Tea Paintings Galore!

 "Silver Surround" 

6 x 8 inches, oil on gessobord

Sold

Each month, I give my online mentorship group a theme to work from - entirely optional, and as a sidebar to their own projects, of course - and this month our theme was "Tea." Here are a few of their fantastic works:

Lately I've been saying that I get more out of mentoring these artists than they do from me. I'm sure it's true - they are such a diverse, talented, and inspiring group, and the things that I get to think about, the problems I get to help them solve, have taken me to the next level in every area of my art practice. I'm grateful. 

Curious what art mentorship is all about? Visit my website for all the info - or my FAQ page here.

Bread on Glass - and Mentorship Students' Work!

"Bread on Glass"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$350

I've begun doing a monthly challenge theme for my online art mentorship program, and August's was "Bread." Aside from a random hot dog bun, this is a subject I've never tried myself - until now! What fun. And my students' work has been fantastic!

I'm a proud mentor. ;)

Lemons in Glass - And Videos!

"Lemons in Glass"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

Available through Tvedten Fine Art

This was April's demonstration for my Online Art Mentorship group, talking about painting glass - a subject many of us love to visit and revisit - including me! It was a great session, and I've got the videos to prove it. 

A two-minute time-lapse of the finishing stages: (click the link if you're reading this in your email)

And the longer version. Enjoy!

A New Tarot Series Painting

 

 "The Juggler"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

$500

Click to buy

The two of pentacles is all about juggling life's priorities. "There is a tendency to be distracted by day-to-day affairs and general busy-ness, so prioritizing your activities and carefully managing your time is essential." A good thought for anyone at any time, but particularly for artists. How do we do the thing we love - the thing we most want to do - but which doesn't necessarily get dinner served on time? Deciding to make painting a priority and balancing your life around that goal is a topic that comes up frequently with my online mentorship students. Self-motivation is endless and fascinating.

But, of course, I chose the juggler for this painting because of the way the round yellow shapes of his pentacles mirror the shapes of the two oranges. The significance, reliably, follows.  😉

The black-and-white oil study for this one is also available, here.

Thanks for looking!

Swedish Ivy: A Painting and a Video

 

 "Swedish Ivy"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

Sold

This painting began as a demo for my online students - unbelievably, my art mentorship program is almost one year old! Time flies. And time certainly flew while I was doing this demo - in over two hours, I only got as far as the image on the left. As usual, the group and I covered a wide range of topics - and I DID edit the recording down to about 90 minutes, so you just get the good stuff!

Watch this painting come together! If you're reading this in your email, click here for the video.

Interested in studying with me in person? I've got a list of upcoming workshops in the right-hand sidebar of the blog -----> including this weekend, Intro to Oil Painting, in Eugene.

I Hear the "Click"

 

 "Red Reflection"

9 x 12 inches, oil on Arches oil paper

Sold

If I paint until I'm 100, I'll never get tired of the little tricks light plays on the world. 

This painting exists because of that beautiful red streak bouncing onto the underside of the pomegranate from the silver dish. When I saw that, I heard the "click," that inner voice that says, "This still life is ready to be painted!"

Below is a quick color chart of my palette for this piece: Cadmium Red light and Alizarin Crimson, combined with Hansa yellow, Ultramarine blue, and a green mixed from the two. Then two rows of tints beneath. This chart was a demo for one of my private students, to show the possibilities of having  both a warm and a cool version of one of the primaries in a limited palette. 

 I'll be in the Portland, OR area this weekend, teaching "Color Mixing for Painters" at Sequoia Gallery + Studios - you can still sign up for that! More info, and online registration here. Can't attend a workshop? Check out my online art mentorship program.....

 

....And, as always - thanks for reading!

Self-Portrait, With Video

 "Self-Portrait (Hopeful)"

approx. 8 x 11, oil on Arches oil paper

Sold

This self-portrait began as a demo for an online student. At the end of our session, it looked like the first image on the left - so that was about an hour-and-a-half. I worked on it for several more hours, and you can see the progression:

I really enjoy painting for my online students - it's like having excellent company in the studio, with the added bonus of having video documentation of my painting process! I edited this one down to just the block-in - it's about a 15 minute video:

It's One-Dollar Auction Time!

"The Red Snake"

approx. 8 x 11 inches, oil on Arches oil paper

One-Dollar Auction!

Sold

This was kind of a demo for my Online Mentorship students, a couple of whom are working on loosening up their process this month with one-hour paintings. They are doing some incredible things! Here is a blog post one of them wrote - I promise, I'm not making her work THIS hard, she's just incredibly motivated. When I say I get as much from my students as they get from me, this is what I'm talking about. What an inspiration!

And speaking of inspiration, I had some help naming this painting. You know who you are, and thanks. ;)

Painting Together, Painting Alone

 "Blueberry Tart"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas
Sold

I love a new project - and I have one this week! I've been attending open studio sessions to draw and paint the figure for years, and lately have found myself wondering - could that model (no pun intended) work with still life? Get a group of like-minded artists together to paint, chat, and share a still life set-up...why not?

The inaugural session of the Still Life Open Studio was this past Thursday at Whiteaker Printmakers' Annex - the same space where I recently taught a figure painting workshop. There were six of us in attendance, but I brought enough subject matter for a small army of artists. Tea and lemons....shocker!

The fruit tarts were a change for me. First time painting one - and I loved the shiny fruit! 

Underpainting to finish. I always start my still lives the same way: with a wet-toned canvas in a warm neutral orange, then a value block-in in thin paint. I recently made a video for my online mentorship students demonstrating my whole process. If you enjoy watching it, give it a thumbs up on YouTube - I'd appreciate it!

Talking to myself in an empty room....no wonder I was craving a group of painters to hang with!

Apricots, Fake Milk, and Art Mentorship

 "Apricots and Milk"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

Sold

A very good example of a complementary color scheme: yellow-orange and blue-violet. Limiting the range of colors within your painting is a great way to keep it simple and harmonious - and doesn't necessarily have anything to do with using a limited palette (though if you're looking for color harmony, there's no easier way to find it than to use one). 

For me, setting up a still life is an exercise in color mixing - before I even take my palette out of the freezer. (What, you don't keep your palette in the freezer? You actually have food in there?) 

Speaking of food....in the interest of full disclosure, I admit that this is not real milk. I gave up eating dairy products four months ago, so almond milk is the model here. I never knew changing my diet would have such a profound impact on all aspects of my life! Ha.

Before I end this post, I will sneak in an announcement: I've begun offering online art mentorships, and I'm pretty excited about it! More information here. :)