Monday, August 12, 2013

Park Rose

6"x6" oil
I had real doubts as to whether or not it was worth it to do an art fair, but based on my first experience this weekend, it was!  I did this painting as a demo, and then when we were packing up, my husband (who was key to me being able to do it all) stepped on it twice and slid!  So I wiped it off and re-painted it.  A friend suggested I call it "Marital Bliss"  and consider his actions a Freudian slip!
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Friday, August 9, 2013

Artist In the Woods6"x9" oil

6"x9" oil
I like this one because I did it under stress....waiting for the rain to lift so that I can go set up my tent for Art In the Park tomorrow.  I kept it loose and had fun with it.  It actually helped me keep from feeling a bit nervous. If you are in the Rutland, VT, area the next couple of days, please drop by.  It is a really nice event.  I am a newbie.  I hope you enjoy this painting too.
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Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Drawing

9"x7" oil
I like this painting because of the composition.  The dark shadows are like an object in itself.  I mixed purple with a very dark blue to get this color, but on the monitor it looks black.  When I showed my husband, he commented, "Oh it's your mom."  He is right, it does look like her, but she wasn't my model.  It was from a drawing class I taught.  I photographed this lady from a balcony, looking below to her.  I am not completely satisfied with the skin quality or tones, so I will probably go back in and rework them when it dries a bit.  I am scrambling to get everything together for a big art fair this weekend, so I my not paint every day, or like this one, it might be a bit rushed.
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Friday, August 2, 2013

Contemplating Shapes of Fear

6.5"x8.5" oil
The painting these three are looking at is called "Shapes of Fear" by Maynard Dixon.  It is a very powerful piece in the Smithsonian American Art Museum.  It is an interesting idea...fear having a shape.  This painting is a bit tighter than I generally do, but overall I like it a lot.  It is funny when people talk about my work as something they can't imagine doing because they "can't draw a straight line."  It is funny, because I think that drawing or painting a straight line is really hard!  Painting a flower is not easy, but it is forgiving.  Architecture is loaded with those irritating straight lines.

I am getting ready for my first art fair next weekend (Art in the Park).  It is a ton of work!!! I have a much better appreciation for those artists, like my friend Ann McFarren, who actually make a living doing art fairs.  This painting will be shown there if it is dry enough to take. 
SOLD
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Thursday, August 1, 2013

Familiar Stroll

6.5"x8.5"  oil
This image came from a post by Leslie Saeta who is currently traveling in Italy.  She is posting images for painters to work from and I chose this one because it reminds me of places I have been, curving side streets with high contrast light and shadow.  I may go back in and add some darker shadows to the yellowish building.  I tend to not get values dark enough.  Tell me what you think.


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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Clouds I

I plan to do more clouds so this is clouds #1!  It is inspired by an actual place...the sky over Lake Monona from the Olrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, WI.  But really, it is about the clouds. We had a sky very similar to this one today so I studied it and wrote out a plan for painting it....and I have to say, I really love the results!  It is more impressionistic than usually do, and I softened a lot of edges which I seldom do, but I love how it turned out.  You can see the texture of the painting in this photo, which in person, really works!  I hope you like it too!


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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Companions

7"x7" oil

The top one was inspired by the bottom one!
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Friday, July 26, 2013

Friendly Conversation

8"x10" oil
Finally I got into a few hours of oil painting again.  I finished this piece and tweaked several others I was never happy with.  All in all, it was a good session and this piece worked out alright. I am feeling the need for a painting sabbatical....paid leave away to just paint.  Ah, that would be lovely.  In the meantime I will have to just carve out some time and do it here with all the distractions.  Well...off to the next thing....



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Wednesday, July 24, 2013

A Good Place to Live 3"x5" watercolor

It has been over 2 weeks since I last posted!  I am feeling very negligent about my blog, but I have been busy traveling, and teaching, and as a result, doing little watercolor paintings and drawings instead of oil paintings.  I will get those going again, but I have really had fun with these.  This one is a house portrait.  I couldn't decide which angle to get all the fun things in and have it look like the house.  They spend a lot of time in the evenings drinking wine pool side, they have some lovely colors in their gardens out front, and the mountain sticks up behind, but each of those features can only be seen at different locations, so I combined the suggestion of them all with an entry-way view.  I have a bunch of little watercolors to photograph so I think I will do that while I warm up to oils again tomorrow.  I am teaching a painting (acrylic) class tonight.  I really am enjoying the teaching, but it takes a lot of preparation.  I am also getting ready for my first art fair.

