I'll Tell You No Lies

30x48

So here's the big one I sent off today. I started it months ago, and then sat on it for a while. It just wasn't working for me, yet there were things I liked about it. You artists out there know how that works! I like it now. It has that blend of realism and painterly abstraction that is my current direction. I'm finding restaurants, cafes, and musical venues to have that ambiguous lighting that allows you to experiment freely with shapes and color, yet maintain some level of believability. 

And So Begins the Day

                                        24x20

I haven't posted in the longest time! We have been busy with a remodel on an apartment building we bought- and other stuff. When I've had a chance to paint, I've been working on bigger paintings. The daily painting regimen seems to have gone by the wayside. I will have to change the name of my blog. My paintings have all of a sudden started "flying off the shelves" at Edward Montgomery Fine Arts in Carmel. Fluke or trend? I don't know, but he needs replacements. This is one I painted last week. I also finished a 30x48 one that I started months ago but couldn't seem to complete to my satisfaction. I think I like it now. I'll post it soon.

Sunset

6x6

I have always said that I wouldn't paint sunsets because photographs can capture their beauty and  paintings can look so trite. However, I began to look at sunsets differently- especially the more raucous ones with clouds and lots of movement. I saw where lively brushwork could create an interpretation that would not be trite and perhaps would capture the sensation of nature's fireworks in the sky. This is the first of what may become a series.

I will be out of town for the coming week, so will not be posting. I hope to have lots of ideas and time to paint when I return!

What a Marvelous Night for a Moondance

6x6

A couple nights ago the moon was marvelously orange and reflected in the water. I did not see a crow there at the time, but thought that he would complete the scene. I also liked the "tie-in" of the little yellow orb of his eye with the big orb of the moon.
         

Coming In for the Day

6x6

This week;s DPW Challenge was to paint water. This took longer than I expected,as I strove to make the water interesting and varied, so there wed a lot of brush strokes and many colors.
 

Lee

6x6

Lee was a semi-distant relative, but close friend of my husband's (I loved him too). He was a quiet and unassuming man who had an interesting background as a cowboy and steel worker. He succumbed to cancer recently, leaving his devoted wife behind. I painted this for her.

Stepping Out

20x20

This is a companion piece I painted to go with the "Waiting and Waiting" I posted last week. I was attracted to the way the waiter's apron moved as he walked, and I made up the rest of the scene around him.

Blue Hills

30x40

This is another of my Santa Rita mountain series. For those of you who may be interested in some of my older work at bargain prices, I have recently started posting some larger (16x20 for now) paintings on Daily Paintworks auction site with ridiculously low starting bids. I have been painting a lot lately, and changed out some of my work at the galleries, leaving me with a storage problem. I'd love to see some of these pieces go to good homes instead of my basement storage rack.

Carrot Flowers

6x6

Do you know what happens when you leave the carrots in the ground WAY past their pull date? The stalks get tall and you get these really lovely puffy flowers. Who knew? Not this city girl! The carrots are really tough....

Tell Me Your Secrets

30x24

This painting has been through many renditions. The crow is the latest addition. Before that, the woman was just posing for no apparent reason. I like it much better now. 

My background was inspired by a Nicolai Fechin exhibit I saw at the Frye in Seattle. His loosely painted backgrounds were a celebration of color, texture and pattern. If I can achieve only a fraction of his skill, I will be thrilled.

Between Jobs

36x36

Seattle Harbor; one can nearly always see tugboats there and whatever ship happens to be idle at the time. The downtown buildings make an interesting backdrop.

6x6

This is another entry to to DPW Composition Challenge. It is essentially a black and white composition with a spot of color. The "weight" of the colored section is balanced by the black cup and the detail on the handle of the cup combined with the sharp contrast draws the eye into the picture One thing I thought was interesting was how the color from the green and red squares bounced onto the underside of the white dish and then back down onto its shadow. It's funny how you don't even see these things until you study them for a a painting.

Waiting and Waiting

20x20

Sure am glad that DPW hosted a "Hand Challenge" last week! It gave me the confidence to tackle this waiter's hands! I've had the reference photo for a while, but only recently decided to crop it this tightly to focus on the interaction between the waiters.
                                                     

Ready Or Not

6x6

This was painted for this week's DPW Challenge, which was to concentrate on composition. In addition I challenged myself to paint fuji apples. The multiple colors make it more difficult to see the values and thus create the form. I'm fond of this oval bowl. It's medium grey on the outside and yellow on the inside. I think it creates some interesting shapes when linked to the background colors.

Santa Rita Spring

30x40

I've been trying to come up with a composition that depicts the pecan orchards in Green Valley, and the part that throws me is that the orchards are rectangular and even- in other words, boring. I opted to place them at an angle for more interest.

