Tuesday, December 25, 2012

"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! 



Sunday, December 16, 2012

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

18 x 24"
oil on canvas
$1000

 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. 

Saturday, December 15, 2012

"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!

Thursday, December 13, 2012

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

  
9 x 12"
oil on canvas
$150 

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! 
 
 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

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

 9 x 12 x 1.5"
 oil on canvas 
$250

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.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

"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.


Sunday, December 2, 2012

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

6 x 8"
oil on canvas
$100

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....

Friday, November 30, 2012

"Decorating by Candlelight" Christmas ornament oil painting holiday xmas art gift

6 x 6"
oil on canvas
$100

While "Decorating by Candlelight" doesn't necessarily sound like a fire-marshall-approved activity, I've certainly begun my holiday decorating. Basically, I pull a huge plastic bin of ornaments out of my garage and dump them all over my studio. Then my daughter comes in and helps distribute them in totally random locations throughout the house. Like under her bed, and in the cat food bowls. Ah, Christmas!


Because Zazzle always has killer deals this time of year, I ordered myself some calendars. I'll have them for sale at my Oregon Art Supply show and painting demo next Friday, and it's also good to have some last-minute gifts on hand, right?

more pictures here
   I'm really happy with the quality of the printing, and the shipping couldn't have been faster. It reminds me of a joke we used to tell about a chinese-delivery place growing up: you hang up the phone and the doorbell rings!

Thursday, November 29, 2012

"Dana" female figure painting nude portrait woman girl

12 x 16"
oil on canvas
N/A

I felt pretty good about this painting after the first sitting, but a couple of days went by and I wasn't so sure. I think of this as the "morning after" effect. How many of us have had the experience of working late in the studio, feeling like a total rock star, only to wake up the next morning to find a disaster on the easel?

Before the second sitting, I sanded down my painting. This smooths out any chunky brushstrokes and just generally prepares the surface to be reworked. Plus, you get to inhale all kinds of rare minerals. Cadmium, anyone?

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

"Persimmon and Christmas Ornaments" not my most original painting title to date, but hey.

6 x 8"
oil on canvas
Sold

December is right around the corner, which sounds kind of depressing right this moment, but on the bright side, another First Friday Artwalk will soon be upon us! I'll be all over it, with a show of new paintings at Oregon Art Supply, where I will also be painting live in the store all evening. In addition, I'll have several pieces in Eugene Storefront Art Project's winter invitational at 224 E. 11th. Plus, I have my usual great stuff at Imagine Gallery, and if after all that, you still don't think I run this town, why not stop by Noli Italian Cafe for dinner? The pasta is spectacular. And I have 15 pieces on display.

Don't say I didn't give you advance notice: make plans now to come downtown next Friday evening!

Saturday, November 24, 2012

"Persimmon Harvest" fruit persimmon apple pomegranate still life oil painting

8 x 10"
oil on canvas
Sold

Wow, there's been a lot going on this week. All of it good! On top of the Thanksgiving celebration/my husband's birthday festivities, I got invited to be on the radio last Tuesday! It was really cool to see the recording studio and meet one of the dj's that I listen to in my studio almost daily. I was kind of nervous, but I ended up having fun. Just don't make me listen to it! It's ten times worse than having to hear your own outgoing voicemail greeting, plus it lasts for seven minutes. Here's the link, if you think you can take it.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

"Ripening Persimmons" art still life fruit bowl original oil painting one dollar auction

oil on Arches Oil paper
6.5 x 9.5"
Sold

      I was skulking around an art supply trade show on campus a few weeks ago, mostly dropping my name in various door-prize boxes (but not winning anything, for the record), when a friendly Canson paper rep offered me some samples of their new Arches Oil paper. "Do I have to gesso it?" was my first, skeptical response.
     "Nope."
     "And it won't buckle?"
     "Nope."
     Thinking, 'Yeah right, buddy," I took the proffered samples.
     I taped the paper to my drawing board, as you can see here:
     And it didn't buckle! End of story. For more info on this new paper, and it's secret-non-buckling-sauce, go here.
     How do you feel about paintings on paper? Do you think they are inherently less valuable than those done on canvas or panel?

