Turnip Study 3 Chiaroscuro With Grapes

Turnip Study 3, 6x6, oil on canvas, Sold

Last of the 3 turnip paintings. It's time to put this little fella to rest - in a salad.

I think I was able to accomplish what I was aiming for. Quiet, contemplative and a little old worldly.

Turnip Study 2 with holly and berries

Turnip Study 2, 6x6, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

Just a little more Christmasy than the last one. :)

Orininal Oil Painting - Turnips

Turnip Study 1, 6x6, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

Last week was turnip week. I'm working on that old worldly, atmospheric thing but trying to add a bit of color. Also, I wanted to try turnips in my salad. 

I have no idea what the red things are. Some artificial Christmas decor I think. They're really little bead clusters but I just wanted some red to see how that would interact with the cool lavenders and purple.

There's a little competing going on between the purple top of the turnip and the red berries but if not for that it would just be a painting of a turnip - which would have been okay but now there's a little something else to look at too.

Onion Study 1

Onion Study 1, 6x6, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

I was talking with an artist friend about staying motivated in the studio and the topic of weekly challenges came up. A challenge, called "The three amigos" happened to be near the top of the list on the Daily Paintworks site so we decided to give it a try. 

The challenge is basically to paint with 3 colors and white. My knee jerk reaction was to go with TOR, Prussian Blue and Yellow Ocher. That didnt pan out. I tried but I could not make it work with the subjects in front of me. Prussian can be a little hairy to work with anyway but I generally LOVE it with TOR. Not so much with Ocher. It wasnt happening. 

So... I went with TOR, Yellow Light (Utrechs yellow light which is deeper than the others, I think) and Ultramarine Blue Deep. And white. 

The result was a harmonious little painting that has the qualities I look for. Quiet. Meditative. And just enough "POP" but not an explosion. :)

I think I'll be doing more of these little challenges. I found myself experimenting and working through a few failures to SUCCESS!

Apple Study 2

Apple Study 2, 8x8, oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

This is the second study I did for "Bumper Crop" changing the background and keeping to a more analogous palette. I also thought it wise to play with the blossoms a little before attempting the larger painting. :)

Apple Study 1

Apple Study 1, 6x8, Oil on canvas, Click to Bid

Like many people in my area I was overwhelmed with apples again. I scanned the internet regularly for NON DESSERT apple recipes but when it was all said and done, I froze 12 gallons and dehydrated 13 gallons with a few extra gallons for my peeps. I need a larger dehydrator. Mine ran non stop for a month.

Still, I had a basket full in my studio with an idea for a painting but wrestled with the background color - as usual. :)

This painting was a first study with a dull green background to contrast the red in the apples. 

I also want to add that after it was 'done' I wasnt satisfied and realized the white jar was too strong and competed with the apples. That was an "Ah-Ha!" moment. I went back and repainted the jar adding more atmosphere which sent it back somewhat. I'm much happier with it now and I really learned something. Now you know why I call them 'studies'! :)

Grape Study 3

Grape Study 3, 8x8, Oil on canvas, Click to Bid

This is the last grape study. By the time I got back from our road trip the birds had eaten all that were left. All that was left were vines with little bare stumps where grapes used to be. :(

So much for that. 

Next year I will spend some time photographing my grapes for future paintings. They were truly unique to me in color.

Grape Study 2

Grape Study 2, 8x8, oil on canvas, Click to Bid

This is the second grape painting I did. I added the apples for a little variety and saturated color.

Grape Study 1

Grape Study 1, 8x8, Click to Bid

Washington State experienced a drought this year. We had a beautiful winter, or so we thought, with many days of clear skies and far less rain than usual - followed by a hot, dry summer. I enjoyed the change frankly. And so did my grapes. I had a bumper crop and they were delish!

I cant tell you what kind of grapes I put in so many years ago but they are mostly reddish and very sweet!

