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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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.

*****

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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