Take Your Turn

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

For almost half a year I have been dealing with a health issue that has greatly affected my life. I have been seeing doctors but they are so far baffled by my symptoms. Fortunately I am still able to paint, but that is just about all. Recently I made the hard decision to cancel my workshop that would have happened this summer, and I'm so sorry to those of you who were signed up for that. Recently I was referred to the Mayo Clinic and will hopefully get some answers there.

New Blue

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

My husband recently built me a new still life stage that I've been thinking about for years. (click photo to enlarge) The frame is welded steel. The stages or shelves are topped with wood and can be moved up and down as needed. The top one is for eye level views, as you can see in the second photo. The bottom shelf is for birds eye compositions, specifically larger ones that I have been hankering to paint. Eventually I will have a third, mid-size shelf for everything in between. The top bars are for clamping lights to, and draping fabric over when I need to control ambient light. The vertical piece (wood) is covered in cork so I can pin up fabric or paper.

This is the first painting I've done using my new stage. I'm also featuring a new blue vase that I picked up recently at my favorite, local, junk shop. : )

Collections

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

Everywhere I go I keep my eyes peeled for things to paint. I have a pretty big collection by now. Here are just a few of my favorites that I think make a nice team.

The Busker's Dog

 

Click Here to Buy for $400 - 10x10in. - oil on panel

This is a slightly larger piece I did recently of a scene I came across last year in Freiburg, Germany. There were quite a few small, awkward things happening in the reference photos, and I used my ipad and an art app to try out alternatives before and while I was painting. For example, the guy on the left was standing right at the edge of the ground shadow, so I moved him forward a little, which involved changing the shadow on his shoes, among other things. I thought the painting would be about the buskers, but when my husband saw it he said it was about the dog. Which, in hindsight, is perfectly obvious.

Particular Pears

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 8x6in. - oil on panel

I don't often paint in a vertical format. For some reason it's harder for me to compose this way. But these pears insisted on it.

Hide the Last Apple

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

When I have a bunch of fruit, I have a hard time not painting them in a glass bowl. I've done it lots of times. Here's one of my very first ones, from 2007.

Standing By

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

In case you don't know, Daily Paintworks (the website my husband and I created and run) has a monthly contest with cash prizes! There are only 29 entries so far this month, so there's a real chance to win. Please consider entering soon (it can be any 2-D fine art - no theme - and you don't have to be a member). The top 15 picks get a free month and a featured spot on the front page. : )

Alone Together

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I was enamored with the little bits of pure blue in the bowl and its shadow where it meets white. Colored glass is so fun to paint. I keep looking for new bowls, but they are hard to find.

Ready for my Closeup

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 8x6in. - oil on panel

I found the reference for this regal creature on one of the royalty free sites. I don't know what kind of dog she is. Any ideas?

UPDATE: The consensus is - Irish Setter. Thanks, everyone! : )

Peaceful Pears

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

Pears can vary in personality. These have been pretty chill so far. They couldn't stand for very long, so I told them they could do a lying down pose. They fell asleep but they didn't snore.

Bored on a Bench

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 6x8in. - oil on panel

Here is group of bored teenagers in Florence, Italy - probably waiting for the rest of their group. I'm just happy to see they aren't looking at their phones!

Standing Together

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

We have a fabulous little junk shop in downtown Missoula with bottles galore displayed in the front window. We walk by it pretty regularly, so I get to see any new additions. I just acquired this tall, skinny one from there for my collection. You'll definitely see it again.

Don't Be Blue, Bells

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I've probably said this before, but whenever I am painting a shadow going into a shadow, a softer edge usually works better than a hard edge. For example, the little bowl at the bottom-left, with the bell pepper in it - where the shadow side of the bowl meets the shadow that the bowl is casting, the edge almost disappears. Same with the shadow that the top bell is casting on the plate, where it meets the shadow it's casting on the paper to the right of the plate. Did you notice before I pointed it out? But you read it as an edge, right? Our brain fills in the details even if they are fuzzy in the paint.

Oil Painting Supplies

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

Here are a few of my art supplies. I don't often think to paint them because ... I'm using them. Haha. But it's fun to do occasionally.

Take a Load Off

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 6x8in. - oil on panel

Here is another one with these two teenage bell peppers. I call them that because they are a little small, and stubborn (ie. difficult to compose). And they didn't have super solid bases, so they kept falling over. I have a teenager, so I know all about this.

Florence Spotlight

 

Click Here to Buy for $300 - 6x12in. - oil on panel (click image to enlarge)

This was painted from my favorite reference photo from my last trip to Florence, Italy. I admit I stood there and waited for people to pass through the shaft of light until I got the perfect shot. But I was also waiting to paint it! Why? No idea. So here it is. I kind of completely love it.

Kitty Cat Clean

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 5x7in. - oil on panel

This was a fun one to paint. I mean, that tongue! I just couldn't lose.

Seeking Love

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I went to the store and found these adorable, little, orange bell peppers. I thought they would be a cinch to paint, but they put up a fight. It took me an hour and a lot of frustration just to come up with this one. Maybe they are teenage bell peppers. That would explain a lot.

Ode to Green

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

Often it's the simplest compositions that are my favorite. And always the most difficult to compose! Strange to say, but true.

Pig Want Egg

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 6x8in. - oil on panel

I'm enjoying playing around with little, leaning, bits of paper in my still lifes. They make especially nice shadows, and throw lovely reflections back on things.