Looking Left

"Looking Left"

14 x 18 inches, oil on canvas

$500

Available here

A new figure painting, from life, using a fairly limited palette - mostly burnt sienna, yellow ocher, alizarin crimson, cobalt blue, and white. The last time I painted this model, Hannah, was about a year ago.

Here is a work-in-progress photo. The color looks really different from picture to picture - that's caused by taking them in different lighting situations. The final photo is closest to the actual colors of the painting. 

Zorn Gets Glamorous

 

"Sadie"

14 x 11 inches, oil on canvas

Click to buy

One of the best ways to get to know somebody better is to have them sit for you! I've been admiring Sadie's unique look since I met her last year, and finally got up the nerve to ask her to model! I enjoyed chatting with her while I painted, even if it did make her mouth difficult to capture. :)

I used a Zorn palette - that's Cadmium red, YellowOcher, Ivory Black and white only. It's amazing what you can do with so little.

I'll be taking my Zorn palette show on the road this weekend, with a three-day portrait workshop at Oregon Art Supply. It starts tomorrow, so stay tuned for updates!

(Spoiler alert: Sadie will be modeling for the class on Sunday!)

And yes, I'll be teaching this workshop again before the end of the year, if there's demand - so call Oregon Art Supply and let them know you're interested (if you are)!

Title Tryouts

 "Daydream"

18 x 24 inches, oil on canvas.
$1000
Click to buy
 

Here it is: the second installment of my new series, tentatively titled "Everybody gets to rest but me." Alternate tentative title: "Where did November go?"

I painted the model from life, over two sittings, about seven hours total. Then I painted the drapery from photo reference and I don't even know how long that took. I was in the zone.

Coming soon: the third installment! And I can guarantee a spoiler on Facebook sometime today...

Flying out of the Studio!

"Nestled"

18 x 24 inches, oil on canvas

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Well, I feel blessed! Blessed to have such a wonderful model, a comfy couch in my new studio for her to pose on, and wonderful collectors who rush over to view my latest paintings fresh off the easel. 

The feedback I've gotten has been overwhelmingly positive, and I really appreciate it. I'll be taking suggestions that I turn it into a series to heart!

In the meantime, here are my in-progress shots:  

The figure was painted entirely from life, but I did use photo reference for the drapery.

Life In The Gray

 "In the Gray"

20 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

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Things in life aren't black and white (though you do need to check your values sometimes). Is your painting good or bad? Are you talented or not? Are you successful or a failure? These aren't absolutes - we all fall across a spectrum - and change is always possible. That's life in the gray.

Look Who's Back...

...And it's about time! I didn't really intend to stay away so long, but life happens. Getting back into the studio has been a slow process, with the dreaded cold starts, and plenty of AA - that's Artist's Anxiety (...and yes, that's trademarked, but ok, you can use it!)

There is no slump-busting in my world that doesn't involve Figure painting - so here's my latest: 

"In Profile"

12 x 9 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

 Painted in approximately three hours, from a live model - and here's the proof:

Smile!

Party of Two

 "Becca in July"

12 x 9 inches, oil on canvas

click to buy

I was feeling overjoyed last night, walking back into Maude Kerns Art Center's open studio after a three week hiatus. I was happy to be there, but I was almost alone in that feeling, because Joy and I were the only ones who showed up! Summer is a crazy time around here - everyone travels, there are tons of things to do, it's almost impossible to throw a party because no one's around to attend....

Well, we enjoyed our party of two last night, and I got to set up the pose and the lighting without any interference collaboration whatsoever. See how creative I got? She's sitting. On. The. Model. Stand.

If anyone has a *small* couch or comfy chair they want to donate, consider dropping it off at Maude Kerns. The artists there will thank you for years to come.  And you'll get to see your rejected furniture immortalized again and again!

Bonus random sky shot: it was a beautiful evening!

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.

Art and the Vineyard, my Awesome 4th of July

"The Blue Umbrella"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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 I had a great Fourth of July! The day began with hugs from my sister-and-brother-in-law who'd snuck into my house after midnight on the 3rd (who's awake to greet guests at such an ungodly hour? Not me.) Next I headed out to my favorite festival of the year, Art and the Vineyard, with my friend and fellow Maude Kerns instructor Farley Craig and a gorgeous model to spend the afternoon painting in the sun. We talked to so many awesome people, and squeezed in a little painting too!

Don't you love my Oregon Art Supply apron? It's new.

To really cap off the day with a bang, we had our closest friends over for a BBQ, and with both of my wonderful sisters-in-law and their husbands visiting this weekend, it was a house full of fun. And I managed to look the other way when the menfolk started blowing things up.

It's Good to Have Friends

 "By the Garden Gate"

18 x 14 inches, oil on canvas

click to buy

Yes, it's good to have friends. Friends with incredibly beautiful, perfectly landscaped gardens. Friends who paint, and love to paint with friends.

I got to share this blissfully sunny morning with my Monday painting ladies, a new (to me) model, and a super-fluffy kitty - who declined to pose, but entertained us with her cuteness. Jean, Patti, Joy and I were happily reunited with Katia, our compadre from the coast, who drove 2+ hours to paint with us! We keep threatening to return the favor...Hopefully she has a guest room for four!

 

My Avatar, the Sequel

 

"Ali in Stripes"

11 x 14 inches, oil on canvas

$250

click to buy

I haven't seen this model, Ali, except for random sightings around town - this is a small place we live in after all - since last May. And I wasn't the only one happy to see her this morning! Some of us were giddy. (Lol, Joy).

