A Self Portrait...wonders will never cease.

8 x 10"

oil on canvas

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Recently, I put out a call for skin-tone tips, and I got some really good responses. My favorite came from Bill Sharp - the infographic you see below. Sean Cheetham is one of my gods heroes - I'm totally blow away by his muted, yet perfectly modulated flesh tones.  So, I was really excited to try his palette. The idea is that you mix two main "mud" piles - a light side and a dark side, and then modify each one three or four ways. I couldn't believe how few piles of paint I was using to create such a range of expression. My normal portrait palette is, well, not this simple.

  

 What it looks like on my palette:

I needed a test subject, so I snapped a quick self-portrait with my phone, propped it up next to my canvas, and dove in. What do you think?

Do you like painting self-portraits? Do you always do them from a mirror, or do you prefer photo reference?
I really don't like painting self-portraits. Going back and forth between the mirror and my painting is very difficult for me, and no one ever EVER thinks I capture a likeness. I enjoyed the cell-phone method, though. I think I'll be doing these more often!

45-30-15: Cardio for your painting hand!

 

9 x 6"

oil on paper

45 minutes

 6 x 6"

oil on canvas

30 minutes

5 x 5"

oil on canvas

15 minutes

Today I did a test run of a painting exercise I read about recently. It's pretty straightforward - three quick paintings, done in 45, 30, and 15 minute time increments. I cheated and made my surface smaller each time too. It's so interesting to see how the paintings loosen up as the times decrease. Although it's rough, the third, 15 minute painting is by far the most successful.

Do you think you'd enjoy doing an exercise like this? If you decide to try it, send me a link!

"The Green Earring" oil painting portrait from life

 

8 x 10"

oil on canvas

$200

click to buy

This one was going well, then it wasn't. So I scraped off half the face and repainted, and it was a lot better. There's a lesson there, a good one to constantly be relearning.

 Have you ever wanted to see what an artist would make of your beautiful face? If you live nearby, give me a shout. You could come over, sit for me, we could chat....you know, no biggie! (No obligation to buy, and no compensation either, though I've been known to bribe with wine.)

"Hand on Her Knee" female nude figure figurative oil painting

  

11 x 14"

oil on canvas

$250 

click to buy

I usually finish these pieces during the 3 hour model session, but as you can see in the third picture below, by the time the clock struck nine, I was not done. This morning I told myself I would just see what I could do with it in my studio, and if I completely messed it up, so be it. With the aid of my memory - and a very washed-out cell-phone picture - I finished it, and am happy with the result. Go memory! 

 

click the image to see it larger.

 If you'd like to see a shot of our smiling model next to my semi-finished piece, head over to Facebook. While you're over there, you can see pictures from a really fun art meetup I went to with Carol over the weekend, and you can also enter to win a print of my painting "Squash Harvest." All followers are automatically entered to win, and I'm giving away three prints, so share with your friends! Thanks.

Two Portraits

  

"So Serious"

8x10" oil on canvas

$200 

In addition to my regular Tuesday night figure painting, I've started attending a series of clothed-model sessions. I really want to focus on faces and skin tones. The most difficult part of these paintings is mixing the shadow colors. I wish I had more of a formula, or a go-to plan for mixing them, but I feel like I'm fumbling around every time. I don't find the lights as challenging. 

What are your tips for mixing gorgeous shadow skin-tones?

  

"Little Redhead"

8 x 10" oil on canvas

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"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!

"Long Legs" female figure painting portrait nude oil on canvas

  

11 x 14"

oil on canvas

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If every night was like last night, life would be a dream. As an artist, I live for the rare moments when my brush feels like it's moving itself, and each stroke is more satisfying than the last. When I finished this painting, my heart was beating out of my chest! The best thing about painting experiences like these, though, is that I know someday in the future I'll have an even better one.

"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!

"Citrus Offering" still life oil painting fruit bowl oranges fine art and a Facebook giveaway

  

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

click to bid

I decided on a double dose of life-painting this week, and I'm glad I did. The Art Center where I paint figures on Tuesday nights has a clothed-model session on Thursday mornings, which I'm going to attend more regularly this year, as per my vaguely new-years-ish resolutions. When I was in school, my secret dream was to be a portrait painter, and I know if I want to get serious about it, I have to work work work!

