Strawberries and Cherry Blossoms

 

8 x 10"

oil on canvas

$150 

click to buy

I never wanted to paint strawberries before now - it's an intimidating subject, kind of like onions used to be for me. I love the way some artists I know paint strawberries, like Debbie Becks-Cooper, but it wasn't until I saw this painting by Taryn Day that I knew I had to try painting them myself!

"Sidelong Glance" - A Limited Palette Portrait oil painting

 

8 x 10"

oil on canvas

Sold

This is the first time I've ever painted flesh tones without using Cadmium Red. I got the idea from the paint sets my students used at my last workshop: white, black, ultramarine, cadmium yellow, and alizarin crimson. What?! I squeezed some cadmium red onto one of their palettes at one point and heard, "OH! That's what I was trying to mix all last week with this!" Pointing to her pile of Alizarin. Truly, you will never make Cadmium red from Alizarin crimson, but apparently you can make very lovely skin tones and never need to try!

Strawberries and Spring Blooms

 

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

$75

click to buy

I've fallen in love with Camellias this spring. I even planted three in my front yard! Let's see if they live out the summer - our property seems to be a last stop for ornamental plants.

Big Blue Vase - auction on ebay starts at $1!!!

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

starting bid: $1

Sold

This wasn't really a demonstration painting, but I made it during the final session of my workshop. The still life we set up just looked so fun, and my students were all making me so jealous with their cool paintings that I had to give it a go.

Feeling Fruity - Demonstration paintings from my recent workshop

 

"Fruit Trio"

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

Sold

"Citrus, Citrus"

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

sold

I thought it would be really nerve wracking to paint in front of a group of spectators, but it wasn't. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could get lost in the process in almost the usual way. I doubt I spent more than a total of 45 minutes on either of these, working on them on and off throughout the class periods, but I like their fresh, immediate quality, and they were definitely useful in explaining certain concepts!

The Turquoise Necklace - Portrait / Figure oil painting from a live model

 

11 x 14"

oil on canvas

Sold

Well, my workshop concluded successfully. For the final session, I set up a larger still life and we all painted from it, as opposed to each using our own small arrangement. I have some demo paintings from the class, which I will share with you over the weekend! Today's post is my painting from open studio on Tuesday night, done in 3 hours. Below are the students' paintings from the workshop:

Bowl of Apples with Japanese Print

 

8 x 8"

oil on canvas

$100

click to buy

I have the final installment of my U of O craft center still life workshop tonight. It's definitely been a good experience, and I invite anyone who is interested to join me next month at Maude Kerns Art Center for another workshop!

Deer Skull on Blue

 

23 x 28"

oil on canvas

email me to purchase

 

Above, a work-in-progress shot, and below a picture of the finished painting next to the still life setup. Click the pictures to see them bigger.

Nude on Lavendar - oil painting of the figure

9 x 12"

oil on canvas panel

Sold

A new model at figure painting. Next week I am definitely doing a portrait - so beautiful! Full disclosure: I left out her nose and nipple jewelery.

Plenty

 

12 x 12"

oil on canvas

$300

click to buy

An unanticipated perk of teaching my still life workshop was the fruit my students brought with them to paint - and left behind after class!

Ghost Flowers

 

11 x 14"

oil on linen

Sold

Wide Open Tulips - Ebay auctions starts at only $1

 

8 x 8"

oil on canvas

Sold

I had a great time teaching my workshop last night - it was nerve wracking at first, but once everyone got there and got going, it was really good. I hope my students had fun. They definitely made some cool paintings. Here is a shot of a few - with my demonstration painting in the upper left. Now I feel like giving something back,  hence a $1 auction. Pass it on!

The Musician - A Portrait Figure Painting

11 x 14"

oil on linen
Sold

Finally got back to open studio last night after a month of not being able to make it. Love this model! See previous paintings of him here.

Bending Tulip

 

8 x 8"

oil on canvas

$100

click to buy

My first-ever still life painting workshop begins on Wednesday, and I'm excited about it! Meanwhile, I've been struggling a little bit with some new brushes and canvases I bought - they just aren't what I'm used to, and I've wiped several paintings this week as a result.

Cow Skull and Camellias

 

11 x 14"

oil on linen

Sold

The painting hanging on the wall in the background of this piece is by my friend Gabriella. I helped her relocate her artwork to a new studio over the weekend, and got to bring home a couple of gems to "store" on my walls. Lucky me!

And yes, I am also lucky because I found this cow skull (along with a deer skull) at an estate sale over the weekend. Got a fabulous deal on them, too.

Art Opening Flowers

 

8 x 10"

oil on canvas

Sold 

A bouquet my husband gave me on the night of my art opening, including one yellow rose, which he almost always gets me. It just goes to show that if you once say you like something, you may end up getting it for the rest of your life! (Just kidding, honey.)

Bouquet with Gold Mirror

 

14 x 18"

oil on canvas

$300

click to buy

 

The art opening Friday night went really well. Turnout was great, wine was excellent, and everyone seemed to be having fun, especially Eleanor! Here is a picture of her dashing across the gallery, which was conveniently free of folding chairs or any other kind of obstacle for a little runner.

White Camellias and Wine

 

12 x 12 x 1.5

oil on canvas

$325

click to buy

Winetasia

 

14 x 18"

oil on canvas

Sold

I have to admit, I'm feeling stressed. For my last big art show, I didn't have to worry about hanging the pieces, choosing which ones to use and how to arrange them, making the title cards...and as it turns out, that's the hardest part - making decisions! So I am doing all of the above for my Silvan Ridge Winery art show, and it's definitely fun, but it's got me tossing and turning at night, reminding myself not to forget 800 little details.

Figure Painting - "Nude Reading"

16 x 20"

oil on canvas

Sold

I did this last night, in about three hours. I guess I paint pretty fast, although a 16 x 20 canvas looks a LOT smaller in the figure painting studio than in my studio at home!