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

Click to buy

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

Golden Ring (Ace of Pentacles) and #30in30!

 "Golden Ring (Ace of Pentacles)"

7 x 11 inches, oil on Arches oil paper

$250

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Here's how this one came together. I can't believe how long these little oranges have lasted in my studio. It must be cold in there or something.....! Spring is on the way, though - I saw Camellias on my favorite camellia-stealing bush yesterday, so, good things ahead! 

And speaking of things ahead - I've decided to try my hand at a 30 in 30 day painting challenge. Gulp! Anyone else doing this one?

Tangerine Tumble

 

"Tangerine Tumble"

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

$350 

Click to buy

Here's this one in-progress, from sketchbook to underpainting to color. The sketch was fun - ballpoint pen, black sharpie, and white Pitt pen on tan paper! Here's the sketchbook I used. 

 

I recently did a little interview for the blog #artcrushxo. Kim shares so many diverse and interesting artists, it was an honor to be invited to contribute! 

 

(Read the interview here)

The Star

 "The Star"

10 x 20 inches, oil on canvas

$600

Available

"When the Star appears in a Tarot reading, be open to new ideas and growth. Listen to the still small voice within." 

I love the star card. I chose it for this painting because the shape of the star echoes the rays of light cast by the green glass cup.

 

"There is a deeper spiritual journey that you are going through which is all about bringing greater meaning and purpose into your life and renewing your inner energy." 

(from Biddytarot.com) 

I did feel I was on a spiritual journey as I was creating these Tarot card paintings. I rented a beautiful studio at the Oregon coast during the week before Christmas, and did nothing but paint and sleep. It was really a gift to myself, spending time there. I feel I am beginning the year with new inspiration - the promises of the Star card coming true!

Over the Moon

 "Over the Moon"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

$500 

Available

I've been making some paintings recently that include Tarot cards. I don't know much about Tarot, but I like the iconography. The meanings of each card are so open ended; I enjoy reading about each one and thinking about how they apply to the imagery in my paintings. The still life comes first, the possible meanings come later. That's always the way it is with me. My paintings aren't narrative - if I try to set up a still life with "meaning," it always falls flat. I approach them with a focus on the formal/visual elements, and the meaning comes as I'm painting - if it comes. Sometimes, a painting really is just about shapes and colors. 

The card in this one is "The Moon." You can read about it here.

Here is the value study for this piece. It's approximately 8x10, oil paint on Arches oil paper:

$100

Blue and Gold, a new Ornament Painting, with a Video!

 "Blue and Gold"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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The stages of this piece. Isn't it funny how GREEN the gold ornament looked before the rest of the painting got filled in? I admit it, green is my secret weapon for creating the illusion of gold. 

Here's a quick time-lapse video of the underpainting coming together - I love these things! No matter how long you let the camera run, the resulting video is always 30 seconds. So, I have absolutely no idea how long this part took. 😉

I get a LOT of questions about materials - what paint, brushes, etc I use. For this part, the underpainting shown in the video, I'm using a #2 round taklon brush by Connoisseur. The canvas is toned with a mixture of red, yellow, and blue - an orange dulled with its complement. And, as always, the brand is M. Graham. To provide a quick answer to questions about materials, I've compiled a list of products I use on Amazon - you can check that out here!

All That Glitters

"All That Glitters"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$250

Click to buy

This painting makes me really happy. Hope it brightens your day! 

Here's a time-lapse video of me painting it. If you're an email subscriber, you may need to click on this link to check it out.

Unfurled

 

 "Unfurled" 

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$250

Click to buy

Still Life Open Studio, Holiday Edition, was a bit smaller than it might have been due to some seriously yucky weather, but those who braved the icy rain got to witness firsthand my wretched excess when it comes to ornament still life setup.  Even I had trouble deciding which of the half-dozen paintings I was seeing in the objects on the table to bring to life on canvas. But this curling ribbon kept snagging my eye - and here it is! 

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Collectors! Don't miss this opportunity to browse my paintings, new and old - come find out what I mean when i say serious end-of-the-year deals. Saturday and Sunday, 11-7, at Whitprint:

Circle Of Light

"Circle of Light"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

$200

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One fun thing about painting Christmas balls: there's a tiny self-portrait inside each one of them! You can see it especially in the dark purple one. 

I could make a list (and check it twice): there are probably a dozen things I love about painting ornaments. This has been kind of a big year for them already, considering that I only painted ONE last year.....

I can feel it coming on, the annual stock-taking that accompanies this season. It's like a holiday for my inner statistician. How many paintings did I make this year? How many blog posts did I write? How many new Instagram followers? Blog subscribers?

Depending on how you feel about statistics, comparison, and self-judgement, either something to look forward to, or a situation requiring immediate distraction. I suggest shopping! Specifically, at the WhitPrint Holiday Show and Sale - next weekend, December 10-11th. I will be there, showing my newest (as in November's) paintings, and with a huge table covered in bargain basement holiday deals.

Beacon

 "Beacon"

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

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Yep, more with the white objects! And looking around the studio at what I've got in-progress, I can say with confidence that you still haven't seen the last of them. 

Here's how this one got started:

And here's how it really got started...just another random morning sketch:

For more sketchbook stuff, check out my new board on Pinterest. Daily sketches....here!