If you follow me on Facebook, you've seen this morning's pictures already, and if you don't, now is the time to start! When I reach 425 followers, I'll be giving away a 12x12" print of my painting "Lilacs" to one randomly selected 'like-er.' I'm only 11 away! It's easy to tell your friends, just visit this link and click 'Share.' *Thanks!*

"Rebecca in White" figurative figure painting nude woman girl portrait

  

9 x 12"

oil on canvas

$250

click to buy

My second go at this lovely pose. This time I moved about a quarter of the way around the model. I wish the studio was large enough to place the model stand in the center of the room so that a back view would always be possible, but having it against a wall affords us the advantage of a backdrop. Below is my progression - the third image is how the painting looked when I brought it home. I refined it a little this morning - smoothing the background and the chair, mostly.

click on image to see it larger

"Heart Shaped Box" valentines day gift art oil painting candy truffles chocolates

  

8 x 8"

oil on canvas

$150 

click to buy

As one who came of age in the glorious '90s, the phrase 'heart shaped box' will always bring one and only one thing to mind: Nirvana. I feel lucky to have been in high school during an era when music was 'alternative,' and women's fashion still centered around loose fitting jeans and combat boots. Hell, even the occasional overall. Not that I went there....that often. I don't want to even think about what the advent of skinny jeans would have done to my teenage psyche, although I do wear them nowadays.

Feels strange to be speaking of skinny jeans with such tempting, high-calorie subject matter this week! These evil cherry-heart jelly beans are almost gone, and I just picked up an 8 pound bag of oranges at the grocery store (they were all out of flu shots, so I figured it was the next-best thing), so look forward to some healthier paintings coming soon.

"Sweet Romance" art painting of valentines day candy and chocolate

  

8 x 8"

oil on canvas

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I'm really not a big sweet-eater, and it's been established that I'm not much for lipstick either. But I love to paint shiny gold things, and that cherry goo was the highlight of my painting week!

"Cherry Hearts" a still life oil painting of valentines day candy hearts and chocolates

  

6 x 6"

oil on canvas

click to buy

These little heart candies are like jelly beans, and all the different flavors are a variation on cherry: cherry cola, bing cherry, cherry cheesecake (my favorite), chocolate cherry, etc. They are darn good, and dangerous to have lying around the studio! The title "Cherry Hearts" does double duty here, since these bon-bons have cherries inside. Proof of that, coming soon!

I am featured today on the blog "The Art Room" as part of a series of daily painters' favorite pieces from 2012. You can see my top two picks, as well as Taryn's picks - we each chose one still life and one figure painting.

"The White Shawl" female nude figure painting figurative art

 

8 x 10"

oil on canvas

$200

click to buy

One of my resolutions for this year was to do something about the horrible cell phone pictures I've been posting on Facebook and Twitter. So, I did. With my new-and-improved photo technology, there should be lots of quality in-progress shots (like this one) ahead!

I'm pleased with this little painting. I tried to keep in mind some of the things I liked about this one while I was working, and a couple good suggestions from my friend Farley helped me overcome some drawing issues I was having early on.

"Makeup" oil painting still life daily painting

  

6 x 8"

oil on canvas

click to bid

I figured I'd better do something with this nailpolish, since the last time I wore any was two years ago. At the time, it felt quite momentous. I also have a very new-looking lipstick that didn't quite squeeze itself into this composition. Perhaps tomorrow, as I embark on a series of Valentine's-themed paintings....

"On the Studio Table" fine art oil painting of brushes and paint

  

8 x 10"

oil on canvas

click to bid

This is what you paint when the only fruit in your house is one overripe banana and all your houseplants have bedhead.

Was that 140 characters or less?

"Broken Brown Egg" colorful kitchen art still life oil painting and new years resolutions

 

8 x 8"

oil on canvas

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Well, it must be a new year, because I just made a folder for my highly specialized desktop archive entitled "Paintings '13." Geez. This is usually the time of year when my motivation dips. The last year sweeps to a close with so much momentum - shopping, parties, champagne, more shopping, drinking champagne and online shopping...and then January comes. Well, this year I'm going to try and keep my engine running, and step number one is get back to the easel! Step two is to stay on the treadmill, so, no shortcuts combining steps one and two, I guess.

I painted this last night in front of a lovely little group at Oregon Art Supply. My work will be hanging there through the end of January, so stop by and see it - and replenish your stock of paint, rubber stamps, wooden manikins, whatever, they've got it. I just bought myself a shiny new French easel, bringing me one step closer to my yearly plein-air painting resolution. Will '13 be the year?

