Planning for the Weekend

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Good news about my husband's ankle - he doesn't need surgery! They were pretty sure he would, so we are incredibly relieved. He'll have a cast on for about a month, so he bought a special thing to help him get around. It looks an awfully lot like a walker to me, but I am way too embarrassed to say my husband has one of those.

"Blue Door" & workshop recap

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My workshop last week went really well. But before I tell you about that I have some news that will affect my painting habits for a little while. Over the weekend my husband broke his ankle, and unfortunately it's bad enough that it will probably require a surgery or two. So while he's healing I will be full time nurse and single mom, which means my painting time will be limited. I love my husband, and if he's a good patient, we both might live through this.

On to my workshop in Springfield last week. The Emerald Art Center turned out to be an ideal space, with a separate room for my demos, and a camera and screen to project them on. I'm happy to be doing 3 more there this year (more on that soon)! My kids were pretty typically wonderful, though I did have to yell at them a few times (I tell you - it's like herding cats!). <- Here are some pictures of them working.

It was nice to be able to recommend the restaurants for once, ones with really fantastic cocktails, which was a great way to relax at the end of each day. My kids and I -> had tons of fun together and I miss them already!

Bug Under a Tree

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There are a ton of VW's in my town. One only has to drive a block to find another one. Here is one I found downtown, parked under this beautiful tree.

Tomorrow morning I will drive 20 minutes to our sister city of Springfield to begin my next 5-day workshop. I am so incredibly stoked to be able to sleep in my own bed each night, and not to have to fly on an airplane to get there!! After 7 years of travelling almost every month, I can't even begin to tell you how happy that makes me. : )

Back End, Back Lit

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I have a last-minute cancellation for my workshop next week in Springfield, Oregon. If anyone is interested, please sign up here.

Meanwhile, this is a scene I found wandering around my hometown of Eugene.

Hot For You Rose

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After my last post (where I mentioned HDR) I got a lot of emails, mostly asking what the heck HDR is! Here is a fairly short synopsis, with pictures. The basic idea is that it combines 3 photos, with 3 different exposures, into ONE, so (in theory) you get the best of all 3. Often when I take pictures outside, either the sky is white or the shadows are black, or both! HDR "fixes" the problem (FYI, there is software for this that is FAR better than what you get with the HDR setting on an iphone). But it can also sometimes remove all the contrast. Which is why I was curious whether other people have had luck with it. But it's maybe a little new yet? That's ok. I'll try it out myself soon and let you you guys know what I think. Meanwhile, here's a rose.

A Little Light

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Here is another doorway from San Francisco. One thing I've noticed when I peruse back through all the paintings I have collected on Pinterest is - I love light and shadow! So anytime I can capture it in a painting like this, I am thrilled. Has anyone had luck with taking HDR photos and painting from them? I've been curious about that. I haven't done it yet.

Seeking the Light

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These flowers are about done for now, but they sure lasted a while. I love the subtle pinks, especially where they go in and out of the light.

Afternoon Apples

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Sometimes I feel like painting smooth, and sometimes I feel like gettin' the chunk on! Now that I actually wrote that, it seems really weird. But I'm going to stick with it. I mean chunk, like chunky strokes. You guys feel me, right?

Flower Power

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I used my soft (florescent, spiraly bulb) to light this still life. It works really well for showing off the subtleties in flowers, and the delicate petals. My other main bulb (flood) gives them a whole different look (like this one).

Abandoned Stack

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I did this one over 3 times before it felt right. It was a toughie.

Preparing Tea

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My (somewhat) recent tea series gave me great practice for this larger piece (12x12in). My favorite part was figuring out all the different values for the tea itself and the lemons. Quite fun.

Bottle Buddies

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I have a confession. I'm never happy with my flowers as I'm painting them. But then I stand back and suddenly all the bits and pieces come together to form a 3-dimensional thing. Magic.

Surrounded By Lemons

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I have been obsessing over Pinterest lately, pinning like crazy. I like to do that when I feel my inspiration wane. I love looking at different styles and then trying them out. You probably can't tell but there's a tiny tiny bit of Daniel Keys in this one. (see all my Pinterest collections)

Back Me Up, Bottles

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My son has been obsessed lately with the idea of backstories. He's a great story teller (& listener), so when something has a backstory TOO, he is all over it. Inspired by him, I must tell you the backstory for this painting. So, the flower has been in love with the pear (on the plate - not pictured) for over a year. The flower has finally gotten up the nerve to profess undying love to the pear, but is quite nervous. The bottles are around for backup, you know, in case the pear doesn't feel the same way.

BTW, happy 2014!!