Tea Cup

6" x 6" oil on masonite

$100.00 + $10. s/h

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I wanted to continue studying white. My studio used to be our dining room. There are still some remains of a dining room: the china cabinet, the table (now covered with a plastic cloth and my supplies), the chairs (pushed to the side.) In the corner near my easel is my late mother-in-law's high chair. Sitting on the tray is her childhood tea set which she gave to our daughter when she was small. My mother-in-law was born in 1919, s0 the tea set was probably given to her in about 1925. I'm not sure why I didn't pack it up and put it away. But, there it's been, in my peripheral vision, all this time. I've been looking at this nice, little white tea set. Perfect to paint. Fun to paint. The glaze is chipped and worn and there is no longer a perfect dark blue ring around the top. There are four tea cups and saucers, a creamer, a sugar bowl, and a tea pot. I see many future paintings here.

Sliced

6" x 6" oil on masonite
$100.00 + $10. s/h
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I wanted to continue painting whites. This was the whitest vegetable we had at the moment. I'm not sure why, but the browns appear red and the grays appear blue. I played around with the color and couldn't get it to change; don't know what's going on. It's always something.

Shadow

6" x 8" oil on masonite
$100.00 + $10. s/h
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SOLD

I received a comment from Kelley MacDonald that she uses pthalo and rose for her snow color. So, for this piece I followed her suggestion. Permanent rose is not in my regular palette, but is in my extended palette, so I had not thought to use it for snow mixture. I really like the cool effect this mixture gives; I might tone it down a little more in another painting.

Using permanent rose got me to thinking again about my extended palette. I have colors from classes and workshops that I don't always use. I think I might do some color studies with these. I've done many color value scales in the past with and for my students, and for myself. Doing some again would be fun and would expand my color knowledge.

Ready Or Not

6" x 8" oil on masonite
nfs

When we walk, we usually follow the path. Even in the snow, we stay side by side, usually on the right side. So, who stepped out of the norm? Must be a dog. They don't worry about which side they're on, how cold it is, they just always love going for a walk. When our dogs were still alive, we had to spell w-a-l-k if we were only thinking about going out. If they heard the word, they were ready.

Way Too Chilly

6" x 8" oil on masonite
nfs

This is from a photo at the end of my early morning walk last week. While my feet stayed warm, my legs were really cold. My jeans were starting to freeze and stiffen. I should have taken the time to put on long underwear. I was too eager to get out. Impatience is not a virtue.
I layered the snow colors in this piece and really like the way the darker snow peeks through. It's hard to believe I just took this photo and just did this painting. It's 67 degrees out today!!

Fresh Snow

6" x 6" oil on canvas panel

$100.00 + $10. s/h

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Today is really warm: in the high 50's. I should have gone outside to paint, but instead we went for a walk. Last week we had a very cold spell: 10 degrees and snow. I did not paint outside that day, but did go for a quick walk in the morning to take some pictures of the snow for reference later. My husband gave me snow sneakers from LL Bean for Christmas. They're good in really cold weather. They're a combination of hiking boot and sneaker but extra thermal. They look like the little velcro hiking boots our son had when he was 5. But, my feet were not cold at all! This is in the park right next to our house.

I've been looking at the colors other artists use for snow. Some seem to use cobalt, some thalo, some more violet. As with all paintings, it's how we see the light on an object, in this case how we see the light on the snow. And, different geographic locations have different altitudes which have different amounts of sunlight.

20 Minute Figures

9" x 12" oil on canvas

The last hour and a half of the Cottonwood figure session was spent on 20 minute gestures. With these I started with proportion marks, blocked in the darks, wiped out the lights, added a little more, and 20 minutes was up. I kept only these 2 and wiped out/painted over the others. It's good to push ourselves and work outside our comfort zone.

5 Minute Figures

9" x 12"

oil on canvas

Again, these are from yesterday's figure session at Cottonwood Artist's School. After about 45 minutes of 2 minute gestures, we went to 5 minute sessions. These allowed me a little more time to think; but, not much. I wiped out all but these. The point really wasn't to get finished pieces, just practice.
To quote again from Bayles and Orland in Art & Fear "The function of the overwhelming majority of your artwork is simply to teach you how to make the small fraction of your artwork that soars. One of the basic and difficult lessons every artist must learn is that even the failed pieces are essential." While I don't feel that these are failed pieces, I know they fall in the majority group that is just teaching me.
These are fun. There's a Thursday evening session that I might attend.

2 Minute Figures

This morning I went to the figure drawing session at Cottonwood Artist's School. This is an open session, no instruction, from 10 - 1:00. I paint landscapes and still lifes, I haven't done a lot of figure drawing; I took a 2 week workshop 35 years ago from Nelson Shanks (in charcoal), and a 3 day workshop 7 years ago from Kim English. I spent decades demo-ing to my classes, but they were often continuous contour line drawings, usually on the white board. But, what did I have to lose? Isn't painting looking for shapes and values?

The first 45 minutes were 2 minute sketches. I figured I would start these like I do daily painting still lifes: mark all the tops, sides, corners to get the proportion, connect it all with quick lines, change those quick lines from geometric to more organic. Well, by the time I got to the "change the line" part, the 2 minutes were over. I wiped out all (maybe 10 more) but these.

