Brightens Up the Room

Click Here to Bid - 10x10in. - oil on panel

Ok, this is the last rose painting for now. Also featuring a new metal pitcher I got on ebay. Very simple but I think it adds a lot.

Apples Beware

 

Click Here to Purchase - $250 - 8x8in. - oil on panel

I'm really quite a peaceful person. It's not me who puts the objects into threatening positions. In this case it was the scissors. They jumped in at the last minute. I think I need to put them in therapy.

Orange You Colorful

 

Click Here to Purchase - $700 - 16x16in - oil on panel

Here's another larger painting experiment. This time I decided to add a lot of color variation within each color. I tried it out first on my ipad and that really helped a lot.

Scissors Paper Grapes Apple

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

What beats what in this contest? And do we add the cup, or is it just the referee?

Ribbon Cutting

Click Here to Purchase for $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

This is another new Hobby Lobby purchase - ribbon. I love the challenge it presents. Plus it's great to use for presents. Ha.

Being a Maker

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I grew up in a house of makers. My parents built their own (dome) house, shop, studio, etc. When they wanted a camper van they cut a hole in the top of our VW and built their own pop-up tent on top. My mother had an extensive garden, goats, and chickens, plus still has art projects going at all times. I could go on. And so when I met my husband and he was a maker too, it seemed perfectly normal. But in talking to all my married girl friends, I realize how lucky I am that he's handy. Most days you will find us making: paintings, websites, furniture, curtains, etc. It's an obsession. I love it.

And, Cut!

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel - starts at $100

That's a wrap for the roses. I hope they enjoyed their stay at studio Marine.

Gathering Goodness

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil - "Gathering Goodness"

And this one wraps up the little tomatoes, for now.

Cutting Up

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil - "Cutting Up"

Same scissors - different angle.

Drifting Away

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil - "Drifting Away"

I ordered these scissors from the internet because I couldn't find anything like them locally. When they arrived my husband said - do we need more scissors in this house? I said - we don't have any as pretty as these. And he had to admit it was true.

Three for Ye

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil - "Three for Ye"

Including these 3 roses, I have now painted 8 of the dozen. I used a different light for this one - a softer LED rather than the flood bulb I often use. It makes the transitions more subtle, and the shadow edges softer.

Cutting Roses

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil. - "Cutting Roses"

I haven't painted roses in a while, so I bought myself a dozen. And my goal is to paint all 12. : ) Two down...

Love Notes

 

Click Here to BUY (12x12in. - OIL - $500)

When I was 21 and attending university in Texas, I signed up to teach arts and crafts at a summer camp in Maine. A couple of months before I flew there I met the man who would become my husband. Over that summer I wrote more letters than I ever had in my life (and probably since). And he wrote me even more. It was a bittersweet summer that I'll never forget, and it was definitely on my mind while I painted this. Ahh, the adventure of life.

Cut Clear Tomatoes

Click Here to Bid (6x6in. - starts at $100)

Before I did this one, I painted some quick, 10-minute tomatoes (to the right). I ALWAYS learn a lot from them, even if I've been painting lots of this subject anyway. And it's because I know they won't be "finished" (or saleable) and so I experiment. We aren't learning new things unless we're TRYING new things. 

In other words, if we always do what we always do, we'll always get what we always get.

So pull out a spare panel, divide it into smaller parts, and try sh*t. Do it today. Then show a friend. Tell them what you learned. It doesn't have to be something HUGE! You'll learn tiny little things that you can apply to the next one, times four.

Cutting Edge

Click Here to Bid (6x6in. - starts at $100)

So, about that last workshop I taught in San Antonio ... I promised a report, so here it is. Honestly, it was like, a really great group of kids! Quite a few were from Texas, and a number from the NE, so the accent mix was quite interesting.

To the right are the few photos I managed to take - sorry there aren't more.

I also didn't get photos of any of my demos, so I'll end with our group photo. Thanks, y'all, for being such great kids for my very last still life workshop! : )

Scissors Lurking

sold.

This is my third painting with these tulips. For this and the one before I used a soft florescent "daylight" bulb. I find these often work well for flowers because, unlike halogen, the light doesn't necessarily overwhelm (or shine right through) the delicate petals.

I will be demo-ing at the Plein Air Convention in San Diego next week (Wednesday at 2:20pm, for those going)! This morning I am beginning the long journey down to San Diego, stopping off to paint with a friend for a couple of days. Unfortunately this means I won't be able to ship paintings until I am back (May 1st). I apologize for the inconvenience!

Making Art

Click Here to Bid (6x6in.)

Well, I've realized now that I've done a number on my wrists and I've got to rest them in order to heal. The worst thing is typing, but I've even stopped painting for now. : ( Hopefully this will save me a lot of grief down the road. So my husband is stepping in where needed, to help (unfortunately he doesn't paint!). Because he has a lot to do himself, my emails may be a bit slow, FYI.

This may work out for the best anyway, as we are headed to Texas soon, driving there from Oregon, and will be gone a total of 6 weeks. I will post a few more paintings, as I was ahead, but will hopefully (fingers crossed!) be able to paint again in Texas.

Picking the Best

sold. (6x6in.)

I lit this scene with a soft, florescent daylight bulb. I often do that with flowers because my regular, halogen spotlight seems to overwhelm them. When roses are lit like this (and not at all from behind), I find it works best to squint at them and pick an average color. I cover the whole rose area with that color, then add the darks and lights on top of it, squinting the whole time and avoiding too much detail.

Ready for School

Click Here to Bid (5x7in.)

I threw together a few school supplies while my little guy was off learning (all his except for the shoes). They grow up so fast!

Cutting Up Things

sold

A recent student of mine came up with a stellar idea for drying/displaying for her paintings. She took two long pieces of molding, - the kind you'd get from a home improvement store - glued them together, painted them white, and screwed them to the wall. Thanks for letting me share this, Kate!