Just Kids

20" x 16" Pastel

Last week I received a call from a collector who had purchased an early pastel quite a few years ago from one of my very first shows. She was redecorating and wanted to move the painting into a room with lots of light and wondered if I would help her reframe it using non-glare glass. I can't tell you how excited it was to find this piece not only still exists but is valued! It was a bit emotional seeing it again - like running into an old friend. Resisting the temptation to grab a few pastel sticks and go back into the piece was quite a challenge since improvements (corrections) could easily be made and the work strengthened with just a stroke or two! A reminder by my husband that this lady is enjoying her painting "just the way it is" kept me at bay. (Actually he was a bit firmer than that... like... "Don't you dare!") I didn't. With fresh mats and a lovely new frame it's back on her wall without the glare and she's coming back to select another painting to hang along with it!

Tears of the Innocent

24" x 18" Oil on Stretched Canvas

A few days ago watching an aloof but determined pelican dive into the canal to proudly bring up a small catch, I was reminded of his relatives elsewhere along the oily Gulf Coast. He might be crying if he knew their horrible plight...an "a-ha" moment of inspiration! I was recently touched by Sherry Massy's painting depicting an oily beach also created with a heavy heart. We want to hit someone or scream but... instead we make our statement as artists often do, passionately applying our feelings of helplessness to canvas or paper.

I used a "distressed canvas" - on which I had earlier glued tissue and/or rice papers for wrinkles and texture. I knew I could work around the wrinkles for the feathers and texture would add character to the beak. The crinkles are great for water by dry brushing across the darks and letting the light bounce off the raised ridges. Horizontal waterlines somewhat offset the stark vertical of the big bird. The water is brown and black with only blue to explain the "dirty"...The tear drop is larger than the eye - because this disaster at the moment is larger than most of us can imagine. It is most doubtful pelicans (or other birds) have tear ducts? I didn't research - just painted as I listened to the news that tar balls were washing ashore in Florida's panhandle and a dead whale had just been found in the area of the flow....when and where will it end?

Wanda's Pitcher

16" x 20" oil on stretched canvas

Portrait commissions are still taking most of my time not to mention traveling back and forth between NC & Fla! We are back in Florida now dealing with a roof issue - not serious - must have ridge vents replaced before leaving for the season.

I'm showing you another older but special piece. A print of this painting hangs in our kitchen and brings back a happy memory of one of our group's painting sessions at Wanda Carter's studio. She set up this still life and four or five of us painted our versions in acrylics, oil and pastel. I completed the painting back here in the studio using the above photo reference. That little flat pitcher is adorable - but it was difficult to portray as flat and not as an askewed round one! We didn't take time to paint together as a group this past winter and I missed it! "Wanda's Pitcher" is sold and hangs somewhere in Pennsylvania.

Frank's '49 5-Window Chevy

16' x 20" oil on canvas

My husband has a passion for classic autos. Right now we do not own one but he's always on the "look-out". This old truck from his past (before me) was really special to him. Except for this one photo, all pictures of the truck were lost during several moves and a divorce. A few years ago, a watercolor painting of an old truck with flowers in the bed adorned the cover of a Cheap Joe's catalog. That lovely painting was my inspiration to try and capture Frank's truck to make up for his lack of photos. The catalog is long gone and I'm sorry I have no idea who painted the watercolor. I'm glad he enjoys his oil painting as it hangs in his office and is quite a conversation piece!

Where's Mama?

24" x 18" oil on stretched canvas

We are back in Maggie Valley, N.C. for a couple of weeks opening the house, cleaning, etc. This painting of bunnies and field stones roughed in last season greeted me from the easel when we arrived. Still in a "fur-mode" from painting Mitzi and Daisy, I couldn't wait to squeeze paint and get busy! The trusty palette knife worked to achieve rough, hard texture for the field stones to contrast with the soft furry bunnies. The knife was also used for grasses and wild flower petals. There is color in the areas that appear black in the photo. I have portait commissions underway, but it was fun to relax with this playful painting using larger brushes and the knife!

Where's Mama" was inspired by a poem by James Cox entitled "At the Edge of the Unreasonable Forest"

"...along pathways of yellow and green

encroached by blackening shadows,

the pathways lined with luminous wisps

lifting slowly in the shadows..."

Thanks James!

