"Out of Reach" - SOLD

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On this one I was trying to apply what I learned from the "brush stroke exercise" of a few days ago. I applied the paint a little thicker on parts, and really tried to be ever more deliberate with each brush stroke. It ended up taking much longer to paint than usual, but I'm really happy with the result.

We have been thrilled with the submissions to the Daily Paintworks Challenge. At last count there are 18 ... so far!!

"Cool in the Shade"

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As promised yesterday, here is my entry for this week's Daily Paintworks Challenge! I found the car in St. Augustine, FL. I was pretty bummed that it was parked in the shade, but it made for a great study in reflections. There are only a couple of submissions to the challenge so far, but they are awesome! Check them out, and then do one yourself! You can see the demo video for this painting on the challenge page.

A few of you asked about a deadline - there isn't one! We'll have one challenge per week, and there will be a focus on the current one, but anyone can submit to any challenge, anytime.

"Suspicious Spoon" & Challenge! - SOLD

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I decided to revive a recent composition (or something similar) and do an exercise I often give my students. Some of you will know it as the "brush stroke exercise". The basic guideline is to mix a new color for each stroke. It was fun and I learned a lot! Mostly that I've gotten lazy with my paint application, and there are times when I should use a bit more paint!

But the timing for this is perfect because today I would like to announce the formation of the Daily Paintworks Challenge! We've been planning this for quite a while and are very excited about it. Inspired by Karin Jurick's, Different Strokes for Different Folks, we are basically (with Karin's blessings) continuing the idea. Some of the challenges will be straight photo references, but some will be more like the exercises from my workshops. Anyone can participate and it's free! Best of all, prospective buyers will easily be able to contact the submitting artist.

The first challenge is a photo of a beautiful old car I found in Florida. I painted it myself, and even made a demo of my painting! I will be posting those two things in the next day or two, however you can see and submit to the challenge, now, here.

"Against the Wall" - SOLD

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I've been sneaking these apples in quite a bit lately, but I do love 'em. They're apples, and they're green. You can't get much better than that.

"Floating on Blue" - SOLD

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Someone left this cute, little bottle at my last workshop. Since I was the one who cleaned up, I figured I'd just ... take it home for uhh, safekeeping. Yeah. So if it's yours, let me know and I'll uhhh, maybe paint it a few more times and then mail it to you. : )

"Asleep on the Job" - SOLD

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I was going around and around with the apples slices standing up. I probably spent 30 minutes trying to figure out a way for them to work in this composition. Finally, I got frustrated and knocked them over. And then it worked! Sometimes the solution is very simple.

"Bottles For Each" - SOLD

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This is another older painting (from maybe a month ago) I found in my stacks today. I think that's all of them. But I remember painting it - two of my favorite things to paint - apples and bottles. I especially enjoyed the colorful shadows.

"Don't Crowd Me" - SOLD

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It's great to be back in the groove of painting again. I feel I do my best stuff once I've been steadily painting for a little while. Additionally, when I first get back to my studio I'm not sure exactly what to paint, but once I've done a few the ideas start flowing.

"Apple Sake" - SOLD

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I'm pretty proud of the reflection of the apple in the cup here. What's funny, is if I hadn't pointed it out, you probably wouldn't have noticed it, right? And it's what I always tell my students. The subtle things, like reflections and reflected light - if you get them right, no one's going to tell you how great they are. But if you get them wrong, everyone will notice!

"The Endless Meeting" - SOLD

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This painting was inspired by conversations with my good pal, Karen, about her life in a cube and the endless meetings she must attend. It sounds terrible. And boy am I glad I get to paint all day instead.

"Adoring the Sun" - SOLD

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I think I'm in love with the green/purple combination. Add to that a little orange and yellow and you get in range of terrifically yummy. Color in general has always been a focus of mine. For me the apples and cups and other props are just vehicles for color exploration. Unlike landscapes, which often lack a full range of strong colors, still life is perfect for me and my search for new and wondrous color combinations!

"Ready For Action" - SOLD

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Regarding what I was saying yesterday, this painting for me gets a little closer still to my ... vision. I really love it. Sometimes, when I am lying in bed at night, before I fall asleep, when my brain is just sort of wandering, I have fleeting images of paintings. They pass through my mind so quickly that I only get a vague kind of feeling about them, but I know they are perfect. These are the images I strive for. I fear that if I were to ever actually paint a perfect painting, I wouldn't NEED to create anymore, so in that way I am glad I never do.

