Ava 2

Oil on Canvas

6x6"

$100

I have a lot to say about this. First, my subject is so fabulous that it is impossible to capture even a fragment of her beauty. Second, this is not what I am aiming for. I wanted it to be much more abstract, but I got caught in the process of finding her presence that I forgot to be expressive with my paint. Some faces are easy to paint and others resist it. This one resisted. I worked very hard on it. I should have known I was heading down the wrong path. If it is that hard, I am probably too deep into the parts that I do not want to paint but that are jumping up and down demanding attention. I want it to be a painting, not a drawing. 

So am I going to keep it? Yes.

Phoebe

Oil on Canvas

12x12"

sold

     Last week I painted Phoebe for a friend to give to a friend. I do not know Phoebe personally, so I used a photo reference. I think she looks like a dear, and she probably is. After all, someone wants her portrait.

     I often use photo references, but they are almost always ones I take myself. Even the ones of wild animals I take at Animal Ark in Reno.

     Phoebe certainly does not look wild. What a gentle soul.

Simone

Oil on Canvas

6x6"

$100

     So many faces, so little time.

Stella 6

Oil on Canvas

6x18"

$100

     Another little magnolia. This time on an extreme rectangle.

Dark Glow

Oil on Canvas

6x6"

$100

     I will not point out the specific flaws that I now see. There are probably plenty that I still do not see. I just cannot see everything.  If I keep looking, maybe I will get better at seeing. Our own faces are not perfectly perfect either. I still think she is beautiful.

Stella 3

Oil on Canvas

8x8"

$128

     These little flowers continue to delight me. I hope to paint many more.

Young Buck

Oil on Canvas

10 x 8"

$160

     This hungry guy got caught with the evidence right in his mouth. "Flowers? What flowers?"