Finding Each Other

 

Click Here to Bid - 8x10in. - oil on panel

One of my students from last week sent me a photo of her temporary solution to a panel holder. The idea is that it holds the panel in place, and allows you to paint off of every edge with nothing blocking the strokes. She basically taped paint-stirring sticks (the same thickness as her panels) to a board with very sticky tape, which then holds the panel with friction. It works! Here's the photo ->

They Drank the Kool-aid

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I have kept an eye out for cool pieces of fabric for adding to still lifes, but have had a lot of trouble finding ones that would work. It needs to have the kind of pattern that is easy to simplify with paint. Recently my sewing adventures have included buying things from the thrift store and modifying them, or frankenstein-ing different things together. The fabric that is available to the clothing industry is far more vast and interesting than the fabric I can buy as an individual. So it occurred to me recently that I can also look at the thrift store for things that I can cut up for still life. This one did double duty. Not only am I using this little scrap in the scene above, I also used some of it to make a t-shirt for myself.

Apprehension

Click Here to Bid - 6x8in. - oil on panel

My husband is allergic to cats, so we don't have any, but I grew up with them. I found the reference for this one on one of the royalty-free sites online. I love the pose and the expression. Classic cat. Such great animals.

Confiding

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I am home from my Nashville, TN workshop. I had a really wonderful group of students. I gave them a list of things at the beginning about "how to get the most out of this workshop," and they did it! And with humor, which made it fun for me. : ) Also the organizer and her helpers were fantastic. I will definitely return to this location. Here we all are:

A Pig in the Kitchen (a journey)

 

I just dropped this painting off yesterday at Cassens Fine Art in Hamilton, MT. If you're in the area, please drop by to see it (and 6 others of mine) in person. It's a lovely gallery, with lots of wonderful art, so it's worth seeing it all. And the people running it are just fab!

I also wanted to share my journey in creating this painting. First I painted "Thoughtful Pig," back in 2018 (6x6in.):

Then earlier this year I painted "Thinking About Dishes," attempting to work out some composition changes before painting it big (6x6in.):

I also did this ipad version (using the art app, Infinite Painter) in order to further refine my thoughts:

Which all led to the larger painting at the top, which is 16x16in. Someday I might paint it even bigger!

Color Conference

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I've been attempting to dye fabric for backgrounds lately, with mixed results. The problem is that the length of time it stays in affects the color, but once you pull it out and wash it, the color is very different from how it looked when you decided to pull it out. But I'm learning. And I like these two (the gray and the peachy strip).

Mostly what I want are less saturated colors. I bought a whole bunch of white cotton fabric and Procion dye to play with. It's fun.

Shine On Crazy Apple

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I've got a workshop coming up, so I've been thinking a lot about teaching, always trying to improve my game. One thing I tell my students, because it's important for me too, is setting expectations. We tend to put a lot of pressure on ourselves for the next painting to be "good." But it often leads to disappointment. So my thing is to always expect "eh." That way I am pleasantly surprised if it works out. 

Also it can help to do a bunch of paintings without judgement, and then instead of asking yourself if any one is good, rather, ask which are your favorites, and what you learned that you can apply to the next batch. That way you're always moving forward. If you get too focused on one painting that wasn't your best, it can easily lead to fear and discouragement. And then you're not painting anymore, and then you're definitely not improving.

Water Lily Buds

 

Click Here to Bid - 8x8in. - oil on panel

Remembering summer with this one, and the trips I took with my kayaking buddy. Already looking forward to next year!

Tranquil Blue

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x8in. - oil on panel

I switched to fixed prices a while back, but have decided to try auctions again. I'm also going to try shorter auctions, after bidding on some things myself (on Ebay - stuff to paint) and losing interest after a few days, haha!

This 3-day auction starts at $125.