Bud and Blossom

"Bud and Blossom"

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

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On A Pedestal

 "On A Pedestal"

16 x 20 inches, oil on canvas

$700

Available here

Instead of taking a photograph, I painted these blossoms in first - and quickly. They opened fast! Once I got those down, I had plenty of time to work on the rest of the painting. The white blocks weren't going anywhere. Though the sphere did manage to roll off the table overnight....I blame a mischievous kitty.

 

Here's an on-the-wall shot:

It's my Blogiversary!

 "Big Reds"

12 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

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More red Camellias! I have a larger painting in the works with this setup, but in that one the blossoms are still mostly closed. I thought they looked lovely the next morning as they opened, so I started a second painting. 

Eight years ago, on February 21st, 2008, I wrote my first blog post - and it wasn't much! Looking back at my work over the years is fun, and I see some subjects I'd like to revisit...

Beacon

 "Beacon"

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

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Yep, more with the white objects! And looking around the studio at what I've got in-progress, I can say with confidence that you still haven't seen the last of them. 

Here's how this one got started:

And here's how it really got started...just another random morning sketch:

For more sketchbook stuff, check out my new board on Pinterest. Daily sketches....here!

Fleeting Blooms

 "Fleeting Blooms (Camellias)"

12 x 24 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

I will not rub it in that it's the second week of February, and I picked these outside, growing in a very springlike manner. It never ceases to amaze me, though - even nine years after leaving the Midwest - how early things bloom here in Oregon!

Here's a time-lapse video of this piece. I wasn't painting quite THAT fast, but I did have to hustle on this one. The flowers were opening and dropping off faster than I could paint them - literally! I'm glad I had a grisaille sketch to work from - it helped a lot. 

"Fleeting Blooms (sketch)"

6 x 12 inches, oil on Arches oil paper

My Favorite Pair of Complements

 "Lemons on Purple"

8 x 8" oil on canvas

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One of my favorite workshop exercises is painting an all-white still life using NO white paint. Instead, we mix a chromatic scale from yellow to purple and paint with that. It works! And it's amazing how much you can do, in a painting, with how little white paint.

I'll be doing that exercise again soon, during my "Mindful Mixing" workshop, here in Eugene, February 20th and 21st. Spaces are still available, and all the info is here.

My painting process of late has included an oil sketch in black and white - but this time, I broke out my no.2 pencil! I do a lot of pencil sketching, actually. And I started a new Pinterest board to showcase my daily drawings!

Painting Grays in Color

 "Token"

16 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

$500

Available here

I use these white geometric objects in some of my workshop exercises, and lately they've infiltrated my home studio as well. Though I'm usually painting them in black and white while teaching, I also love exploring the spectrum of grays that occur when white objects are surrounded by colorful light. 

When approaching a gray - or the modeling of an object whose local color is white - I ask myself a series of questions. What's the value of the gray? What's its temperature? What colors in the environment are influencing its color? Often, to arrive at the gray I need, I'll start with one of these surrounding colors (like the purple in this painting), and neutralize it until it works on the white object.

Another way to "see" color in ambiguous areas, like grays, is to use a color isolator. Sometimes I'll just squint through a half-closed fist. 

 And here is the preparatory sketch for this painting, on canvas instead of the oil paper this time:

 "Flame (Black and White)"

12 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

Alla Prima Portrait Painting

 "Fond Memory"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

Available Here

Painted from a live model, alla prima, using the Sean Cheetham mud palette. Incidentally, the same palette I used for my recent self-portrait!

Self-Portrait Time Machine, and Subconscious Artistic Influences

 "Self-Portrait at 36"

24 x 18 inches, oil on canvas

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Suddenly, it's been two years since my last large self-portrait.

Although I'd really like to avoid as many cliches as possible here, I'll allow myself one: it feels like only yesterday....

 

In looking at these side-by-side, I notice a strangely similar thing happening around the neckline of both shirts. They aren't the same shirt (though I do still wear the sweater from the first portrait), but my undershirt is peeking out in both. 

After wondering about it for a while, I noticed this print on my wall....which I've been looking at, on one wall and another, since about the age of twelve.

Thank you, Modigliani, for invading my subconscious.

And here are my works-in-progress. First the head gets bigger, then the body grows to match it!

Parts of the Process

 "Lemon on a Painted Dish"

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

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There was some collateral artwork created while I was working on my last painting. :)

"White Object, Lemons (sketch)"

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"White Object, Lemons" Still Life, Work-In-Progress, and Black-and-White Sketch!

 "White Object, Lemons"

12 x 24 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

It's been a while since I painted this little plate, let's see - can I find any examples from the past to show you? Yes!

It's hand-painted, which makes reproducing the design with my own hands so much more enjoyable. At one point I actually forgot I was painting on canvas. I felt like I was painting a plate myself! This twisting floral style is common to decorative pottery made in Jerusalem, where my mother bought it in 1979 - when she was pregnant with me! Can't say I remember much about the trip.