Thursday, November 15, 2012

It's beginning to look a lot like...Thanksgiving

"Poinsettia and Pomegranate"
11x14"
oil on canvas
$200

How many people have you heard say "I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week" today? Well, make that one more, because I'm a bit incredulous myself. In fact, it kind of feels like we're about to skip straight to Christmas with all the holiday cheer in the air.

I haven't gotten into the studio this week, and Tuesday's figure painting night was a total bust (no pun intended, ok maybe a little one), so the painting I'm sharing today is actually from two years ago (speaking of time flying), but hey, it's a fave. And it's so not seasonally appropriate.

If you're in Eugene, or coming in for the holidays, you are in luck! I'm going to be all over this town for the next couple of weeks. The annual Maude Kerns Art Center member show opens tomorrow night (reception 6-8 pm, 11/16), and I gave The Eugene Weekly a few quotable lines in honor of the occasion. I got a sneak-preview of the show, and it's phenomenal, so even if you can't come out tomorrow, try to see it. This town has so many talented folks!

More on the rest of my upcoming adventures as an artist-about-town to come.

A screen shot teaser. Go here for the whole story!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

"Tawny" nude female figure painting portrait woman girl oil on canvas

8 x 10"
oil on canvas
$200

I painted this last night while listening to election results on my headphones. I had fun playing town crier, keeping everyone in the studio updated, since no one else wanted to paint and listen to political commentary. For some reason, I concentrate really well with talk-radio in the background. 

Below is my progression. You can see that I started out intending to keep both hands in the frame, but had to lose the lower one during hour 2 because I'd drawn the torso too short. It was either chop off the hand or repaint the head smaller, not exactly a difficult choice, since I was pleased with my rendering of the face at that point. Next week I will try to get both hands in.

The DPW auction to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy has raised almost $5,000 so far, and I'm proud to be part of it. My donation auction ends tonight at 6 pm PCT. Please place a bid, if you can, and support the American Red Cross. Thanks!

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

"Two Matches" still life candle flame fire lemons daily painting oil on canvas

8 x 8"
oil on canvas
Sold

I had to revisit this setup. I couldn't stop looking at those spent matchsticks lying next to the other objects and thinking they should have been worked into the painting somehow. I sized up to an 8x8" canvas and zoomed out just a bit to slip them in. 

A mention of the presidential election seems almost unavoidable today, and I've succumbed to the coverage as much as any American. My studio days are passed listening to NPR, and while I've never consdiered myself an activist, I had a lot of fun painting this guy four years ago.

I'll be painting a portrait of some as-yet-undeclared candidate tonight at the Art Center, and live-updating it on Twitter and FB, though I'm sure my efforts will be absolutely swallowed by election results. I can't complain - I'll be glued to my headphones.


Thursday, November 1, 2012

"Candlelit Quartet" still life daily painting candle flame original oil on canvas

6 x 6"
oil on canvas
$100

I'm convinced the color palette for this one was subliminally inspired by the view from my studio window today. Wet leaves, green shifting to yellow to rust red...forest-green fur trees and their greyish-lavender trunks, everything damp damp damp. I'd supply you a real picture to go with that mental one, but I'm a little bit camera-challenged right now. I need Santa to bring me a really gorgeous (or just reasonably attractive) digital SLR this xmas!


Wednesday, October 31, 2012

"Deep in Thought" portrait figure man male nude oil painting

8 x 10"
oil on canvas
$150

Once again, I enjoyed painting this pose. Even though I usually don't continue the same painting for both weeks, I'm glad the Art Center's figure night is set up to have the same pose two weeks in a row. It's remarkable how much difference a slight change in vantage point can make.

DailyPaintworks is having a Hurricane Sandy fundraiser, so please take a minute to check it out. I donated a painting, and all proceeds will go to the American Red Cross.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

"Sketch for 'Layla'" portrait painting oil on canvas young woman girl

8 x 10"
oil on canvas
Sold

Here is the preparatory sketch I did for a portrait commission I just (as in 15 minutes ago) finished. My biggest challenge was keeping the loose, painterly feel of the sketch alive in the larger (14x18, still not large by any means) final piece. I think it came out nicely. Fingers crossed until I hear from the client!