I've been reading "Art & Fear" by David Bayles & Ted Orland. They say " The point is that you learn how to make your work by making your work, and a great many of the pieces you make along the way will never stand out as finished art. The best you can do is make art you care about--and lots of it!" I made lots of it this morning. We went from 2 minute, to 5 minute, to 10 mintue to 20 minute sketches. Maybe I'll post some more tomorrow. It was a really fun session.

The Year of the Buffalo

6" x 8" oil on masonite
$100.00 + $10. s/h
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Just recently was the Chinese New Year and it's the Year of the Ox. We don't have ox(en) here (in Colorado); I guess the buffalo is the closest we have. So, I think if we named our years we would have named this one the Year of the Buffalo.
While I was posting this the phone rang, and I talked for about 5 minutes, the whole time staring at the painting on the computer screen. I analized every brushstroke, color, and shape. I kept thinking I should go back and repaint this little spot, that little shape. It made me wonder how we know when a painting is done. Are we ever completely satisfied?

Not As Curious

6" x 8" oil on masonite
$100.00 + $10. s/h
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This guy just wasn't as interested in me as I was in him. Not sure why, must have been a really good clump of grass. The earth in the foreground is the gravel road. I'm right next to this one, and he still doesn't seem to care.

Curiosity

6" x 6" oil on canvas panel
$100. + $10. s/h
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It's funny how cows, most animals actually, turn and look when we approach. I guess they're as interested in us as we are in them. This guy sure was interested in me. There are 83,000 dairy cows and 2.6 million head of cattle in Colorado. No wonder I see them everywhere. Nearly half of Colorado, or about 31 million acres is farmed or ranched. The cattle industry is the no. 1 agricultural commodity in the state.

18" x 24"
oil on canvas

Once again I started this piece with my plein-air group and finished it at home in my studio. On some of the pots there were glaze imperfections and the clay peeked through. I liked this effect, so I blocked the pots in in a close compliment and let those colors show through on all the pots. Initially I painted the background a true gravel gray, but changed it to make the pots stand out more.

Pottery 2

12 x 16
oil on canvas

This is another of the pots I painted in the summer with my plein-air group. I love all the colors in the terra-cotta. The pots were stacked on gravel, but the gray tones didn't work with the clay tones. So, I made the gravel/background blue-violet or the complements of the main colors of the pots. I still have to decide which pots to submit next week.

Pottery

18 x 24 oil on canvas

My summer plein-air group often paints at Hillside Gardens and Nursery. We also have our annual show on these spectacular grounds. Hillside is a combination nursery, garden shop, architectural salvage, and event center. They always have pottery, in dozens of colors, creatively displayed along the paths and walkways. I've painted there many times over the years and am always drawn to the colors and reflections of the pots. I usually start a painting there on location and finish it in the studio. I am entering one of my pottery paintings next week in the Cottonwood Artist's School member juried show.

HoneyBells--The Finale!

6" x 6" oil on masonite
SOLD

This is the last of the HoneyBell series. I really liked painting these. And now I have something to submit to their "You Ought to be in Pictures..." bib wearing contest. At least I'll get put up on their "Wall of Fame." I don't know how many paintings are entered.

I took bib photos in the studio (too dark); with the still life set-up (too busy); on the deck (too much reflective light); in the front yard (just right). My husband was a good sport about all of this. Anyway, not sure if this is the one I'll submit. But....

HoneyBell 4

6" x 6" oil on canvas panel
$100.00 + $10. s/h
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You can really see the unique bell shape of the HoneyBells in this painting. They really do look like a bell. This fruit is only ripe for 4 weeks in January. We're down to our last six. I like getting out the juicer (ours is the kind you twist the fruit by hand) and having a puckery glass of juice.

This morning I watched the Inauguration. It is wonderful how hopeful and united the population has become. Then, (since this is my painting journal) I painted a wall in our living room. It looks good. Fresh paint is great. Then, I went for a walk, it's 60 degrees out today! And in an hour I'm off to painting class. It's been a good day.

HoneyBell 3

6" x 6" oil on canvas panel
$100.00 + $10. s/h
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SOLD

Because I pre-mix piles of paint, I often have enough paint left over to do a second, third, sometimes even a fourth painting in a series. And, because I love these HoneyBells (and I hope to get a gift certificate) I keep painting them. Even though there's only one orange here, I must have spent 10 minutes moving it around to get the right composition. You'd think it would be so easy: an orange on a white paper towel.

HoneyBell 2

6" x 6" oil on masonite
$100.00 + $10. s/h
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"HoneyBells are not oranges at all. They're an extraordinary hybrid of a tangerine and a grapefruit, both seeded fruit. But, mysteriously, are seedless." (I read the brochure that came in the box.) They are juicy and delicious and fun to paint.

HoneyBell 1

6" x 8" oil on masonite
$100.00 + $10. s/h
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My sister and brother-in-law sent us a box of HoneyBells for Christmas. They are so juicy that the box comes with 4 plastic bibs and instructions on how to eat a HoneyBell. Also is a little note telling the consumer to send them a picture of you wearing your HoneyBell bib and if they use your photo in their catalogue, you"ll recieve a coupon for $100. toward a purchase. Well, always one to jump at the chance to win something, I decided to paint the HoneyBells in my bib, and send in photos of my paintings. This was really fun, and good to eat.