Daisy

9 x 12 oil on stretched canvas

Another furry portrait commission! With this one I could see the eyes! Had a disk of photos to work from and wouldn't you know, Daisy always had those little front paws tucked under her. Wonder what that means in "kitty speak body language"? Such a pretty cat - and with those big yellow eyes - so paintable. Since this was a portrait of Daisy, the kitty beside her was given less detail. I'm becoming very fond of cats! Daisy is now in her new home in Pinellas Park and I'm missing having her and Mitzi in the studio where the two of them have spent lots of time looking at me from the monitor and the easel as I squinted back at them!

Mischievous Mitzi

12" x 9" oil on stretched canvas

This portrait of sweet little Mitzi was delivered yesterday and I'm happy to say the client loved it - no changes or adjustments! Yea! For this painting I found myself again mixing with the neutral warm and cool gray tube colors from the Sandin Pro Mix Color System for flesh tones! I would have preferred a reference photo with a more direct gaze since a cat's eyes are so amazing! At least the green color shows and a hint of her personality comes through as she plans her next "adventure"! I am told Mitzi is always "up to something", and that she's very affectionate.

Study for Mr. Howard's Mail

8 x 10 Oil on Canvas

Recently a lovely lady asked if I would compose a painting with these elements in the the following order of importance - A mailbox with her late father's name, roses, a rustic fence, a cardinal, a path and maybe a birdhouse! Since it was impossible to know what she was "seeing" in her mind's eye, a few pencil sketches were presented from which she chose this particular fence and an open mailbox...We decided the bird house was not needed and I tried to work in all her other elements plus a few glads for flower variety. She has now approved this composition and I like it too! Challenges such as this one keep studio days interesting! For her painting, the colors will probably be muted, but it was fun going bright and bold with this little one!

Big Bad Bruce Finished (or not?)

8 x 10 Oil on Canvas

The second Wednesday of each month our critique group, a number of serious award winning artists sharing helpful hints and suggestions, meets for an informal review of the each others works in progress. All intermediate artists are invited and newcomers are given more gentle positive critiques than those of us who want to be hit with all suggestions as to areas that are working and those that might be improved upon. Each artist must evaluate suggestions and decide whether or not he/she agrees and take it from there.

I was aware the circled areas were really bothersome before the critique group got hold of Bruce. First of all, the green is "foreign" to the painting but wanted that color reflected in the glasses. The shape of the green color lined up with and repeated the shoulder shadow shape. Baaaaad...however, I waited to change it until after critique in case there were other needed fixes I didn’t see. My solution - for the moment at least - has been to paint out the green and maybe that draws more attention to Bruce’s face? He enjoys riding in the country exploring back roads and I felt the green expressed that... so it’s still in the glasses. And, know what? Maybe I would like a little of it back in the painting ...so...you may see this one more time! I will be more careful of the shape and the color! Am thinking about painting this "larger than life" - 24" x 30" just for Bruce and for the drama!

Big Bad Bruce wip

8" x 10" oil on canvas



This is Bruce, our son in law on his Harley enjoying some time off! Doesn't he look like a B-AA-DD dude? Bruce is a teddy bear - but I think he enjoys looking kinda mean! Still have a long way to go and trying not to get carried away with detail.

A fellow blogger emailed to ask if my methods for detail were "secret" - absolutely not! I am always willing to share and feel that's what blogging is all about! If the email had come before starting this one, I would have documented from the beginning. My steps are to first find a photo I really like hopefully with lots of high contrast, "play" with the photo in Photoshop Elements until it's the way I want the painting (or think I do), print the photo to size in black and white, trace it onto tracing paper and using graphite, transfer to canvas or board. Sometimes the support is toned - sometimes not. Bruce was started on white canvas after a couple of extra coats of gesso had been applied and sanded to smooth out the canvas bumps.

Another in the "Shades Series" notice - no eyes, no teeth, no ears! Yea! Can a portrait subject get any better! I knew the fine lines in the rims of the sunglasses would be difficult so started there using the Prismacolor Verithin Pencils. What wonderful tools they are and totally compatible with oil paint! Next the hair on the face - I LOVE painting mustaches and beards! Every color in the painting is in those hairs but you may or may not see all of them. I worked the dark patterns with the pencils and then started painting. Later going back to the facial hair, the sharp points on the pencils were used as brushes to apply paint and then scratch into it. I'm not "afraid of the dark" even though the really dark areas (no tube black paint is used) tend to give the piece a photographic look which may or may not be desirable. Was the little crease on his neck necessary? Probably not - but this is an exercise for me and I wanted to see if I could do it!

