Flowering Quince

"Flowering Quince"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas on panel

$400

Click to buy

February is one of my favorite months to be in Oregon - which I still marvel at, since it was the WORST month of winter where I grew up in the midwest. Things are beginning to bloom everywhere - including this Quince, or Chaenomeles, if you want to get technical about it. ;)

Plums on Pink and Blue

"Plums on Pink and Blue"

16 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

$700

Email me to purchase

I'm exploring "Fabric" with my online mentorship students this month. They've already done some incredible things, and I'm discovering a newfound love for the stuff. Go figure!

Pointed Toes

"Pointed Toes"

8 x 13 inches, oil on Masterpiece Hardcore Pro Panel

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I adore the texture of these shoes - and they're purple! My favorite color. 

I've been hosting a painting-a-day week on Instagram, and there's been some great work posted, both by my online students, and by other friends. Visit the hashtag #sarahsedwickseveninseven to enjoy the visual feast!

Almond Milk

"Almond Milk"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

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Sometimes simple is best. :)

Golden Spiral

 

 "Golden Spiral"

10 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

$500

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Why did I call this one "Golden Spiral?" Because it fits so nicely inside the Fibonacci spiral! You can see another painting on a Golden Mean ratio canvas in my previous post.

 

Pears en Rose

"Pears en Rose"

12 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

$450

Click to buy

I've been getting some painting in before I head to my next workshop, in Sacramento, CA. There are still a few spots open, at the fabulous Patris Studio and Gallery, if you know anyone in the area who'd love some Oil Painting Boot Camp! 

Boot Camp is a three-day workshop with an emphasis on loosening up your brushwork - and using a limited palette of three colors and white. Looking forward to it! More info here.

Pink Milk

 

 "Pink Milk"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$350

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I noticed, after the first session of work on this painting, that the milk looked very pink - especially before I filled in the pinks on the plate. I toned it down a bit, but the name stuck! 

(Work-in-progress:)

Thanks for reading!

Pears and Cream

 

 "Pears and Cream"

10 x 10 inches, oil on panel

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When I set them on this plate, the pink blush on the pears just came alive! 

 

California Pomegranates

 "California Pomegranates"

8 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

$400

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I was recently in Sacramento, teaching "Oil Painting Boot Camp" to a fantastic group of artists. One of them gave me these pomegranates, picked right in his own back yard! Nice people, beautiful weather, and the neighborhood I was in, Oak Park, was lovely. What a great visit!

Here's my value study, made with Procreate on the iPad:

If you're curious about just what "Oil Painting Boot Camp" might entail, you'll have several opportunities to find out in 2019 - including another in Sacramento in May, and on Bainbridge Island, Washington - a FOUR day version - in April.

And if you'd like me to visit your home town for a workshop, please get in touch. :)

One Plus Three

"One Plus Three"

8 x 10 x 1.5 inches, oil on canvas

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Keeping it simple! Still lifes of a few simple objects with their cast shadows and a colorful background are a great way to focus on loose, painterly brushwork and edges - and taking some risks with color too! 

Simple, but not easy. There's no satisfaction in easy - and this one was very satisfying to paint!

Thanks for reading.

-Sarah

Pink Ladies

 

 "Pink Ladies"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

$500

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Pretty in pink - and white! There's some luscious thick paint on those apples. Click the image to zoom way in! 

Here's my sketch - sharpie, ballpoint pen, and white marker on tan paper. These really help me plan my composition and value structure.

Happy ❤️ Day!

 

"Red, White, and Goo"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$350

Click to buy

It's been a few years since I attempted to bite one of these cherry cordials in just the right way to make the goo ooze out like this, but I'm happy to report that it's like riding a bike.

It only took a couple of tries.

So...Happy Valentine's! I'll be spending it alone with my sugar high.

 

Special offer for blog readers! Buy "Red, White, and Goo," and I'll throw in my sketch, which is 5 x 5" on thick tan paper, mixed media (aka, ballpoint pen, sharpie, and white ink). I'll send you a 2018 Calendar too! Because it's a beautiful day, and I ❤️ all of you. 

XXO.

Oklahoma City: A Tornado of Paint!

 "Crimson Radishes"

8x8 inches, oil on canvas

Sold, demo painting

I took my still life show on the road again this month, traveling to Oklahoma City to teach my second workshop at The Conservatory for Classical Art.

We did a TON of painting - from ten minute paintings to ten stroke paintings. We painted eggs, we painted tea, we painted peppers, radishes, cantaloupe... pretty much the whole produce department.

I had a blast. Already looking forward to heading back in September to teach Zorn Palette Portrait.

 "Lemon Tea in OKC"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

Sold, demo painting

What a fabulous group! Thanks for painting with me.

Wrapping and Rolling

 

"Wrapping and Rolling"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

Special Christmas Price! 

$100

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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.

Onward with the Auctions!

"Pretty in Pink"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

$1 Auction

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An oldie-but-goodie from what I kinda think of as my "reflective glass surface" period. I guess it was spring 2012? I was really into placing my still life setups on these large pieces of glass. Before and since, I've had other obsessions periods: colored bottles, skulls, colored papers....Chinese lanterns....

You can check out all of this week's $1 Auctions here!

Easter Doings

 "Easter Lily"

14 x 11 inches, oil on canvas

click to buy

I had a lovely Sunday! Through a liaison with my local gallery, I was invited to paint during an opulent Easter brunch at the Eugene Hilton hotel. Of course, I chose an Easter lily as my subject. 

Below you can see my value sketch, done with two grays and a black Copic marker. I tried to stick to that value structure as I moved into the painting, but I think I ended up too dark on the ground plane.

I always benefit from preliminary studies - and opulent brunches. Shrimp, salmon, and crab at 11 am? Yes, please!

Spring Pinks: a floral still life oil painting

 

 "Spring Pinks"

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

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The colors of spring on my street, including a sprig of exuberant purple Azalea. I stayed very loose and suggestive on those purple blossoms - I'll tell you it was my way of keeping the focus inside the composition, but really it was to keep from making myself crazy!

Here's a work-in-progress:

"Fallen Blossom" A floral still life oil painting of red Camellias

 "Fallen Blossom"

12 x 9 inches, oil on canvas

Camellias don't last long as cut flowers - especially if you're constantly fussing and rearranging to get the perfect bouquet for a painting. Luckily, I liked the look of this blossom on the tabletop, and was able to capture it before its petals began to shrivel. I'd love to do a really big still life of Camellias, but I'd have to work fast - a photograph could never do these amazing colors justice - my palette barely can, and I've been using four different reds!

Pretty Larceny

 "Early Camellias"

approx. 12 x 9 inches, oil on Arches oil paper

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The scissors in my glove compartment strike again! This beautiful Camellia bush lives on the front lawn of a real estate office downtown - conveniently located along my morning drop-off-the-people route. I'm sure the friendly realtors would be happy to know they'd donated some excess bloomage to the cause of Art. Not that I'm telling them or anything. 

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!