"Hula Party" - SOLD

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I think we artists all have something we are striving for. I was going to write - something we want to say - but it's more like ... we're always striving for what we consider a "perfect painting". And that painting is different for all of us. And maybe we each have more than one in mind. But sometimes I get a little close to something (never perfect) and this one I think gets me somewhere. I'm not sure exactly why.

"Passing the Bottle" - SOLD

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While I was in Germany recently I painted my son, Jacob, for the first time. In the reference photo (yeah, you think I'd paint a 5-yr-old from life?!) he was making a silly face. I thought I could do it justice, but now I wish I'da painted a regular face. I'll try again at some point.

"Pink Wallpaper" - SOLD

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For four years now I've been honored to be included in a small, wonderful group of artists - Daily Paintworks. The site has recently been improved and I encourage you to check it out.

I am proud to announce a new searchable Daily Paintworks, searchable by Artist, Title, Keywords, and even Colors through the over 4,000 paintings on the site.

Visit the Daily Paintworks website.
Visit my Paintworks Gallery (this is very cool).

"Plum Stack" - SOLD

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While I was at the reception at Nueva Street Gallery last week, Susan Carlin, the owner, recorded a kind of mini-interview, along with views of all my paintings. She has a whole room of them! It was very cool. Thanks to everyone who came!! And a big thank you to Susan for putting it all together. It was awesome.

"Hot Day, Hot Coffee" & workshop photos - SOLD

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The workshop in San Antonio wrapped up yesterday. As usual my kids gave me lots of greif, asked every question 13 times, complained bitterly about the 10-minute paintings, improved significantly during the 10-minute paintings, and all swore up and down they would paint every single day once they got home. Right, guys?!

Above are all the demos I did in class (plus a few from home). The photo is horrible - the light uneven and angle odd - sorry about that. Below are Noni and Brenda working hard.

And below are all my kids from last week. Cute, aren't they!?

"What'd You Buy?" & workshop photos - SOLD

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I completely forgot to mention that I was heading off to teach a workshop in San Antonio this week. You guys probably figured I fell off the Earth! But no, we're having a great time here, despite the cold. And my kids are making up for the cold by taking me out for not only wine, but to-die-for-homemade-mozzerella-cheese-with-pesto-on-top as well. Yum! Tomorrow night is my reception at Nueva Street Gallery, in case you missed my first mention of it. Be there or be square. (and here are a few of my current kids...)

"Back at Ya" - SOLD

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This is another one I did while I was in Germany. I took the photo years ago in Fredericksburg, TX (near where I grew up). I really love the idea of doing a whole series of people walking around an area like this. One problem though, especially with an SLR camera like I have (where you have to hold it up in front of your eye) is it becomes very obvious what you're doing and who you're photographing. Then people tend to look at you, ruining the shot. So I had the idea of walking around with a video camera (the kind that you can hold down - with the little flip-up viewer) and then being able to choose the exact frame I want to use afterwards. But I haven't done it yet. Has anyone tried this?

"Orange Extract" - SOLD

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If you're in San Antonio next week, please consider visiting the Nueva Street Gallery on Thursday from 5 to 8. They've got my latest work and, more importantly, champagne!

"Bright Spots" - SOLD

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I was going through my paintings yesterday and found a few that I completely forgot to post. This is one I did back when I was boning up for my advanced workshop. This painting covered two tough subjects: white objects and flowers.

"Dappled Beast" - SOLD

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This is another one from the Gold King Mine in Jerome, Arizona. From a photo. I REALLY wanted to paint it while I was there, but I knew it would be impossible. Pretty much anything in dappled light is impossible to paint live, in my opinion. Everything changes so fast as the sun moves across the sky. My favorite part about this one is the crack in the windsheild.

"Workhorse" & lights - SOLD

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Another painting I did in Germany - from a painting I took in Silverton, CO. Also, I posted recently about the lights I use for still lifes, and got lots of questions. So today I took photos of the two main lights I use (to light my setup, not my painting), including one closeup to show the pertinant info: (on the left, a GE Halogen 25W, on the right Ecosmart 5000K 27W)

"Big Bird" - SOLD

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This is one of the paintings I did in Germany. I was working only from photos there, and this one is from the Gold King Mine in Jerome, Airzona. I am particularly proud of the title. : )

"Fruity Tutti" - SOLD

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At the very end of 2010 my son and I were on the bus from the airport to the car park. Fitting? I'm not sure. But the trip went well - no delays - so we were content with it. On to a new year!