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! 

 

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!

In Which I Make A Ruler...And a Time-Lapse Video

"Six Inches"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$250

Click to buy

Although I felt like I brought about half of my possessions to Playa, I somehow left my ruler at home. And, of course, I needed it - so I made one out of a piece of paper. And it found its way into this still life somehow....

If you had been there, you'd agree - this composition was just crying out for a tiny touch of white. Which was perfectly supplied by my homemade ruler. Touch of white, title inspiration, semi-accurate measurement - what a useful life!

I made a time-lapse video of this one - about four hours of painting condensed into two minutes. I like watching that plate pattern emerge in the last 30 seconds. Painless in hindsight.... Enjoy!

Apricots, Fake Milk, and Art Mentorship

 "Apricots and Milk"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

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A very good example of a complementary color scheme: yellow-orange and blue-violet. Limiting the range of colors within your painting is a great way to keep it simple and harmonious - and doesn't necessarily have anything to do with using a limited palette (though if you're looking for color harmony, there's no easier way to find it than to use one). 

For me, setting up a still life is an exercise in color mixing - before I even take my palette out of the freezer. (What, you don't keep your palette in the freezer? You actually have food in there?) 

Speaking of food....in the interest of full disclosure, I admit that this is not real milk. I gave up eating dairy products four months ago, so almond milk is the model here. I never knew changing my diet would have such a profound impact on all aspects of my life! Ha.

Before I end this post, I will sneak in an announcement: I've begun offering online art mentorships, and I'm pretty excited about it! More information here. :)

"White Object, Lemons" Still Life, Work-In-Progress, and Black-and-White Sketch!

 "White Object, Lemons"

12 x 24 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

It's been a while since I painted this little plate, let's see - can I find any examples from the past to show you? Yes!

It's hand-painted, which makes reproducing the design with my own hands so much more enjoyable. At one point I actually forgot I was painting on canvas. I felt like I was painting a plate myself! This twisting floral style is common to decorative pottery made in Jerusalem, where my mother bought it in 1979 - when she was pregnant with me! Can't say I remember much about the trip.

Here's a progression. I didn't tone the canvas for this one, instead letting the underpainting create its own tone. The color is a neutral orange I had left over on my palette - probably a mix of alizarin, cad yellow, cad red, ultramarine blue.....you know, all the primaries. As long as there's no white in the mix, it works.

...And my black and white sketch. I love love love making these. If you're going to use Arches oil paper, I recommend brushing a thin layer of Gamsol (or your OMS of choice) onto the surface before beginning. Although this does tend to make the finished product dry at a snail's pace, it helps with the absorbent/chalky feel of the surface I've heard myself some artists complain about.

"White Object, Lemons (sketch)"

8 x 11.5" oil on Arches oil paper

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The Opposite of Alla Prima

 

 "Two Orchids, Out of Bloom"

18 x 14 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

I started this one ages ago - at least it feels that way. I posted the oil sketch back in February, and have been slowly chipping away at this larger piece since then. That is not the way I prefer to work -  I'm usually alla prima all the way. I'm glad I saw this one through, though. And it's fitting that it finally gets posted this week, following two newer paintings featuring this little dish.

An Homage to the Swedish Flag...

 "Blue and Yellow Stack"

10 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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...Or maybe just an homage to the Ikea logo. I've had Ikea on the brain a lot lately, working on setting up my new studio. In fact, this is the last painting made in my old studio. I'm ready to take a deep breath and dive into my new space. I feel like I should ceremonially break a bottle on the (as yet non-existant) doorframe. Maybe I'll just shake up a can of soda and spray it around a little.

Maybe. 

Anyway, if you happen to be near the aforementioned Swedish mega-mart, could you pick me up a carload of shelving and some lingonberries? Thanks.

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...

"Lemon Snack" fruit food kitchen art still life original oil painting

 

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

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Here it is, the third lemon painting in the series. Here's a picture of the three of them together!