Portrait-Palooza

                                      "Hannah"                                                  "Cupid's Bow" 

                           12 x 16" oil on canvas                                     11 x 14" oil on canvas

A couple of recent portraits. "Hannah" was a workshop demonstration from January, and "Cupid's Bow" was painted just last night. What a face! She looks like a model Rembrandt would have swooned over. 

Here's my progression:

Long Shadows

 "Long Shadows"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

$250

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The 30 in 30 painting challenge I'm doing this month is already giving me a lot of food for thought - and not just because I'm painting apples and oranges! 

I wanted to revisit daily painting because it's how I got my start with this blog - ten years ago this month. The concept was incredibly freeing to me, that every painting didn't have to be a precious investment of time and materials, that tomorrow could be a new day. 

I'm hugely grateful to artists like Carol Marine and Duane Keiser, who inspired me early on - and continue to. Before I discovered daily painting, I had been out of art school for almost seven years, and was starting to believe that I might never actually get back into painting. Today, I plan to paint for the rest of my life. Maybe not EVERY day, but on the good ones!

Here's my setup and sketch:

A lot of people on Instagram have been curious about these black-and-white sketches. They are made with ballpoint pen (mine's from the Marriott, fancy), black sharpie, and white Pitt Pen, which is a permanent India ink marker made by Faber Castell. The sketchbook is Strathmore Toned Tan, 6x8 inches. You can check out some of my favorite materials here. 

And, as always, thank you for reading!

Avocado and Lemon - and My Very First Newsletter!

 "Avocado and Lemon" 

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

$250

Click to buy

This is my painting for day two of the 30 in 30 February challenge. It's yesterday's painting. I'm not going to be blogging every single day's painting, because I anticipate that some of them will be less impressive than others, but for now, here ya go! 

...And speaking of impressive! After procrastinating for almost ten years, I just published my very first email newsletter. Check it out here, and click subscribe to be entered into my Blog Anniversary Giveaway. Because, yes, my blog will be TEN YEARS OLD in just a couple of weeks! That feels awesome.

Just subscribe to my email newsletter to be entered to win! It's a teeny tiny pool right now - so share with a friend! Your chances are excellent.

Golden Ring (Ace of Pentacles) and #30in30!

 "Golden Ring (Ace of Pentacles)"

7 x 11 inches, oil on Arches oil paper

$250

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Here's how this one came together. I can't believe how long these little oranges have lasted in my studio. It must be cold in there or something.....! Spring is on the way, though - I saw Camellias on my favorite camellia-stealing bush yesterday, so, good things ahead! 

And speaking of things ahead - I've decided to try my hand at a 30 in 30 day painting challenge. Gulp! Anyone else doing this one?

Tangerine Tumble

 

"Tangerine Tumble"

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

$350 

Click to buy

Here's this one in-progress, from sketchbook to underpainting to color. The sketch was fun - ballpoint pen, black sharpie, and white Pitt pen on tan paper! Here's the sketchbook I used. 

 

I recently did a little interview for the blog #artcrushxo. Kim shares so many diverse and interesting artists, it was an honor to be invited to contribute! 

 

(Read the interview here)

Chunky Lemons

"Chunky Lemons"

8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$250

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This painting really stands out from across the room, even though it's only eight inches tall. I have it on a wall with some of my larger, recent works, and it grabs my eye every time!

Simple is Best

"A Small Bowl of Oranges"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

$250

Click to buy

This little painting makes me happy. Sometimes simple is best.

A New Tarot Series Painting

 

 "The Juggler"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

$500

Click to buy

The two of pentacles is all about juggling life's priorities. "There is a tendency to be distracted by day-to-day affairs and general busy-ness, so prioritizing your activities and carefully managing your time is essential." A good thought for anyone at any time, but particularly for artists. How do we do the thing we love - the thing we most want to do - but which doesn't necessarily get dinner served on time? Deciding to make painting a priority and balancing your life around that goal is a topic that comes up frequently with my online mentorship students. Self-motivation is endless and fascinating.

