A Garlic Braid and a BIG Discount Code.

 "Garlic Braid with Knife"

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

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You can guess what became of this beautiful braid of garlic during the melee of Thanksgiving dinner preparation. I'm glad I got it on canvas before it went into my mashed potatoes!

I'm in full-on show-gear-up mode, which obviously requires lots of hyphenation in addition to tedious tasks like varnishing and (*groan*) finding things. I'm always thinking of my beloved Etsy shop, though, and am offering a killer (if-I-do-say-so-myself) discount to you all, this most online-shopped of weekends.

25% off with the code BLACKFRIDAY! Use it today, use it tomorrow, and use it on Monday. Because I'm too busy to create a new coupon code just for Cyber Monday, yeah, busy finding things and then hyphenating them.

I Finally Get Around to Posting!

"Lindsey"

18 x 14 inches, oil on canvas

 Available, click to buy

I'm so far behind on posting! I blame my upcoming solo show, and the fact that I've been painting larger lately, but truly I shouldn't make excuses. I painted this a week ago! It's Tuesday again, and happily I'll be having another sitting with this lovely model tonight. So, watch out, fellow open studio painters, I want a front-and-center spot, and I'll be showing up ready to fight for it!

Here's my progression, with an underdrawing in Burnt Umber. I used a limited palette, kind of an expanded-Zorn deal, with Alizarin Crimson and touches of Cobalt blue and Cad yellow thrown into the mix.

(click on the image for a better view.)

Dark Dream

 "Dark Dream"

18 x 24 inches, oil on canvas

$1000

Click to buy

Here's the third in my series of reclining women, and a new model for me. At nearly six feet tall, she barely fit on my couch! We made it work, though. I like that she feels relaxed, even with her legs bent so sharply - and I really like the fold of her legs against the many folds of the drapery beneath them.

I'm trying to move away from my usual obsessive interest in the face in these figure paintings. In each one I've focused the strongest light on the lower body, and where the face hasn't been averted completely, I've kept the eyes down and the brushwork loose.

For the second sitting on this pose, I was joined in the studio by my friend Farley. We always paint together on Tuesday nights at Maude Kerns Art Center, but this was his first visit to my place. It's always so great to have company - the more creative energy in the room, the better!

And here is the painting from start to finish:

Have a great weekend, all!

Pomegranates Everywhere!

 "Red, White, and Blue Pomegranate"

12 x 9 inches, oil on canvas

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Pomegranates are everywhere these days - in paintings, in viral videos, haunting my dreams... 

I love it that they look so much like Christmas ornaments. Every autumn they remind me that the joy of painting those shiny little orbs is mine for the having just as soon as I gather the nerve to face the leaning tower of tote bins that is my seasonal storage area.

Title Tryouts

 "Daydream"

18 x 24 inches, oil on canvas.
$1000
Click to buy
 

Here it is: the second installment of my new series, tentatively titled "Everybody gets to rest but me." Alternate tentative title: "Where did November go?"

I painted the model from life, over two sittings, about seven hours total. Then I painted the drapery from photo reference and I don't even know how long that took. I was in the zone.

Coming soon: the third installment! And I can guarantee a spoiler on Facebook sometime today...

Painting Patterns and Persimmons on Periwinkle. Period.

 

 "Persimmons and Periwinkle"

20 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

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I've been working hard and loving it. The only downside of working on larger, multi-day paintings is that I miss my small still lives (and my #2 round brushes). I still have my preparatory sketches, though! Here's the sketch for this piece: 

"Persimmons and Periwinkle (sketch)"

10 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

As you can see, the blue-on-white patterns look a little more polished on the larger canvas. Sketching them wet-on-wet is fun, but if you have the patience to paint the fabric and let it dry a day or two, patterns go on quite a bit more smoothly!

Flying out of the Studio!

"Nestled"

18 x 24 inches, oil on canvas

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Well, I feel blessed! Blessed to have such a wonderful model, a comfy couch in my new studio for her to pose on, and wonderful collectors who rush over to view my latest paintings fresh off the easel. 

The feedback I've gotten has been overwhelmingly positive, and I really appreciate it. I'll be taking suggestions that I turn it into a series to heart!

In the meantime, here are my in-progress shots:  

The figure was painted entirely from life, but I did use photo reference for the drapery.

Preparation Pays Off

 

 "Persimmon Plenty"

20 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

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When I sat down in front of this groaningly overloaded platter of persimmons, I knew I'd better start with a get-comfortable sketch. I wasn't working out the composition as much as familiarizing myself with the interaction and movement of the fruit within the dish. The larger painting just flowed off my brush - I even enjoyed the drapery - which makes me think I may be entering another drapery phase. It's a good way to spend chilly late-fall afternoons, really: cuddled up to my studio space heater, immersed in the details of folds.

This preparatory sketch is the final offering of my One Dollar Auction week, and bidding is open for a couple more days:

"Persimmon Plenty (sketch)"

8.5 x 6 inches, oil on paper

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