Do Over

Forever Study 2, 8x8, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

This is a do-over. I took the original painting back into my studio and repainted certain areas -removing the bottom rose and increasing highlights a little for a slightly different look. I do this all the time. For the original image see my blog here: Forever

Goose Study 4

Goose Study 4, 6x6, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

This is the fourth of 4 little goose studies that I did in preparation for a larger piece. I was a little surprised by how much fun it was to paint these white birds. I still have to hash out some issues that arent working so well on a larger piece such as the high contrast of bird to water which I think work well on the smaller pieces but look a little blobby on a larger piece (which is primarily dark grassy landscape).
All in all, I had a good time painting these. :)

Goose Study 3

Goose Study 3, 6x6, Oil on canvas, Click to Bid

Third goose painting in a series of 4!  :)

Goose Study 2

Goose Study 2, 6x6, Oil on Canvas, Click to Buy

Second in a series of 4. One of the lessons I learned is that direct sunlight is so reflective and bouncy on water.

First of 4 - Goose Study 1

Goose Study 1, 6x6 Oil on canvas, Click to Bid

This is the first of 4 geese paintings I did as preemptive to a larger piece. I don't paint a lot of animals so I wasn't sure it would hold my interest but it certainly did!

This and the next 3 paintings are of my only 2 surviving geese on one of ponds on our property. Nasty creatures that you cant get close to without the risk of being attacked. Sure, they look graceful. Even peaceful. But don't let that fool you. They have serrated beaks that have bruised my shins through my blue jeans. Their wing span is like an eagles and they will charge you with their necks stretched out and those wings flapping like nobodies business. But it's the beaks that will mess you up. Coyotes don't seem to have a chance with these two remaining birds.

These paintings were done from photos I took for a Craftsy photography class (in which I used a telephoto in order to keep my distance). 

I did 4 with the idea I would frame them and hang them as a set in my powder room but I'm not ready to take down my little sparrow paintings so I'm offering them here. But all four are painted with the same palette and would look adorable together, in my humble opinion. :)

Ninja Painter

Field Day, 10x20, Oil on Canvas, Sold

After doing a handful of pansy studies I set out to paint my original idea on a larger canvas. At the very beginning of this new painting, I adjusted my mental attitude that this painting was by me, for me and nobody but me would ever see this painting so I would feel free to explore any and all ideas and make any radical moves I felt inspired to make. No one would ever know. I would be a ninja painter. :)

So that was effective for a little while then came that nagging little voice to clean up edges and blah blah blah... I fought the urge, mostly.

Here's to the freedom to be me! Baby steps people. Baby steps.

White Pansy Study 3

White Pansy Study 3, 6x8, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

One last pansy study before the full size painting. 

The one thing that I keep focusing on is "is it in the light or shadow". I've read and studied that the darks in the light should be lighter than the lights in the shadow. This is a fairly interesting opportunity to practice that concept because of the twists and turns in the petals which contain both white and deep purple. 

After opening the image in photoshop I did some playing with the paintbrush tool and I believe I am improving in that area. Improving but not mastered.. I still have a lot to learn but that's what it's all about right? :)

From Photograph To Canvas..Sort Of

Yellow Pansy Study 1, 6x6, Oil on canvas, Click to Bid

This pansy painting was done from a photograph and I had to pick and choose which blooms I wanted to use and where to place them.

Pansies (at least the ones I have) tend to bloom in little bursts of color that are scattered willy-nilly so in order to create any kind of composition I had to do a little layering. Sometimes it gets a little confusing when I'm looking at a photo with a ton of blooms to find the particular bloom I wanted in which particular spot on my canvas.

I'm liking these little color spots though. Fun to paint; fun to see all lined up, drying on my auction table! :)

Purple Pansy Study 1

Purple Pansy Study 1, 6x6 Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

Round one of purple pansies. It's a pink purple but it's definitely purple. Adjusting the values has been a real challenge but worth pursuing.

There are, in fact, shadows but there are also delicate mutations of color on the petals so I was teetering between technical accuracy and overall effect. What I really want is an overall effect so from across the room the painting has character. I like looking at this one lined up next to the others. I'm able to see the sun catch the tops and edges of the petals.

Effect wins over realism in my studio. :)

White Pansy Study 2, 6x6, ​Round two of my white pansies. 