SOLD

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Not a Whisper

5"x7" oil
This is not a new painting but one that really speaks to today.  We have had a really long bout of rainy weather, with a small break yesterday.  It was cool and there was a slight breeze this morning, with hope that it would dry a bit, but alas, the air is still and there is the promise of coming thunderstorms which could be quite severe.  They tell us that Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be sunny, and of course hope springs eternal.  The flooding is pervasive and our crystal clear rivers are muddied with silt...still, it is a gorgeous landscape.  I am working on an artist's journal for my class this Friday.  It is really fun!  I have kept sketchbooks and journals over the years, but I never actually planned one out the way I am doing this one.  I will post photos as I complete pages.  Today is Wednesday; something tells me I won't be done by Friday!  But, I love new projects!


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Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Negative Space10"x12"

10"x12" charcoal
Camping....I used to love it.  That is all I have to say.  I have been teaching drawing at the Middlebury Studio School and this was my demo for drawing using just negative spaces to define the shape.  It is a challenging exercise and one of those that is really good to do occasionally.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Fireworks

6"x6" acrylic
Happy Fourth of July! I am camping and won't post again until next week.  This was a fun experiment that didn't work out exactly as I had planned, but it still looks cool!

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

He's Home

7"x9" oil
My nephew is home from his tour in Afghanistan and we are thrilled as you can imagine.  I decided to hang the flag everyday he was gone to remind me to think of him and the other young men in danger for our country.  Then I planned to paint it when he got home, so I am really happy to post this one.  This is the side of our house where we have a little porch, bench and wood pile with a lovely crab apple tree to host lots of birds.  Today is also my husbands birthday so he is going to celebrate by taking off work and golfing with one of our sons.


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Tuesday, July 2, 2013

A Savory Day

5"x5" oil
More garlic.  I love these carnival squash.  They are really fun to paint.  Onions offer a unique challenge too, even though they are perfectly round, their skins reflect so many beautiful and warm hues.  It is very easy to make an onion look like an orange.  This still life makes me feel sunny and warm, which is not what the weather has been bringing.  We are surrounded in every shade of gray that exists and loads of water to-boot.  Generally the weather doesn't get me down.  Days like this remind me of school days when it seemed like the sun never quite got up.  I would be lulled into day dreams by the patterns made by water dripping down the huge old windows of Madison Elementary School.  We had really old desks with initials etched into them and places for ink wells. Even though we didn't get to go outside on days like this because the mud puddles were just too tempting, I liked them because we would frequently get to paint!


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Monday, July 1, 2013

Reflections

Reflections 5"x5" oil
I think I have finally come up with a pretty good method for photographing my work...yeah!  I am currently in love with garlic.  I have always loved garlic for its culinary deliciousness and medicinal uses, but now I am studying it for its aesthetic contributions.  Although this looks like 2 bulbs, it actually is one with a reflection in a mirror.  I decided to leave out the mirror reference and just go with the two bulbs.  I worked hard on creating interesting grays in this, something I struggle with.  It is also a different size.  Sometimes it is so soothing to paint a very simple but beautiful piece of our world!  Funny thing is, right after I finished this we went out to eat at a new (for us) restaurant and there were 2 framed watercolors above our table of garlic...very lovely.  I couldn't read the name f the artist.


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Thursday, June 27, 2013

The Winds Went Singing By

16"x20"  acrylic
The poetic title of this piece is from an Emily Dickinson poem about the clover blossom.  I painted this with my fellow artists Mary Crowley and Rae Newell.  We were all inspired by the same image, and Rae and I had very similar compositions, but each of our styles are quite different.  Mary's ended up being beautiful pastel colors in a swirling, Van Gogh-like background and Rae's had a soft brownish background with her signature "out of focus" background.  I thought the literary reference of them dancing in the wind was appropriate, hence, my title.  Can you hear the bee buzzing over them?


To purchase this painting contact me (christineholzsch@hotmail.com)
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Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Crossings

This painting is mostly in mid-values.  High contrast paintings have more drama so this was a challenge.  It was a bright, cloud filled day, so the shadows are almost non-existent. My darks are kind of scattered, and I am not sure it works very well.  What do you think?
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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Quintessetial

6"x6" oil
I felt like this landscape saved me!  I haven't painted a new painting in a while because I have been framing, making new panels and getting ready for a show.  I have revised a few and touched up several, but after a bit, I always feel insecure about whether I still can do this.  I think this image is more yellow than the painting.  It was dark and raining out so I photographed it in artificial light.  Maybe I will rephotograph it tomorrow.  Landscapes are pretty stress free as paintings go so this was a good warm up for me.  I tried to do a floral painting but it was awful and I wiped it off.  I have been doing a lot of drawing lately as I am teaching a few drawing classes in July.  Now I need to transition back into painting.
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Friday, June 21, 2013