I've had such success painting Ali in the past that her likeness has been my online avatar and another has been on my business cards for the past year.

 I loved the stripes.

But then, I've been known to rock a few myself, from time to time. 

via Instagram

New Portrait, New Paint

 

"Emily May" 

8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$200

click to buy

face detail - click to see it BIGGER!

 It's been *interesting* trying to get to a 9 am painting session for the past few months, but worth it. Many of you are mothers, fathers, grandparents, etc, and can relate to the challenges of getting a young child out of the house "on time," not to mention, a husband to work. I've been loving these portrait sessions, though, and with spring break next week and the decision of whether to continue on with them ahead of me, I'm feeling positive overall.

Our model this morning was the lovely Emily May, and because I'm lazy it's been awesome lately, I was Zorning it up. I even had to buy a very large tube of yellow ocher specifically for this new habit of mine!  You run through it awfully fast when it's your only yellow, believe me.

Here's my sketch after 45 minutes alongside the finish. I REALLY wanted to get her other hand in there, but, well, on an 8 x 10" canvas, there just wasn't going to be room if I wanted to do the face justice. And the pose was so eloquent that I didn't want to do only her face....I was torn over this one, such a beautiful pose, and I don't see this model enough.

 

Smile!

I Endorse the Scrape-Down, with Metaphors

  

"The Brown Beret"

8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$200

click to buy

I love this model, Jessica, because she always picks great outfits. Today I felt like she was a character from a movie set in some bygone era. Not sure quite which, but even her facial expression was dripping nostalgia. And on this 8 x 10 inch canvas, I had to capture that expression using my signing brush. It has like four hairs. I don't usually do that, but when I do, I make sure to have an extra cup of coffee so my hands feel like they're shaking the whole time. (Art tips!)

Here's a shot after the first 45 minute sitting next to the finished piece. I lengthened the torso and completely repainted the legs somewhere in between these two. I also scraped the face before the last 45 minutes, hence no middle picture.

 

I never go back and mess with my older paintings. I'd rather throw them out and start from scratch. During the process of making a painting, though, you have to be willing to edit, delete, spell check, carpet bomb, and decapitate to get what you want.

All's Well That Ends Well

"Legs Elegantly Crossed"

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

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This one started well. At least, I felt great. It had been a while since I'd painted, but my first strokes felt confident and successful. And they weren't. 

On the left, you see my toned canvas and initial sketch, moving from orange to alizarin to purple. Should have taken two steps back and seen that the head was too big, but moved on instead. I liked what I'd done with the face, but I gritted my teeth and decided I wanted to keep the whole body on the canvas. So it was off with her head. 

Very satisfying.

What I don't have pictures to show you is that shortly after repainting the head, I scraped the body down and repainted it, too.

All in all, it was a laborious night - but when I got home, I decided I liked the result. With a little tweaking today, I think I might love it. It's the journey, guys. And sometimes the end results are good too.

I Invent a Verb

 

"Sultry Sleepy Eyes"

8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$200

click to buy

 I pulled into the parking lot of the Art Center last night still not knowing what I wanted to do, palette-wise. Because I'd been busy all morning, my travel palette was a mess, and with no time to clean it (between the 3 year old's dance class, making dinner, blogging, you know...), I threw a disposable palette in my paint box and ran out the door.

It seemed like as good a time as any to pull something out of the "I've been meaning to try" bag:

The Zorn Palette

Image source

  Red, Yellow Ocher, Black, White. That's it! So simple.

 And I'm going to declare my use of "Zorn" as a verb totally acceptable. I'll even give you permission to use it too.

Here's another Zorn spectrum. Great Zorning, dude!

image source

"The Cloche Hat" original oil painting art portrait clothed model figure figurative

 

8 x 10"

oil on canvas

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My second time painting this model. I was loving her retro-chic outfit, especially the wooly gray skirt. As you can see below, it was the first thing I painted.

A model break. Cool filter courtesy of Instagram.

"The Green Earring" oil painting portrait from life

 

8 x 10"

oil on canvas

$200

click to buy

This one was going well, then it wasn't. So I scraped off half the face and repainted, and it was a lot better. There's a lesson there, a good one to constantly be relearning.

 Have you ever wanted to see what an artist would make of your beautiful face? If you live nearby, give me a shout. You could come over, sit for me, we could chat....you know, no biggie! (No obligation to buy, and no compensation either, though I've been known to bribe with wine.)

"Long Legs" female figure painting portrait nude oil on canvas

  

11 x 14"

oil on canvas

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If every night was like last night, life would be a dream. As an artist, I live for the rare moments when my brush feels like it's moving itself, and each stroke is more satisfying than the last. When I finished this painting, my heart was beating out of my chest! The best thing about painting experiences like these, though, is that I know someday in the future I'll have an even better one.

"Rebecca in White" figurative figure painting nude woman girl portrait

  

9 x 12"

oil on canvas

$250

click to buy

My second go at this lovely pose. This time I moved about a quarter of the way around the model. I wish the studio was large enough to place the model stand in the center of the room so that a back view would always be possible, but having it against a wall affords us the advantage of a backdrop. Below is my progression - the third image is how the painting looked when I brought it home. I refined it a little this morning - smoothing the background and the chair, mostly.

click on image to see it larger