Snuggle; version 2

6x6

Last night I reworked a number of paintings. After a bit of time passes, I think I am able to see ways I can improve them. Occasionally I ruin them, but usually I think they're better for having been through the experience. With this one, I decided that the background value should be closer to the values in the objects (it was too light) and the flower needed a bit more of the red-orange hue.

6x6

This week's DPW Challenge: paint these hands on a 6x6 panel. I plan to do it at least one more time. I really admire well painted hands and i hope to be able to do it effortlessly someday!

6x6 Bid on this painting

This is probably my favorite of my recent daily paintings. I love the colors, and I think this knife is pretty cool.

Standup Guy

6x6

I decided that as long as I had the limes out, I'd do another painting....

6x6

For months now, I have been working on larger paintings and doing no little daily paintings other than the weekly DPW Challenges. All of a sudden, I had the urge to paint a little still life. I wanted it to be colorful and light, so this is what I came up with. I was attracted to the light blue on the white cloth as seen through the blue glass bowl. I also love the shadows that start at the red glass and work their way up on the left side of the stacked cups. The expanse of pale yellow background gives the eye a place to rest from the otherwise busy composition.

6x6

This painting is based on an image from Google Street View. I love Google Street View; you can cruise through cities all over the world, up one street and down the other. looking for things to paint. I was captivated by these 3 pedestrians and all the shadows playing on the adjacent wall.

"You Are Here"

                                                               

36x48

     

A new painting on display at Alki Arts. I have taken many photos of the market, but never from this perspective. This painting was based on a Google Street View image. I had a hard time coming up with a title, but and "You Are Here" is perhaps a bit obscure. The colorful rectangle under the umbrella is actually a map, and I think everybody recognizes the "You Are Here" logo that tourists and others use to find their way.

Cockycock

6x6

How's this for color? The DPW Challenge this week is entitled "Pop the Cock"  and I figured the best way to pop the blue would be with orange. However, I started the painting with no ideas beyond that. I think it's kind of a fun little piece. In any case, I had fun painting it.

     

Pecan Season

30x40

This is painting #2 of my larger Southwest mountain series. I really like working larger, as I can get some arm movement into the brushstrokes and really get loose. The shapes in the mountain shadows are starting to reming me of jigsaw pieces. You will see that even more on painting #3.
                   

How Green is my Valley

30x40

Having produced 5 smallish paintings of the Santa Rita mountains, I believe I'm getting enough of a feeling for them to paint larger and with more impressionistic freedom. This is my first large painting. It's a pretty much mythical depiction of Green Valley and the Santa Ritas on a late spring afternoon.

Produce Market

Produce Market 24x30

Two of my paintings have been accepted into the juried show at the Edmonds Art Festival, which occurs on fathers day weekend. "Produce Market" is one of them. I like the Edmonds Festival. They usually have a pretty interesting selection of art in the juried show, and the booths outdoors offer a variety of arts and crafts not seen everywhere else.

"Snuggle" and "Gesture"

These are my two entries for this week's "Different Ways" Challenge. I started with the top composition (which still is my favorite) and then rearranged the objects and painted them from a different perspective. Perhaps I should have experimented with a different color ground as well. Maybe I still will....

6x6

                                                   

"A Moment in Time"

8x24

This is a view of Seattle that was taken from the new ferris wheel on the waterfront. Since the viaduct is soon to be replaced by a tunnel, this view (which has only been possible to see since the ferris wheel was installed a year or so ago) will disappear. That's why this view is truly "a moment in time".

Not Too Cool

                                6x6 Bid on this painting

This week's DPW Challenge: Create a painting where either the cool colors or warm colors dominate. One of the "rules" of painting-well, not just painting- is that variety is more interesting than sameness. In general, cool colors "pop" against a background of warm and warm colors "pop" against cool.

Tubac Santa Ritas 15.5x24  oil on canvas unframed $700

I've been working on some paintings of the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson, Arizona. I find landscapes difficult, as I like them best when they are not too removed from reality, yet i'm not at all inclined to produce photorealist paintings. I'm trying to land on a style that suits me and conveys my impression of the landscape. So far, the best inspiration I've found for the Southwest landscape is Maynard Dixon- and Georgia O'Keefe has some interesting takes on it as well. 

The Fitting

The Fitting 6x6

This is a little painting I did based on a photo I took of Jed when we were in Hoi An, Vietnam a few years ago. Hoi An is known for its many tailors and dressmakers and we had to avail ourselves of the experience. We visited the shop in the late morning, had a fitting in the afternoon and the items were complete by the same evening. Amazing!

Cowboy Bar

                                                                    6x6


I saw a picture of the girl, and i just loved her posture. Most of the rest was made up around the theme of cowboy hats.

