Good Time Oranges

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil - starts at $100

The hardest thing about a glass bowl from this perspective is the reflections on the side. They change how the oranges look, and I always have to decide if I will paint them as I paint the oranges, or later, after the oranges and bowl are established. This time I painted them as I painted the oranges. If I can get the values/colors "right," I think it pretty much always looks better if I do it in that order. But it's definitely harder. At any rate, I'm happiest with this third attempt, so I am moving on!

Orange You Glad You Have a Fork

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in - oil - starts at $100

This is my second attempt at the orange bowl, and also a study for a larger painting I ended up doing right after. It also might be my longest title ever. But it fit.

How to Eat Orange

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil - starts at $100

Every once in a while I have to pull out my trusty glass bowl and fill it with oranges. To the right is my very first one, from 2007. Still a challenge.

Love Notes

 

Click Here to BUY (12x12in. - OIL - $500)

When I was 21 and attending university in Texas, I signed up to teach arts and crafts at a summer camp in Maine. A couple of months before I flew there I met the man who would become my husband. Over that summer I wrote more letters than I ever had in my life (and probably since). And he wrote me even more. It was a bittersweet summer that I'll never forget, and it was definitely on my mind while I painted this. Ahh, the adventure of life.

Orange Bowl

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I can't believe I haven't used this title before.

Beside Ourselves

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Here are all my other orange paintings to date. If you scroll down you'll see that I've painted this particular theme - oranges in a glass bowl - a few times before.

Clueless

sold. (6x6in.)

This little hippo isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. He's not quite sure what this giant thing is next to him, so he's pretending he doesn't see it, to buy himself some time. This clueless-ness has also cost him some relationships. You might remember the cherry he dated some time ago. Well, that didn't work out, unfortunately. But everyone knows that cherries are pretty with it.

Orange Invasion

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Here's a slightly bigger painting of small oranges invading the dishware. I always said those oranges were sneaky.

Just to let you know, I am working on some new ArtBytes. One of them has to do specifically with white! I'm also doing some demo videos of subjects that have been requested. I'll have them (& books!) ready in the next few weeks.

Orange Exile

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I was ahead with my paintings, so I took a few days off to finish a quilt for my son, and a couple more to galavant in Portland! Two highlights from our trip: I saw my book for the first time (with my own eyes) in a real life bookstore (Powell's)! And had lunch with the lovely Nora Bergman, a very fine artist and co-Oregonian! Here are some pictures - top two are my quilt and its new owner, bottom-left is Nora and I, and bottom right is an example of her work.

Bagged

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I want to clarify one thing about my post from yesterday, regarding painting from photos. I certainly do not think painting from photos is bad!!! As you probably know, I do it a lot myself, and can name many fabulous artists who do it all the time! My point was only that there are steps you can take to make your paintings from photos look more realistic. Painting from life is not always practical. For example, painting children. Heck, they barely sit still long enough for a photo, much less a painting. Am I right?!

But these oranges I painted from life. They are quite patient, and I appreciate it.

Cutting Oranges

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I love the way this turned out. It doesn't make sense - scissors and oranges - but I don't care! Did you notice how the title makes it sound like cutting oranges with scissors is the most normal thing in the world? Yeah.

Orange Tea

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This is my last painting from 2012, and my last larger painting in reserve.

I had an idea about announcing new workshops. What if I pre-announce them? Well, that is what I'm going to try here and we'll see how it goes. I have one more to announce for this year, and I will do that this Wednesday, at 10am PST. This workshop will be in the fall of 2013, but I won't say where or exactly when until Wednesday, so check back then if you're interested.

Also, I wrote an article last year for Professional Artist Magazine and it just came out. It is 6 pages and whoever put it together did a fabulous job with the layout! -->

One more thing - I've been making a quilt, and if you're interested I've posted about it on my other blog.

Oh, and the Spyder software I got is 4 Pro (because some of you asked).

