Vingnette

I got my good camera back from the shop and this is a much better image of yesterday's painting.  I decided to post this one separately so I would have  reminder of the importance of good photography!  Instead of painting this afternoon, I sat in the sun with a friend and "chilled" away a few hours and then ran a couple of errands (getting my camera).  I loved not accomplishing many "things."  I am not painting tomorrow because I am going to Boston with artist friends to see the Michelangelo exhibit!!!  and, in the "ya just got to keep on trying" category I was finally able to put my little demo slide video on the sidebar of my blog! Yeah!

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Vignette

7.5"x7.5" oil

This is by-far the worst photo I have posted.  "Why bother posting it?" you ask.  Well I am honestly feeling overwhelmed with all the computer related things I am having to learn to make progress, and to get a good photo I need to learn a whole lot more!  I am in "sitting behind the computer" twilight zone!  So I really like this painting and I will re-photograph it.  It is a study in greens and they are all different, and so are the yellows and the reds!  It is actually much more interesting than it looks with lots of subtleties and variations.  Ugh!  Oh well...greens are special...they require attention and work and I really wanted to figure them out.  I am not done with this theme, but I learned that cadmium yellow light is a great mixing color, where Indian yellow makes most greens look a bit orangish.  Green Gold can be accomplished by mixing Sap green and Cadmium Yellow light.  Phthalo Green (Blue Shade) and Phthalo Blue (Red Shade) are very versatile and a lot of fun.  I also learned that doing abstracts is not easy or without some frustration!  Have I bored you yet?  If not, tell me what you know about greens!

Snack Time

8"10" oil Commission SOLD

It was the perfect weather day. I did some gardening, and really should have claimed it a not "sick day" and just go for a hike....but no...I stuck to it and got caught up on a few things. This painting is a commission based on a previous painting I did. The growler is occasionally filled with one of Vermont's famous micro brews and if you drop by, my husband would gladly share it with you!

Tonal Jazz

5"x7" oil

This painting is the third in a group I have done.  I have decided to give away all three this month!  I will be posting a contest the next couple of days, so if you like abstracts, then keep an eye on this.  All three paintings were the result of color studies.  This one is actually a study in mixing grays and each gray on this piece is made from a different mixture of colors, not including any color of black or gray.  I really enjoyed doing these and may continue with this abstract trend.

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It's A Beautiful Day

5"x10" oil

This revised painting elicits memories of a wonderful painting trip hosted by my new friend Karen.
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Getting a Tan 6"x6" oil

This is not a new painting but one I found in the organization of my photo files.  It is one of my favorite still life paintings and quite frankly I am surprised it has not sold!  I set it up on a bright, warm summer day outside when the light was strong and overhead.  I painted really fast to get the values down and capture the angles of the shadows.  I also like it because the pitcher has that mysterious dark hole and I made it when I was doing a lot of ceramics.  I don't think I still have it as I gave away a lot of the pieces I made.  Maybe I have subconsciously been holding on to this one and that is why it hasn't sold...but I am ready to clean out the closets so this one is available! I have to say, the warm colors are inspiring to me as I look out on yesterday's snow!  Hope you are having a "real" spring day!
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A Pretend Dragon 5"x7" oil

This painting was a challenge for me for a lot of reasons.  I painted it from a photo that had 2 main values, predominately dark against bright white.  The colors were also a challenge because the house is a pale yellow and their clothes were black and gray (common colors for ski clothes).  My friend was going through some really tough medical issues at the time.  Her daughter encouraged her to put on her ski clothes and "pose" and just "pretend," hence the title.  Because she was feeling poorly at the time, the photo didn't reflect her beautiful spirit.  She is one of those people who sparkles and you hardly notice her actual features because her personality is what you see.  She is an athlete and a real optimist and all around fun, real person.  These are qualities you have to interpret when doing a portrait.  Her dog, Dragon, passed on since the photo was taken so this painting is dedicated to him.  I think a dragon is a great symbol of strength and power and those are the qualities that helped my friend Kim get through her trials. It is so encouraging to see her active, happy and rosy cheeked again! I need to tweak a few things, but it is mostly done.
SOLD
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The Bird Tree 5"x7" oil

This is the second value study I added color to. This was so much different than the previous one I posted because color really helped define the spaces where the values were really close.  I kept the graphic feel but now the squirrel and bird pop out.  This painting was a lot of fun to do.  Adding color to the value study was like paint-by-number...which although all the art teachers regale the stunting power of these crafts, were quite fun to do and gave me a desire to understand how they were created.  What about you?  Did you do paint-by-number?
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Family Story Time 5"x7" oil

This was a value study I did a bit ago and decided to add color to it.  My value study was in 3 values and I tried to stick with that.  What I learned is that it is really easy to think a color is dark or light, but compared to the black, white, gray study, they weren't close.  I think I've got the values thing down and then I do an exercise like this and I see that I need to continue to work on this....maybe forever.  I like this painting because I think it has a good composition and I liked the original drawing.  I am reworking another painting that I just can't get quite right and I fear it is because my original drawing was not right.  I may never finish it, but trying to figure out the problem is also worthwhile.  I still need to correct my photography set-up because this looks more yellow than the original painting is.

