Should I Eat A Peach?

 

 "Should I Eat A Peach?"

12 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

$400, free shipping

Thanks, mom, for supplying this title! I'm not a huge poetry afficionado, but I enjoyed reading "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot, to hunt down this quotation, which popped into her head when I showed her the painting.

Value study! ballpoint pen, sharpie, and white marker on toned tan paper:

 

You can see several more work-in-progress shots of this painting on Instagram.

Thanks for looking!

Peaches with Two Spoons

 

"Peaches with Two Spoons"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$350

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It must be summer, because I picked peaches! I love being able to paint them with the branches and leaves still on.

"Knife and Nectarine," And, of course, the Eclipse!

"Knife and Nectarine"

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

$250

Click to buy

My latest piece from Still Life Open Studio. Our next session will be September 7th, at Whiteaker Printmakers in Eugene. All are welcome! 

In today's news, I just watched the eclipse! We had 99% totality here in Eugene, and it was pretty cool. And now I can't stop seeing the ring of light around this dark purple plate as the 1% sliver of sunlight peeking around the shadow of the moon. Art does change the way we see the world - and vice versa!

So Many Peaches, So Little Time

 

 "Peaches and Tea"

10 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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I've been eating a LOT of peaches lately. As many as we picked, I feel like I should be making hundreds more peach paintings, but plein air is obsessing me lately - and also I just bought a huge carton of prune plums at Costco....SO, the remainder of my peach bounty might have to miss their moment to model!

The Fruits of My Labor

 

 "The Peach Harvest"

11 x 14 inches, oil on canvas

$350

Available here

Earlier this week, we went peach picking for the first time. Growing up in Ohio, there was always apple picking, but peaches, pears, blueberries? So Oregon. Ironically, the apples are better in Ohio.

I made a special effort to pick some leaves along with my peaches, with a painting just like this in mind!

Early in the Morning

 "Composition with Peaches"

12 x 9 inches, oil on Arches oil paper

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I have been waking up before dawn - call it an autumn resolution - and spending my extra two hours either running or painting. This is not a new idea, but hey, it's new to me! I worked on these peaches over the course of two or three mornings this week, intending it to be a warmup before heading out to work on a commission I've been doing (more on that soon), but it turned out as more of a finished piece. I love how the oil paper can be create either a smooth or rougher effect depending on how much paint you slather on. I painted this one thinner in the background, and much thicker in the foreground. Thick paint always draws the eye.

Feelin' Peachy

"Peachy Keen"

8 x 6 inches, oil on canvas

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I'm blogging to you from a super-cute vacation cottage in Bend, Oregon! We're here with friends who also have a little one, so the kids are in heaven. Hot tub heaven. And, as you can see below, blue sky and huge clouds heaven! 

Man it's nice here. I'm going to stretch my plein air legs while everyone else stretches their real legs, hiking at Smith Rock this afternoon. Keep an eye on Facebook for pictures!

A REALLY Good Weekend.

"Two Peaches"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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Well, I can't complain about my weekend! It started off with a bang Friday night with The Gallery at the Watershed's first artwalk - and I do mean a bang. As in, I sold 7 paintings that night! (Insert Howard Dean scream.) It's such a change for me, selling paintings in person rather than online. My favorite part of the night was selling this piece to two friends who planned to share it - 6 months at one house, and 6 at the other. Joint-custody of art, what an idea!

The rest of my weekend was no slouch, with an absolutely idyllic creekside playdate, home-grilled chicken wings, lots of husband-and-wife yard work, and SUN. Tomorrow morning I paint the figure en plein air with my Monday ladies once again. I think I have the best job in the world!