Morning Light

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Lots to report! First my workshop in Texas last week. I tried to bribe my kids with chocolate this time so they would behave. It mostly worked but a few of them still had to do push-ups (mostly for inappropriate language). Artists - pah! Here they are concentrating during a timed exercise.

And here's all but one, at the end of the week, thoroughly brainwashed and scared into submission. "That Carol," they say, "what a tyrant!"

Just one more thing and then I'll save the rest for my next post. I got a new computer and it's really cool, but I'm having trouble getting the colors adjusted just right on the screen. Do any of you have any experience getting a special (expensive) calibration tool and having it be worth the cost? If so, which one? Thanks!

Orange You Gonna Ask?

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Last week I had a lot of trouble with compositions. That's why I've been posting some old work. Nothing was seeming to gel and I was getting more and more frustrated. It happens! I have learned to accept it as part of the process, though the acceptance comes and goes too. : ) Anyway, I did this painting as I was clawing my way back out of the valley of doom. It seems a little floaty to me, but there is a simplicity to it that I like.

Helicopter Flower

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Doesn't that flower look like it could take off any minute? The oranges are high on anticipation, not to mention the fork. The orange slices though are completely oblivious -- lost in their own little world. They're probably up to something ... I wouldn't put it past them.

Abandon Ship

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It is goooood to be back in the studio! I found a big bag of these little oranges at the grocery store today. I can't even begin to tell you how satisfying it is to start making orange marks all over the place and have it turn into a 3D pile of oranges.

A lot of you wrote in after my latest adventure, suggesting I cut back on workshops and hold them closer to home. This is exactly my plan. While I love teaching and adore all my kids, the transitions are rough on me, and the long flights are (apparently) dangerous. I am booked until the end of 2013, but after that I plan to find a space here in Eugene and do maybe 4 to 6 workshops a year. Thank you all for your concern!!

Orange Sensation

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I found these lovely oranges (with leaves still attached) at our Market of Choice. I've never been able to find nice ones like these before and was super excited when I did. I envisioned them like a little band, up on their bottles to perform, with their leaves like fancy capes. You know, because all bands have ... capes ...

Balancing Act

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We got our new silverware from IKEA, and the side benefit is they make great props! They have lovely shapes, even from the end. As for my other props, I find myself getting mostly the same basic stuff again. I already have 7 different white cups and several little white plates. I had this exact glass pourer before, and of course you've already seen a few of my new bottles and jars. I have my eye out for different stuff, of course, but I seem to be able to endlessly compose with cups, plates, fruit and silverware.

Orange Overflow

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I have a lot to report, but I'll start with a recap of the workshop last week. It was good for me to be busy, and as I said in an earlier post, my kids were very patient with me. As a thank you, I promised them I wouldn't complain about them. So I'll complain about driving in MA instead - it's crazy! I got lost more times than I can count because of my stupid, borrowed GPS, poor signage and bad directions, and almost hit another guy in a rotary because he was being an idiot. (breathe) Here are my kids being awfully studious:

Below are my first couple of demos. I had to borrow all the props, panels and medium (thank you guys!), but in the end everything turned out ok.

Below are my kids and me in the middle. You guys were fabulous - thank you so much for everything!! (more below)

I am home now and have started fixing my blog. I decided to run with the lighter background. I even put in a new header - check it out. I haven't retrieved all the "stuff on the right," and I'll need some help with that (more later). Also to report, while I was in MA last week David (hubby) was in Oregon finding us a new house, in Eugene! We will be leaving this weekend with the camper and car. It should take us about a week to get there. I'll post pictures when I get there. Tomorrow we'll be seeing our old "house" for the first and last time. I hope to find some little memento in the ashes. We'll see. More soon ...

Bowl of Sunshine & Tomato Lover

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UPDATE: Unfortunately the painting below is no longer available - I didn't take any of my larger paintings before the fire...

The painting below is 12x12 inches, on gessoboard. I am putting it in the Daily Paintworks, Help the Children of Africa auction. They say hundreds of thousands of children are starving because of the current drought. I know it's half a world away, but children are children. If you can help by donating or bidding they would be very grateful!