Organized Orange

 

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

I got an email today from a gal who says that she "struggles with the middle values." And I can honestly say - me too! Recently I added a new thing to my studio that has helped. I painted a simple little value scale (with acrylic paint) that I put under my palette so that the values peek out along the bottom.

When I'm having trouble, I mix colors with corresponding values right above each value. This helps especially with all the white cups and plates I paint. I also think to myself, when I'm looking at the plate, for example, what like value can I find? Is there a value in the cup that is similar? And every time I mix a new color, I look for like values to compare it too (as opposed to looking at only the colors right next to the thing). I might even put a little dab (on my palette) of the new color next to a color with a similar value just to compare.

I will try and post a photo with paint on the palette to show more of what I mean. Hopefully this all makes sense, but feel free to email me with questions!

Red Resonance

 

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

Technically there's pink in some of these, but it's still the red family. In fact it's the variations within the colors that excite me - including adjacent colors. Maybe that's why red has been so challenging for me - I don't have a lot of variety in my red things, in color or value. I think I'll try green next.

Red Rendition

 

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

I did 5 of these red themed paintings, but only 3 worked out. I found it quite challenging to make an all red composition work. I mean, obviously I added some white things for contrast, but still it was hard. I recommend the challenge! And guess what - the challenge for Daily Paintworks this month just happens to be a Color Theme Challenge, just like this. : )

Ready for Red

 

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

I recently posted a small blue series. Here is the first of my red series.

We are home early from camping. It turns out that weather is unpredictable. Who knew. But here are a couple of photos from Utah when it was nice.

Just a Few Things

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

Tomorrow we're headed out for some much needed camping. We'll be gone about 2 weeks, so I won't be able to ship paintings or prints until around 4/19/26. I apologize for any inconvenience.

One thing I love about camping is - I get bored. And when I get bored I get new ideas - for painting, for sewing, for everything. I imagine it's a problem for young people today - there being so much easy entertainment at their fingertips that they never get bored. Boredom is SO good for creativity. For me anyway. I try to get bored on a regular basis, but camping is the primo version.

Scaredy Cups

 

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

I like to really move my light around and try it from every direction. But this angle is new for me! It has the feel of a scary story when you're camping. Or is that just me? At any rate, the shadows were super dark, so I took my little (not as bright) light and pointed it down a bit, from above, which gave the shadows some variety. Here's what it looked like in my shadow box:

Let's Talk

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

Here's another one using two lights (one stronger and warmer than the other). The cooler light did some really "cool" things to the otherwise warm shadows. Haha, I'm a riot - you know it.

Wandering Away

 

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

I used two lights again for this one - one stronger than the other. You can see that it sort of fragments the shadows. I have to move the lights around for a while before I think the fragmenting is happening in a pleasing way. But I'm just finding it much more interesting than solid shadows at the moment.

Ripe Reflection

 

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

I love hitting up thrift stores for clothes with fabric I like, and then turning them into something new. They also work great cut up and used as drapery in a still life. : )

Midnight Snack

 

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

These cookies jumped out at me at the grocery store - literally grabbed my arm. Rude I say, but of course I bought them anyway, and set up this little scene. I used my softer, zoomable light to give it a sort of middle of the night indulgent kind of feel. I won't tell you what happened to the cookies afterwards.

Hey That's Not Coffee!

 

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

Today I forgot how to paint. It was a disaster. Luckily I'm ahead with my paintings, so I still had something to post.

Lately I've actually been way ahead with my paintings, and I'm finding a pretty huge benefit to this (in addition them being dry and ready to ship): by the time I post a painting, I am far less emotionally involved. If I decide - well, this one really just isn't up to par, it doesn't slay me like it would if I made the same judgement call right after I painted it. And you end up seeing only the work I am most proud of.

Swimming with Apples

 

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

Here is another way I have been experimenting using a second light. I shine my regular (strong) light on my subject from one angle, and then I play around with a second, dimmer light, from another angle. Sometimes it makes extra shadows, but sometimes it just adds little fragments of lighter bits in fun colors to the existing shadows, like it does here. Also, because my main light is a little warmer and my secondary light is a little cooler, it adds some cool colors to a mostly warm scene, which excites me. And that's really what I'm looking for 30 years into painting - things I can get excited about.

Special Tomatoes

 

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

These tomatoes were so special they required a fancy tablecloth. They would not sit for me otherwise.

Waiting for Tea

 

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

I am completely in love with color, but a simple black and white composition can say just as much. It really proves the old saying that, "color gets all the credit but value does the work."

Blue with Dots

 

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

Here's the final blue on a shelf. I'll definitely return to this theme. Hey, maybe I could do a series for each color family!

I've been experimenting lately with a new light. Normally I use an LED flood bulb, which is quite bright. For this painting I wanted a more subtle, focusable light, so I used the light I bought for workshops (my travel light). It is a zoomable LED spotlight lamp with a gooseneck and a clamp, and I got it from Amazon (not getting a kickback for this mention). Here it is in real life:

True Blue Friends

 

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

Here's the second in my little blue on a shelf series. And speaking of rockstar subjects, you've probably noticed this little white cup a few times. I got it in Germany so many years ago, and it's cracked from when I poured hot tea in it once (?), so I can't even use it for liquids. But it's still perfect for being painted.

Got the Blues

 

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

I did a small series of blue paintings on a shelf, of which this is the first. It's amazing how just a few, simple objects and a light can create such drama.

Tomatoes Go with Fish

 

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

Whenever I go out, I always keep my eyes peeled for objects that might go well in a still life. But when I find something, I never know if they are destined be a rock star or not. This green fish has turned out to be a favorite. I have other things in my collection that I've never painted, even though I try them out in scenes. They just don't work. Although of course they might later. It takes a while for me to give up hope. And then of course there are a handful of things I keep right next to me - this simple plate and gorgeous fork are among those. They are my quiet rock stars.

Lion in Wait

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

Here's another big cat. I strangely remember painting quite a few of these, but apparently I've only painted three before this one. And only 48 cats in general.

Watch Dog

 

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

My son came up with the title for this one. He also pointed out that this is the first time I've painted a watch, which I think is true. I tried not to give it much detail or contrast though, since it's not the focus.