Hot Death

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in - oil - "Hot Death"

I bought this tiny skull online recently after seeing a few of my favorite artists drawing and painting them on Instagram. It thought it might be a fun thing to add to still lifes. It was harder than I thought it would be - this is my second attempt.

This painting is my final share before heading off to Europe! I hope everyone is enjoying the spring weather wherever you are. : )

Stagger the Heat

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil - "Stagger the Heat"

Today I am releasing a new series of ArtBytes (online tutorials) that I have been working on for years. It started as something I was doing just for myself, but I got so much out of it I decided to share it with you! It's called Just Try Sh*t, and as of today there is a free intro and 4 "chapters" in the series (drawing, value, color & paint, and composition - $15/ea), with more to come later.

Each "chapter" in the Just Try Sh*t series contains 12-15 exercises that are intended to get you out of the box you're stuck in. Because - if you always do what you always do, you're always going to get what you always get. So come and try some SH*T with me!

If you are not happy for any reason you will get a full refund. If you are happy you will have access to your ArtBytes forever. : )

Also, I just launched the Just Try Sh*t Facebook Group so that anyone doing these exercises can share their work with other JustTrySh*tters!

Cup Cult

 

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

The cups have a cult, and the peppers really want to join. But I have a feeling the cups have some initiation rituals that aren't going to be fun.

Salsa

 

Click Here to Buy ($250 - 8x8in. - OIL)

I've been dealing with back/neck issues for years, and am just finally starting to accept that maybe painting is exacerbating it. I've been taking a break to see if that helps, and also hired an occupational therapist to come to my studio and look at how I work. He had some suggestions that I am just starting to try. I'm happy to share them if they work - only time will tell. But hopefully it means I can get back to painting! Here's one that's been sitting around.

Planning a Trip

 

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

Remember trip planning? Sigh. This scene reminds me of when I was a kid and my family would be packing for a trip. We would load up the old VW van and head out across the US for a month or so, camping along the way. Growing up I assumed all families did this. Fortunately I married a man who is totally into continuing the tradition.

Peaceful Peppers

 

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

Lately it is seeming like a very bad idea for me to try and assess my paintings right after I do them. I am just too close, and all I see are the things that didn't go exactly as planned, but that I don't want to "fix" because I know I will start fussing and totally overwork it. I am almost tossed this one. After a couple of days I felt completely differently about it. All I could see were the things that did work. And now I really like it. Go fig.

Outnumbered

 

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

For a change of pace, I decided to do this one on a panel that I had previously covered in black gesso. When I got done I realized that you can hardly tell! It made me realize how much I've gotten into the habit of covering the whole panel with paint, whereas I used to leave more of the ground showing. I will definitely experiment with this.

Colorful Family

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

This is the last of the peppers, so I'll be back to painting soon. My back is doing better, yay! Meanwhile we've had our HVAC (heating/cooling) system completely overhauled. The need for this was an unhappy surprise to us. Sigh. New house, new problems.

Managing the Brood

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

This might be the reason peppers are so bad at planning (see previous post). They're tired. Because they have too many kids! I mean, 4 is totally insane. I should know, I am second of four.

Peppers Planning

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

This is what peppers look like when they are planning. One might take it somewhat seriously but others slack off, wander away, or fall asleep. It is just not in their wheelhouse. The cups are flabbergasted.

Collecting Heat

Click Here to Bid (6x6in.)

This is the last of my pepper series, for now. I was reminded today, as I was painting, the importance of keeping my paint piles full. I found that if I was running low on a certain color on my palette, I would start thinning out my paint, or trying to mix with other colors, instead of simply squeezing out some more! How crazy is that?! And I don't think it's just me. So squeeze out big piles to start with! And me, do what I say!

Survey the Damage

sold. (6x6in.)

Still having fun with the peppers. Hope you're all enjoying the pre-Christmas festivities.

In Hot Pursuit

sold. (6x6in.)

I'm really proud of the title for this one. I usually don't come up with the title until after I've finished the painting, but I can tell when I've landed on a composition that is going to lend itself to something good. Get it? Hot pursuit? : )

Hot Friends

sold. (6x6in.)

I haven't painted peppers in a good long while. These little guys called out to me in the store and I've been painting them all day. They never pile up neatly though. I always have to arrange and re-arrange them about 50 times. I guess I'm not shooting for "neat" actually. More just like ... pretty? Perhaps I should have told them that. "Pose for me, guys!"

Tomato Overlord

Click Here to Bid (6x6in.)

I have a 10-yr-old son. He chose the title for this one. Need I say more?

I am California bound tomorrow and won't be home until May 7th or so. Unfortunately this means I won't be able to ship any paintings or books until I return. My apologies for the inconvenience! But hopefully I'll have a few landscapes to post from the trip. : )

Hot Stuff

Click Here to Bid (6x6in.)

A few mornings ago, before I was fully awake, I had a vision of this in my head. So I painted it.

Ta Da!

sold

These guys are auditioning for the circus and this is the completion of their first act! Do you think they'll get the job?

By the way, my latest abstract is kinda still-life-ish, so I thought I'd share it here.

Two Kinds of Hot

sold

When I was at the market picking out these peppers, there were many small bushels full to choose from. But no one bushel was a perfect pepper collection (in my opinion) so I traded one from another and ... got caught! The lady was nice enough, but I couldn't help but feel about 3 years old.

I felt more like an adult yesterday while I was making several new artist friends in Portland - special, Oregon artists! We had a lovely brunch at Randall David Tipton's house, and he was gracious enough to show us his studio and his beautiful paintings. I have admired his work for a long time! And as if that wasn't enough, I also got to meet Annie Salness, Cathleen Rehfeld, Jo Reimer and Celeste Bergin - all incredibly nice AND great artists. You can't beat that kind of Saturday. Here we are:

Shadow Peppers

sold

They have some fabulous farmers markets here in Eugene, and I have been neglecting them for far too long, apparently. Jacob and I went to one recently for lack of something better to do, and I found a million and one things to paint. I narrowed it down to peppers and tomatoes. Here are some peppers.

Dance of the Jalapenos

Click Here to Bid

I am finally home and getting caught up on all the home things again, minus any actual painting! Above is the last painting I did before I left, and below are some photos from my workshop in Toronto.

<-- Class was held in an old church, which turned out to be a fabulous space for us! You can't tell from the pictures how NICE all these people were! Well, most of them anyway (you know who you are!). I gotta tell you, after this trip, I am seriously considering immigrating to Canada someday!! People seem so incredibly ... content in Canada.

Here are a few more of my students, painting away. -->

<-- And here is some of their work, from various exercises, but mostly the 10-minute paintings.

And here we all are, in front of our old church. It was a great group and a great week. I love my kids!