Oliver

Oliver

20x16"

Oil

     Very soon I will be demonstrating portraiture for my local art club, so I am practicing. This is my nephew when he was about two. The skin tone of children is brighter and fresher than adults, so I must keep that in mind when mixing my paints. Also their features sit differently on their faces than adults. If I paint what I see, I should be safe, but it is good to understand these principles in advance.

"Tangerine Tango"

Three Big Apples

8x10"

Oil

$160

(Daily Paintworks Auction beginning bid $85)

     I had this painting all planned, and when the Challenge was to paint something in THE color for 2012, "Tangerine Tango," I did not have to look far for my subject. It took two yellows, one orange, two reds, and alizarin crimson to get that red.

     I love painting apples in the tree, but this was surprisingly difficult for no known reason, but I kept at it and finally got it to where I said, OK. Then when I photographed it, I could not get the colors to be true. I sacrificed the pale yellow (almost white) background for the red, red apples. In fact, they are even redder than they appear here.

     Even the most familiar jobs can sometimes jump up and say "Boo."

Breakfast

Mimosa

8x10"

Oil

$160

(Daily Paintworks beginning bid $100)

     I have not done a Challenge since before Christmas (you know, family, cooking, parties, etc.). When I saw that Carol assigned "Breakfast," I thought of eggs and croissants and such. But then I thought of the lovely Mimosas we had for Christmas Brunch and decided to paint that. 

     I am glad I chose this because I have never painted glass, and so here again is the Challenge spurring me on to new territory and teaching me lessons.

Sundae

Sundae

20x16"

Oil

     This is my latest and last commission. This lovely client talked me into it after I had already sworn off doing commissions. I am very honored that she wanted me to paint this for her.

     To me this is a "true-love" portrait. It was very important to convey the warmth and devotion these two feel for each other. I knew that even if the likeness was perfect but the feeling was not there, the painting would fail. I think it succeeded. My client likes it and she tells me that Sundae likes it too.

Fawn

Fawn

12x12"

Oil

$288

(Daily Paintworks Auction beginning bid $185)

     Deer often come through our yard. They eat anything in a flower pot and they drink from the birdbath.  I love it when they visit, but it is especially good when I can get a picture of them doing something more active like this little one scratching his ear. My problem here was to emphasize his cute self, not his rear end facing the viewer. I made his nose and eye very dark against the light background to make his face the focal point and left his bottom a dark value against a medium background to de-emphasize it. I like the way his body naturally creates the composition even though the focal point is in the lower quadrant, not what I usually prefer. Nature just has a way of offering us surprises.

Merry Christmas

Poinsettias

11x14"

Oil

     Merry Christmas to everyone.

 "Peace on earth. Goodwill toward men."

Meghan

Meghan

14x11"

Oil

     This is a portrait of that wonderful niece of mine, the owner of Scratch the bunny. Young girls are so full of beauty, mystery, and possibilities. They are the vessels we pour our hopes into.

     This painting was fun for me, not just because it is of someone I love, but because I ventured into the high-intensity color palette. The phthalos and quinacridones go together in a bright, vibrant combination. I love the result. I usually go back to the ochres and siennas for animals, but these intense colors seemed right for the bright pure colors of fresh youth.

     Naturally, I gave this painting to Meghan's mother.

That Rabbit!

Scratch

9x12"

Oil

$216

(Daily Paintworks Auction beginning bid $150)

     What is it about this rabbit?! I have painted him five times now. He belongs to my darling niece, so I know him personally. He has a funny nose due to a childhood accident, but he is just adorable, full of personality, very precious to all of us.

     I had several false starts on this painting and finally decided to start with his full eye and work outward from there. When I realized I wanted to put my heart and energy into that one spot of the painting, the rest of it fell into place.

Monte's Kong

Monte's Kong

8x6"

Oil

$96

(Daily Paintworks Auction beginning bid $65)

     When I saw that the Challenge this week was to paint your dog with his favorite toy, I was delighted. I love painting Monte and have done it many times. I will probably paint him again many more times. One interesting feature he has is his one blue eye. I have to be careful not to make it too blue or it will overpower his face and ruin its beauty. The concentration you see in his face is for real. When he is involved in sports, he is very focused.

Cupcake for Wayne

Cupcake for Wayne

8x8" 

Oil

$128

(Daily Paintworks beginning bid $65)

     This week we were to paint something in the style of a famous painter. It was known as the Picasso Challenge. I chose Wayne Thiebaud to imitate, one of my all time favorites. He often painted cakes, pies, ice cream cones, all lined up in a case, or singly. He is really a lot of fun, and always bright. When he signed his name he included a little heart, so I did too.

     As much as I admire him and enjoy his work (and what can be simpler than one little cupcake?), I found that I was not really able to paint in his style. It still looks very much like my own painting. I think there is a lesson in that. 

Dancing Shoes

Dancing Shoes

6x8"

Oil

$97

(Daily Paintworks Auction beginning bid $65)

     This week's Challenge was to paint your shoes, anyway you want. I chose shoes I rarely get to wear, but I really love them, high enough to be pretty and low enough to be able to walk and dance!

