up in her paint-mobile? Patti herself! And then she loaned me an umbrella!

...And she laughed heartily five minutes later while snapping this picture:

Good times.

Coasting!

"Cummins Creek Bridge"

8x10 inches, oil on canvas

$100

Click to buy

I'm in heaven this week, taking part in the Oregon Coast Paintout.  This is my second year joining in the fun. You can read about my exploits of 2013 here and here.

I arrived yesterday after lunch, ready to get down to business! It was windy, but warm, and I worked for about four hours before packing up my gear and heading back to town.

"Neptune Beach"

11x14 inches, oil on canvas

$200

Click to buy

Below you see my set up for this painting. Neptune beach is a great spot, just South of Yachats, on the central coast.

I ended the day with a PB&J and this exquisite view:

 

Maybe tomorrow I'll be fast enough to capture the sunset in paint!

Sweltering Smith Rock!

 "Smith Rock Pines"

6 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

click to bid

Our Fourth of July weekend was spent in one of my favorite places: Bend, Oregon. The whole town is almost too perfect! It's clean, beautiful, and full of fun things to do. It's also a plein air paradise, picturesque at every turn. 

I could have used a little shade, though. Perhaps I need to invest in a painting umbrella...

....the granny hat was not cutting it.

Underwater...

 

"Submerged"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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This painting was 100% inspired by my almost-five-year-old daughter's flower picking technique. She plucks them right up close to the blossom, bears them home in her beautiful little hands, and proceeds to display them thusly, in small glasses of water, with buds under and over water, without knowing the "rules" of flower arranging. I think it's beautiful - and a great metaphor as well, if you go in for that whole art-as-emotional-mirror thing. Which I occaisionally do.

Cryptic and mysterious, while embracing the beauty of childhood. An Absolutlely perfect mix.

Onward with the Auctions!

"Pretty in Pink"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

$1 Auction

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An oldie-but-goodie from what I kinda think of as my "reflective glass surface" period. I guess it was spring 2012? I was really into placing my still life setups on these large pieces of glass. Before and since, I've had other obsessions periods: colored bottles, skulls, colored papers....Chinese lanterns....

You can check out all of this week's $1 Auctions here!

One Dollar Auction Week!

 "A Sunny Mix" 

6 x 6 inches, oil on canvas
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Well, I've done it before, and I'll do it again. One dollar Auction Week! (Ooh, click that "before" link for a breath of autumn air. I felt a pleasant Fall chill looking back at those pieces. Must be some kind of mutant synesthesia.

Here's yesterday's offering, an old favorite that needs a new home. I've always really loved this painting - I think it was the first time I painted blueberries?!

 "Blueberries and Water"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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This oil sketch kicked off the week, for those of you who weren't paying attention on Saturday. (I, too, like to ignore my inbox for days at a time, and always feel guilty about it). Having a father who is a musician, I feel this would be the perfect Father's Day gift, but perhaps the musician in your life is a son or a sister?

"The Little Violin"

9 x 5 inches, oil on Arches oil paper

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The Little Violin: A $1 Auction

 "The Little Violin"

5 x 9 inches, oil on Arches oil paper
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Mirror, Mirror

 "Reflection"

20 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

I worked on this painting from a live model for two three-hour sessions, and then beat my head against the wall tweaked it for another whole day in the studio with a photo before calling it finished.  I do not like working back into dry paintings - which I had to do on this one, since the model sessions were a week apart. I also do not like working from photos/memory, which I had to do in order to finish the head. Oh well. I was willing to suffer these discomforts because I liked what I was seeing emerge. If it weren't for those stripes, and the mirrored reflection I would have thrown up my hands and wiped it.

Becoming too attached to one lovely passage of a painting-in-progress can lead to over-preciousness, anxiety, and continued commitment to works that should be given up as lost causes. I hope to present this as an example of an attachment to several small details that made me persevere when otherwise I might have thrown in the towel prematurely.

And, for better or worse, this painting is finished now. Here's a progression: the first two images from the initial model session, and the second two from the following week. 

Figurepalooza!

"Upright (sketch)"

10 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

click to bid

 Spoiler alert: it's going to be a figure-friendly week here on Sedwick Studio. These two are Zornies: above, a 50 minute sketch, and below, my start on a 14x11" larger version.  I love this pose: it's simple, yet infinitely expressive.  

Work-in-progress, approx. 90 minutes

14x11 inches, oil on canvas

Painting, Out and About

  "Three Bottles (sketch)" 

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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Woah, this post is a throwback. I did just resist the urge to #hashtag that, by the way. Being behind on posting is not a bad thing, really -  more work than time to blog is a problem I'm never unhappy to have!

 Two weeks ago, I was whiling away a lovely Saturday, painting at the Gallery at the Watershed, and chatting with some lovely people. I even got drawn, myself, by a young artist who brought a sketchbook to my demo. Loved that! 

 

The above is my sketch from the day, which I actually painted after the larger piece below. There's nothing like being warmed up! (I seem to say that a lot these days.) 

 

"Three Bottles, at the Gallery"

8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

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I Get A Cooking Lesson

 "Three Turnips"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

Available on Etsy

I bought these out of boredom. Boredom with Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, and yes, even Cauliflower. Produce section fatigue. I took a chance on these Turnips - and they were delicious - but while battling the intimidation of cooking a new vegetable, I thought I'd warm up to them through paint.

I loved these colors! I had to stop myself from buying more this morning (I have some commissions I need to work on, no time for Turnips!) 

We ate them sliced thinly, in garlicky spinach pesto pasta. I highly recommend!

The Shortest Mother's Day Recap Ever!

 "Red Cabbage (sketch)"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

click to bid

I had a lovely Mother's Day, spending time with family and friends, and, of course, painting! Now it's Monday, and my week is off to a great start with a model session already under my belt. (Also lunch - lunch is under there too.)

Pensive: A new, loose figure painting.

"Pensive"

14 x 11 inches, oil on canvas

Available on Etsy

Here's my work from Tuesday night. After painting LARGE for a few days, I attacked this one with big brushes and came out with a very loose effect, which I like - though I admit, it's different from my usual approach to the figure.

Here's a progression (click to see it bigger):

The Red Violin

"The Red Violin"

8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$250

Click to buy

Getting looser with the instruments! I decided I had to have some deep, rich blue to go with those oranges and golds, and it worked just the way I'd hoped it would. In fact, I have a much larger variation on this color scheme threatening to topple off my easel right now... I guess its tender legs aren't used to the strain of such a big canvas!

 "The Red Violin (sketch)"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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 Thanks for looking!