"Fallen Oak"

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I got a few questions about the box I posted about yesterday, so I thought I'd answer them all here at once. First of all, to correct what I said, the brush holder does not come with the box - it is extra ($25). I will say that I've been using a PVC holder for years and a super side benefit is that it keeps brushes wet. I admit I sometimes go many days w/out washing my brushes - just putting them in the holder every night. hee hee

The fold out box part is separate from the panel "holder," but the holder is literally just a fancy stick that clips into the tripod. So it is super easy to stick in a pocket of your pack and/or strap it on. The model of the Kelty backpack I got is "Redwing". It is plenty big enough and has a pocket that will hold my laptop for travelling to workshops. It cost about $100.

By the way, these leaves (above) are from my front yard. It's been beautiful here with the falling leaves.

"Side of Orange" & new art box - SOLD

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I recently got a new art box/system that I really like a lot. It is from Art Box and Panel, and developed by artist James Coulter. Below is a sort of overview shot. I would like to put a piece of glass in the palette part, and until then I am using a paper palette.

What I really like about this system is that the mixing of paint and the panel are in logical, workable places. And the mixing room is potentially a lot bigger, OR, like me, you can use it to put stuff like turp and medium, etc. There is even a handy brush holder that hangs off a really useable spot AND protects wet brushes when you're not painting.

Below is a closeup of the holder for the panel. And the new Kelty backpack I got to hold all my stuff. All of this is really lightweight and super easy to set up and take down. I recommend checking it out if you're looking for something like this. They just put up some videos that are very informative - check out the Art Box and Panel website.

"A Casual Arrangement" - SOLD

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I'm posting way too late and I apologize for my inability to come up with anything intelligible. : )

"Copper Water Can" - SOLD

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They recently opened a Goodwill in Bastrop, near where I live, which means I don't have to drive into Austin anymore to get my fix. It was there I found this awesome copper watering can. I am excited to add it to my collection.

"Lazing Lemon" - SOLD

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I love to paint things in the shadows of other things. Also, I've been working with this neutral background lately and really like how color just pops when it's surrounded by "gray".

"Cup o' Christmas" - SOLD

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Happy Holidays everyone! Don't eat too many cookies. : )

"Kiwi Breakfast" - SOLD

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I am always trying to strike a balance between loose & still recognizable. I feel I've gotten just a little fiddly lately so with this one I deliberately tried to stay very loose with my strokes, still being very deliberate with each one.

"Is Anybody Looking?"

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Are these birdies intent on stealing this shiny, blue "egg"?? That's just silly. Actually, the birds are salt & pepper shakers, but I omitted the little holes on top. This painting is another of the kind I live for - it fell off my brushes onto the panel like magic.

And, the long awaited studio update is finally here!

"Nesting Cups" - SOLD

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I am getting a lot of mileage out of this orange silk scarf. It folds rather nicely, and I find it goes really well with blue shadows. I'm also really enjoying painting white things. Yesterday my very good buddy, Karen, for Christmas, gave me two beautiful little white salt and pepper shakers shaped like birds which I painted today and will post tomorrow.

As for my #1000 dilemna, I haven't decided for sure what to do, but I have gotten a lot of great ideas. I'll keep you "posted." : )

"Blue Stacks" - SOLD

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This is painting 939. I started on this journey a little over 3 years ago. I've been thinking for a while that I'd like to do something special for number 1000, which is coming up. I decided today that in a small, humble way I would like to say thank you to all my loyal fans by giving away my 1000th painting! I'm not sure yet how I'll pick the winner, but I will post it here as soon as I think of it. Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Thanks!

"Red Stacks" - SOLD

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I enjoyed painting the white group so much I thought I'd try some other colors. Here are a few red items from my collection. Today I also waded into a larger painting again, only to NOT wipe it off at the end, thank goodness. I still can't decide whether I love it, but I don't hate it.

"Meager Pickings" - SOLD

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This one was a lot of fun and I'm especially happy with it. What's really funny is that when I was choosing images for my book, from my files organized by date, the better ones were clumped together. In other words, I tend to do my better work (in my opinion anyway) in spurts. I found that surpising - I thought they'd be all spread out. I thought of this today because I've been really happy with my paintings lately (the small ones anyway).