I do not follow any formula for fleshtones unless you call "hit or miss" a formula! I keep the photograph on my monitor as I paint and try to match the colors I see, but am more interested in the warm and cool tones and value shifts. The Sandin ProMix set is helpful. I don't use any of the tube colors alone but do use some of them in mixes. The three tubes shown are favorites. Neutral 3 is helpful in achieving good color for teeth. I was introduced to the Rembrandt oil transparent oxide colors brown, red, and orange by David Darrow and will always have these colors on my flesh palette. Love them!

Our critique group meets Wednesday and it will be interesting to see what suggestions are made. I will then finish and post again. I don't always work this way but for these small family portraits, it's a fast way to get past the drawing and to the easel!

Linda, I do hope this has been helpful and I appreciate your interest! Please let me know if you have more questions.

Bruce - whadda think?

Stephanie - Quick Study

10" x 8" - oil on canvas

This is a study in shapes. I really tried to stay away from detail and look at shapes rather than features. Another in the "Shades Series" - this is daughter, Stephanie, painted from a photo taken on a hot day at the Great Smokey Mountain Railway Station in Bryson City, NC. The challenge was in playing with the light and shadow, and in contrasting her soft skin and hair against the rusty rail car. I'm not happy with the hair (Sorry Steph) ...but this was fast work for me and I'm pleased with most of it! There was a cast shadow in the photo that fell across her head and ear and down her back. I didn't include that at first but decided it provided an interesting way to break up shapes so painted it in and I think it works.

Blog Anniversary

"My Song" 36" x 48" oil on stretched canvas

Last March - one year ago - my blog came into being with an older oil, "My Song" the first painting posted. Somehow it seems fitting to post it again since, as my all-time favorite, it's the one I consider my "signature piece". And, yes, I sold it - almost before the paint was dry! Didn't mean to sell it! Entered it in a show with a price way beyond what I thought someone would pay and, at the end of the show, it went to live in Brevard, North Carolina. The collector sent a photo of the painting on her wall in a lovely room which warmed my heart! That was so thoughtful of her and showed me "My Song" had found a special home! The painting began as a self portrait of me at my piano - well, didn't end up being "me" exactly but is a good portrait of my piano!

This year has flown by and via the blog, I have a journal showing me what I've painted and a reminder that I probably need to accelerate! Last March I had no idea whatsoever that anyone outside my family would ever visit, or that I would meet so many wonderful people and become blogging friends with artists around the world! Thanks to each and every one of you who visit and especially to you who leave comments! You mean more to me than you know! My intent is to make the posts more interesting in the year to come and to visit your sites more frequently and to leave comments!

Keep Looking Up

11 x 14 - oil on stretched canvas

Meet my sister-in-law, Monte. Her nickname is Sunshine and, while she now lives in central North Carolina, she is a "beach girl" at heart! A guest bath in her home is decorated with a beach-theme and she heads to the shore every chance she gets! This is another in the "Shades" series. My intent to showcase the shadow holes from the brim of the straw hat so attractive in the reference photo, - didn't work!! So, painted over the face which muted the stripes leaving a few "dots" for interest around her eye and mouth. This is much looser than I usually work...even used a palette knife on her shirt and the surf! I my revisit this little painting in the future, but for now will put it aside to look at later with a fresh eye. Monte's motto is "Keep Looking Up" and I hope she likes this interpretation of her reverent and fun-loving spirit!

Frank and Me

10 x 8 - oil on canvas

This is a painting of my wonderful husband using a reference photo from an outing last spring. He wasn't concerned about how I painted his face but he wanted that cap to look just right! Aren't men funny! Anyway, the legs in the reflection of the sunglasses are mine and thus the title. I painted this last week, and Monday it was juried into the "Arts of March" show at the Cape Coral Art League Center, 516 Cultural Park Boulevard, Cape Coral, and will hang through April 5! The show judge is watercolorist Joan Klutch and the opening reception takes place this evening! Getting in is an honor and I'm eager to see the show!

Sunshine Award

Thanks so much to Ann Rogers and Pat Koscienski for nominating me for this blogger award for creativitiy and positivity!
The rules for accepting the award are:
Put the logo on your blog or within your post.
Pass the award onto 12 bloggers.
Link the nominees within your post.
Let the nominees know they received this award.
Link to the person from whom you received this award.

Picking only 12 is really impossible - so I'm taking some liberties (we artists often do that, don't we?)- here are some artists you may or may not know and will certainly enjoy visiting!
Desiree
Ruth Bodycott
Lois Anderson
Lokelani Forest
Dennis Bailey
Colette Theriault
Jo Castillo