Patti's Sugar Bowl

 "Patti's Sugar Bowl"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$250

Click to buy

Over the weekend, I was invited to a studio-remodel inauguration party at my friend Patti's house. What a great idea to break in your new/old studio - by painting with friends! It was definitely an infusion of artistic energy. 

I was, of course, drafted to set up the still life. Can you spot my painting subject amid the jumble?

 I love setting up a big, sprawling still life and letting everyone choose which part they are most attracted to. Just like I do when landscape painting, I settle on a composition by editing out extraneous details and zeroing in on what my unique artistic eye responds to. 

If you'd like to paint a still life like this, you have three options. One: invite me over for a painting party at your studio (be sure to send me a plane ticket, too, where applicable). Two: join me for a session of Still Life Open Studio - the next one is Thursday December 8th. Or three: take my three-day still life workshop this January at Oregon Art Supply. Fun guaranteed, whichever way you choose. ;)

Here's how this one got started. I almost never work this way: laying in the background first. I have no idea why I did it this time, and no plans to do it again in the future. But it worked out fine.

Pointed Persimmon and Public Painting Demo

 "Pointed Persimmon"

8 x 10 inches, oil on linen

$250

Click to buy

Lots of elements came together to make this painting! First, the persimmon: gifted to me by a friend who knows his trees (also, a little something about my persimmon obsession). It's a Hachiya persimmon, as opposed to the Fuyus I usually paint. Second, the fun patterned paper - a new addition to my still life stable which I already can't wait to paint again. And third - the luxurious Belgian linen canvas I painted it on, a sample sent to me by the generous owners of Masterpiece Canvas. It's from their Vincent Pro Muir series - a beautiful surface, and drum tight! 

The painting went through quite a few stages, and you'll notice it gathered more cranberries as time went on. They multiplied before my eyes!

If you'd like to watch a painting come together before your eyes, you can! This Friday, December 2nd, I'll be giving a figure painting demonstration at Whiteaker Printmakers, to introduce my workshop - also this weekend, and also with spaces still available. 

Come watch me paint this lovely model, Hannah. Young artists welcome - everyone in the room will be at least partially clothed. ;)   

Info and registration for the demo and the workshop here.

Persimmons and Purple Ornaments

 

 "Persimmons and Purple Ornaments"

12 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

$350

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Here's how my palette looked when I finished this painting - you can tell I painted the persimmons first, followed by the ornaments, ground color, and cast shadows. Or, at least I can tell. Because all the bright clean oranges are mixed over - they would have been found in the Northwest quadrant earlier on.....kind of like me, up here in the PNW. Except my mixed oranges were located more towards Utah and Nevada. 

 

And here's even more evidence that I painted those orange persimmons before anything else...my work-in-progress! 

Flaming Leaves

 

 "Flaming Leaves"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$250

Available Here

What brilliant timing - the day before the huge art supply trade show at the U of O, a friend offered me persimmons from her tree - making the question of what to paint for my demo an absolute no-brainer! I love that.

The show was a blast - and a whirlwind. Two days of painting, talking, and junking out on the latest and best in art supplies. I came home with a bunch of new things to try. Because who doesn't need more art stuff? No one!

 

The Green Line - And Trade Show News!

 

 "The Green Line"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

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Here's my newest still life! I was drawn to the green line on this pear - can you picture me examining every single red pear on the shelf before choosing just the right one for a painting? 

I like all the triangles and circles in this composition - they echo the shape of the pear, which is nothing more than a circle with a triangle on top, when you break it down.

In other news, I'll be at the Duck Store on the U of O campus all day Wednesday and Thursday, painting and chatting away! Tools of the Trade is a really fun event, with tons of products to try out, and big discounts. I'll have my greeting cards and calendars for sale, too - so come down and say hi!  

River Stones and Reds, and a Time-Lapse Video!

 "River Stones and Reds"

16 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

$400

Click to buy

I picked up some stones last weekend on the bank of the Willamette river. I was out there at dusk, and all the stones looked white - or maybe they were just dusted with dried mud. When I cleaned them off, they were pleasingly multi-colored. 

I also really enjoyed the yellow line on the red pear.

Here's the very beginning of my process - you can see me fiddling around with placement a bit:

I Hear the "Click"

 

 "Red Reflection"

9 x 12 inches, oil on Arches oil paper

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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!

Royal Reds, and A Show Announcement

 

 "Royal Reds"

14 x 18 inches, oil on canvas

$500

Click to buy

Painting Christmas ornaments before Thanksgiving.... that's like Starbucks busting out the pumpkin spice lattes in August! Which they do. In my defense, these pomegranates were just crying out for some sparkly holiday cheer - I love the little dots of light reflecting into the shadow on the lower pom - so fun to paint!

This palette was a red bonanza - I had Cad red light, Cadmium red, Quinacridone red, and Alizarin Crimson up there. Dioxazine Purple, too. Yum.

This painting, and 14 others, is on display at Out on a Limb Gallery here in Eugene this month. The opening reception is tonight, during the First Friday artwalk! Starting at 5:30. Hope you can attend. And read this lovely write-up on our town's newest arts publication: The Eugene Review!