​Round two of my white pansies.  Another white pansy but different flower entirely.  The center color spot on this flower was much bigger and bolder.

As for the process, I cooled the shadows and backed off on the values a little - which goes against my instincts.   I'm still exploring and have a few other pansy colors to look at.

Dont Be A Pansy

White Pansy Study 1, 6x6, Click to Bid

So I'm moving on to pansies now and exploring edges, values and brushwork along with color temperature.

I just bought a few 4 inch pots to work from as well as some old photo references I have but some of the photos are lacking in the strong light / shadow that I like to work with so I find myself enhancing and embellishing once again.  But I guess that's what it's all about anyway.  If I wanted a perfect copy I'd stick to taking pictures, right?

A Seasons Greeting #2

A Seasons Greeting #2, 8x10,SOLD

A remake of a sold painting. Every once in a while I get a chance to do a special request. This is one of them. I love that.  :)

It's All Over But The Shoutin'

Yellow Rose Study 3, 8x8, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

With this study I wanted to explore a warmer and more intense background and foreground with the yellow roses. I really love the pop on this small study. However....

'Is it appropriate for the gallery piece I have in mind?' is the question at hand. I sends a completely different message than the previous two. It feels a little louder, bolder. And of course with the dark background it feels a little more mysterious to me. 

And that's my reason for doing these little pieces. Sure, instant gratification (well, some more instant than others) and hopefully a little pocket change to pad my art supply account but by and large I find it immensely helpful to work out these questions on small studies than to discover issues and make changes on larger, more complex pieces. Changing an entire background color after it's in (or even partially in) is ridiculously frustrating- voice of experience. I like a challenge, but when the scale tips to frustration it starts to show in the piece and then it's all over but the shoutin'. 

Same Story, Different Day

Yellow Rose Study 2, 8x8, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

"Take - two" for my yellow roses. Same set up actually. I just added another rose. Still with the painting and scraping, painting and scraping. It just doesnt happen on the first, second, third... try or so it appears. What's up with that? 

Anyway, I'm happy with the final result. Finally. :)

A Whole New Can O' Worms

Yellow Rose Study 1, 8x8, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

So it turns out that yellow roses are a whole new can of worms. At least for me. I believe that's because I lean towards strong values and that simply does not work for these little babies. Again, that is MY experience. 

I scraped several times re adjusting values and temperatures until I FINALLY unlocked the mystery to yellow... and then it was "Viola!" :) Well, maybe there's really no actual mystery but there WAS a " Voila!". 

It's an oddity that I never got frustrated. I just kept on going like the energizer bunny. Painting and scraping, painting and scraping... 

Every once in a while a painting will all but paint it'self but by and large, there's a push - pull thing happening in my studio. A little ugly before the pretty. But I'm pretty committed to pretty. :) Pretty much..

Out Burst

Out Burst, 8x10, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

So this is my second attempt at this set up. The first, done on an 8x8, is doomed to the back of the studio and will never see the light of day. I much prefer it on a more horizontal canvas. It seems to help the spray effect I was liking. 

All that aside, I am not sure how I feel about the brass pot. It could be I'm just not a hard metal kind of girl and that could be a problem because I really wanted to use it in a larger gallery painting that I had in mind. I'll do some more experimenting before diving into THAT one. :)

Side note on this painting: I must have shut off my brain early because I signed instead of initialed this study and I did NOT paint the sides of this canvas ( but I could if I was asked to...)

Game Changer

Game Changer, 8x8, Oil on Canvas, Click to Buy

This framed painting is headed to the gallery with a "Whoop Whoop!" :) Hey, not everybody needs validation but I freely admit I find it encouraging! 

I have yellow roses on the easel now and I'm going to tell you right now, same flower, different story. Whew! It's like re-inventing the wheel I suppose. But that's what I do... :)

Painting Roses in February...

Rose, 4x6, Oil on Canvas, SOLD

This is the last of this rose anyway. I'm moving on to other colors and other flowers. 

I was so happy with the way this one turned out I contemplated keeping it. I've had it on a table top easel for a while as it dried and really enjoyed how the colors played out as well as the edges. Sometimes it just all comes together, you know? 

