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

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

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.

Thunderstorm Approaching

Click Here to Bid (3x5in. - GOUACHE - starts at $25)

A couple of years ago my husband and I were remote camping in the Oregon Badlands. We were reading a bit in the afternoon, when clouds fairly quickly started filling up the sky. They were big clouds, and we took pictures of them because they were quite spectacular (this painting is from those pictures). We were feeling a little suspicious of these lovely clouds, when suddenly it started POURING down rain, and the wind blew SO HARD that we each grabbed a pole of our canopy, unwilling to let it blow away, as the horizontal rain soaked us and all our stuff. It lasted about 15 minutes, stopped as suddenly, and we spent the next few hours drying everything out. Below is a calm scene from that evening in the same spot.

The Gorge

Click Here to Bid (6x12in. - starts at $100 - please click image to enlarge)

This one's been sitting in my studio for a while. My husband asked me to keep it, but I really hate keeping paintings - I'm always moving on. So don't tell him. (shh) It's from back in the spring when I went to Hood River with a group of painting gals. The weather was terrible (cold and rainy) but we luckily had a friend with THIS view, from her BIG house windows, and space for about 6 of us to stand inside, cozy and warm, and paint it - lucky us! It's actually a place one can get married, or have other events, so check it out.

Rocks in Fall

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

This one's been kicking around my studio for a while. I think I've made like 3 passes on it, and have finally gotten it to a place I'm happy with. It's one of my favorite kind of spots- quiet, with water and rocks ... and dappled light - especially if I'm there by myself. Which I was, when I took the reference photos. I'm pretty sure this came from Sweet Creek, here in Oregon.

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.

Double Red Parked

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I've been trying out some different brushes other than the (mostly) synthetic flats/brights I normally use. I've also been experimenting with different methods. For this one I scrubbed in some colors with a bristle brush to begin with, which left some textured strokes, then put in my regular stuff on top. After a few "failures," I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere.

Shady Avenue

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On my recent wander through Eugene I tried to keep my eyes peeled for ... well, just about anything at all that made a cool design. Hence - these shadows. And by the way, that's MY new car sitting there at the end of the line. Can you tell what kind it is? ; )

Mostly Cloudy

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This is my second-to-last painting from the alpaca farm. I debated whether or not to post this one. I like it, but it seems very simple. I don't know. This is something I struggle with a lot - what to post and what not to post. I've been very surprised in the past at what gets a good reception, so I'm always second guessing my instinct. Often I have a particular goal in mind for a painting, and may not post it just because I didn't feel like I accomplished what I set out to do.

I have quite a hefty stack of paintings I didn't post, (this stack is from the past 6 months or so) and about three times as many that get wiped before they dry. I feel good about this stack because it means I'm trying stuff! I'm experimenting, and that means lots of failures along the way. I didn't always feel good about this stack. It took a lot of work to get to this point.

When I get a few minutes, (and some clean space in my studio), I'll take a few of these and prime them. Lately I've been using Gamblin Titanium White FastMatte for this, rather than oil gesso. It dries much faster, and I LOVE the surface for painting on. First I take the panels outside and scrape all the lumpy bits off with a palette knife. Then I simply take the tube of FastMatte, remove the lid, and dab little bits of the paint all over the panel. Then I dip my brush in Gamsol and wipe it all over the panel, smearing out the paint evenly. As soon as it's dry, I'm good to go!

Outcropping

sold. (6x12in. - click on image to enlarge!)

I painted the same scene again (as yesterday) but from further up and zoomed out. I really love these two trees and the rocks they cast shadows on. Plus it has the benefit of being off the beaten path. At the top there are a gazillion people. And wind.

Top of the World

sold. (8x10in.)

Here is another view from the top of our butte here in Eugene. I ended up working on it over two sessions. The rocks in the first version were ... pink. So I hauled it up a second time when it was dry and redid that and some of the rest. Which means it will need a coat of varnish before I ship, fyi. The little green bits at the front are poison oak, my sworn enemy. It's all over the place up there, actually, but somehow I've managed to avoid getting any on me this season (knock on wood), so far.

Tree Sandwich

sold. (8x8in.)

In one week I'll be driving to California, hiking up into the mountains, and camping/painting for 5 days with friends. To get my body ready, I've been hiking up to the top of our local butte (Spencer's) with my pack. And while I'm up there, I also practice painting. This is the first painting I did up there. This is our dry season here in Oregon - the darker layers are trees, and the lighter layers are golden fields.

Where the Frogs Live

sold. (8x10in.)

I've posted some pictures from our recent trip on my New Beginnings blog, if you're interested. Meanwhile this is a scene from right here in Eugene, at a marshy area called Fern Ridge.

Rugged Roadside Embankment

sold. (8x8in.)

Another experiment in landscapery. This one is from a roadside in Eastern Oregon.

Way, Way Down

Click Here to Bid (5x7in.)

I'm pretty sure this is called the Crooked River. I know it's kind of a post-card-y shot, but I couldn't resist. I love how the color of the water changes as it goes back, and as it goes under the bridge.

The Green River

Click Here to Bid (5x7in.)

This is a scene from our trip across Oregon this summer. The star of the scene is the Deschutes River, where it passes through Cove Palisades State Park. The water was incredibly green due to an over-abundance of some kind of algae. I don't know if it's always like this, or if this was unusual, but I thought it was pretty cool. Well, green IS my favorite color.

I also wanted to show you an abstract painting I did. Sometimes I start with an idea or a photo as a jumping off point, but this was totally spontaneous. Sometimes that's just the ticket to loosen me up, and an antidote to tight painting. It was fun. Bidding starts at $1.

Spruce It Up

Click Here to Bid (6x6in.)

This is a scene from the little bitty town of Enterprise, OR. We passed through here on our vacation this summer in Eastern Oregon. The sun was hitting this storefront at such an angle that only little slivers were lit, plus the bright flowers. The plants were actually lots of colors, but I felt solid red better pulled the scene together.