Thursday, October 7th, 2010
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Look who is back in her studio! It was a short summer and a long fall, but enough is enough. It’s time to start painting again!
I did the rough-out of a painting I’ve been promising my niece for about a decade but felt I needed a warm up before I could dive into it. A couple of days ago Dennis shooed one of our resident triplet fawns away from my favorite rose bush so I decided to cut some for us to enjoy before they disappeared. They were on our breakfast nook table in a blue glass vase and since all I wanted to do was stare at them and breathe their sweetness I decided to paint them. This was bold decision. Flowers, especially roses, are hard to paint (for me anyway) and they only behave for a day at most before they droop and fade and you can’t figure out why that shape you thought you’d nailed doesn’t seem to be there anymore. BUT they were SO pretty…and so I began. Here’s how it went:
Keep it loose…find the big shapes…define the color scheme ( complimentary: yellow-violet). Was SO happy to be painting again! Lunch, siesta, and back again…
The black and white photos help me monitor the values.
starting to get droopy!
Got to stop. I’m SO tired. I can see that the flowers don’t have enough change in value to give them any volume but I have no more energy and the light is totally different. I set the vase outside hoping at least the bud, which is my focal point, will still be recognizable in the morning.
Next day. I painted for a while before I remembered to take any photos. Got some darker tones into the blossoms and juiced up the background, defined some of the leaf structures.
I feel pretty good about this knowing that in a couple of weeks, when it is dry, I’ll take another look and probably do some glazing and brighten some highlights. I’ll post again when it’s finished. In the meantime there’s that other one I started… and I feel braver now.
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Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
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This is the point in almost every painting where I could just turn it to the wall and walk away. The initial buzz is over and I start to struggle. Something is not right with the buildings in this one but I can’t figure out what. Terry Miura, who taught a painting workshop here a […]
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Saturday, March 6th, 2010
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The next day I was excited to get some color on this canvas, but before we get started I want to show you my new glass pallet and color layout. The glass is an old bathroom shelf which is nice because it’s sturdy and has rounded edges. I backed it with kraft paper which is […]
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Saturday, March 6th, 2010
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As you know, we are selling our place and making that happen is taking up a lot of my time and energy. Draining might be the word. I was starting to feel like I work in an office, on a computer all day. The remedy was obvious: get back in the studio! If I’m hung […]
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Tuesday, December 29th, 2009
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This is another Different Stokes for Different Folks challenge. Karin asked everyone who wanted to participate to send a photo of themselves which she then distributed to the group at random. No one knows who anyone is and the point is not to do a portrait but a good painting from the reference photo. Of […]
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Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
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“The Wonders” 9 x 12 oil on canvas panel $125 This painting was for another challenge on Different Strokes for Different Folks. I added the child, and her wonder at the light making a great wheel on the floor, and accentuated the preoccupation of the other family members with the wonder of their i-phones. Even […]
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Monday, November 2nd, 2009
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“Harvesting Pumpkins” 11′ x 15″ watercolor on cotton rag paper Late in the game I ran into another challenge on the ‘net: this one was on Facebook and called The First Annual Autumn Arts Painting Challenge and Competition.If you have the time to browse through nearly a thousand paintings take a look. I don’t think […]
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Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
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“Heart of the City” 12 1/2″ x 91/2″ Watercolor on cotton rag paper $125 Karin Jurick has an interesting blog called Different Stokes for Different Folks, where she regularly posts a photo and challenges artists to do a painting from it. It’s very fun and informative to look through the different interpretations. I have been […]
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Monday, May 25th, 2009
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Is there anyone out there “thinking” about taking Eric Wiegardt’s painting workshop June 6-8. at HUMMINGBIRD? We just need ONE MORE registration to make the class go. I’m an oil painter but I have been really looking forward to working with Eric, especially after reading what various people have posted about his workshops. He teaches […]
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Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
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” Magical Miracle” 12 x12″ oil on canvas $150 A couple of months ago I was asked to participate in the Annual Women’s Invitational at Rogue Community College. The theme was Abracadabra. Since I was growing lettuce greens indoors for winter salads, I was fascinated and amazed once again by the miracle of a sprouting […]
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