Timeless

Timeless, 8x10, Oil on Canvas, $320Buy with PayPal

This is the result of all those rose studies. I really feel like it just all came together on this one. The value listed is for the painting unframed.  

I will be offering this one to the gallery next month if it's still available.

Red Rose Study 1

Red Rose Study 1, 6x6, Oil on Canvas, SOLD

I am finally starting to feel comfortable with roses and am no longer intimidated. I have, by no means, mastered them, let alone their leaves but I do feel more at ease and find them enjoyable, even relaxing to paint. 

I think I have more trouble navigating through photography and photoshop elements in order to present you with the most accurate images of my artwork at this point. After a few do overs, I think I have a pretty good image here. Try to ignore the little speckles. I believe that is glare from thicker brushwork. :)

Rose Study 6

Rose Study 6, 8x8, Oil on Canvas, SOLD

This painting was done twice. While trying to adjust my lamp I knocked my canvas right off my easel and it landed jelly side down on my studio carpet. I took a deep breath, and as I picked it up, I fumbled it and it again, landed jelly side down on the carpet. Another deep breath, carefully picked it up again and inspected it to see if it was a wiper or a fixer. Hmmm. 

Unbelievably, it was a fixer. About the only issue was some debris from the carpet but that meant new brushstrokes for each and every square inch. Oh well, what else was I going to do that day? 

Rose Study 5

Rose Study 5, 6x6, Oil on Canvas, SOLD

I think I'm finally honing in on a palette that I'm comfortable with and a better understanding of what I'm looking for in a floral still life painting. I can see that unless I want to settle on "technique" this is a life time of learning and experimenting. So learning and experimenting it is. :)

Rose Study 4

Rose Study 4, 4x6, Click to Bid

​I actually used a white rose for this little study.  I dont know how I migrated to these colors but it's more of a value study than anything else at this point. Still, I find these flowers complex and a little translucent.  It's kind of like splitting hairs I guess.  I could probably study these till I'm blue in the face and never run out of new discoveries.  But since I prefer simplicity in my art, I may have to back off a little.

Rose Study 3

Rose Study 3, 6x6, Oil on Canvas, SOLD

I feel like my roses are taking a new dimension now.  The more I study them the more I can get a better feel for their mechanics - which in turn takes some of the mystery and complexity out of them.

I'm continuing my study until I can either get a real grasp on these delicate beauties or simply get bored and have to move on.

I have to add that while my photo light box has helped tremendously I still struggle with some color issues.  The shadows appear a little dirty on my monitor and I could not, for the life of me correct that in photoshop elements.  On top of that, Blogger has a tendency to change my images as well.  I have a hard time keeping up with technical issues these days and sometimes just accept it as a force of nature I cant control.

Rainier

Rainier, 12x12, Oil on Canvas, Buy with PayPal

I painted this last year - twice - but wrestled with a few areas since my focus at the time was still life. It was done from a photo which presented some problems of flatness and silhouettes that I had to enhance with memory. This is a view from my driveway but since snow is few and far between and this is a sunrise painting, I would have few opportunities to study the actual landscape in this particular climate setting. So there it was in my studio for a year until I felt I had done enough trees to experiment again with it.

Relatively few changes were needed in my opinion but I think they made all the difference. I really love the way it changes as the light in my house changes. I thought about using luminescent paint but I dont think it needs any help at all in this respect. Really, if it's not broken... right?

I almost hate to see it go and may just change my mind, frame it and keep it myself.

Rose Study 2

Rose Study 2, 8x8, Oil on Canvas, SOLD

The challenge continues.  Also, I got new brushes.  :)

Rose Study 1

Rose Study 1, 8x6, Oil on Canvas, SOLD

What I'm finding is that a lot of great artists have made the art of painting roses look effortless. It's not. There are so many layers of petals to consider. So I'm starting with the big shape and taking baby steps, one petal at a time until I can get a toe hold on these beautiful blooms.

