Hot Car

 

Click Here to Bid (3x5in. - GOUACHE - starts at $75)

Here's another one that I just couldn't figure out how to make interesting with oil paint - but gouache pulled it off. I've been having fun combing back through my old files, looking for possibilities like this. For example, this one is from a very old wander in Eugene, OR. It was probably summer since the sun is out. I have to admit, now that we're in Montana, I don't miss the rain!

Red Pickup

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This is an oldie, from Eugene. I just painted it, but took the reference years ago. A big thank you to all those who keep old vehicles in good condition and park them in accessible locations!! I could just kiss you all.

If you're interested, I posted a reference for this truck (from a different angle) as a DPW challenge, back in 2012. Take a gander and ... paint it! If you dare (evil laugh...)

What Carol? You go from kissing to laughing evil-y, all in one short post? Yes.

Saturday Morning with Dad

Click Here to Bid (8x8in. - starts at $100)

I took the references for this one at our Saturday Market here in Eugene, right before I left for Italy. What's funny is that I felt really funny about taking pictures of people in my hometown, when I don't at all when I'm anywhere else. I ended up leaving after about 20 minutes, and this was really the only usable scene I captured. What was I afraid of? I'm not sure. Anyone else had this experience?

Front Garden

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Here's another Eugene house painted in Germany, this one with some raised beds in front, ready for growing.

Come On In

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This is a genuine Eugene, Oregon house that I painted (from a reference) in Germany, in my mother-in-law's kitchen. I went far to paint near. : )

Shady Blue

sold.

This is another one from a Eugene wander. Dapples can liven up any scene.

Dapple Makers

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This is another Eugene scene. I love tree trunks, but have always felt baffled by how to paint them. But then recently I overheard someone saying that if they saw another person paint a "brown" trunk they would throw up. And when I looked again I realized that they may contain brown, but they are lots of colors! Duh. It's another case of what your brain is telling you vs. what you really see. I think this is one of the biggest hurdles we face as artists, and believe me, it never ends.

Purple Accents

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This is another random Eugene scene from a recent wander. I'm a sucker for shadows, and this has some great ones. It was a real challenge making all the greens not only different, but often just subtly different, and still work in light vs. shadow, and close vs. distant. Whew. And on such a tiny panel, no less!

An Oldie but a Goodie

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I spotted this a while ago, a few neighborhoods over from mine. I didn't have time then to stop and photograph it, so I've been trying to find it again ever since. Well, I finally did! But it was just perfectly in the shadow, which made it look funny from the front and side. So, rather than come back later, I found another angle that would work, and I kinda love it.

Cloudy Clouds

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Here's another version of my on-top-of-the-butte-in-Eugene-vista (complete with super-catchy title). I decided to focus more on the sky with this one.

My picture of the scene actually has the previous painting in the holder, but I did both of these from life. You can see that it's pretty crispy here in Eugene (now, at the end of summer), but it makes for some great contrast!

Layers Upon Layers

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Before my trip to the Sierra's, I got in shape by climbing to the top of a local butte with all my gear. On one of these trips I was by myself so I painted at the top. I had a lot of fun playing around with clouds, as I haven't paint much of them from life. They move fast, which is the challenge. But when they're in layers like this, you can sort of gather information from all over. This painting comes (as you can see) complete with authentic grass and dirt from the area. : ) Unless you want me to wipe it off.

Jane Doe's House

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This is another one from around my town (Eugene). It's past my bedtime, and my brain has already turned off, so I apologize for my lack of....

Front Yard Bonanza

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Here's another scene from around Eugene. To paint the flowers I started with the whitest bits and got them all just where I wanted them, design-wise. Then I put in the flowers that are in shadow. Then I painted the green stuff all around it, and the rest of the scene. Then I went back in and re-evaluated everything, breaking up white shapes that were too big and not "flowery" enough, and putting in a few more teensy flowers around the periphery. Just in case you wanted to know. : )

Something Old and Blue

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This is another scene from around my town (Eugene). The big tree and background trees were quite a challenge, but I'm quite happy with the way it turned out. For the background I basically just squinted and painted what I saw as simply as possible. But then I guess that's sort of how I paint in general. : )

And speaking of Eugene, I'm giving a talk at the local art supply store next Thursday. If you're in the area, and you have $5, come see me! Here's all the deets.

A Touch of Light

Click Here to Bid (8x8in.)

This is a scene from our Willamette Street here in Eugene, Oregon. Even though it looks like a theater of some kind, I believe this is a coffee shop. Needless to say, I haven't been inside this particular one, otherwise I guess I would know. What really grabbed me was the slash of sunlight on the upper windows, and the bits of reflected sky.

Colorful House

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Winter in Eugene means lots of overcast days and a fair amount of rain. I like it because I can hunker down in my studio, get cozy, and paint. I've been doing lots of that, but have recently been experiencing some cabin-fever for the first time in a while. So when the sun came out the other day, I headed out with my camera. One of the places I found was this quite colorful house. Honestly, I wouldn't have chosen these colors myself, but I love it in the painting!

Golden Garden Gully

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On the last day of the workshop I just took, after class, a few of my friends/classmates trekked over to Golden Gardens park here in Eugene to paint just a little more before the sun set. This was by far the best one I did all week. Apparently something clicked.

Having said that, I would like to report a little more thoroughly about the workshop now that I've had time to think about it. I have to admit I expected a lot. I've admired Scott Christensen's work for a long time, and I have friends who've taken his class and loved it. I was a little disappointed that he didn't demo more outside (only once, at the end of the last day). And the things he had to say were pretty high level. I wouldn't recommend this workshop for beginners, or those not well versed in plein air lingo. The things I got out of it were mostly gleaned from watching him make decisions, and trying some of the things he was doing (like holding the brush by the end, which leads to more organic mark-making). He was very encouraging, and I really appreciated that. The thing I enjoyed most was his taking student work and doing paint-on critiques for the whole class. Over-all it was a positive for me, but for those who are considering it, I just wanted to give a more complete review. My 2 cents anyway.

Red Ford

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Well, I know I said I would post a few paintings while I was in Maine, but the internet connection wasn't good enough, alas. But it's a good thing I'm still ahead because I am having some sort of allergic reaction to ... something, not sure what. I am covered in itchy hives. Ack! I saw the doc yesterday and she gave me Prednisone, which will hopefully help with the itching, because it makes me feel terrible otherwise. So while this sorry sack that is my body tries to recover, I don't think I'll be painting much.

This is another little scene from around here in Eugene.

Big Bush

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This is a cute little scene from Eugene. Meanwhile, in the same town ...

Tonight was our second annual bad art destruction party! Basically a few of my friends and I brought the bad art we had sitting around our studios (making us feel bad every time we looked at it), and ... destroyed it! We tore, slashed, mangled, wrote on, broke into pieces, etc. Wine fueled, of course (on my part, anyway). It was very cathartic. Here are a few pictures:

Tomorrow I am headed to Maine to see a friend for a week. I won't be able to ship any paintings during that time, but if you're really desperate, let me know and I'll beg my husband to do it for me. I'm a little ahead with paintings, so I'll still post some, when/if I have time.

Blue Bug

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There are lots of bugs here in Eugene. I spotted this particular one in the parking lot of my son's school, on a wet, overcast day, uhhh ... like last year or something. I love having tons of pictures to choose from at any given time. Speaking of, today I drove to Sweet Creek and took tons of pictures of rocks and water and reflections and stuff. So totally enjoyable, and hopefully some to paint too.