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:

True Blue Friends

 

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

Here's the second in my little blue on a shelf series. And speaking of rockstar subjects, you've probably noticed this little white cup a few times. I got it in Germany so many years ago, and it's cracked from when I poured hot tea in it once (?), so I can't even use it for liquids. But it's still perfect for being painted.

Got the Blues

 

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

I did a small series of blue paintings on a shelf, of which this is the first. It's amazing how just a few, simple objects and a light can create such drama.

Power of the Flower

 

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

I just did an AI image search on this painting to see if it would identify the kind of flower (even though it's just a fake one, haha). It says, "The artwork is a still life by artist Carol Marine," and identifies the flower as a "sunflower," which I've painted a lot of, and it showed examples. Obviously it got the artist right (which I probably shouldn't be surprised by? even though I am), but I'm not sure about the flower. Maybe a cone flower? Thoughts about any of this?

Party Cups

 

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

I found this pink stripey cup in Boise when I was there recently. I tried painting it a couple of times, but this is the first one that worked out. I think it's because of the company it's in. I tried with apples before, and my guess is they just didn't get along.

Big Bird Little Bird

 

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

Here's another thing I borrowed from the lovely Patti - the brass swan. I decided he needed a companion in the painting, and now they are inseparable in my studio. I think some imprinting happened.

Group Chat

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

My good friend Patti lent me a few things recently to paint. One is this fancy yellow mug. The design of it is prettier in person, but this was all the detail I wanted in the tiny painted version.

Thank you, Patti!

Finding Each Other

 

Click Here to Bid - 8x10in. - oil on panel

One of my students from last week sent me a photo of her temporary solution to a panel holder. The idea is that it holds the panel in place, and allows you to paint off of every edge with nothing blocking the strokes. She basically taped paint-stirring sticks (the same thickness as her panels) to a board with very sticky tape, which then holds the panel with friction. It works! Here's the photo ->

I'll Tell You a Secret

 

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

I specifically like turquoise and orange together, even though they don't fit any established color scheme. But I honestly don't think schemes are the end all - be all. Just suggestions.

Funky Cups

 

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

Here are some colors I've been playing with lately. I was going through my Pinterest boards and noticed that these colors together were a common theme. So I challenged myself to make some compositions with them.

Rehearsal

 

Click Here to Purchase - $250 - 7x9.75in - oil on panel

Painting little pieces of paper like this leaning on things is quite challenging. After almost 30 years of painting I find myself leaning more and more towards whatever is challenging/fun to paint, rather than whatever I think might sell. Haha. I never claimed to be very smart.

Taking Risks

 

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

I've been thinking about the rules of composition lately. And by thinking about them I mean, the fact that I mostly don't. I compose by feel/instinct. As I'm putting something like this together, I am only asking myself - do I like the way this looks? I'll try absolutely anything. If I land on something I like, then I paint it. If it's almost working but not quite, that's when I consult the rules in case any of them might help. If anything they should be called "potential helping tools" rather than rules. I think if I tried to follow all the rules all the time, my paintings could be pretty dang boring. My opinion anyway.

This Little Piggy

 

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

This cute little pig loves to painting-bomb (kind of photo-bombing, but requires more time). Fortunately he's so cute that the other props are still nice to him.

A Painter's Cups

 

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

I was shooting for something more painterly here, with a variation of color for every stroke. It can be very fun to paint this way, but also time-consuming, as I spend a lot of time mixing.

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.

Supporting Cast

 

Click Here to Purchase - $300 - 6x12in. - oil on panel

My husband built me a set of amazing shelves to hold all my still life "stuff". They take up an entire wall of my studio, and are shallow so that I can see everything at once (nothing is buried). They vary in height, but the ones for cups are short enough that the one above sometimes casts a shadow on the ones below. I have wanted to paint something like it for years.

My easel is in a pretty fixed location (because of the light), so I recreated the scene in my shadow box, using my new stripey cup as part of the supporting cast. The bounced light was quite a challenge.

How Do I Stack Up?

 

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

Recently I hosted a book group dinner at my house, and one of my friends brought me a bouquet of white mums. I decided I had to paint a few. Here's the first. Thank you, Colleen!

Finding Common Ground

 

Click Here to Purchase - $300 - 6x12in. - oil on panel

I now have a whole slew of these little paper bits - different sizes and colors - so many that I had to start organizing them into categories so I could find what I was looking for! Ah the things we do for art.

Click image to see larger.

Coveting Red

 

Click Here to Purchase - $350 - 7x13in - oil on panel

I sometimes cut my big panels into custom sizes, and have unusual sizes left over. This time one worked out perfectly for this little composition.

I can recommend a few fabulous online frame shops that do custom sizes easily and that are no more expensive than standard sizes. There's a list on my FAQ page, just 6 questions down from the top.

Make sure you click on the image to view it larger!

Stacking Cups

Click Here to Purchase - $900 - 24x24in - oil on panel

Here's another big one that I did a while ago. I never painted this particular composition as a 6x6, but it's the kind of thing I have done. Soon I will post new work where I further explore this idea of "enlarging" my small compositions. It's been quite challenging. So much that I put it out as this month's Daily Paintworks Challenge. Feel free to submit your resize (you don't have to be a member)!