"Twisting Back" female nude model figure painting portrait original fine art

 

11 x 14"

oil on canvas

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Below you can see this painting about halfway complete, along with my palette and the one (#2 round synthetic) brush I used to paint the entire piece! I'm not proud of it, but it's true.

In Etsy news, I just added Direct Checkout to my shop, which means that you can now pay with a credit card directly through Etsy, instead of having to use Paypal. Supposedly this will make things easier than ever! Of course, I'm still accepting checks, money orders, cash-stuffed envelopes, and frozen yogurt.

"Grapes and Asian Pears" fruit bowl painting fine art still life original oil

 

8 x 8"

oil on canvas

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These grapes did not come from the grocery store, folks. This time of year makes every back yard feel like the land of milk and honey (or Harry and David). As soon as I post this, I'm heading up into the woods to pick blackberries! I've never tried to paint blackberries - too many little lumpy bumps - but I've seen others do it beautifully. Maybe I should try...

I've gotten write-ups recently on a couple lovely blogs, and I wanted to share them with you. Under Lock and Key is hosting a painting giveaway, so please check that out and enter! And also visit Domestically Unemployed if you're feeling like you haven't gotten your recommended daily allowance of Sarah.

"A Sunny Mix" flower floral sunflower art original oil painting still life

 

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

$100

click to buy

I love all the different varieties of sunflowers! Since she doesn't have the heart to murder any 'volunteers,' my mom gets a gorgeous mix in her garden every summer.

Have you bought a painting on Daily Paintworks recently? (From any member artist, not just me). If so, you can enter to win a free painting every week - and this week, the painting is one of mine! Click here to read my spotlight interview, see the piece I'm giving away, and hopefully be my lucky winner. Because I'd much rather give it to someone who loves this blog than one of my many enemies a complete stranger. Thanks!

"Plums and Asian Pears" fruit food art still life oil daily painting and color palette

 

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

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More of the lovely plums, alongside the lovely but basically inedible Asian pears. Below you can see my work-in-progress, about halfway done:

 ...And here is the finished piece with the palette I used right alongside. If you click on the image, you can see it bigger. This my basic go-to set of colors. Sometime I add in some extras - like the Pthalos - to spice it up, but for most subjects, this is it. And yep, that's a disposable paper palette. My fave.

"Plums on a Branch" fruit food kitchen wall art daily painting original oil

 

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

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I was chugging along with the end of my six mile run in sight, when something suddenly bonked me on the head. Hard! The leafy tree branch I thought I could just duck my head under turned out to be laden with these gorgeous (and heavy) plums! Jogging strollers are great for many things: exercising with kids, carrying your bags in the airport, and smuggling plums. And yes, BOB stroller company, I am available to be your new spokesmodel.

"Suntanned Shoulders" female nude woman figure painting back view interview and giveaway

 

12 x 12"

oil on canvas

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Lots to talk about today! First off, this model. She lost a ton of weight since the last time I painted her, mostly through clean eating, cutting out gluten and most carbs. You go girl!

I managed to talk my fellow Art Center figure painters into a back-view pose this week. First one ever for me. I loved it! I also loved painting the transitions in skin tone between her summer-tanned shoulders and the rest of her torso. After spending the past two weeks being a pool-mom with Ellie for her swimming lessons, I've had ample opportunity to scope out the rainbow of tans.

I'm happy to announce that I'm this week's spotlight artist and generous giveaway hostess over at Daily Paintworks! I'm a big fan of Daily Paintworks - and now also proud to call the team behind that amazing site personal friends, since they relocated to my very own zip code last year - so I'm doubly excited to be taking my turn in the spotlight. Check out my interview - and, if you've purchased a painting on DPW in the last 30 days, enter to win my painting! (Interview link goes live at 10 pm PCT Thursday 8/23).

 

.....AND for work-in-progress shots of this piece, of course, see Facebook.

"Asian Pears" fruit food kitchen wall art still life daily painting original oil

 

8 x 8"

oil on canvas

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No one in my family particularly likes to eat these little pears. They are a bit mealy and not very sweet. My mom has a tree that literally breaks itself every year overproducing them, though, so I thought I'd see if they'd make a nice painting, if not a nice snack.

"Purple Bowl of Plums" fruit bowl still life kitchen wall art

8 x 8"

oil on canvas

Framed, $250

Available here

The approach of Autumn means it's plum season, and though I picked these fresh off the shelf at Costco, I'm looking forward to some serious U-pick action in the backyards of my kind friends. Hint hint! Don't make me sneak in there under cover of darkness....

I'm such a garden-stalker. Not sure how many more years I'm going to be able to get away with my line about having no deer fence, and therefore having to snag everyone else's yard bounty. At least I'm not one of those people who knock on complete strangers' doors and say, "Are you going to eat all that rhubarb I see growing in your garden?" (<---true story, that happened to my mom!)

"White Lilies on Purple" floral flower wine painting easter lily art original oil

 

11 x 14"

oil on canvas

$200

purchase

I spent some time with this white lily last week. Then I threw it in the garbage with a vengeful sigh of relief. Before it was even wilted! In my defense, the thing did smear me with pollen several times and make my studio smell like a funeral. It also gave me some painting-related trouble. It deserved to die.

