"Reflecting Pool," A Solo Show, and Gallery Gratitude

 "Reflecting Pool"

14 x 18 inches, oil on canvas

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Ta Da! My sole solo show of 2017 opened earlier this month at Brackenwood Gallery on Whidbey Island, Washington, and I got to be there in person to enjoy the festivities. 

I've been saving this painting, "Reflecting Pool," not blogging it, waiting for this show to open. It's the last - the final! - painting I will be posting from my artist's residency at Playa earlier this year, and it's my favorite piece made there - my favorite of the twenty paintings that I brought home from that powerful, miraculous month of work. 

Here it is, hanging in the gallery:

 And here is another shot of the show:

Here I am posing after the opening with the other artist who has a solo show in the gallery right now, Pete Jordan. His beautiful Whidbey Island landscapes are such a perfect counterpoint to my still lives... majestic in every way!

Thank you, Brackenwood, for making me look so good!

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!

Whidbey Island Weekend

 "Dappled Light"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

$400

Available, click to buy

I had a FANTASTIC weekend, making my second visit to Brackenwood Gallery on Whidbey Island, Washington. (You can read about my first visit here.) 

They call these gallery visits "Artist's Salons," how lovely. And so civilized! I set my easel up outside the gallery doors and chatted with the people who strolled by all afternoon.

 Those gorgeous apples came right out of my hosts' garden on the island, and they were delicious! I know, because I ate them as soon as I was done with this painting. Farm to easel to table? More like ground to hand to mouth. But yes!

 

Whidbey Island is so great, and so are all the people at Brackenwood Gallery. I'm already looking forward to next year, when rumor has it, I'll be offering a workshop through Whidbey Island Fine Art Studios as well! Exciting!

The Artist's Vacation

 "Oranges on a Grey Plate"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

Sold, workshop demo painting

 I just returned from a wonderful whirlwind week in the Midwest. I think it's safe to say I covered all my bases while I was there, too! I taught a workshop, had a gallery opening, visited my father in Cleveland, my sister in Chicago, hit two amazing art museums, and did plenty of other cool touristy stuff - since, after almost a decade in the Pacific Northwest, I am pretty much of a tourist in the land where I grew up.

It all started at BayArts, in Bay Village, Ohio - a pretty amazing place. Here's a panorama of my solo show, "The Color of Light." 

 

Next up was a workshop. BayArts has a fantastic classroom. You know the feeling a space gets when art is made there for years and years? Lots of that going on here!

It was a great group of students - enthusiastic and talented. Check out their paintings from day two!

Then I decompressed from all that artmaking with some hardcore art viewing. Modigliani at the Art Institute of Chicago:

I have lots of workshops coming up, including another round of the same workshop I just taught at BayArts, at home in Eugene. Spaces are still available for this Saturday and Sunday. Info and registration here. Join us!

Big Things!

 "Self-Portrait, Pointing Down"

24 x 36 inches, oil on canvas

$1800
Available here

This one was kind of a struggle getting started, several days of scraping and redoing the face. But, that happens to everyone - even John Singer Sargent!

Here's the progression. If you think I look serious in the finished piece, check out that grumpy underpainting! It looks like I just ate something unpleasant.

 I'll replace the photo of the finished piece with a better one soon; I was in a hurry to get the painting off to this show, OBJECT/FORM, which opens Friday! (I finished it the day before I had to deliver my work - the perks of a local gallery.) 

This is kind of a big deal - I have thirty paintings on view. If you're in the Eugene area, please join me for the opening reception, Friday April 8th, from 6-8 pm.

Taking a Trip

 

 "Lemon Tea on Whidbey"

12 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

Click to buy

Last weekend, I drove up to the Seattle area for a visit with my friends at Brackenwood Gallery. Eight years in the Pacific Northwest, and this was my first time in Seattle! It was also my first time meeting the proprietors, Jason Waskey and Mary Jo Reynolds, in person, though Jason and I have been art-blogging buddies for many years.

 On Saturday afternoon I set up my easel and painted in the gorgeous, watery window light. Many friendly gallery-goers stopped to chat with me.

Here's the finished product, with my subjects. You may recognize some of them from my First Friday demo in Eugene two weeks ago!

 

It was an honor to visit - and paint at - this beautiful gallery. Pictured below: Fiorella, me, Mary Jo, and Jason. 

Another highlight of the weekend was getting to visit Jason's studio and see some of his works-in-progress. He and I will be having a two-person show at Brackenwood in October. So I guess I'm just going to HAVE to go back!

