Pink on the Inside

"Pink on the Inside"

12 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

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Another piece from my Still Life Open Studio sessions - if you're in the Eugene/Springfield area and looking for some artists to paint or draw with, join us! Next meeting is September 8th.

Cityscape!

"Starlight"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

Available Here

Two weeks ago, I participated in Eugene's annual plein air paintout. I registered in the cityscape category, because, well, quite honestly....there are a ton of amazing landscape painters in this town, but not as many artists seem to be interested in cityscape. I'm finding more and more lately that "plein" old landscapes - grass, trees, water - just don't do it for me. I need some man-made stuff in the mix to spark my interest.

 

Here I am, mid-painting. You can even see my sweet silver car in the background!

Here's the scene. That blue against the sky was pretty enticing, but it was the satellite dishes that clinched it for me! 

 

 

 My work-in-progress:

 

 For me, the craziest part of any plein air contest: the car-trunk frame shop!

 And later that day, posing with my framed entry:

This story even has an unexpectedly happy ending - I won the cityscape category! There was so much good work this year....what an honor.

Plentiful Paintouts

"Cornucopia by the Tracks"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

I painted this on Sunday afternoon. It was a fun one, and a great way to warmup for the Plein Air Paintout that went down yesterday. That was a great event - I won third prize in the cityscape category with this painting, which I hope to tweak and post here after the exhibit comes down. Meanwhile, plein air season is not over yet! I'll be at the McKenzie Arts Festival this Saturday, competing in another paintout. My dear Patti is the judge - not that I expect any special treatment (*wink wink*). Come out and join us!

Iconic Eugene

 "View From Skinner Butte"

10 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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This view of Eugene is so iconic, it's the Facebook profile picture for the city itself! If you want to get the lay of the land around here, head to the top of Skinner Butte, and take it all in!

I've been exploring all kinds of high places to paint in - from parking garages to beach cliffs to hillsides. I love the challenge of simplifying a busy scene, capturing the feeling of all those buildings and trees with dashes of color.

Here's a work-in-progress:

A Plein-Air First

 

"Valley Sunset"

14 x 11 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

My first sunset painting! I never did try it out at the coast - it was just too blinding, looking into the sun going down over the ocean. This valley view had the sun at my back. I love the golden light on the pines.

For locals wondering where I found this scene, it was on Mt. Baldy. Not a mountain, but a nice view nonetheless. Here's a picture of me enjoying my post-painting glow.

No Rain

 

 "The Flower Stand"

8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$250

Click to buy

My second painting from the flower farm. The sky was pretty crazy, with some ominous-looking clouds moving through. It never rained, though - not that we couldn't use it. Yes, this is Oregon, and YES, it rains a lot, but not from July through September. By August, the ground is always fried to a crisp! It kind of works for me - I can use my repertoire of flesh tones on the brown patches.

 

At the Flower Farm

 

 "Sparhawk Flower Farm"

11 x 14 inches, oil on canvas

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Sparhawk flower farm, at the base of Mt. Pisgah, is a spot I've been wanting to revisit since last summer, when I painted this view of it from above. It's a lovely place, run by artist-friendly folks who were happy to host me for the morning. U-pickers strolled around me, gathering beautiful bouquets to take home. Creativity was in the air!

Coming up in just four short days is the plein air event of the summer, here in Eugene. The second annual Create!Eugene paintout is this Wednesday, August 20th, and no, I still haven't decided where I'm going to paint that day. I've entered both the landscape and cityscape categories, though, so my options are wide open!

Urban Plein Air

 

 "Party Downtown (sketch)"

14 x 11 inches, oil on canvas

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I titled this one "Party Downtown" because my mom told me to. Also because that's the name of the restaurant in the long yellow building at the lower right. It's a fun name for a restaurant and a fun name for a painting. Thanks, mom!

 

 Speaking of fun, I'm all suited up and ready to head out to the country for a day of non-urban plein air. You can follow along on Facebook, or Instagram if you like.

Above It All

"Oak Street Summer"

16 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

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This was painted on the top floor of a parking garage. I scoped out this location years ago when I had a job watering plants in office buildings. Instead of a watering can, yesterday I had an easel to lug in and out of my car! What a welcome change. And speaking of cars, the best thing about painting in a parking garage is that you can park right next to your setup! What bliss.

I ♡ the Arts Community

"Instrumental (sketch)"

9 x 12 inches oil on canvas

Available

After receiving a tip that some musically-inspired paintings might fit the theme of an upcoming art show, I set about finding some subjects - lazily (I know) by putting out a request on Facebook. Luckily, I live in in an amazing arts community, and was soon answered by Tim Boyden, proprietor of Out on a Limb Gallery, and furniture artist extraordinaire! 

