Nu

5x7" original oil

available as June's little eBay painting

sold

 

Each month in 2013 I am painting a tiny original to auction off on eBay, and each painting gets a title from the Greek alphabet to mark the series. My small originals begin retail at $250, so grab these eBay deals quick - opening bids are only $100. 

I took some pictures three springs ago of cherry tree blossoms near my house. Only a handful of the pictures turned out OK. I've had my favorite photograph pinned to my studio bulletin board forever now, and when I realized I hadn't painted June's eBay painting yet, I decided on a whim to paint a little 5x7" of this cherry tree branch. I am really drawn to the deep blue sky against the sunny white petals. There are a lot of colors going on in these wee white petals. Enjoy some photos below of what I saw in the studio today as I worked:

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To bidders: Please note that this painting is on 3/16" masonite and not for example on stretched canvas. This 5x7" on masonite will be a cinch into pop in a ready-made frame.

tools of the trade

those weeds out there are what I should be working on but OH WELL

lovely detail of the petal swishes

detail of the prima donna...love that swipe of white on the bottom petal

Radiance

18 x 24" original oil

commission

This is an alstromeria lily. When I was little, we had a big (like 30x30" in my memory) framed lily painting in our foyer. I remember sitting on the cool slate tile and looking up at that painting and trying to figure out the order of each brush stroke and how the artist was able to make the background flowers look out of focus the but center of the lily crisp and in focus where it looked like it was coming off the canvas. My dad was mesmerized by this lily painting. My mom enjoyed it too, but I mostly remember how much my dad loved it. I think this early experience with a flower painting was a big influence on my current career path. 

Enjoy looking through the photographs below. Now you can be a fly on my studio wall as I work. My friend DC (who is also the one who commissioned this painting) came over and took a bunch of photographs of her painting coming to life. Thanks for the commission DC and I really enjoyed how this one turned out.

If you are interested in commissioning your own painting, contact me by clicking here or you can also contact any of my galleries. Thanks! 

(The color temperature in the below photographs is not balanced due to my bright work light so close the the canvas, so the lily looks browner than it really is, FYI)

I love seeing the brushwork in the glare.

This zoom-in of the petal reminded DC of The Wave, a red-rock formation in Utah that is popular with hikers.

I mix and hold the new color to the reference photo to decide if it's too warm, cold, dark or light, or my favorite, just right.

DC liked how I had some quick notations written onto my table. When Pandora is on and I want to remember a track to buy later, I take notes.

This one stripe had three colors. It went from yellow-orange to a darker pink to a pinkish-green. The trick is to work into wet paint and change color, but make the line look unbroken.

The Chaco shot: best shoe ever.

This droplet was the hardest because it was the biggest one I was unable to use my pinky for leverage with (since the surrounding paint was all wet).

Again, I love the brushwork shown by the glare. Fi-yah!

Workin' on a Lily

detail of a commissioned 18x24" oil in progress

browns, reds, pinks, ochres, golds, blacks, and a hint of greens

I'm working on an 18x24" commission of an alstromeria lily. The person who commissioned it is the same person who took the photograph, and they took one awesome photograph. All of my favorite elements of strong back lighting and drama are there. There are even water drops. At first I shied away from them like the devil, but to make the commissioner happy I added a few, decided they weren't evil, and am adding most of them now. They are my favorite part. I take none of the credit! The commissioner saw from the get-go that they were the magic makers.
To paint a water droplet alla prima, work dark to light. Find the darkest color in the drop and paint the whole drop shape that dark. Add the medium highlight on the rim or center, then add the whitest highlight dot. Bam. One water droplet. More work on this tomorrow! Stay tuned. 

Best Friend

 17 x 17" original oil

sold

In the last year I have done 22 dog paintings and they've all been 6x6". The small wrapped panels are cute, chubby, able to sit on a bookshelf or dresser top, and so collectible. I decided I'd like to see what a bigger doggie looked like, and I'm so happy with it. I love this painting because the 17x17" size exaggerates the perspective of the nose-first photograph. It is so loveable and quirky, just like my Buttercup. I see more in the future that are larger like this, but I will still continue the minis. I just want to kiss that face! 

Detail of "Best Friend": The brushwork is so fractured and crazy, but that's what I love about it, especially the color changes on the  muzzle and her whisker spots.

Buttercup loves it! She highly approves of all her portraits.