Emptiness - A New Tarot Series Painting

"Emptiness"

12 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

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The card in this one is the five of cups. Not the world's happiest card, particularly in the upright position:

"Forgiveness is vital with the Five of Cups, both of yourself and others. If someone has disappointed you, find it within your heart to forgive that person, releasing yourself from the disappointment. And if you are frustrated with yourself, know that you did the best you could under the circumstances and have now learned from your mistakes. Remember, too, that hindsight is much clearer than foresight and wisdom in the present moment comes from the mistakes of the past....

It’s time to shift your mindset and focus on what can go right from this point onwards. Be open to the brighter side of life and know many blessings are in disguise right now."    (-Biddy Tarot)

So, not without hope! I love the ambiguity of Tarot cards. Something in every interpretation for every situation. ;)

Merry Christmas!

"Christmas in Blue"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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Wishing you all a beautiful holiday! Thanks for all of your kindness and support this year. 

 Love, 

Sarah

Silver Kiss

"Silver Kiss"

8 x 10 inches, oil on linen panel

$250

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The metal teapot is new to me, thanks to a very productive antique-mall outing. This kiss won't be the last you'll see of him, I'm sure! As the saying goes, "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

 

 

Cup and Ladle

 "Cup and Ladle"

8 x 13 inches, oil on canvas panel

$250

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When I hear the words "canvas panel," I think of those cheap cardboard things - which are great for studies - but not so great for being durable, archival, or really nice to paint on. 

But! I got some canvas panels from Masterpiece recently - they've taken my favorite painting surface and applied it to a masonite panel instead of stretched on wooden bars. Thin, light, and strong. It's the surface I love, but without the bounce. A nice bit of variety for my studio life!

The Rose Gold Ornament

"The Rose Gold Ornament"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

$250

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The words "Rose Gold" always feel so good together in my mouth.

Persimmons and Christmas Ornaments

"Persimmons and Christmas Ornaments"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$350

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I love December. It's so comforting to be in the studio when it's dark and rainy out, painting some shiny bright things.

Constellation

 "Constellation"

10 x 20 inches, oil on canvas

$600

Click to view and purchase

 

Tea Paintings Galore!

 "Silver Surround" 

6 x 8 inches, oil on gessobord

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Each month, I give my online mentorship group a theme to work from - entirely optional, and as a sidebar to their own projects, of course - and this month our theme was "Tea." Here are a few of their fantastic works:

Lately I've been saying that I get more out of mentoring these artists than they do from me. I'm sure it's true - they are such a diverse, talented, and inspiring group, and the things that I get to think about, the problems I get to help them solve, have taken me to the next level in every area of my art practice. I'm grateful. 

Curious what art mentorship is all about? Visit my website for all the info - or my FAQ page here.

The World - A New Painting in My Tarot Series

  "The World"

12 x 24 inches, oil on canvas

$800 

Click to view/purchase

Well, I took a temporary hiatus from my Tarot card series - more like an eight-month "I think I'm done for good" type break - but, proving once again that you never know when it's the last time you'll do something - here's a new one.

The cards are: (In the box) The Tower, The Emperor, Page of Wands, Justice, and - front and center, The World. I chose to leave out the text/titles on the cards. I've included it in previous pieces, but felt like letting the images speak for themselves here. 

Thanks for looking! 

Cracked Rim

"Cracked Rim" 

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

$350

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I love painting blue and white patterns! (Which is exactly why a friend loaned me this dish.) I could have ignored that chip in the rim, sure, but I liked the way the warmth of the clay showing there echoed the colors of the orange.

Grape Time - And A Private Workshop!

 "Grape Time"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$350

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I taught a private two-day workshop at my home studio this weekend, walking through my process from start to finish. Here's a look:

Thumbnail sketch on the right, 5-value study in the center, and the finished piece on the left.

My student's work, and a shot of her, painting away. It was a really nice weekend, thank you for painting with me, Valerie! 

California Pomegranates

 "California Pomegranates"

8 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

$400

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I was recently in Sacramento, teaching "Oil Painting Boot Camp" to a fantastic group of artists. One of them gave me these pomegranates, picked right in his own back yard! Nice people, beautiful weather, and the neighborhood I was in, Oak Park, was lovely. What a great visit!

Here's my value study, made with Procreate on the iPad:

If you're curious about just what "Oil Painting Boot Camp" might entail, you'll have several opportunities to find out in 2019 - including another in Sacramento in May, and on Bainbridge Island, Washington - a FOUR day version - in April.

And if you'd like me to visit your home town for a workshop, please get in touch. :)

Three Limes

"Three Limes"

12 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

$400

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Phew! I have been away from the easel - at least the home easel - a little bit lately, and I have a couple more workshops coming up in November, both with spaces still available. 