 

 Twist my arm, right? Whidbey Island is such a beautiful place! And did I mention, there are wild bunnies? On the left is the morning view from my hosts' kitchen, and on the right, offering the bunnies a snack. Heading back to the mainland on the ferry,  the views only got better: 

West Light Daisies

"West Light Daisies"

12 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

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Here is a simple still life, much more about the effect of light on the objects than the objects themselves. I loved exploring the translucencies of the turquoise cup and the flower petals, and the gorgeous shadow and light patterns on the tabletop. In other words, I wanted to paint that window light. The things I set up in the light were almost incidental.

For those in the Seattle area: I'm going to be at Brackenwood Gallery on Whidbey Island, Saturday, August 15th, for an "Artist's Salon," aka, a painting demonstration and reception. Join me if you can, or follow my adventures on Facebook and Instagram!

An Opening, A Painting...and A Video!

 

 "Summer Tea"

12 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

Last Friday was the opening reception for my show at Oregon Art Supply. It was also First Friday Artwalk, and I had lots of company while I worked on this painting in the gallery.

I love doing painting demos. People ask the greatest questions. Sometimes I forget why I do things the way I do...but there's nothing like having to explain it out loud to remind me!

 I also got to give a little talk about my work....this clip is only two minutes, but if you'd like to watch the other eight (I know, don't give me a microphone, it's trouble!), you can do that here.

Plein Air in Corvallis

 "Corvallis Farm Stand"

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

$100

Click to buy

I had an amazing opportunity last week as part of the Giustina Gallery at Oregon State's new exhibit "Everyday Taste of Plein Air" to join some of my absolute art heroes for a paintout.

We set up around the farmer's market in downtown Corvallis. It was a beautiful day, and there were lots of people out. 

 After lunch, I painted a view of Big River, a favorite Corvallis restaurant.

"Big River"
9 x 12, oil on canvas

That evening was the opening reception for the exhibit. Here's my wall:

 

It was a long, fun day, and a fantastic show. If you're in the Corvallis area, don't miss it!

Painting, Out and About

  "Three Bottles (sketch)" 

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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Woah, this post is a throwback. I did just resist the urge to #hashtag that, by the way. Being behind on posting is not a bad thing, really -  more work than time to blog is a problem I'm never unhappy to have!

 Two weeks ago, I was whiling away a lovely Saturday, painting at the Gallery at the Watershed, and chatting with some lovely people. I even got drawn, myself, by a young artist who brought a sketchbook to my demo. Loved that! 

 

The above is my sketch from the day, which I actually painted after the larger piece below. There's nothing like being warmed up! (I seem to say that a lot these days.) 

 

"Three Bottles, at the Gallery"

8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

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A post for a snowy Thursday

 "One Dozen Brown Eggs"

10 x 8 inches, oil on canvas
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Here's the painting from my always-fun live session at the gallery last Saturday. If you've been reading awhile, you might recognize this plate as the green twin of my subject from the previous weekend. If so, bonus points for you!

 

If you're interested in watching me paint, I'll be at the gallery this Saturday for the final day of my solo show, from 12-4. Feel free to join - pull up a chair, watch as long as you like, and ask me anything!

If you prefer a fancier soiree, tomorrow is First Friday, once again (because it's February, for all you doubters!) and I will be out and about, in a dress, no less! Brave the snow. Let's meet.

 

Road Trip!

 "All Kinds of Orange"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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I have a pretty strict policy around here: Say Yes As Often As Possible. Which is how I came to be driving North on I-5 this past Monday evening with my trunk full of painting gear, and trusty sidekick Amy in the passenger seat. Destination: The Corvallis Art Guild's monthly meeting.

I'm always honored to be asked to do anything - especially paint in front of people and talk about my work! The Corvallis Art Guild turned out to be a great group of artists who peppered me with delightfully technical questions about paint, mediums, etc, while I did my demo. Speaking of technical - the whole thing was projected onto a huge screen, with some help from the chairman of the group (and a friend of mine), Joseph Pfeiffer-Herbert. Everyone had a great view, and Joseph's arm only got a little tired.

Another invitation I gratefully accepted that evening came from Herbert and Rogena Berman, who welcomed Amy and I into their Corvallis home. They had seen my show at The Gallery at the Watershed and liked it so much that they invited us to see Herbert's wonderful paintings and studio. It was really a treat.

What a great night!

Sweets For the Sweet

 "Sweetness"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

$200

click to buy

 I've been spending my Saturdays happily painting on-location at The Gallery at the Watershed this month, and here is my painting from last weekend. You may suspect what holiday I'm anticipating...

My solo show will be up for two more weeks, and that means two more Saturdays to drop in and hang out with Amy and I. We have a good time.

In other excellent weekend happenings, I was invited to contribute a post about my favorite paintings of 2013 to my friend Taryn's blog The Art Room. She's also linked to my favorite paintings from 2012. Time flies when you're painting up a storm.