Blue Backdrop

 

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

Doing a still life with these fun colors is a complete indulgence for me. It's like eating candy. Yum.

EBB Tulips

These were the tulips that did me in. Ok, not really, but painting them I think kicked off the dreaded EBB. Or at least, this is what I was painting when it started. I said to my husband, "Should I wipe these?" He said, "No, I like them." I couldn't see it. And that's part of the EBB for me - nothing looks pretty. So here they are for you to decide.

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel - "Five Tulips"

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel - "Four Tulips"

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel - "Two Tulips"

It's the Simple Things

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. oil on panel

When I set up this arrangement, something about it sang to me. I love it when that happens.

Final Act

 

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

Here's number two in my green series. I'm quite happy with this one. I like the drama of the light from below. It reminds me of actors on a stage, hence the title.

Red Resonance

 

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

Technically there's pink in some of these, but it's still the red family. In fact it's the variations within the colors that excite me - including adjacent colors. Maybe that's why red has been so challenging for me - I don't have a lot of variety in my red things, in color or value. I think I'll try green next.

Red Rendition

 

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

I did 5 of these red themed paintings, but only 3 worked out. I found it quite challenging to make an all red composition work. I mean, obviously I added some white things for contrast, but still it was hard. I recommend the challenge! And guess what - the challenge for Daily Paintworks this month just happens to be a Color Theme Challenge, just like this. : )

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?

Not for Consumption

 

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

In case you missed it, I recently released a new online tutorial (ArtByte) that is all about painting glass! The idea behind the ArtBytes is they are bite-size and affordable. If you have seen it, please email me with feedback, or leave a review. Thanks!

Rose is Single Again

 

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

You might think this isn't very different from the other rose paintings I posted recently, but anytime the scene includes reflections like this, the challenge of painting it goes WAY up. It almost broke me.

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 ->

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.

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.

Loyal Subjects

 

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

Small cups (and vases) are especially loyal to the sunflower queen. Don't ask me why. They give me all kinds of trouble.

Catchin' Some Rays

 

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

We've had some beautiful weather here lately in Missoula. I'm really enjoying the sunshine. These sunflowers mirror that feeling. They're just basking!

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.

Join the Circus

 

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

I bought the little stripey cup on Temu. It's my only purchase using the site, and I wasn't crazy about it. But the cup is fine. It comes with a matching saucer, and I've tried painting them together several times, but it never works out. I'll get it eventually.

Speaking of bad purchasing experiences, if you enjoy sewing and are considering purchasing patterns on Etsy, beware! Apparently there are a bunch of pattern scams, and I fell for one with my first purchase. After many frustrating hours, I realized the pattern was physically impossible to complete. Here's a video I found about how to avoid these scams. Us makers have to stick together!

Shine on, Rosie

 

Click Here to Purchase - $400 - 9x12in. - oil on panel

Something funny is that 9x12 is a super standard size, but I've only done it ONE other time in my life! Haha.