So your still shopping?

Curiously Strong, Oil on Canvas, 14x18

Are you racing to finish your gift list and wrap and bake and watch all those classic shows?

I cant bake for you or watch your favorite Christmas specials but I may have an idea for your last minute gifts.

IF you have a local gallery you will fine MANY one of a kinds and unique items for your special someones - in stock and ready to wrap. (So much fun!!)

My local gallery has items such as:

• Handmade Crocheted Items
• Pottery
• Quilted items
• Applique
• Glass Art
• Fused Glass
• Stained Glass
• Paintings of course..
• Jewelry
• Photography
• Carved Wood
• Mosaic

ORIGINAL ART equals an ORIGINAL GIFT (that's how I got hooked on Etsy).

Now, I, on the other hand am DONE with my shopping (yay!) but I havent even started my holiday baking/meal planning (boo). So leave you with that - my gift to YOU - a brainstorming, last minute, idea list of gift giving options that are likely down the road. :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU!

Making Sausage.. ?

I was recently asked if I labored my strokes or in fact, painted quickly and left each stroke as it falls off the brush.

It' might surprise you to know I usually start with a relatively tight painting, putting it all in place where I want it, finding my darks and lights, my strongest color and my muted tones.

That's when I reassess my painting and let my brush fly!  Sometimes I smoosh through edges until they disappear entirely and bring back the areas I want strong.  

It's a back and forth, smooshing and repainting until I'm happy with the result.

Do I labor over brush strokes?  Mostly no, sometimes, yes. 
But when you're in the zone, it's a labor of love. 


What is NOT a labor of love, at least at this point, is my photography of my artwork...  😠👎 
Getting those nasty sparkles and glares out is a constant issue with my chiaroscuro pieces.  I'm going to be experimenting with a new product next week to see if I can produce a better image.  Until then, it remains "a work in progress".  The finished painting and image of said painting will be displayed when that experiment succeeds!   😏
via GIPHY

The Oldfield Show Strikes Again!

Red Storm, 18x24, Oil on Canvas, Auction Item (retail $1830)

It's that time of year again!  The (Fred) Oldfield Show  is happening this weekend at the Puyallup Fairgrounds.  

The red tulip at the top of this post (Red Storm) is slotted for the Major Piece Auction.  You may have seen me working on it during last years show as my "demo".  That was me starting a painting, showing a "bit" of the process at a public event.  

What you didnt see was the work that followed in the privacy of my studio.  Since I started this piece from a photo (rarely done except for public demos where a live set up is.. uh.. inconvenient) I had to re create what I could in order to regain authenticity - or at least, my perception of authenticity.  

Painting from a photo is not breaking any rules, as far as I'm concerned.  A lot of artists use photos and do it well.  And I take photos of all my set ups that I'm painting because, inevitably, flowers will wilt, or brown, or something will happen that will give me grief and the photo will help answer a few questions if the painting process outlasts the floral arrangement.  

However, I dislike painting start to finish from photos.  It just feels inauthentic.  Like I'm making the whole thing up.  Which should be okay, as it is a creative process... but it's not.  It feels like I'm faking it at that point.  So I like to paint from life as much as possible.  

This piece - Red Storm - is a compilation of several set ups that I photographed.  That's how I came up with the composition.  So painting from life after the show was something to contend with.  Nothing was exactly where it is in the painting, so the trick was to translate what I saw in front of me to what was already on the canvas. 

I'm happy with the finished piece.  I hope you can come to see it at the show this weekend and if you are so inclined - BID!

Red Storm is one of many new pieces this year.  I've been working hard to prepare for this show and I have plenty of new pieces to show you. :)

Here's a small sampling of what you can see in person at the show or better yet, just click to my website and check out all my paintings!

Paintus Interruptus - Back to the Mom Cave

Spice, 16x20. Oil On Canvas, Sold

November brings a slew of interruptions to my already sketchy daily schedule.  Thanksgiving is pretty much just the icing on the cake but November is more than just TG.  It's the real onset of the "Holidays".  Or maybe it's actually October these days but I'm too caught up in the Oldfield Show to deal with it until November.  So about November first, I'm already on that slippery slope where so many other things start to take "priority" over my artwork - and my horse.

December, of course, is the crux of it all - but then we find ourselves thinking about New Years and the going-ons of that event. One could pretty much just throw in the towel if they were not mindful of all things fighting for our attention.  

So I saw what was going on.  I was losing steam and had to stay focused.  Artwork first - all other things at the end of the day- but that's when I'm fried, exhausted, mentally wiped out.  The juggle was on.  I did not prevail (this time) but I learned a lot about myself and am developing better habits. 

So with New Years behind me, I was able to get back into my studio, brush in hand (and between my teeth - yep.  A story for another time) and practice some new disciplines.  

Then I get a call.  

For the next 3 months I had the privilege of being able to help my son and his wife as they maneuvered the rocky road of a tiny little baby born waaaay to early.  This was my new priority.  Painting was on the back burner, not getting cold but simmering.  I had 3 months to think about paintings,  compositions, style, technique and the lot of it.  But no time (energy) to act on it.

The good news is baby and family are thriving.  But also, I am back in  my studio more disciplined than ever and more inspired than ever.  

Maybe I needed a little Paintus Interruptus.  Maybe we all do from time to time.  :)