Wrapping and Rolling

 

"Wrapping and Rolling"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

Special Christmas Price! 

$100

Sold

Merry Christmas! Wow, I really squeaked this one in under the wire - my one and only ornament painting for 2014! Last year there were two, in 2012 there were four...

You can see a time-lapse video of this painting being created HERE. Enjoy!

And have a great holiday.

The Red Violin

"The Red Violin"

8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$250

Click to buy

Getting looser with the instruments! I decided I had to have some deep, rich blue to go with those oranges and golds, and it worked just the way I'd hoped it would. In fact, I have a much larger variation on this color scheme threatening to topple off my easel right now... I guess its tender legs aren't used to the strain of such a big canvas!

 "The Red Violin (sketch)"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

Sold

 Thanks for looking!

Day and Night: A Two-For-One Blog Post

 

 "Day Light"

12 x 9 inches, oil on canvas

click to buy

"Night Light"

12 x 9 inches, oil on canvas

click to buy

SEO be damned! I couldn't resist posting these two paintings together. The brilliant snowy light pouring through my (freezing, garage-studio) windows was too amazing not to capitalize on, and the early darkness too absolute not to cheer up with some votive candles.

I've forgotten how thrilling candlelight can be to capture in paint. A warm undertone and thin paint on the cast lights are the keys to capturing the effect.

Look for more candlelit paintings of these humble, beautiful objects from me in the next few days!

These paintings, and practically everything else I've painted this year will be on view and available for purchase at The Gallery at the Watershed, beginning Tuesday December 17th. Please email Amy, my fabulous Gallerista, if you'd like to inquire!

Looking Back and Looking Forward

 "Christmas Clementines"

12 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

click to buy

I love the combination of oranges, cranberries, and gold. It's a combo I've been wanting to revisit since I first tried it two years ago. Time flies!

(...And speaking of...)

 Hanging day for my show at The Gallery at the Watershed is one week from tomorrow! Please do plan to join me for the opening reception on Friday December 20th, at 7 pm.

Snowed In

"Christmas Cuties"

10 x 10 x 1.5 inches, oil on cradled birch panel

click to buy

Santa's elves threw up all over my living room over Thanksgiving weekend, and mother nature followed up with a whopper of a Pacific Northwest snow storm in the wee hours of this morning. There must be ten inches out there as I type! Good thing I've got plenty of these little oranges (and toilet paper, don't worry) stockpiled: I don't think I'll be going anywhere for the next day or two!

I grew up in Ohio, where this kind of snow would be just another winter day, ho hum. In Eugene, Oregon it's Armageddon. They don't do snowplows or salt on the roads here, so when the white stuff happens, we just stay home. 

And I'm not complaining! So many gorgeous ornaments to paint. Thank you, little elves!

 

Mellow Yellow

 "Yellow Tea Party"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

$200

Available here

We are busily working on my new studio - also known as our useless third garage bay - and all the studio (wall) painting has been getting in the way of my studio (canvas) painting. It's for a good cause, though, and I should be moving in very soon!

Meanwhile, here's a dose of yellow to get you ready for fall colors, also coming soon...

"In the Golden Circle"

  

8 x 8"

oil on canvas

$200

click to buy

The other day, I did a 15 minute warmup painting that I enjoyed so much I decided to expand on it. The gold plate reflecting blue afternoon light is just so deliciously colorful. When painting gold, never forget to throw some green into the mix! Yellow Ochre + Ultramarine Blue make an excellent greeny gold.

15 minute warm-up, oil on paper coated with acrylic matte medium, approx 4x6"

It's been a good day. I started it off by running 6 miles with this lady, talking art (almost) the whole time, then painted until it was time to head to a birthday party with my daughter. And found out they were serving margaritas. Score!

"After the Cut" still life oil painting orignal art fruit orange knife

  

12 x 12"

oil on canvas

$325

Available via The Gallery at the Watershed

I finally mustered up the energy to finish slicing this orange, but in the process I knocked the vase over and voila! A composition was born. Ok, that's a lie. It takes me forever to set up these still lives...

Here's a work-in-progress shot. I actually painted this over an unsuccessful figure painting, which I sanded down and painted with a wash of orange/blue before I began. When I draw out my composition, I start with a very light color - just a shade darker than my tonal wash. Then I firm it up and make corrections using alizarin crimson, and add splashes of purple to the darkest darks.

 

 It's kind of a series now. Too bad I'm out of 12 x 12" canvases. I'll have to get some more on Sunday when I take down my show at Oregon Art Supply. Oh yeah...you've all been by to see that, right? Because I'm taking it down on Sunday. I almost forgot Glad I remembered that one. Sunday!

"Cutting In" still life original oil painting on canvas orange knife plate

  

12 x 12"

oil on canvas

$200

click to buy

I was cutting into this orange to paint it in pieces, and I got lazy made an artistic spur-of-the-moment decision to try it this way. My favorite part - the juice:

Because of some Blogger-wierdness, the top of the painting is getting slightly cropped. I promise, the edge of the vase does not touch the edge of the canvas. It's close, though! :) Here's a shot of this painting in progress.

I'm rushing out the door to get to figure painting night - Gabriella is coming with me, so my Facebook updates might be extra fun tonight!