Johar

5"x7" oil
This is Johar.  I met her at a coffee shop where she worked in Washington DC.  I was on my own visiting galleries and taking photos like a crazed tourist when I decided I needed a sit-down and cup of coffee.  Johar was my server and I was not only captivated by her beauty and interesting hair, but by her presence...her genuine sweetness.  This was a quick portrait, but I really wanted to capture her spirit, and her image.  It worked and I got to mix some of my new brilliant blue paint into the skin tones.  New paint....it really is like having a new color crayon!  I am going to email this to Johar, because she was gracious enough to let me photograph her.  I am trying really hard to understand the differences between what you actually see and what a photograph offers.  It is a hard thing to get, but it is worth it for me because I really like painting from images I capture, especially when I am traveling.
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Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Hand Study

6"x6" oil
This was a great exercise to get me back in to painting.  It was offered as a DPW challenge by Claudia Hammer. I chose three values in different colors and a background color.  I painted on a panel that I had previously painted on and sanded down.  The colors were pretty dark originally so even with the sanding, it showed through and gave variation to the background which I blocked in first, thus removing the distraction.  I started with the lightest light (Jaune Brilliant) then the darkest color in the hands (Alizarian Crimson) and then used Cadmium Orange for the mid-value.  I mixed a bit to come up with the suggestion of the sleeve.  I deliberately tried to keep it loose and simple.
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Monday, June 17, 2013

Attitude

16"x20" acrylic
I am back from traveling and ready to paint!  This is a demo for a beginners class at the Chaffee Art Center.   Everyone had a good time and some really nice paintings came out of it.  I focused on creating the design using geometric shapes and how to create varying brushwork.  When I do these demos I don't feel like I am painting subject matter that is most exciting to me, rather I try and choose a few things that offer teachable moments and subjects that are interesting and simple enough to not be intimidating.  I am still refining how I do this; the learning curve for me seems to be infinite!  On another note, I went to Washington, D.C., a city of abundant free museums and excellent artwork!
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Saturday, June 1, 2013

Rooster

16"x20" acrylic
This is a painting I did in planning for the class I am teaching June 12 at the Chaffee Art Center.  I went pretty abstract with the front lower and right sides, with the suggestion of foliage.  I planned it out mathematically first which was different and fun.  Click here for the demo slideshow.
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Friday, May 31, 2013

Patterned Pears

8"x8" acrylic
This painting was inspired by Nancy Colella's patterned painting exercises.  I am not sure I got it right, but it was fun to try and I do like the graphic effect.  The idea is to flatten the colors and values so that they are represented by a specific shape and then use lines to add compositional interest.  I think I will try this again tomorrow.
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Thursday, May 30, 2013

Lobster Buoys

8"x8" oil
I have not painted as much as I would like but I have been artistically busy.  I went to the Vermont Arts Council retreat for 2 days this week on the invitation of the Director, Carol Driscoll, of The Carving Studio and Sculpture Center and not only got to stay the very cool Grand Isle Lake House, but also got to meet and see how the minds of some very smart and creative people work.  I did a demo for the Chaffee Art Center Open Studio event this past weekend.  So my question is:  how loose is too loose?  In the above painting, I kept it very loose because I wanted to pack up and go home.  The environment was challenging for me because there were some significant distractions,  I thought about working on it some more in my studio, but the more I looked at it the more I liked it as is.  I know what I painted (lobster buoys hanging from a rack which also holds an inverted row boat).  At first I was really interested in the shadows and light falling across the rowboat, but then the dancing shapes of the buoys just looked so cool to me that cut loose of the highlights on the boat.  I also thought that more detail would only confuse the composition.  Anyway, I would love to know what you think!

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Sunday, May 26, 2013

Memorial Day


As I promised on my blog and Facebook page I am giving away 3 abstract paintings this month. I printed up the names of folks who signed up for my newsletter and put those in one pile. Another pile was for those of you who liked my Facebook Fanpage or Friended me, and finally if you made a comment on my blog, or subscribed to it, you were entered for the third give-away.  I took all of the names and randomly drew one for each painting.  Unbelievably when I drew the name for the newsletter, it was ME! Seriously, I forgot I was the first person to sign up for my own newsletter and I won!  Well obviously that won't work, so I disqualified myself, and all my relatives (sorry).  Next time I am going to use one of those services that chooses names randomly! So, here are the winners:  Scott Garren,  the next one is Celia Blanco, and finally, the last painting goes to Linda McBain.  Thanks you for participating and I hope you enjoyed my newsletter!