I'll be heading to figure painting tonight for another crack at this compelling pose. It should feel like stretching a tight muscle, going from a computer screen (from which I worked all afternoon) to a live model. You can follow along on twitter, or facebook.

Friday, October 26, 2012

"Fall Fruit Bowl" apple squash gourd painting still life oil on canvas

6 x 6"
oil on canvas
$100

Okay, so I lied about being finished painting the little striped gourd. To make it up to you, I'll let you in on my latest blog collaboration and painting giveaway. Go here to check it out - and enter! Have a great weekend, and try to forgive me.


Thursday, October 25, 2012

"The Clasped Hands" male nude figure painting fine art original figurative oil

8 x 10"
oil on canvas
$200 

Here is my piece from Tuesday night. It's been a looong time since I've seen this model (another link why not), and once again, he was great to paint. Love the big veins character in his hands! Here's a work-in-progress shot.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

"Green Apple Stack" framed fine art still life food fruit kitchen decor commission custom painting

  
8 x 10"
oil on canvas
framed $200

I'm starting a commission today, a portrait of a lovely young woman. I moved my desktop computer into the studio so I can work from a digital photograph. Upheaval! So, for today's post I've pulled a painting from the vault, a personal favorite. I like it so much, I'm "storing" it in on the wall of my upstairs hallway. It would really make more sense in the kitchen/dining area, but that space is already taken.

Are you thinking of commissioning a painting for a holiday gift? Whether it's from me (why yes, I'd love to), or another artist, now is the time to get started!


Tuesday, October 23, 2012

"By Candlelight" art oil painting still life daily painting fruit

8 x 8"
oil on canvas

I got this gorgeous little vase from the same ceramic artist who made this white bowl. After I bought the bowl from him last year we became Facebook friends, so it was extra nice to see each other at Clayfest this year and connect in person.

There's a rumor going around the Daily Painting network that many of us are going to get a chance for just such a face-to-face encounter in 12 months or so. All the more reason to head over to my Facebook page and start getting to know me ASAP! Bonus: you'll be the first to see my in-progress photos from figure painting tonight...


Monday, October 22, 2012

"October Arrangement" still life oil painting thanksgiving decor pumpkin squash apples

8 x 8"
oil on canvas
Sold

Ok. I think I may have worked through my obsession with the stripes on this funny little gourd, but no promises regarding my melange of different apples. Especially that orangey one, it's still calling out to be painted. Some people experience religious revelations as voices in their heads. I'm hearing the call of the produce aisle.


Wednesday, October 17, 2012

"The Leopard-Print Bra" female figure painting portrait art oil painting

8 x 10"
oil on canvas
Sold

I painted this last night while listening to the debate, and you're welcome for not making a #bindersfullofwomen joke about my figure painting archive.
(but if you're looking for a good one...)


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

"Autumn Apples" Fall fruit pumpkin squash still life art oil painting

9 x 12"
oil on canvas
$200

This unsubtle play on current seasonal decorating themes also has the honor of being daily painting number 600! According to my highly scientific folder-within-folder-on-the-desktop record keeping method, I have posted 100 non-figurative still life type works in only the last nine months. Here's no. 500, for a trip down memory lane.


 I got my restaurant show all framed and installed! It was a bit of a crunch at the end, as the winter rains have arrived in a big, soggy way, and I could not get the final painting to dry for the life of me. I finally slapped a frame on and dropped it off this morning, two hours before they opened for service. 

 And now for the grand experiment I promised to tell you all about in my last post! My friend (and coworker at the firm of Stay-Home-Parents & Co) Alan had the brilliant idea of putting QR codes on the wall labels for each painting. Scanning them with your phone (there are numerous free apps for that) takes you straight to my Etsy shop. You can buy art while you sit there eating dinner! Will this result in more sales? I have no idea. But I do know this: people love an excuse to play with their phones in restaurants, as socially unacceptable as it may be.