Green Shadows and Zorn Palette Portraits

"Green Shadows"

10 x 10 inches, oil on panel

$400

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It's been awhile since I've painted my glass float collection, but I'm back in love! You can see a couple more new float paintings on Instagram.

Also - I'm really excited for my newest video workshop! It's being released tomorrow, August 5th, and I'm super proud of it. Are you interested in exploring the Zorn palette? (Or, as I like to call it, "training wheels for flesh tones?") Join me!

Watch the trailer here!

Distance

"Distance"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas on panel

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This year has not been what I expected.  If you've been feeling stuck, blocked, sluggish, or lost your creative motivation, know that you're not alone. I'm slowly returning to a semblance of normal - beginning to teach in-person while still teaching online, and planning to spend July and August doing a lot of painting. 

I'm grateful for the beautiful things that have come into my life this year, and for the perspective that all of this change/uncertainty has brought me. Warm wishes to you, thank you for reading.

Green Juice

"Green Juice"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

$300

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I fell in love-at-first-sight with this little green guy at a workshop in Florida last week, and my hosts graciously gave it to me! That kind of thing actually happens pretty often - being a still life painter does tend to create object-obsession - and simple gifts (or long-tern loans) tend to turn into painting subjects I can mine for months - if not years! 

Pears en Rose

"Pears en Rose"

12 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

$450

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I've been getting some painting in before I head to my next workshop, in Sacramento, CA. There are still a few spots open, at the fabulous Patris Studio and Gallery, if you know anyone in the area who'd love some Oil Painting Boot Camp! 

Boot Camp is a three-day workshop with an emphasis on loosening up your brushwork - and using a limited palette of three colors and white. Looking forward to it! More info here.

Pink Milk

 

 "Pink Milk"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$350

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I noticed, after the first session of work on this painting, that the milk looked very pink - especially before I filled in the pinks on the plate. I toned it down a bit, but the name stuck! 

(Work-in-progress:)

Thanks for reading!

Pears and Cream

 

 "Pears and Cream"

10 x 10 inches, oil on panel

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When I set them on this plate, the pink blush on the pears just came alive! 

 

Greensward

"Greensward"

16 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

Hello, it's been a while! I've been teaching a lot lately - both workshops and online - and having a blast. My studio panting time has been falling into two categories - quick studies and oil sketches, both for personal research and as teaching tools - many of which can be seen and purchased directly through Instagram -- and larger works, of which this is one. 

Thanks for looking!

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!

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. ;)

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!

Rainbow Bright - And Studio Listens!

 "Rainbow Bright"
10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$350

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It's been a great week - busy and interesting, just the way I like it. One thing that happened: I got interviewed for the podcast "Drawn to Win." What fun!

Here's a link to listen - whether you're working in your studio this weekend, on the road to somewhere summery, or just out for a walk - let me keep you company for an hour. 

Thanks, and enjoy!

Pool Party

 "Pool Party"

8 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

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More fun with my new white ceramic pear. I showed this painting to my dad, and he said "That white thing is unnerving." Do you agree?

Here's the value plan for this composition. It got a little skinnier from sketch to finish....

Pale and Glowing

 "Pale and Glowing"

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

$350

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I picked this pear from amidst the jumble at an antique mall on the Oregon coast last week...

...and it's since made itself right at home with my other still life objects. It's an ever-changing menagerie!

Did you know I sell these black and tan sketches? Usually to followers on Instagram, since that's where they are most often posted. If you see one you like, send me an email! They are $50 a piece. 

Thanks for reading!

Lemon Water

 "Lemon Water"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$350

Click to buy

I had a great week of daily painting. Six 10x10's and an 8x10. Phew! Thank you for joining me!

Here's the preparatory sketch for this one. It was actually done on tan paper, but I liked the look of it converted to black and white. Maybe I will get a gray sketchbook next!

Here's a collage of the week's paintings. These are all available - you can check them out on Etsy. 

A Ribbon Runs Through

"A Ribbon Runs Through"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

OH man, did I have fun with this one. 

Day two of my seven-day painting challenge. Follow them all week on Instagram!

Thanks for looking!

Rapunzel

 "Rapunzel"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

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 I am doing a painting a day this week with my Online Art Mentorship group - and anyone else who wants to participate - over on Instagram. Just seven days, not the more typical 30-day challenge, with a goal of creating some spring studio momentum! 

I love the way I feel when I paint every day. There's a time for being ambitious about painting - working larger, more carefully - and for being more precious about the outcome. It can be a relief to step away from that, and say 'Tomorrow is a new day....and a new painting!' 

What will you create today?

Green Shadow

 "Green Shadow"

8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

I painted this alongside a lovely group of workshop students last weekend, walking them through the steps of planning a successful still life. Thumbnail sketch, Notan, 5-value study, underpainting, color! 

These steps are great tools  - I don't do them all, for every one of my paintings, of course. You loyal readers have seen many black and white studies from me, but over time, the other steps have become mental - I look through a viewfinder and try out different compositions in my head instead of doing thumbnail sketches. I think about the Notan, the overall light/dark effect I'm creating. Then I launch right into the value study.

The step I'm leaving out is really preliminary - setting up the still life! Always fun, always challenging. And that's the part that my students don't have to worry about when they're in a workshop with me! I take care of that. ;)

Room For Two

 

 "Room For Two"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

$250

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Lots of teaching lately! I started this one yesterday with a private student, and finished it up this afternoon. This bowl makes me pretty happy.  That dark rim is so satisfying to paint.