Opting For Purple

                                                             6x6

This week's DPW Challenge is to paint a market scene, and this one is based on a photo submitted by Carol Marine. There was a figure in the photo but she was quite different than this one. I love the way the canopy of the umbrellas and the shape of the flowers work to encircle the figure.

Table for Two at Eight

30x40

I just completed the third of 3 paintings that I will be sending to Edward Montgomery Fine Art in Carmel. As mentioned before, I have been trying to paint more colorfully and with more interest in the paint itself (a consequence of my recent work with ceramic glazes). My next project is a commission for a painting of the Santa Rita mountains south of Tucson, Arizona. What a switch! It's all about shapes, color and paint interest, right? I can do this!

Cherry Blossom Avenue

                                         6x6 Bid on this painting

I had some time to kill between appointments on Capitol Hill, and it was a gorgeous day, so I went for a walk. The cherry trees on 12th and Denny were just gorgeous, so I decided to paint them as my entry to the DPW Challenge.

Daydreamer

"Daydreamer" 24x24

I've been working on some larger paintings and haven't managed to do little ones as well. This one is based on a 6x6 I did over a year ago. I have been using much thicker paint lately and trying to concentrate on making the paint itself interesting. It's been quite enjoyable painting this way, and I'm liking the results.

Late Night Snack

"Late Night Snack" oil on 3/16" plywood; bid on this painting

This week's Daily Paintworks Challenge was to paint the contents of a refrigerator. Since I enjoy painting figures, and I'm working on abstracting backgrounds, I thought this was a perfect opportunity to do both. I tried to create interest in the paint color and texture, and provide just enough "information' for the viewer to know what's going on.

Ryan gets a baby sister!

Ryan at age 1.5

Today Ryan got a baby sister. Lauren Alexis was born this morning and weighs a healthy 7 pounds 14 ounces.  She has long, delicate fingers and toes. You would think that means  she could be tall and thin. Not a chance. Unless something freaky happens she's destined to be short like the rest of us. I say "us" and I'm only the step grandma- yet the theory holds.

I LOVE the photo of Ryan that inspired this painting. It's sweet yet not cloying and I love his stuffed animals joining him for the bedtime story. I was most challenged by the hand in the foreground, but I found that once I got the values right and "cut in" the background , the hand magically appeared. And the dimples helped. It's all abut including just enough "information". Sometimes I "get it"; sometimes I don't...two steps forward, one step back.... Painting wouldn't be so compelling if it were easy.                              

Lady in Red

Lady in Red 29x22.5

          I have been making a real effort to add interest to my paint texture and color. Part of what this entails is applying LOTS of paint. I used nearly a whole tube of red on this one. I have to say, though, it was fun pushing all that paint around. This is going to Alki Arts Harbor Steps gallery, along with a couple other paintings that I will post soon.                                        

"Contemplation" 12x9

I have been very busy painting, both creating new ones and reworking others. I really like this painting, but decided it needed more color punch. The biggest change is the color added to the background and to the edge of the woman's clothing. I like the way the white line zig-zags through the composition.                        

Embrace

"Embrace" 5x7 oil on gesso board

This week's DPW Challenge was to paint a statue. It's a great exercise in concentrating on values and subtle color variations. I chose to paint a portion of one of the many wonderful statues in Vigeland Park in Oslo, Norway.

Foot Bath

"Foot Bath" 8x6 oil on Gessoboard

I'm back from Arizona, and happy to be painting again. This is my entry for this week's DPW Challenge. I have been eager to see whether all my work with ceramic glazes in the past 4 months will affect my painting. I really think it will! I'm trying to get depth of color and avoid muddy neutrals. I'm also (always!) trying to paint loosely and with expression.

Time to leave Arizona

This is my latest yard art: a totem surrounded by a flock of birds. My concept is that the totem will sit amidst a field of bear grass surrounded by a flock of about a dozen birds that will poke up at varying heights. I'm having a lot of fun making and glazing the birds. We will leave Arizona in 2 days, and I will truly miss the clay studio. This year I have made such strong connections, largely through my work with the glazes- and simply by being there a lot and getting to know people better. I have been asked to teach a class on glazing next year, and I plan to do lots of reading and studying this summer so that I will have more than just the knowledge I gained through my experiments and tests. I absolutely love the glazing aspect of the clay work, and I'm one of the few who does. Most people are intimidated by it and disappointed in their results. It is so rewarding to me to have a hand in making people happier with the end product.

So....I have been thinking about painting again. I'm interested to see whether all my work with glazes will have an impact on the way I paint. I plan to get back to doing the Daily Paintworks challenges, but probably not actual daily painting. I have a commission to paint a fairly large Southwest landscape, and I need to supply some new work to my galleries, so I will be busy with that. In addition, we have a large remodel and a new granddaughter coming up this spring. Busy times ahead. All good stuff.