He told me a tale of an instrument store going belly up years ago, donating their stock to MECCA (a place I could not figure out how to describe, you'll just have to follow the link - it's crazy), and being notified of a bounty to be claimed. He created this amazing piece of art with the instruments:

"All That Jazz"

by Tim Boyden

Having a few bits and parts left over afterwards, he generously offered them to me. Bonus: I got to visit his home studio, which was completely coated in sawdust, and chock-full of fascinating artifacts. I'm sorry I didn't snap any pictures - I was too busy taking it in! 

Long, long story short, I returned home with all the ingredients to stage a macabre quartet - or most of them. I suspect that these instruments are only fragments, but hey - they look awesome, and I'm loving painting them. Today's offering is my sketch. Stay tuned for a more finished piece - and some reminiscing about my own history with music - tomorrow.

Sunstroked

 "A Bend in the River"

10 x 8 inches, oil on canvas
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I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to head out for some plein air yesterday. There's a spot called Willamette Greenway that's been very popular with the Plein Air Painters of Lane County lately, and I had yet to check it out. I almost ran off the road several times heading down there - admiring the gorgeous rolling farmland, and pastoral scenes of sheep grazing. Everything is starting to turn crispy brown as it always does during our rainless summers, but that just makes the clumps of dark green trees stand out even more dramatically.

By the time I reached my destination, it was sizzling hot. I had my sunscreen and my trusty granny hat, but wasn't willing to spend time scouting around for a shady spot. I wanted to get in, get it done, and get out - and that meant setting up right at the end of the path to the river. 

As a result, I spent a ton of time doing this:

And this:

My coquettish pose has a purpose here:  attempting to hide the hideous eruption of pimples on the other side of my face. Hormones + vanity + blogging = Sarah.

Out on the Town

 "The Tiffany Building, Eugene, Oregon"

10 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

click to buy

So I signed up for my very first plein air paintout the other day. I think it's appropriate that it's the first for me, and the first for Eugene, too! I signed up for both categories: landscape and cityscape. Just leaving my options open - after all, I'm going to have an entire day to work! 

Since I definitely plan to win don't want to completely fall on my face next month, I figured it was time to get out there and start practicing my cityscapes. Luckily I got to tag along with Patti at the Park Blocks downtown for some "I-got-your-back-when-the-vagrants-harrass-you" style plein air. Actually, the only people who approached us were some city marketers hoping to photograph us for their Facebook page, and some small, curious children. 

Which was good, because I had to pump all my spare change into the parking meter. 15 minutes for a quarter, Eugene?! Ha.

 I think I might just love city-scape painting more than landscape. The light does such beautiful things to buildings, and the dappled tree-shadows make even the sidewalk interesting to paint.

I Wish I had Three Arms

 

"A Shady Spot"

14 x 11 inches, oil on canvas

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Not the same blue umbrella, and not the same model, but yes, back-to-back blue umbrella paintings on the blog. It's a July thing.

I was wishing for a third arm to hold an umbrella over me this morning. We're having a hot hot summer in Oregon, and the Monday Painting Ladies were all slathering on the sunscreen / hiding in the shade in Patti's sunny garden. We literally brought out a fan on an extension cord to keep our model from melting. She's made of chocolate, you know.

Have I mentioned how much I love summer? My dance card is full until September, folks. I spent the past week partying with family (which was great), but now there are lots of fun things in store art-wise. So, plan to join me - either literally or online. The highlights include the Oregon Coast Paintout, my August 10th workshop "Painting the Figure en Plein Air" (4 spaces left!), and the Create Eugene Paintout August 21st. I just signed up! So should you.

My Big Fat Busy Weekend

 "The Yellow Teacup"

12 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

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I'm into this whole natural light thing lately - and I don't mean this.  Not that I haven't been stocking the cooler....we'll be heading out to the mountains soon for some family camping with lots of friends. 

But never fear! I'll be zooming back to town (only an hour away, after all) for the BIG, huge party at The Gallery at the Watershed Saturday night, and though I'll be leaving my closest friends behind in the wilderness (long story, mostly a major scheduling-screwup on my part), I will be bringing a hot date.

 

"Sketch for 'The Yellow Teacup'"

6 x 6 inches, oil on Arches oil paper

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It's true, maybe I arranged for you to be stranded at a glorious mountainside hot springs this weekend. Maybe you're just busy - you have a life, after all, I know, I know. If you can't make it on Saturday, there will be another opportunity to party at the Gallery very soon! We're an official stop on the First Friday Artwalk this month. That's Friday June 7th - yes, it's June. Yes, I agree, that's crazy.