I am auctioning a painting to aid Oklahoma tornado recovery efforts.  Go here to see painting or to bid.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Queue

8"x10" oil
I have been busy (who isn't) having my biannual panic attack about having too much stuff and needing to purge.  It is easy to avoid the process because it is so time consuming and there's no tangible benefit until everything is organized, at the dump or donation shop.  Art supplies are my worst offense because I always think I need everything.  My big goal (along with the millions of drawers, closets, cabinets, etc) is to really ruthlessly clean my studio and set it up for maximum utilization as well as aesthetics.  I thought saying it out loud (aka blogging about it) would make it seem more doable but in actuality, I am feeling the panic more acutely!!!!   I  picked it up and it is already organized, and I got a bunch of boxes for the sorting/purging part....then...... I painted this quick acrylic as a reward.  Purging comes next week!  Speaking of next week, if you live in the area, I have a painting class Wednesday night at the Chaffee Downtown...come down and have some fun!
This is Vermont's Open Studio weekend.  Hope everyone has a great time this holiday weekend.  What are you doing?
By the way, Sunday is the last day to enter my triple painting give away!  This is how:
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013

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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Monday, May 20, 2013

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!

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Difficulties of trying to be a techie

So...I am doing Leslie Saeta's 30 day marketing challenge.  Today she showed us how to re-size YouTube videos to put on our blog so we can show examples of demos, etc.  So I figured out the re-sizing part, but when I tried to get my video to show, a different one came up: "Ali G On the Environment."  I watched it...he is a British rapper-comedian and it is quite funny so I decided to leave it until I can figure out what I am doing wrong.  If you have any insight please let me know!
And, once again, I am giving away 3 paintings so enter to win one of them by:

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These are the three paintings:
Each painting is 5"x7" oil on panel (unframed)

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Together Alone

If you think this looks a lot like the painting I posted yesterday, you would be right!  This is a larger version I did as a demo for a class.  I also did two of these for a (dated) challenge for Daily Paintworks to do two paintings that are the same but different.  This one I painted in acrylic first very quickly to lay down the local colors, then I applied oil alla prima.  Which one do you like better?  I haven't decided what I am going to do with this painting yet.
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Here are the two paintings side by side.  The first one is actually 1/2 the size of the second.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Alone Together

8"x10" oil
What kind of paintings do you like? I have been thinking about all the different things I do, and my favorites run the gamut of subject matter. "Alone Together" This was a oil practice demo I did for a recent painting class of beginners painting in acrylic. I also did one in class in acrylic on a larger canvas. 
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Thursday, May 16, 2013

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!

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Ready, Set, Go!

8"x10" acrylic
This is the determined "Tom Boy" Princess (is Tom Boy PC???)!   Look good and ride fast!  She reminds me of Pippi Longstockings a bit!  To purchase this painting go here. I painted this while visiting my mom who is also a painter.  She paints in acrylics so I did too. Here is an example of her work:
Finally, I am giving away 3 paintings so enter to win one of them by:
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These are the three paintings:
Each painting is 5"x7" oil on panel (unframed)

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

3 Painting Give Away

I am going to give away, not one, not two, but three abstract paintings!  One for signing up for my newsletter. One for subscribing to my blog (or if you leave a comment if you are already a follower) and one for "liking" me on Facebook.  The winners will be announced at the end of May, when my newsletter comes out.  Here is where you go to enter:
To sign up for my newsletter go here
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To sign up for my blog (go to the right column and enter your email address in the 3rd box down)
or to leave a comment go here
You will not receive junk mail or your address will not be given out...ever!

To go to my website click here
To see my DPW gallery go here 
These are the three paintings:
Each painting is 5"x7" oil on panel (unframed)

Monday, May 13, 2013

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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Friday, May 10, 2013

Landing

8"x10" acrylic

I spent the past week in NC with my family.  My mother is a painter and so it is always fun to paint with her.  We painted several days, including once with her "painting group."  I don't take my tools when I travel there, so I rely on her paints, canvases, brushes and set up.  I took my ipad with images I wanted to paint but found that distracting.  I need to spend some time with it figuring out how to delay the "sleep" mode and how to brighten the screen.  I like painting on slick panels so canvas always throws me a bit.  Acrylics are great, but they dry so fast, and my mom paints with colors she likes, which are different than what I am used to.  The brushes...well, my mom does beautiful work, but she likes bristle brushes and she scrubs the paint into the canvas so her brushes are atrocious! She will admit this as well!  Anyway, I did get this little piece done.
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Wednesday, May 1, 2013

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