By the way, I want to send out a BIG thank you to everyone who has bought my book. I got an overwhelming response, and I am still pinching myself daily!

"Intertwined" - SOLD

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Today was a really crummy day - a 4-hour start on a large painting only to wipe it because it was going nowhere. Argh. But, moving right along, a recent student gifted me a very beautiful scarf that I used here as a sort of landscape behind cherries. It has a subtle stripe pattern that I didn't capture ... another time. Thank you Kathy!

I also wanted to share the shelf full of still life crap - scratch that - stuff I mentioned recently, organized by color. I had to stand on the bed and shoot down to get the whole thing. You'll probably recognize a few things. This isn't my whole collection mind you - my new studio will have space for it all. : )

"Surprise Party" - SOLD

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I always have trouble getting cherries dark enough (battling my brain which tells me they're red, not brown), so I thought I'd try them out in the shadow to REALLY challenge myself. I kept going back, time and again, making them darker still, but I think I finally got it. It's the plate's birthday, by the way, in case you didn't get that. ; )

"Reflected Four" - SOLD

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I found this bowl at the thrift store recently. I love the way it gives an alternate view of the plate of cherries - from above.

I realized today that half my work is coming up with the compositions in the first place. It's been slowly dawning on me, but it makes me feel so much better when it takes an hour to come up with something I like. I don't know why I ever thought it should be easy. Duh.

"White Stacks" - SOLD

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I have a tall bookcase full of all my still life stuff, organized by color. Since I currently share my studio with our bedroom, this bookcase is right next to the bed, and I see all this stuff every night and every morning. For a while I have wanted to paint a little collection of all one color. It took many tries to get the stacks just right, but I finally did it, and am quite happy with the result.

Ps. I will have an update on the building of the new studio soon.

"Hanging Around" - SOLD

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I swear it got dark today at 5pm. And I didn't think to snap a photo of this until 4:30, so it's a bit fuzzy. I will post a better one tomorrow - sorry about that! I'm really happy with the painting, however. It made me really think about color. I've always enjoyed the purple/green combination, but what makes me really enjoy this is the particular shades of purple and green. Most of the green is a bit warm, and the purple leans towards blue. Add in the turqoise cup and you've got something I strive to capture with every painting - that certain happy co-mingling of colors. Yummy.

"Limes and More" - SOLD

I have had 2 workshops in the works for a while, and have just added one to my 2010 schedule and one in 2011. June 7-10, 2010, I will be in Newburyport, MA (to register email Lee Rowan). January 10-14, 2011, I will be in San Antonio, TX at the Coppini (to register email Gaye Sekula).

"Limes Galore" - SOLD

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The great thing about a road trip is - there is PLENTY of time for thinking up new ideas for paintings. The bad thing about a road trip is - you can't actually start on them until you ... get ... home! Well, we are finally home, unpacked, and I am painting again. I decided not to start in with apples again because, frankly, I'm a little tired of them for now. I thought I'd try some limes for a change. I got a whole bunch of mini ones today. I figured if the paintings didn't work out I could make mini gin and tonic's. : )

"Among the Folds" - SOLD

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Yesterday we finished up the workshop in Sedona, AZ. Today I fully intented to paint outside, but woke up to a completely overcast sky and freezing temperatures. So, seeing as I'd abandoned my family every day for a week anyway, I decided to have fun with them instead. And here are the promised photos from the class: Below are several of my kids having a discussion about grays ...



... and kids hard at work on color charts ...



... and a few random piles of student work (click image for larger view) ...



... and the one demo I managed to photograph ...



... and my fabulous, wundabar kids. Thank you all for a wonderful week!

"Blue Shells on White" - SOLD

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The workshop is going really well - it's another fun group, and some really talented artists! Since my husband and son came along with me, I have less time for posting in the evening than usual. I will post some class photos and demos at the end.

Watching Dr Phil last night wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. : ) Thank you all for the wonderful comments and support!