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!

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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!

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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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Self Portrait In Big Scarf oil 4"x6"

I have been wanting to do a large series of self portraits to practice doing faces from life.  I am the most cooperative model I have!  This one was inspired by a DPW challenge to paint fabric, so I put on a big scarf and am looking down.  I didn't worry so much about making the scarf look authentic, and I didn't use the actual colors of the scarf, but kept it to a limited palette.  I really like how it turned out and I put it as my profile on my FB page.

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PICO Lodge 5"x7" oil

This is where I spend a good number of mornings during the week.  It is where the "locals" ski and I love it.  March skiing has been so great!  The day of this photo the fog was so thick you couldn't really see the mountain behind the lodge, just the bottom of a few trails, which look like swirling smoke in the thick fog.

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After, After 5"x7" mixed media

Abstract Weekend Day #2-  This weekend and next I am doing abstracts based on other artist's realistic works.  This one is based on Van Gogh's "Courtesane."  I find it interesting that I am basing mine on an artist who based his on another artist's work.  I could do a whole series on that idea!  I used to tutor college students, mostly in writing term papers and preparing for tests, but what I really loved about it was the opportunity to study something I wouldn't normally come across.  Van Gogh was one of those subjects.  Knowing more about an artist of his fame certainly adds to my appreciation of his work and style.  He was a genius in getting wonderful colors and textures from his brushwork.  My piece gets it's texture from thick paint and collage elements.


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Couch Potato 5"x7" mixed media

Abstract Weekend Day#1:  I decided to do abstracts based on other artist's work for this weekend and next.  My inspiration for this painting was Richard Schmid's "Zorro."  Richard Schmid is a renowned painter who lives in New Hamsphire.  His works are spectacular. 



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Rosebud and the Flower Princess 5"x7" oil

I love this painting and these girls!

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Mmmm Good 5"x7" oil

The princess likes her treat in a royal sapphire cobalt blue crystal ice cream dish!

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I Dressed Myself! 5"x7" oil

The princess dressed herself and she is mighty pleased about it!

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Expecting 5"x7" oil

When we open a book we are all "Expecting" something.  If you are pregnant, you may be expecting some help on knowing what to expect....then again, maybe she is perusing the mystery section...anyway, I couldn't resist this pose with her on her tippy toes.  I am loving to paint this series of Mind*Body*Spirit.  I am hoping to add some skiing paintings in to it too.

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Research 5"x7" oil

This photo may be a little red...the painting is not so red.  I just noticed this.  This is another painting from my Mind*Body*Spirit series.  She is in search of the perfect answer.

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Flutters 5"x7" mixed media

It is the back end of abstract weekend.  I titled this "Flutters" as in "the butterfly flutters over the flower" and also "I have the flutters looking down this black diamond ski trail."  The beauty of motion and that uncomfortable motion in the belly are universally familiar sensations for humankind.  That is about as profound as I get.  I consider this to be a feminine piece.  I saw a performance by the Peking Acrobats this week and was astounded by their athleticism, but even more impressed by how delicate and feminine the women looked and their performance included lovely dance moves and live music.  Their strength, stamina and flexibility were superb.  I think that experience influenced this piece.

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Zoning In 4"x5" mixed media

It is the front end of an abstract weekend.  I am referring to both my art and my life.  Yesterday was the prelude with almost perfect skiing conditions and then a race to get ready for today.  Today is all about our big fund raiser for the Carving Studio and Sculpture Center with a big "gala" event tonight.  Gala is one of those words I don't often have a chance to use.  Tomorrow is relax and get things back to normal day.  But today, I am "Zoning In" on the tasks that need to be completed.

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Body Mind Spirit 5"x7" oil

This is the beginning of a series, but I won't do it everyday.  I like to mix things up as it keeps me interested.  I am going to call the series "Body Mind and Spirit."  I got the idea from the photo I used for this piece.  This gentleman is in the "Body Mind Spirit" section of my absolutely favorite bookstore (Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT and Saratoga Springs, NY).  He is looking at the books about dealing with back pain, which I think you can kind of see in his awkward posture.  This will be an interesting series for me because it can just about go anywhere and I am excited to see where it takes me, once I get out of the bookstore!

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Soaking Bath 4"x4" oil

Daily Paintworks had a challenge to paint a women bather.  I entered this challenge with a painting I did from the photo that was offered by Carol Marine.  Then I decided to do this one, which was something I had wanted to do for a long time but forgot abut it.  My sister-in-law Anne Holzschuh, who is an extremely talented artist, did a similar type of painting when she was in high school and I always thought this would be a fun painting to do.  Making the bubbles was the real challenge, but I think it works!