That doesn't absolve those of you without plans from coming out to see me Saturday....it just allows the procrastinators to do their thing.

 

I Get Funny Looks

 "In the Rhododendron Garden"

8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas
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If you ever get a chance to visit Eugene, try to come in Spring. At least, try to come this spring - honestly, we usually have wall-to-wall rain until the 4th of July. Not this year! Most years, Mother's Day is Rhody day - the peak of bloom time. This year they are almost finished. I was happy to find these pink and red pals in all their glory, though. Do you ever think about how long plants like these live side by side, watching the seasons and decades come and go....?

Back to my tourism plug. If you come to Eugene, and if it's a glorious spring day, Hendricks Park is not-to-be-missed. Apparently there are hundreds of types of Rhododendrons, and you can see most of them there! (Travel Lane County, please send my check to: xxx0 xxx street, euge ---- oh just kidding.)

Here I attempt to show you the scene I was looking at, and how it eventually came to be a painting.

And here, I give you eye candy. Flowers are nice.

...And here, I demonstrate the best way to get funny looks from all passersby while plein air painting: not only wear a granny hat, but definitely, definitely smear red paint all over your face. Then act like it's completely normal.

Spooky Plein Air

"The Old White Church"

8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$350

click to buy

The Walker Church is the destination for the Plein Air Painters of Lane County this week, and yesterday dawned so incredibly lovely and sunny that as soon as I opened my eyes I knew I would be driving the 20-odd miles south to check out this new spot. The church was about as deserted as you'd expect on a Wednesday morning, and also in the middle of nowhere - the closest neighbors being some cows, a shuttered trailer, a gravel pit, and a junkyard - always love seeing that sea of derelict cars, don't you?

There were Lilacs and Iris in profusion in the small cemetery adjacent to the church, and tombstones for everyone from pioneers to the recently dead jumbled together in no particular order....and as I hiked around through the long, blowing grass, a windchime that sent chills down my spine!

Soon after the chills, I heard Patti's car crunching up the dirt driveway, and soon we were exploring together, exclaiming over the lovely old houses and picking out our painting spots. By lunchtime, we were freezing (It was about 50 degrees out, even with all that glorious sun), and so we headed to the nearest town for some hot soup and coffee.

More Lilac paintings coming soon!

Queen of the Elegant Segway

"Emily's Eyes"

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

$450

click to buy

Paint, paint, paint! Life is good this week, with lots going on, at the easel and elsewhere. Here's my work from Tuesday night, getting a bit closer-in to this pose. I used a basic primary palette - red, yellow, and blue - with a little black thrown in, you know, for darkness.

Because what this model needs is a little darkness!?! I admit, I'm totally taken with her clear blue eyes and blonde, asymmetrical hair.  I feel like I should be painting her in a beautiful garden, with flowers spilling everywhere.

....Speaking of which (and I will now accept the title of 'Queen of the Elegant Segway'), Eugene is having a huge celebration of All Things Art this August - there is even a plein air paintout and competition in the works - and I have thrown myself and my hat into the ring! I'll be teaching a one-day workshop, "Painting the Figure en Plein Air" in the lovely courtyard of The Gallery at the Watershed, Saturday August 10th. It will be an all-day affair, with a lengthy demo and plenty of time for painting and individual instruction. There are only eight spots, so if you want to join me, please call Amy at the gallery right now! ((541) 844-1668 - or email amy@thewatershed.com).

I Exercise In Spite of Myself

"View of the Flower Farm"

8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$250

click to buy

I should have gone running. I have 13.1 reasons to keep my legs in fighting form, at least through this weekend, but instead....

I set off this morning for Mt. Pisgah arboretum without much of a plan in mind - I was on my own, and not being too familiar with this particular park, I wandered around for a while looking for a good spot. In a lazy effort to avoid any actual hiking, I investigated a puddle-ey bridal path, saw some cows, then more cows, no views. Finally I decided to just grab my gear and start climbing. All of the trails in this park seem to head in one direction: up.

 I couldn't have gone more than 3/4 of a mile before I found a spot that felt right, and got started.

After a while, my easel almost fell over - the ground randomly attempted to swallow one of the legs(?). I caught it in time, but got white paint on some stuff. Returning minerals to the earth from whence they came. Titanium, you're welcome.

After that adrenaline rush, I took a break. These awesome pink shoes are a pair of last year's runners - all worn out for pounding the pavement, but super comfy for standing around, and the colors make me happy.

 By noon I was hot, hungry, and happy with my work. Going down was so much easier than going up!