But, of course, I chose the juggler for this painting because of the way the round yellow shapes of his pentacles mirror the shapes of the two oranges. The significance, reliably, follows.  😉

The black-and-white oil study for this one is also available, here.

Thanks for looking!

Red Ribbon

 

 "Red Ribbon"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$350

Click to buy

 Well, I got some new ribbon. I'm not going to go so far as to call it an obsession, but it's now officially a phase. It's just so - flexible! As a compositional element, I mean. In this painting, I'm loving the little arrows of light pointing to the "kiss" where the ribbon and apple meet. The longer I paint, the more I realize that I'm not painting objects - or even colors, but simply light and the effects of light.

The sketch for this one was a quickie - ballpoint pen! 

Do you ever sketch in ballpoint pen? There always seems to be one handy.

Purple Coil

 

"Purple Coil"

12 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

$400

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When I posted this color scheme on Instagram, a friend in Louisiana shouted, "Mardi Gras!" I'm fascinated by the psychology of color - especially color combinations, and why some appeal to us and others don't. Purple and green is one of my favorite combos - and orange completes the triad of secondary colors.  

 💜💚🧡

Fun fact: did you know that in ancient Rome, purple dye was made from snails? 

 

Sketch for "Purple Coil"

oil paint on Arches oil paper

approx. 8 x 8 inches, unframed

$100

Blue Diamond

"Blue Diamond"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

$500

Click to buy

I've been getting a lot of questions about my Tarot series paintings - mostly, are there more of them? For now, no - there are only the three. But who knows what this weekend will bring in the studio?

I really want to insert a pun here about whatever's 'in the cards,' but nothing's coming to me. Stay tuned!

Lemon Light, and Black and White

"Lemon Light"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$350

 

This is the third time I've painted this little green glass. I found it in a labyrinthine antique mall in Oklahoma City the last time I taught there, and it's rapidly becoming a favorite still life object. 

I like it for its form and color, but most of all for the light patterns it casts into its shadow.

There's a time-lapse video of the beginning stages of this painting on Instagram. Check it out!

The black and white sketch for this piece is a fun one - but I'm biased. I think all my black and white sketches are fun!

$100 (unframed)

 

The Star

 "The Star"

10 x 20 inches, oil on canvas

$600

Available

"When the Star appears in a Tarot reading, be open to new ideas and growth. Listen to the still small voice within." 

I love the star card. I chose it for this painting because the shape of the star echoes the rays of light cast by the green glass cup.

 

"There is a deeper spiritual journey that you are going through which is all about bringing greater meaning and purpose into your life and renewing your inner energy." 

(from Biddytarot.com) 

I did feel I was on a spiritual journey as I was creating these Tarot card paintings. I rented a beautiful studio at the Oregon coast during the week before Christmas, and did nothing but paint and sleep. It was really a gift to myself, spending time there. I feel I am beginning the year with new inspiration - the promises of the Star card coming true!

Wheel of Fortune

 "Around the Wheel"

12 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

$400 

Click to buy

The Tarot card in this painting is "The Wheel of Fortune." I've been choosing the cards for this series of paintings randomly - or rather, not randomly, but not due to any knowledge or prior research on their meanings. I've been choosing them like I choose most of my still life objects - for their colors and shapes, the visual elements they add to a composition. 

Looking up "The Wheel of Fortune" once the painting was finished, I read: "The Wheel of Fortune speaks of a pivotal point in your life, where new options become possible. The appearance of the Wheel of Fortune shows that change is not only likely to happen, it is certain to happen, and soon."

....A solid sentiment for the new year, eh? And I thought this painting was just about circles and triangles!

 

Black and White study for this piece, oil on Arches oil paper, approx. 8x8". NFS.

The Hermit

  

"The Hermit"

10 x 10 inches, oil on canvas

$350

Click to buy

The four stages of this painting: still life setup, value study, underpainting, and finish! 

 

 This is a pretty simple composition, but I find it very satisfying. That grouping of lemons on the plate, seen through the viewfinder, makes me want to paint the whole thing all over again. Something about it just clicks in my eyes. 