"Suzanne's Daisies" A top-secret Christmas commission!

16 x 20"

oil on canvas

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Merry Christmas! I am blogging to you from the warmth and sunshine of my in-laws' place in Florida. Our orgy of giving is complete, and since a certain lucky friend of mine also received her gifts today, I can now share this painting with you. Back in July, when these daisies were blooming in their garden, her husband commissioned this piece - and then, somehow, he had the willpower to wait five months before giving it to her! Now, they will have daisies all year long, and you can, too, since my preparatory sketch is up for auction:

"(sketch for) Suzanne's Daisies"

5 x 7"

oil on canvas

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I'm already excited for all that's to come in 2013 - but hey, it's still Christmas Day, so, from my family to yours - Happy Holidays! 

"Tahni" figure figurative art nude woman portrait large oil painting

 

18 x 24"

oil on canvas

$1000

available in my Etsy shop

 To say I had fun painting this would be the understatement of the year. Our model was amazing, and the studio was alive with creative energy. I wish I could start every day with three hours of figure painting!

I'm truly satisfied with this piece, and I keep noticing little things about it - like the way the line of light on one leg corresponds to the line of shadow on the other - that make me even happier! I think of that quality as "lookability" - something you can gaze at every day and not get tired of. 

"The Black Robe" nude figure painting woman girl portrait life drawing oil on canvas

 

8 x 10"

oil on canvas

collection of the artist

I'm having trouble writing a post about this painting. I did it in the last 90 minutes of our 15-hour figure painting week, and it's one of my favorites of all time. Why do I like it so much? Some of it has to do with the memories it will always be connected with - of spending time with friends, of feeling the paint flowing so readily off my brush - and some of it has to do with where I'm heading as an artist. I can almost see my future in this piece. I can certainly see my past - the past two years of figure painting work, distilled into these brushstrokes. 

So, I'm going to hang onto this one for a while. I'll be posting my large painting from the week tomorrow!

"(Sketch for) Tahni" female figure painting nude woman girl original oil painting for sale on Etsy

  

9 x 12"

oil on canvas

$150 

available in my Etsy shop

Here is the preparatory sketch I did for the 18x24" piece I'm making this week, which you can see on the easel below. Isn't Gabriella's studio gorgeous? What you can't see is that the window on the left is actually a wall of six windows and the black cloth is covering up two more. Birds, squirrels, and, I'm told, a hawk frolic (and slay one another) in her backyard all day long. Bliss! 

 

 

"Nude with Black Scarf" female figure painting woman girl portrait oil on canvas

 

 9 x 12 x 1.5"

 oil on canvas 

$250

available in my Etsy shop

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you might be wondering what's been going on this week. A LOT of figure painting, that's what! My friend Gabriella hired a model at her gorgeous home-studio for five mornings in a row, and let me in on the fun because I know all the good podcasts she's a sweetheart like that.

The above painting is from last night at the Art Center. Here's a WIP, courtesy of Twitter. And I promise lots of shots of the private model session soon.

"Jewel Toned Ornaments" Christmas painting xmas art oil painting holiday decor gift for the artlover

 

8 x 8"

oil on canvas

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I had a fantastic time last night! Our excellent local art store invited me to show some work and paint in their store during the First Friday Artwalk. Today's painting was my trial run. I painted the very same ornaments in a slightly different configuration for the live demo, and the painting (which I finished in just under three hours) is on view at Oregon Art Supply.

 I want to say a huge thanks to Rebecca and Robin at Oregon Art Supply, for hosting me, and to the M. Graham paint company and their awesome sales rep Dan for coming out! M. Graham is my paint of choice, and they're also an Oregon company, so it was great to meet a member of their team and find out even more about their products.

"The Red Christmas Ornament" festive holiday decor still life oil painting and, of course, persimmons

 

6 x 8"

oil on canvas

$100

click to buy

Will these persimmons ever rot? If I hadn't risked life and limb to pick them myself, I'd be starting to suspect they were plastic by now. If you've been reading this blog awhile, you might have the impression that I live on a farm, with my home-grown grapes, plums, and sunflowers. I don't! My mother happens to have an extremely productive yard/garden, which she inherited from the previous owner. Persimmons are the last fruit of the year....