"Simply Bananas" fruit food kitchen decor art still life oil painting

 

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

$100

purchase

Here they are, my first bananas. Just goes to show, you can daily-paint for 4.5 years and manage to leave many stones unturned. Ellie and I stumbled across an extremely impressive banana slug today on a blackberry eating picking expedition. She greeted it in a reverent whisper. That's how big it was.

(Not my picture. You think I'd touch that slimy thing?)

"Blue Jeans and Converse" nude male african american figure art painting portrait original oil on canvas

 

11 x 14"

oil on canvas

$250

purchase

This painting took a little less than three hours, but I was very warmed up from working in the studio (on a wiper, but whatever) all day. You can see a picture with the model in the background, and some WIP's here. 

"Black Grapes and Lemons" fruit still life kitchen decor daily painting original oil on canvas

 

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

click to bid

Late summer is wedding season - especially in the Pacific Northwest, where if you don't want rain on your wedding day, you'd better do it in August or September! My lovely next-door neighbors (who keep me supplied with brown eggs to paint) just tied the knot a few days ago, and I gave them one of my paintings for a wedding gift. Next time you need to find a special - and unique - gift for a couple just starting out, think original art! They'll think of you every time they look at the painting!

"White Lilies and Wine" floral flower painting still life wine fruit lemons art daily painting

 

8 x 8"

oil on canvas

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I'm happy with the looseness in this painting, though I don't feel I can take all the credit - my brushes are getting worn out, and until I get down to the art store and replace them (which I do about once every month or two), my paintings may be a bit fuzzy! I'm noticing a pattern here - I posted a WIP of this piece on Facebook, and in the comments, I admitted that the reason I didn't paint the entire lily stalk was that I didn't have any small, rectangular format canvases left. Note to self: I control the materials, they don't control me... Right?

"Lemon Snack" fruit food kitchen art still life original oil painting

 

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

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Here it is, the third lemon painting in the series. Here's a picture of the three of them together!

"Lemon Plated" fruit food still life kitchen art painting original oil on canvas

 

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

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These lemon paintings are going to be a series - of three, I think. Although I haven't made the third one yet. I'm hoping to cram it in somewhere today, but the clock is ticking...! We're heading into the woods tonight for a some quality time away from the internet. Not sure what I'll do, I mean, what, they'll have to have 3G at least, right?! What do you have planned for the weekend?

"Making Lemonade" daily painting still life original oil on canvas fruit lemons kitchen decor

 

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

click to bid

For Ellie's birthday party last weekend, I made a delicious and very simple drink: cucumber lemonade. It consisted of a 2 liter of seltzer, a can of frozen lemonade concentrate, a peeled and sliced cucumber, and a few sliced lemons mixed with ice. Delish! I doubled the recipe, since it was a hot day and people needed to hydrate!

"Coneflower" fine art oil painting one dollar auction and a bonus self-pitying rant

 

5 x 7"

oil on canvas

auction starts at $1

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 I admit it. I have moments of insane hubris, and in those moments, I've been known to enter juried art shows. Even though my brain knows that we all get rejected from 99.9% of all the things we apply for in this creative life, my pride is still wounded when it happens. Especially when it's a show I feel like I should be able to get into. See? Insane hubris. Inflated sense of self-worth. Megalomania.

So, today I'm disappointed. I indulged in a little twitter whining. Then I did some photoshop therapy (I have very limited photoshop skills, see above). And now I'm going to offer this painting for $1 because selling paintings makes me happy. And the $1 paintings always sell. :)

"Stargazer Lily and Green Plums" daily painting fruit and flowers still life floral

 

8 x 8"

oil on canvas

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If you'd like a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to my Etsy shop, check out this blog post! There are a bunch of different ways to enter, including subscribing to my email updates, and liking my Facebook page. The winner will be chosen on Friday.

"Fruit Bowls with Black-Eyed-Susans" still life original oil painting of strawberries and plums with yellow flowers

 

8 x 8"

oil on canvas

$150

purchase from my Etsy shop

I've been valiantly attempting to keep the deer from eating these Rudbeckia by spraying them with a mixture of egg whites and water. It works....temporarily. I posted a work-in-progress shot that shows my palette on Facebook.  

In other, actually much more exciting news, I was interviewed about Etsy, painting, and other random stuff on this awesome blog. Leave a comment over there and you'll be entered to win a $50 gift certificate to my Etsy shop!

"Red Plum Bowl" fruit floral flower painting still life food kitchen decor fine art daily painting

 

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

Framed, $200

click to buy

Saturday is a big day at our house - it's Ellie's third birthday! There will be cupcake-crazed children all over the place, I predict. Maybe I can snag one to paint on Sunday (a cupcake, not a child), but in the meantime, lots and LOTS to do to get ready!

"Beach Ball" beach shore coast sea ocean pool vacation house childs room nursery decor

 

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

$100

Purchase from my Etsy shop

This is actually Beach Ball no. 2 for me. Number one was way back in 2008, and I've thought about repeating it a few times since, but I had gotten rid of the beach ball! Ellie recently scored a couple of these at a birthday party. I love all the colors in the shadows, plus it was an opportunity to bust out my tubes of exotic blue that I rarely get to use on more natural subjects.

"Miranda, July" nude female figure painting portrait boudoir art

 

11 x 14"

oil on canvas

$250

purchase

Not to be confused with Miranda July! (But let's see what it does for my search keywords). I posted a work-in-progress picture here.