     The shoes are metallic gold and I set them up on a gold colored cloth. All the color was gold, gold, gold. How was I going to make a cool shadow when the shadow I saw was dark gold? I think it could have been good with a dark gold shadow, but I tried for green instead because it is the warmest cool. Then I put a little of the green in the shoes themselves to unify the canvas, and then I needed a little gold in the green shadow to balance that out.  Sometimes the simplest painting like this one takes a lot of work.

Sycamore

Sycamore

9x12"

Oil

$215

(Daily Paintworks Auction beginning bid $115)

     Landscapes! If I could learn to paint them, I would have a world of joy at my fingertips. I look around and behold the beauty of the earth. There are paintings just crying out to be done, no end of subject matter for me and my brushes. But success lies just out of reach. I continue to try because I know that if I can make it, I will be a very happy painter.

     These trees are at a park near Beale Air Force Base. I took lots of pictures there. As I said, there are paintings everywhere. I chose this one this time because it was mainly one tree, and the thing I liked about it was the light on the white trunks. I thought if I just stick to those simple parts, I might be a little further along on the road to success.  I wash down so many landscapes. I am going to keep this one.

Lioness with Cub

Lioness with Cub

18x18"

Oil

$648

(Daily Paintworks Auction beginning bid $420)

     A friend went to Africa and brought back so many wonderful pictures of wildlife and landscape. I was lucky that she shared those pictures with me since my own safari is yet to come.

     This photo shows the mother lion with her cub by the scruff and another cub (twins!) trotting alongside. To compose the painting, I had to eliminate the second twin and save him for another painting some day. I wanted this painting to be very vague in all areas except in the faces and paw. Those areas I gave detail to but left the rest of the image almost an abstraction. I also wanted the general color to be analogous with only a little spice color in the detailed sections. 

     With those goals in mind, I think it turned out, but not without two or three false starts.

Paint Your Pumpkin Challenge

The Great Pumpkin

6x8"

Oil

$96

(Daily Paintworks Auction beginning bid $65)

     I suppose the Challenge implied that the pumpkin should be a Jack O' Lantern type, but this one lives in the front yard of one of the lovely Victorian houses here in Nevada City, Ca, and because it reminded me of Linus' Great Pumpkin, I felt it was appropriate for the occasion.

Four Red Apples

Four Red Apples

9x12"

Oil

$215

(Daily Paintworks Auction beginning bid $150)

     This poor old canvas. I have painted so many unsuccessful pictures on it and washed them down each time. The threads I love so much in the texture of good canvas are almost smooth now. 

     Sometimes, when I hit a wall, the best thing for me to do is tell myself to just paint something for myself and forget about all the rules and lessons I have been trying to teach myself. And so here is something I will keep on the canvas.

     This morning I heard Tony Bennet on NPR. He said he had been advised to study successful singers, but to not try to imitate them or he would be just another voice in the choir. How hard it is to find your own voice.

     I am pretty happy my Belgian Bangs was chosen as a DPW Pick.

Little Puffin

Little Puffin

12x9"

Oil

$215

(Daily Paintworks Auction beginning bid $150)

     Puffins look like clown birds, and how funny they are running across the surface of the water with their bright orange feet. This little painting was both easy and difficult. The easy part was the pure white next to the pure black, making the wonderful contrast. The difficult part was painting the face, trying to capture the color without making him look like he had painted on a clown face. The last stroke was the little bit of orange on his belly to reflect those amazing red-orange feet.

Golden Apple

Golden Apple

9x12"

Oil

$216

     This past summer I began working on compatible palettes and color schemes, using Exploring Color by Nita Leland. Much to learn and relearn there. This is one of the pieces I did that turned out a little different than the usual. I enjoy painting small scenes of nature as this one is, but instead of a sunny effect that I often try for, I chose the earth palette, which rendered a completely different mood. The arch composition and the limited color scheme gave me a painting I have grown to really like.

     This painting is hanging next month in the Small Works Exhibit at the ASIF Studios (Artist Studio In the Foothills) in Grass Valley, California.

Ten Minute Challenge

Six Gourds

6x8"

Oil

     The Daily Paintworks Challenge this week was to divide your canvas into small sections and then paint the same subject in each section, allowing only ten minutes per section. I used the little gourd that sits on my window sill in the studio. Our house if full of gourds because of Bill's work, but this one is mine. I think its stem is so graceful.

     At first, I thought I could not paint it over and over again, but now I see the value of the Challenge. The variety of treatments is probably endless, and giving myself only ten minutes to do each one prevented me from belaboring the task.

     The painting is not for sale. I washed it down. I did the work for the exercise and for the discipline. It was worthwhile.

Easter Girl Challenge

Easter Girl

8x6"

Oil

     This week's challenge was to paint the little girl on Easter Morning. The reference photo has cars, people, and trees behind her. We were supposed to simplify the background shapes, but I found painting the face on such a small canvas to be so challenging that I felt simplifying the shapes in the face to be demanding enough. Once again, the Challenge enabled me to do a thing I would not choose on my own. 

Magnolia Pair

Magnolia Pair

12x16"

Oil

$385

(Daily Paintworks Auction beginning bid $250)

     This is the second of the Magnolias I did last summer. That tree was old and huge and loaded with flowers. It was a beauty, but I think I will have only one more painting from it.   

     I liked suggesting the leaves and branches in an abstract way, but the best part was laying on the titanium white to highlight those big, thick white petals. Of course, they are not entirely white as very white objects rarely are in a painting.