So...a last minute getaway to a sunny destination, anyone? I'm offering three-day "Painting the Dynamic Still Life" workshops in Tubac, Arizona and San Clemente, California! Click on the place names for more details.

Thanks for reading!

Growth

 "Growth"

10 x 20 inches, oil on canvas

$600

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This plant - which I've painted several times this year - is surely growing, and so am I. So are you! 

Life is beautiful.  

Want an email with all of my updates, including a BIG Instagram giveaway at the end of this month - and holiday sales?! Subscribe to my newsletter. Thanks!

One Plus Three

"One Plus Three"

8 x 10 x 1.5 inches, oil on canvas

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Keeping it simple! Still lifes of a few simple objects with their cast shadows and a colorful background are a great way to focus on loose, painterly brushwork and edges - and taking some risks with color too! 

Simple, but not easy. There's no satisfaction in easy - and this one was very satisfying to paint!

Thanks for reading.

-Sarah

Bread on Glass - and Mentorship Students' Work!

"Bread on Glass"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$350

I've begun doing a monthly challenge theme for my online art mentorship program, and August's was "Bread." Aside from a random hot dog bun, this is a subject I've never tried myself - until now! What fun. And my students' work has been fantastic!

I'm a proud mentor. ;)

Three Spoons

"Three Spoons"

10 x 20 inches, oil on canvas

$500

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How did I ever live without digital painting? Making quick color studies with the Procreate app is helping my finished paintings more than I ever imagined it would. Click here to watch a time-lapse of this digital painting-in-progress, and click on the image below if you'd like to scrutinize it more closely for the differences between the virtual and the real deal!

 

("Real deal" being the one on the bottom, of course. 😉)

White Hydrangeas

 

  "White Hydrangeas"

16 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

$700

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In this one, I really wanted to play up the darkness inside the glass vase against the light fluffiness of the blossoms. 

Here is my color study - made on the ipad! Which means I've got a time-lapse video of it coming together. Click here to watch!

 

Plums and Lemons

 

"Plums and Lemons"

10 x 20 inches, oil on canvas

$500

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I painted this during a public event called "Studio Without Walls," in downtown Eugene. It was a lovely evening - perfect weather, and a fun, funky crowd with lots of diverse artists participating. Here I am, painting on location!

 

I set this still life up at home, began the painting and mixed all my colors from life, and then finished it from a photo on my phone. You can see in the picture how I rigged that up. Clamps! Can't paint without them. The beret helps, too. ;)

Early Apples

 "Early Apples"

12 x 24 inches, oil on canvas

$800

I've been experimenting with digital painting lately. I know! It's crazy. I never thought I would venture into this realm, but it's actually really fun!

The program I've been using is called Procreate. It's an app for the iPad. I also use an Apple Pencil, for drawing on the screen. Below you can see my "sketch" for this piece, above the "real" thing. I'm surprised at how much this digital preliminary color study informed the finished painting.

Another great thing about Procreate is that it records a time-lapse video of the painting as it's created. Click here to watch this one come to life!

Seeking Sunlight

"Seeking Sunlight"

12 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

$400

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This is the season for Black-Eyed-Susans - they are everywhere! So, it's no surprise that a dive into my painting archive turns up several paintings of this lovely flower, from this week in history.

Here is my first one, from August 2008:

 "Black-Eyed-Susan" 5x7" oil on canvas panel, 2008

I am still fond of this painting! I lost the vase in a wax-spilling accident a couple of years ago. It's quite remarkable, the relationships I develop with my still life objects, living with them and painting them over and over for years. I could show you half a dozen paintings of that vase, and now there won't be any more.

This green beauty is a recent gift from a friend. I wonder how many times I'll paint it in years to come?

The Letter

 "The Letter"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

$500

Grapes are so much fun to paint. Every time I try it, I wonder why I don't do it more often. 

Here's a work-in-progress for this one, with its black-and-white oil study. 

Thanks for looking!

Tomato Time Machine

"Spilled Spoons"

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

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We all have one: that thing we just CAN'T seem to paint. And mine is tomatoes. Or, at least, that's what I've been saying to myself, and plenty of other people, for years!  But! After watching my students create amazing tomato paintings in a workshop I taught last weekend, I thought - maybe I'll give it another try....

So this is my first big red tomato since... 2008! I love getting in the painting time machine. Definitely an argument in favor of keeping an archive of ALL your old work!

"Heirloom Tomato No. 3"
5 x 7 inches, oil on ...hmm, I can't remember. Maybe Raymar canvas panel?
2008