Value study, oil paint on Arches oil paper, approx. 8x8 inches:

Sold

Over the Moon

 "Over the Moon"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

$500 

Available

I've been making some paintings recently that include Tarot cards. I don't know much about Tarot, but I like the iconography. The meanings of each card are so open ended; I enjoy reading about each one and thinking about how they apply to the imagery in my paintings. The still life comes first, the possible meanings come later. That's always the way it is with me. My paintings aren't narrative - if I try to set up a still life with "meaning," it always falls flat. I approach them with a focus on the formal/visual elements, and the meaning comes as I'm painting - if it comes. Sometimes, a painting really is just about shapes and colors. 

The card in this one is "The Moon." You can read about it here.

Here is the value study for this piece. It's approximately 8x10, oil paint on Arches oil paper:

$100

A Year-End Letter, to You!

Well, it's that time of year - the end of it. A time to take stock, take a deep breath, and gear up for exciting things ahead. I'm looking forward to a lot more painting and teaching in the new year, but first - and speaking of taking stock: these are the final days of the 50% off sale in my Etsy shop.  Please check it out, if you haven't already, and share it with a friend! Thank you.

I'm excited about my upcoming January workshops in Corvallis, Oregon, and San Clemente, California. If you'd love to take a workshop, but live too far away, consider joining my online art mentorship program. With size limited to ten artists, I offer lots of individual attention and guidance on your unique creative journey, whatever your art goals may be!

And if you would like me to bring a painting workshop to your community, I have openings in my 2018 calendar. Email me to discuss ideas!

2017 was a truly amazing year. I was awarded my first artist's residency, taught workshops in many wonderful places, had a fantastic solo show on Whidbey Island, created a new website, and expanded my online mentorship program. Not to mention painting!

2018 will bring the TENTH anniversary of this blog, February 8th. That means I began this art journey ten years ago, with daily painting, selling small works on ebay, becoming a part of the online art blogging community... and on from there. I can't wait to celebrate this milestone with you. Not sure how I'll be doing that yet, but I have ideas, so stay tuned!

I will also begin publishing a quarterly newsletter soon - something I've been intending to do for a LONG time. So, if you want to be included in that new venture, click here and sign up! 

I mentioned my year-end sale earlier in this post. The new year will bring changes - both to the content of my Etsy shop and to my overall pricing structure. It's been quite a while since I've raised my prices, but the time has come. For more information about that, click here. 

Before we say goodbye to 2017, I want to offer a huge, deep, and heartfelt Thank You to all of you - my readers, supporters, followers, collectors, friends, and family. It's your love of art - and of me - that keeps me going. I feel deeply blessed, humbled, and grateful.

Happy New Year!
-Sarah

Blue and Gold, a new Ornament Painting, with a Video!

 "Blue and Gold"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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The stages of this piece. Isn't it funny how GREEN the gold ornament looked before the rest of the painting got filled in? I admit it, green is my secret weapon for creating the illusion of gold. 

Here's a quick time-lapse video of the underpainting coming together - I love these things! No matter how long you let the camera run, the resulting video is always 30 seconds. So, I have absolutely no idea how long this part took. 😉

I get a LOT of questions about materials - what paint, brushes, etc I use. For this part, the underpainting shown in the video, I'm using a #2 round taklon brush by Connoisseur. The canvas is toned with a mixture of red, yellow, and blue - an orange dulled with its complement. And, as always, the brand is M. Graham. To provide a quick answer to questions about materials, I've compiled a list of products I use on Amazon - you can check that out here!

Pear Power

 

 "Pear Power"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

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This pair of pear paintings were painted with the same limited palette - three tubes of color, plus white (OK, two whites). 

It looks like a lot more, doesn't it?!

You can click on this image for info on the colors I used:

It's Holiday Sale Time!

"Brown Pears"

8 x 8 inches, oil on canvas

$250

Click to buy

There are so many holiday sales, and I'm here to announce yet another one! But, in my humble opinion, if you only visit ONE this year, the Whiteaker Printmakers Holiday Show and Sale is the one to see. I was there last night setting up, and let me tell you, the studio is crammed full of amazing art.