"Suzanne's Daisies" A top-secret Christmas commission!

16 x 20"

oil on canvas

Sold

Merry Christmas! I am blogging to you from the warmth and sunshine of my in-laws' place in Florida. Our orgy of giving is complete, and since a certain lucky friend of mine also received her gifts today, I can now share this painting with you. Back in July, when these daisies were blooming in their garden, her husband commissioned this piece - and then, somehow, he had the willpower to wait five months before giving it to her! Now, they will have daisies all year long, and you can, too, since my preparatory sketch is up for auction:

"(sketch for) Suzanne's Daisies"

5 x 7"

oil on canvas

Sold

I'm already excited for all that's to come in 2013 - but hey, it's still Christmas Day, so, from my family to yours - Happy Holidays! 

"Tahni" figure figurative art nude woman portrait large oil painting

 

18 x 24"

oil on canvas

$1000

available in my Etsy shop

 To say I had fun painting this would be the understatement of the year. Our model was amazing, and the studio was alive with creative energy. I wish I could start every day with three hours of figure painting!

I'm truly satisfied with this piece, and I keep noticing little things about it - like the way the line of light on one leg corresponds to the line of shadow on the other - that make me even happier! I think of that quality as "lookability" - something you can gaze at every day and not get tired of. 

"The Black Robe" nude figure painting woman girl portrait life drawing oil on canvas

 

8 x 10"

oil on canvas

collection of the artist

I'm having trouble writing a post about this painting. I did it in the last 90 minutes of our 15-hour figure painting week, and it's one of my favorites of all time. Why do I like it so much? Some of it has to do with the memories it will always be connected with - of spending time with friends, of feeling the paint flowing so readily off my brush - and some of it has to do with where I'm heading as an artist. I can almost see my future in this piece. I can certainly see my past - the past two years of figure painting work, distilled into these brushstrokes. 

So, I'm going to hang onto this one for a while. I'll be posting my large painting from the week tomorrow!

"(Sketch for) Tahni" female figure painting nude woman girl original oil painting for sale on Etsy

  

9 x 12"

oil on canvas

$150 

available in my Etsy shop

Here is the preparatory sketch I did for the 18x24" piece I'm making this week, which you can see on the easel below. Isn't Gabriella's studio gorgeous? What you can't see is that the window on the left is actually a wall of six windows and the black cloth is covering up two more. Birds, squirrels, and, I'm told, a hawk frolic (and slay one another) in her backyard all day long. Bliss! 

 

 

"Nude with Black Scarf" female figure painting woman girl portrait oil on canvas

 

 9 x 12 x 1.5"

 oil on canvas 

$250

available in my Etsy shop

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you might be wondering what's been going on this week. A LOT of figure painting, that's what! My friend Gabriella hired a model at her gorgeous home-studio for five mornings in a row, and let me in on the fun because I know all the good podcasts she's a sweetheart like that.

The above painting is from last night at the Art Center. Here's a WIP, courtesy of Twitter. And I promise lots of shots of the private model session soon.

"Jewel Toned Ornaments" Christmas painting xmas art oil painting holiday decor gift for the artlover

 

8 x 8"

oil on canvas

Sold

I had a fantastic time last night! Our excellent local art store invited me to show some work and paint in their store during the First Friday Artwalk. Today's painting was my trial run. I painted the very same ornaments in a slightly different configuration for the live demo, and the painting (which I finished in just under three hours) is on view at Oregon Art Supply.

 I want to say a huge thanks to Rebecca and Robin at Oregon Art Supply, for hosting me, and to the M. Graham paint company and their awesome sales rep Dan for coming out! M. Graham is my paint of choice, and they're also an Oregon company, so it was great to meet a member of their team and find out even more about their products.

"The Red Christmas Ornament" festive holiday decor still life oil painting and, of course, persimmons

 

6 x 8"

oil on canvas

$100

click to buy

Will these persimmons ever rot? If I hadn't risked life and limb to pick them myself, I'd be starting to suspect they were plastic by now. If you've been reading this blog awhile, you might have the impression that I live on a farm, with my home-grown grapes, plums, and sunflowers. I don't! My mother happens to have an extremely productive yard/garden, which she inherited from the previous owner. Persimmons are the last fruit of the year....