Thank you for viewing my art! I hope you find it engaging in one way or another. :)

Love You Forever

Love You Forever, 12x12, Oil On Canvas, Click to Buy

​A very antique-y painting.  Just a subtle hint of light falling on red roses for a quiet, heirloom feel.  :)

Forever

Forever, 8x8, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

I'm thinking heirloomy, antiquey, sepiaish. Trying to get to a place in in my head where days were long but full, slow but busy with friends and family, hot but air conditioned.  No computers or cell phones to keep us on top of things.  We learned about the days events when we watched the evening news or someone stopped by for a little gossip.

I kept the values close because I was told in a workshop that close values helped with a romantic theme.  And while I'm not really thinking romance, I like the idea of close values slowing down the visual.  I didnt push the lights like I usually do (maybe a smidge).  I think it says what I want it to say.  !  :)

Dark Ages

Dark Ages, 8x8, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

Last pumpkin posting until fall ( I think).   I'm really happy with the way the silver cup played out.   I wasnt sure if I was going to be able to it pull off.  In the set up it was hard and shiny (tarnished but shiny) and I knew it was going to compete terribly if I didnt address that.  A little smooshing of the background into the beautiful blue-blacks of the cup and carefully manipulating the values did the trick.

It's usually my habit to over play values so it was a challenge to not add a strong light and highlight to it.  But that would have messed it all up.  So in the end, I learned to hold back a little...  Patience is a virtue!

Boris's Hot Romance

Boris's Hot Romance, 8x10, Oil on Canvas, SOLD

Just for grins.  :)

I guess the point was to warm up a relatively gloomy subject matter.  Compared to my last "Boris" painting which was kind of creepy,  this one is fit for the dining room!  But that's just comparing it to my last Boris painting...

My real feat was losing the appropriate edges.  Whether or not that was accomplished is a matter of opinion, but I like the way the vase kind of disappears in the background.

Daisies

Daisies, 8x8, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

So there I am in my studio wondering what to paint, what to paint.... And I come across some photos I took of daisies. I'm thinking, hmm.. these look fun.. and relatively simple.. I think I'll add a dark, atmospheric background for mood though. And I think perhaps waft some of that atmosphere across the petals. 

And now, dancing between light and dark, warm and cool, I found myself in some murky waters trying to balance the direction of the light, the direction of the composition and the planes in which the petals fall.
I turned my "relatively simple" project into a complex equation fit for an MIT student, or so it felt. Yikes.

I thought it was done three times before finally signing it. But to be honest, I actually like challenges like this - when I really have to pick my own brain. It's rewarding to see how minor changes can make big differences!

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My studies and sketches are now for sale along with my finished gallery pieces. If you would like to be among the first to see what's up for grabs from my studio, join my list here:

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January Plein Air

January, 9x12, Oil on Everlast canvas panel, Click to Bid

I realize this painting is done in a considerably higher key than my usual tendencies but when you live in the Pacific Northwest and the sun is shining in the middle of winter you get out and enjoy it. So with layers of clothes, finger-less gloves and ear warmers I braved the winter cold with my friend Sharman Owings for the afternoon.   Brrr.

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Moo Ha Ha

Boris,6x6 Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

I ordered a skull off of eBay sooo.....

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Apple Blossoms

Apple Blossoms, 8x8, oil on canvas, Click to Bid

Silk apple blossoms in my heirloom creamer.  I'm currently exploring color palettes and mood.

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White Wine Vinegar

White Wine Vinegar, 8x8, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

This is a little different for me in that I've never done potatoes. I got a wild hair and basically dragged dinner down into my studio!

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A Quiet Evening

A Quiet Evening, 9x12, Oil on Canvas, Click to Buy

This is the result of all the pumpkin studies. My original intention was a 10x20 but after messing around with all the props, I settled on this quiet little composition.

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Autumn Colors

Autumn Colors, 8x8, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

Probably my last pumpkin study for now. It turns out I LOVE working with red, orange and yellow. Once again I added some red kinnickinnick berries just for grins. :)

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Good Night

Good Night, 6x12, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

This painting has a bit of texture to it which made photographing it quite challenging.  I found my self swabbing out speckles in photo shop but I did my best to get an image identical to the painting.

All that aside, I was trying to get a sleepy feel to this piece.  Quiet but not boring.

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