SOLD

Happy Birthday Bro 6"x6" acrylic

I painted this a bit ago but didn't post it because it is a birthday present for my brother who is the quintessential family man, devoted husband, loving father, unflappable Broncos fan, and he loves to fish.  He is fortunate that he married his high school sweetie and she shares a love of his hobbies along with some of her own.  Happy Birthday Bro!
NSF

Not Despair 5"x7" oil

This is a sculpture in the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.  I fell in love with it when I saw it.  The proportions are perfect and the marble is so smooth and creamy.  His seating position is relaxed and elequent with his fingers intertwining in front.  DPW offered a challenge to paint a sculpture so I immediately thought of this and dug out a photo I had taken of it.  What I really liked about this challenge is that it was a value study for me. The artist is Jean-Joseph Perraud and he completed it in 1869. The title is "Despair." But,  how could something so beautiful represent despair?? A normal person in despair would probably be more slumpy and depressed, not so elegant. There are numerous other sculptures out in the world that also depict human despair (Rodin is a good example) but they are all of tortured souls unlike Perraud's masterpiece. My modern interpretation of this is like the movie stars or sports folks who have everything going for them and then through bad decisions end up in despair, but have lawyers and money to make it less painful!  I would title it, "Most Beautiful Young Man!"

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Three's Company 5"x7" oil

My friend Karen Seward and I painted together.  She is the queen of pears...she does them small, does them large and does them in watercolor, acrylic and oil.  This is her still life set up with an unusually bright red pear with a yellow stripe down the side.  That was tricky because painting it like it actually was, would have ended up with an artificial looking pear.  This was a pretty fast painting and I was a bit distracted at the time I did it, but sometimes those conditions help rather that interfere.  I am thinking I need to practice creating volume, like in portraits or round pears.

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Dance of the Flower People 4"x4" mixed media

If people morphed with flowers and danced around, that is what I think this painting is about!

It's About the Details 4"x4" acrylic

I thought I would do a tiny bit of Pollock on this one.  Tried out a different combination of colors too.

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The Bather 5"x7" oil

Carol Marine suggested a challenge to paint from a photo she posted of a woman in the above pose.  I had been wanting to try using Yupo as a painting support and decided this was the opportunity.  I loved painting on the slick surface and it was fun to capture the many shades of white.  I am going to do more Yupo paintings.  The trick is that it takes a long time for the oil to dry and it is easy to smudge or scratch because it slides around on the satiny surface.  If you want to see some really beautiful interpretations of the photo go here.

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2 Umbrella Happy Hour 6"x6"

My camera has been in the shop for a couple of weeks and I am relying on my iPad to photograph my paintings.  What I am finding is that I am not picking up some of the subtleties of color and texture that are visible when looking at the real thing.  This painting I worked over several short periods of time.  It originated from a comment made by a fellow alumni friend who said, "It is raining, I guess I need to take an umbrella to happy hour."  Frequently I see a picture from what is said around me.  From this comment, I immediately saw 2 umbrellas, one for the happy person, one for the happy hour drink.  Since I didn't have a setup or photo to work from, I had to invent the whole thing.  Cara Nelson was the inspiration for this so I wanted to get somewhat of the image of her for my subject.  Those who know her will have to critique it for me.


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Becky and Sage 5"x7" acrylic

I had a serious case of "fear of flying" when it was time to do this painting.  Occasionally this happens to me and a lot of artists I know.  Those negative thoughts that just want to continually contaminate your thoughts were on the attack.  Normally I live in a state of denial of that kind of thing.  Someone doesn't like me?  No way, why would someone not like a nice person like me?  I don't ski as well as someone?  Well, I enjoy it twice as much!  I look like an Amazon?  I have a great view!  Anyway, I invested a lot energy in procrastination  before I finally did this one, but I got a bigger sense of relief from it than I will when I finally do my taxes.  I love the joyous looks on their faces, and although the palette is a bit unusual with lots of pinks, blues and purples, I still think it conveys warmth on a chilly day.
SOLD

Gaia 6"x6" acrylic

This was a commission.  Isn't she cute?  I love her Mardi Gras bandana!
SOLD

Sunshine Princess 4"x4" acrylic

I got to see my beautiful granddaughters last night.  The eldest is my princess model and she is definitely one of those wild, independent, roaming in the woods princesses who loves to wear tutus and pink.  The little one is not yet inclined in that direction.  She seems more like an equestrian or pole vaulter, but she is yet too young to be determined by those of us, grownups,  who are conditioned to think like this.  THIS PAINTING IS MUCH BETTER IN PERSON!
 SOLD