Here's a progression. I didn't tone the canvas for this one, instead letting the underpainting create its own tone. The color is a neutral orange I had left over on my palette - probably a mix of alizarin, cad yellow, cad red, ultramarine blue.....you know, all the primaries. As long as there's no white in the mix, it works.

...And my black and white sketch. I love love love making these. If you're going to use Arches oil paper, I recommend brushing a thin layer of Gamsol (or your OMS of choice) onto the surface before beginning. Although this does tend to make the finished product dry at a snail's pace, it helps with the absorbent/chalky feel of the surface I've heard myself some artists complain about.

"White Object, Lemons (sketch)"

8 x 11.5" oil on Arches oil paper

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A New Still Life: From Sketch to Finish

 "Burnt Out (Lemons)"

18 x 14" oil on canvas

Available Here

I've been working on some larger still lives for a big show this spring, here in Eugene. Before diving into a painting that will take me several days to complete, I like to do an oil sketch....just to make sure I really want to commit.

And to warm up.

And to work out any compositional issues.

And because I love painting small, black and white studies. 

 "Burnt Out (oil sketch)"

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

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Can you spot the compositional issue I worked out from sketch to final painting? It's subtle, but I shifted everything over to the left a bit.

Here's a progression, click to see it bigger:

Orange Light...And a video!

 "Orange Light"

9 x 8 inches, oil on Arches oil paper

$75

Available here

I've been enjoying taking these little time-lapse videos of myself while painting. I just prop my phone up, hit record, and forget about it. I'm not sure how long I painted in real time to get this 30 second video...and apparently, this will remain a mystery.

According to MacWorld: "We found that recording for a long time doesn't make for a significantly longer video. You will find that most time-lapse video recordings play back in 20 to 40 seconds, regardless of how long you recorded for."

Dark Pomegranate

 "Dark Pomegranate"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

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I think this may be my last pomegranate painting of the winter....but we'll see. I've got some lemons on the studio table right now.

"Blue Light"

 "Blue Light"

12 x 24 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

A new painting, large-scale for me. Painted from life, before the flowers got too wilty! Hint: always paint the flowers first.

Also, when you're painting anything painted on anything else - the design on this vase, the lettering on this bowl, and yes, even tattoos on human skin - paint the form first. Below, you can see I painted the vase, rounded in space (minus the highlights from the spotlight), before adding the blue design. I didn't wait for the paint to dry before adding the blue, though that's sometimes helpful.

You can see a 30 second time-lapse video of the underpainting for this piece on Facebook.

Introduction to Oil Painting

 

 "Demo at OAS, January 2016"

9 x 12 inches, oil on Arches oil paper

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I just wrapped up the first-ever session of my new workshop, Intro to Oil Painting. It's funny that I've been teaching for three years now, and this was my first beginner-level class. The most challenging part was keeping it simple - especially when it comes to talking color!

Luckily, the first day was all black-and-white. First, we mixed up a value scale, then we painted with it: all-white geometric objects, then red and green apples.

The second day, we mixed up a full-spectrum palette from the primaries. I like seeing my demo painting in sequence with the palette and color wheel: 

I've got plenty of workshops coming up - you can check them all out in the right-hand sidebar. Don't hesitate to sign up if you're interested - all levels of experience are welcome in all of my workshops!

The Sarah Bowl

 "The Sarah Bowl"

9.5 x 9 inches, oil on Arches oil paper

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I don't actually eat out of this bowl anymore, but as you can see, it's gotten its share of use over the years. It's as old as I am, after all! It was a baby present to my parents....36 years ago. Every time I paint it, I think about the artist who painted the letters on the bowl - and wonder which is more nerve-wracking - painting letters on pottery or painting letters onto wet paint. At least I have the advantage of being able to scrape off and redo - or leave the letters out altogether.

I have a new workshop coming up this weekend, in Eugene, at Oregon Art Supply. Intro to Oil Painting - a great way to start off your artistic year. All levels are welcome - whether you're totally new to oils or returning after a break. Ages 15 and up. It's going to be fun! Details here.

Christmas Passed

 "Merry and Bright"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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I'm just a little bit late for Christmas with this one, but hey - your tree is still up, right? I figured I had until New Years before this would be really inappropriate.  And I didn't want to miss my annual opportunity to pull out the fun paint tubes - Pthalo Turquoise, Quinacridone Rose....

I say it a LOT: you can create the illusion of almost any color using a limited palette. Case in point: the golden egg yolks seen here, painted using only Yellow Ocher - a very dull, earthy yellow. But to really nail the intense colors of these ornaments, special pigments are required.

Here's a work-in-progress, at the halfway point:

And! Also too late for Christmas (I could give you my list of excuses, but Nah...) I made my Calendar for 2016! One of the best things about making these is that throughout the year, I'll randomly get a message like, "Hi! July's painting is just lovely!" And I'll have five long seconds of having NO idea what you're talking about.

Click to view and/or purchase - Thanks!

Looking Inward

 "Looking Inward"

12x16 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

My newest nude, painted from a live model. Here's a progression: