Serenity

"Serenity"

10 x 16 inches, oil on panel

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Flowering Quince

"Flowering Quince"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas on panel

$400

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February is one of my favorite months to be in Oregon - which I still marvel at, since it was the WORST month of winter where I grew up in the midwest. Things are beginning to bloom everywhere - including this Quince, or Chaenomeles, if you want to get technical about it. ;)

Sorrow

 "Sorrow (Three of Swords)" 

14 x 18 inches, oil on canvas

$600

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I'm loving learning about Tarot by researching each card as I use them in my paintings. This one, the Three of Swords, when it's in the upright position, is kind of a bummer - but not entirely without sunshine. Yes, the card represents a painful episode in life, but pain can be seen as an opportunity to grow stronger, to change the direction of your life. While the pain may cloud your vision for a certain period, it will eventually allow you to see clearly and to put the past behind you. 

If you let them, the Swords cards can rid you of your denial and teach you valuable lessons.

...And if you paint them, they can teach you valuable lessons about color mixing and edges!

As always with a piece this large, I began with a black and white study. This one has already gone to a collector who saw it on Instagram, but you can see a lot more of these oil studies in my Etsy shop.

Black and white studies really help me plan my paintings - specifically, the way my big value shapes will affect the composition. What shape and gesture do the darkest darks make on the canvas? How dark are my cast shadows, really? And where is my area of strongest contrast? I keep the study close to me while I'm painting the color version, to remind myself of my intentions.

A Still Life Commission

 "Membrillo and Moroccan Plate"

18 x 24 inches, oil on canvas

Sold, commission piece

Sometimes that perfect piece of art is not out there waiting for you to find it, and you have to take matters into your own hands! That's what one savvy collector did recently when she commissioned me to paint this still life of quince. There's a backstory here, but first: my process!

I began with the objects she supplied me - the fruit, a jar of her homemade quince jelly, the Membrillo (a paste made of quince) and its wrapping paper, and several lovey plates and dishes in a blue-and-white color scheme - and arranged them with some additions of my own. Then I did this value study - it's about 9x12:

 The great thing about still life commissions is that the general parameters come from the client, but the inspiration is still my own. I could have made a hundred different paintings with the subjects I was presented! The quince were lovely - a fruit I've never painted before. 

Here's how this painting came together - an underpainting in sepia tones, then I blocked in the blue plate so it had time to dry before I added the pattern. The rest just flowed from there.

 This family bought a painting from me four years ago - a gift for their daughter. And this commission was a gift for another of their daughters, the Membrillo-maker herself! When I delivered the painting, I got to meet both girls, and see the older painting again, which is always a treat.  

Feeling very lucky and blessed - both to have gotten to make this piece, and to work with these amazing, art-loving people.  

Thanks for reading!

A Painting of Flowering Quince

"Quince"

14 x 18 inches, oil on canvas

I passed this strange, woody, leafless, flowering bush several times on my jogging route without taking too much notice. Then, I saw a small vase of these blooms on a random desk, and stopped in my tracks. So many of my paintings start with my just noticing some small thing and thinking, "That."

Back to the jogging route I drove, with my trusty glove compartment scissors!

 I've got a still life painting workshop coming up, March 19-20th, in Eugene. It's going to be two intense and informative days - oils and acrylics welcome. More info and online registration here!