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Up, Up and Away 16"x20" acrylic

I feel like I have been away from painting for a very long time.  I was very busy with technical aspects of art, and then life priorities stepped in to remind me that this is not the only important thing I do.  This painting is a work-up for a demo I will be doing on Wednesday for a painting class.  I am really conscience that they will mostly be beginner painters and I don't want to overwhelm them. I woke up thinking about hot air balloons and how stunning they are, and it occurred to me that this would make fun subject matter and each person can personalize their balloon and landscape.  I think it is pretty simple design that could be accomplished in a couple of hours.  What do you think?

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Stepping Out With Friends 5"x7" oil

I have been very busy organizing my photos which are completely out of control, naming them and building a website.  I am also learning a gazillion  other things in Leslie Saeta's webinArts class, but it is taking me an inordinate amount of time which diminishes my time to paint.  However, in the process of trying to track down the names of some of my pieces, I realized there are several that I didn't post, including this one, which I love!  Karin Jurick calls these "tuxedo colors" and I really like that image.  What I like about this piece is their posture, and the way they are almost a part of the background painting "Stepping Out" by Roy Lichtenstein.  I am including a test slide show project I did to practice for learning how to do this.  It is VERY short!  Enjoy.

click here for a very short painting video

The Bird Tree 5"x6" oil

This is clearly another value study and I will be adding a bit of color to it in a few days.  I want to be really stingy on the color for this one because I like the graphic effect of the black and white, but I want to give more sky and highlight the bird and squirrel, which has a really large head that I didn't see until I posted it here.  I promised myself I would look at all my photos carefully before posting them but I seem to have forgotten that promise!  On another note I taught a painting class at the Chaffee Art Center last night and it was a lot of fun with an enthusiastic group.NFS yet

Family Story Time 5"x7" oil

This is a value study.  It is painting in a light, a medium and a dark value.  This is a really important aspect of creating a good composition and painting it in grays is a good exercise for practice.  It makes you really see the shapes rather than the "things" or "people."  After all, painting is not about things, it is about chemicals arranged on a flat surface that give an illusion.  I will go back in and put chemicals over this that give the illusion of lovely color and hopefully it will turn out delightfully!
NFS

Snapping In 6"x6" oil

I love watching people snap into their skis before they enter the cue for the lift.  They strike such interesting poses.  The snow boarders have a funny little hop to get up to the chairlift because they only strap on one foot.  They play old rock n' roll through loud speakers but I think they could choreograph the movements of the boarders/skiers to another kind of music and it would look like a kind of dance.

Out of the Woods 5"x7" oil

I love skiing and have been fortunate to be able to go out a lot this year.  Spring skiing has been great.  The advantage of living so close to a resort is that I can go up every day for a few hours and ski or work out or snowshoe or hike, and still have the rest of the day to work and paint and take care of business.  This skier is more adventurous than I am.  She likes skiing in the woods, double diamonds and moguls. Nancy Colella posted a painting last week based on a very similar image. The sky was her background and she called it "Red, White and Blue," and it is a really fun painting that inspired me to paint mine.  I put the trees behind mine to tell a different story. Also my skier has on a helmet, which may not be as pretty, but is much more safe!  Please were your helmets!

SOLD

The Attic 5"x7" mixed media

Abstract Weekend Low Side-This is the last of my abstracts based on other painter's realistic works.  I was inspired by Ryan Brown's work.  His paintings look very classically beautiful and are stunning.  This is based on his painting "An Appreciation."  His is the image of a young woman in the corner of a nice studio admiring artwork stacked around her.  It is mostly neutrals and flesh tones, and is a hexagonal shape.  Mine in contrast is rectangular and bursting with warm color, with no light values (I am sure that breaks some rule!).   My  image is more like a gypsy in a babouska digging through boxes in a dusty old attic!

 $100 and $10 shipping

The Match 5"x7" mixed media

Abstract Weekend - High End  Last weekend and this weekend I have done works based on another artist's realistic painting.  This one is based on George Bellow's "Stag at Sharkey's."  It is a wrestling match in a ring with  the heads of spectators.  What I really love about his painting is the tremendous action and tension in it.  He used mostly grayish neutrals in dominate darks, a lesser proportion of lights, and a small amount of medium values, but he has touches of red in the focal point that emphasize the blood flow to the head, neck and arms.  Mine is mostly in mid-values, with lesser darks and only touches of light. I have also been more generous with the redish tones.


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Beth and Brie 6"x6" oil

Beth owns a very cool place in Killington, VT, with her husband.  It is called Liquid Art.  It is an espresso bar (with bakery) and art gallery and a martini bar at night.  It is a warm and lovely environment with a fireplace, couches, a huge aquarium and beautiful warm wood.  They also have very cool events there.  I am happy to say they show my work along with some  fabulous artists, including Beth, who is a photographer and prints her work in huge sizes.  Both Beth and her daughter Brie are wearing matching hats made by Rebecca, which are also sold in their gallery. 
SOLD

Granite Bench oil 5"x7"

This roadside park is a perfect place to stretch your legs, have a picnic, sit on the granite bench and watch the roaring waterfalls or hike up on the ledges to the wooden bench to listen to the tumbling stream that flows into the river above the falls.



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A Light At the End of the Tunnel 5"x7" oil

This was inspired by a DWP challenge to paint the path of light.  I think this really tells the story of hope in the midst of a storm.  I don't use photos without the photographer's permission, but I came across one on a free-use site that inspired this painting.  The photo was really spectacular and needs no more interpretation, but I liked the idea or story  it tells so I wanted to do it.

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