Making Lemons Glow

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Here's another one from a photo reference. A couple of people mentioned the shadows/highlights tool in photoshop after my last post (about painting from life vs photos). This is a great tool that allows one to adjust the light in shadows (and highlights, but it's most useful for shadows). If you haven't tried it, and you have access to photoshop, I highly recommend it! I found it years ago, and since then it has been my GOTO tool for editing photos for painting. I used it for every single still life reference I've been painting lately. Basically it allows you to "see" into shadows, even ones that look black in photos. You will find it under image>adjustments>shadows/highlights.

Gather the Chickens

 

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This is a slightly larger one I did a few weeks ago. I really felt these were my strongest lemon slices yet. So strong they are starting a revolution. Beginning with the chickens.

Lemons Leaving

 

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Here's another one I experimented with. This time just with brush and palette knife. I tend to have more leftover paint than normal when I use the palette knife, so when I'm done I use the paint to add to some little abstracts I have going. It makes me happy to use the paint up, and maybe someday they'll turn into something I like well enough to show you. : )

Jump the Gun

 

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The experiment with this one was using a squeegee for parts of it. Did most of those parts get covered up with subsequent brush strokes? Yes. But the most valuable thing about the squeegee (that I have found so far) is being able to change big things fast. For example, the bottom, left part was looking pretty weird, so I scraped the squeegee across and removed a good part of the paint (without changing the color or value). Then I just reapplied a few strokes, and voila, better.

Lemons in Glass

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We bought a bunch of extra lemons from Costco recently because ... I'm not sure why. We needed like 2 of them. So now the rest are painting fodder. I'm sure they're excited about that. Until I start cutting them up ... which will happen.

Lemanticized

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This is the last of the lemons. To see other lemons I've painted (including a couple of things that just include lemon in the title) go here.

I am currently packing for another trip into the Sierra's. This means I'll climb up into the mountains with art friends and all my gear and paint landscapes for a week, with absolutely no access to internet or running water, sleeping on the hard ground, bathing in a glacier lake, and apparently, this year, being eaten alive by mosquitoes. It's ... fun. Really!

Break It Up Lemons

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I haven't mentioned this in a while (because it hasn't happened in a while) but this was one of those paintings that just magically appears after a trance. I'm sitting there, with a brush in my hand, minding my own business, and suddenly it's like I wake up, and this magnificent painting is in front of me. This is what I live for. My husband calls them "paint-gasms." Yes!

Hallowed One

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I'm heading off tomorrow for a little getaway with my husband. We are self-employed, and tend to forget to take weekends off. So every once in a while we force ourselves to head out of town and not work for a few days. I'll be back on Thursday (8.8.19) and will ship again then.

Alotta Lemons

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And now, lemons! Often the only ones I can find at the store are the giant ones. But the small ones are so much cuter, I think, especially to paint.

In other news, I just slashed prices on all my remaining abstract collages to $50/ea. Shipping is free (within the US) for you - it costs me $25, and the frames cost $25 - so you are getting them completely at cost (not counting materials or time or any of that silly stuff). If you'd like to see them framed, click on the link above, then an image you like, and then the second image (under the big one) in the pop-up. I framed a collection of 4 for myself that is hanging in my bathroom, and I think they look so good together!

Lit Lemon

sold.

The family and I are headed off for some camping in the mountains. Not sure how long we'll be out. I hope you're having a wonderful summer!!

Making Eyes

sold.

This was my second attempt at asparagus and lemon. I did it a few days ago, and since it's been sitting on my shelves I can't help but see it as a squid, with lemon slices for eyes! Can you see it? Bet you can't un-see it now. At any rate, I really like this one. It was one of those rare ones that just fell off the brush.

Grill Me

sold.

I was cutting up lemons and asparagus recently for dinner and realized they make an incredibly pretty pair. Normally we grill asparagus, but this was for a new recipe that gets wrapped in foil (with salmon!) and baked. It turned out really well.

Lemon in Blue

sold.

I used my little florescent bulb to light this one, which gives it a softer look than some of my still lifes. I still can't get over the fact that the plural of still life is lifes and not lives...

In other news, I am grateful to Plein Air Magazine for the article about me in this month's issue. To be honest I feel like the title is a tiny bit misleading ("Paint Daily but Know When to Stop") but I didn't get to choose it. Not that I'm complaining!

Also, I will be demo-ing at this year's Plein Air Convention in San Diego (end of April). If you're there, find me and say hi!

Arranged Lemons

sold.

These lemon slices are being paraded around before the cup. He is their potential husband. He's not quite sure yet who he'll choose, though they all have a certain glow.

Fish Tea

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I borrowed this teapot from my friend Patti. Unfortunately (and I think you'll get this, in some weird way) it is full of pennies. So it was quite heavy, and it kept tipping over in my car. I hope she didn't count the pennies, just in case I lost one or two in the transfer!

Lurking in the Shadows

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My husband was gone for almost 3 weeks visiting his sick father in Texas. He had a heck of a time getting back to Oregon with all this winter weather everyone's been having, and was stuck for several days in Denver. When he finally got back, I was so over-joyed that I forgot to post for a few days!

This egg yolk is living in a lovely square bowl given to me by my friend, Dawn. Thanks, buddy!

Making Lemon Elixer

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Tomorrow I am off to Portland to judge a show for the Oregon Society of Artists. The best part of the deal is that it will force me to spend some quality time in Portland with my hubby. He's been gone a lot these last couple of months, visiting family, and I am happy to have him back!

Hot and Sour

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I wrote a guest blog post for Lori Putnam's blog, and it just came out today! She is doing a thing all month (I guess it's almost over), called the Best Blog Party Ever, where she invited a bunch of people to write things they know about, and she's been posting them one at a time.  If you're interested in art and have a few minutes, check it out. You could learn a thing or two. : )

Just Lemon Please

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I've been seeing at a lot of Karen O'Neil's painting lately on Pinterest. This is my little homage to her and her bright, yummy colors. One thing I specifically love about her work is the color in her shadows. Lovely.

Delicious Citrus

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Do "delicious" and "citrus" rhyme?