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. : )

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.

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:

Just Tomatoes Please

 

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

Here's another little still life with tomatoes. I usually shop at the Albertsons at the bottom of our hill for produce, but I found another store, a little further away, that has prettier produce. It's worth looking around.

They Drank the Kool-aid

 

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

I have kept an eye out for cool pieces of fabric for adding to still lifes, but have had a lot of trouble finding ones that would work. It needs to have the kind of pattern that is easy to simplify with paint. Recently my sewing adventures have included buying things from the thrift store and modifying them, or frankenstein-ing different things together. The fabric that is available to the clothing industry is far more vast and interesting than the fabric I can buy as an individual. So it occurred to me recently that I can also look at the thrift store for things that I can cut up for still life. This one did double duty. Not only am I using this little scrap in the scene above, I also used some of it to make a t-shirt for myself.

Color Conference

 

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

I've been attempting to dye fabric for backgrounds lately, with mixed results. The problem is that the length of time it stays in affects the color, but once you pull it out and wash it, the color is very different from how it looked when you decided to pull it out. But I'm learning. And I like these two (the gray and the peachy strip).

Mostly what I want are less saturated colors. I bought a whole bunch of white cotton fabric and Procion dye to play with. It's fun.

Tranquil Blue

 

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

I switched to fixed prices a while back, but have decided to try auctions again. I'm also going to try shorter auctions, after bidding on some things myself (on Ebay - stuff to paint) and losing interest after a few days, haha!

This 3-day auction starts at $125.

Keeping the Doctor Away

 

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

I love the theme of fruit in a glass bowl. You might have noticed me paint it before. I wanted to do a large painting of it, but decided to work out the lighting and composition first with a few studies. Here's the first one.

We Want the Fancy Tea

 

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

This is another experiment with the Phillips Hue bulb as a secondary light source. This time I chose a warmer color. It makes for some very interesting shadows inside the cups, and elsewhere.

Standing Proud

 

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

I took a break from sewing to paint a few little sunflowers. My favorite part of this one is the stems in the water. I just love how it turned out.

Hide the Apples

 

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

I bought this fabric a while back thinking I'd turn it into a scarf. I realized today that I can still do that, but just borrow it once in a while for a still life. Duh.

Draped in Purple

Click Here to Purchase - $650 - 10x20in. - oil on panel (click image to enlarge)

Full disclosure: this one is actually just under 10 inches tall. By about 1/8 inch. But it's one of my favorites of late. I've really enjoyed having it in my studio.

Eating is Fun

Click Here to Purchase - $800 - 18x18in. - oil on panel

My Grandpa Roy always said, "Eating is fun." When we visited he would take us kids to the pastry store for breakfast and let us pick out whichever donuts we wanted. And eating them was indeed fun! The resulting tummy-ache - not so much.

The Importance of Variety in Dishes

 

Click Here to Purchase - $750 - 12x24in - oil on panel

This wide format never looks great here, so please click on the image to see larger. I'm quite happy with this one.

New Blue

 

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

My husband recently built me a new still life stage that I've been thinking about for years. (click photo to enlarge) The frame is welded steel. The stages or shelves are topped with wood and can be moved up and down as needed. The top one is for eye level views, as you can see in the second photo. The bottom shelf is for birds eye compositions, specifically larger ones that I have been hankering to paint. Eventually I will have a third, mid-size shelf for everything in between. The top bars are for clamping lights to, and draping fabric over when I need to control ambient light. The vertical piece (wood) is covered in cork so I can pin up fabric or paper.

This is the first painting I've done using my new stage. I'm also featuring a new blue vase that I picked up recently at my favorite, local, junk shop. : )

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.

Formal Family Portrait

 

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

Have you ever noticed how in every formal family portrait, there is always at least one person who ends up looking ... odd, somehow? My family completely avoided that by never having one made. Ever.

Family Time

 

Click Here to Bid (6x8in. - OIL - starts at $100)

This is a very cozy, cuddly family of cups. They were nice enough to pose for me, and they were fun to paint.

Lone Fork

 

Click Here to Buy ($700 - 16x16in. - OIL)

Here's another larger one I did a few months ago. I was heavily using my palette knife and squeegee (in addition to brushes), so there's quite a bit of texture. I was also really trying to experiment with color, pushing it whenever I thought it might work. That said, even though I photographed it the same way I always do, I couldn't get the colors looking exactly right in the photo. It definitely looks better in person (I'll try to get a better photo). Here are some detail shots taken in different light (click to enlarge):

Family Reunion

Click Here to BUY (12x24in. - OIL - $1000 - free domestic shipping)

These wide paintings never look good here, so please click the image to see it larger. I was going for an unfinished look. I also used my knife a bit, so there's more texture than usual. I'm quite happy with this one.