Balsamroot

 

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

For the past 6 years, since we've lived in Montana, I've seen these yellow flowers around and never gotten my act together to go and photograph them before they're done. Until this year! They're called Arrowleaf Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata), and are abundant if you know where to look. I passed some on the highway and stopped, but they were on such a steep hill I was afraid I would fall. I finally found some very accessible ones about 20 minutes away on a trail called "Sound of Music" (how fitting!).

Where We Sat Last Night

 

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

During my recent EBB (several weeks where nothing went right in my studio) I ventured outside for new inspiration. I have been hesitant to take photos in Missoula, and I think it's because I have quite a few friends here, and I feel more self-conscious because of it. Well, I put that feeling aside and wandered around a few nearby neighborhoods with my camera (luckily everyone was at work). This was the first scene that really inspired me. And it took me 2 tries before I was happy with the painting. But I am. And that's always incredibly exciting after an EBB!

EBB Tulips

These were the tulips that did me in. Ok, not really, but painting them I think kicked off the dreaded EBB. Or at least, this is what I was painting when it started. I said to my husband, "Should I wipe these?" He said, "No, I like them." I couldn't see it. And that's part of the EBB for me - nothing looks pretty. So here they are for you to decide.

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel - "Five Tulips"

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel - "Four Tulips"

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel - "Two Tulips"

We're Losing 'Em

 

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

I haven't posted for a few weeks because I had a pretty big EBB. That's the opposite of FLOW, and it's when absolutely nothing I do in the studio works out the way I want it to. I used to feel really terrible and scared when this happened, but now I know it's just part of the creative process - like a field lying fallow.

After a few frustrating days, I realized what was happening and I gave myself a break. I went for more walks and got some stuff done around the house. I spent more time with friends. Every day I managed to go into the studio at least once and push some things around - sometimes oil, sometimes watercolor just to try it - anything to keep one toe in. And after a while, the flow returned. I've got a few more paintings to show from before the break (including this one), but eventually I got inspired by some things outside my studio. I know, crazy! I went outside! That's coming soon.

Just a reminder that if you want to get emails with my latest paintings, you can sign up here. : )

It's the Simple Things

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. oil on panel

When I set up this arrangement, something about it sang to me. I love it when that happens.

Final Act

 

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

Here's number two in my green series. I'm quite happy with this one. I like the drama of the light from below. It reminds me of actors on a stage, hence the title.

Green Sticks Together

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x8in - oil on panel

I did a couple of green themed paintings. Here's number one.

Gathering Safely In

 

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

This is the last of the orange slices for now. The title is a line from a song I like. 10 points if you can guess it without looking it up online. : )

Orange Pals

 

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

I've been thinking a lot about friends lately, old and new, and specifically friend groups, and all their dynamics. I think I subconsciously pour my feelings about these kinds of things into my paintings. You can see it in all the groupings of objects. Some get along better than others.

Guarding Plates

 

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

I found this purple-ish glass recently at the thrift store. It was quite a challenge to make the colors read right since you can see through to the white plates and the green background in different places. And then of course the glass gets thicker and thinner, and add reflections on top of that! Whew.

A Juicy Snack

 

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

A few more orange slices. You can see that little white cup again, sneaking around, trying to get closer.

I painted the silly little white cup by itself below to illustrate what I was talking about in this post. The bottom image is the bottom of my palette, beneath which is a simple value scale I made with acrylic paint. You can't see it perfectly because of my photos, but I mixed each color for the cup above the value it corresponded with. This helps me keep them all straight in my mind. I only used the lightest value for the highlights.

And before someone asks how I mixed these colors, I used red, blue, yellow, and white. : )

BTW, I painted it on a little Richeson 4x4in. panel that I got a free sample of years ago. The surface was smoother than the gessobord I'm used to, and the paint application was very different. It seemed to kind of soak up and dry the paint super fast. Weird. Anyone else use Richeson panels?

Orange Delights

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

Here's another one with orange slices. I try not to cut them up the same way every time, although this is my favorite. I think the cups like it too. Especially this white one keeps sneaking over to spend time with them. I get it - they're cute.

A Loose Line

 

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

I used my smaller, zoomable light for this one, and focused it in on the larger cup and a few of the orange slices, like a spotlight. This made it much more challenging as I had to capture the subtle differences between each slice as they moved away from the light. Not to mention the rest of the scene. But man I just revel in this kind of challenge!

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.