Les Deux Gamin

12x12 oil on panel
sold

A little blast from the past. Ready to find a permanent home!

I dreamed about going to NYC last night. This is a little corner bistro in the West Village where we had lunch one day during a workshop. I hope that the city, and New Jersey and surrounding areas are recovering from Sandy. What a devastating mess. My thoughts are with all in those affected areas.

MapQuest

10x12 oil on panel
Available at Tidewater Gallery
$900 framed


Another scene inspired by my NYC trip in May. The light those first two mornings had a strange glare and brightness to it that seemed unusual for the city. Today I'm working on some beach scenes for a commission. I can share these studies in a week or so. This is the first year in ages we won't make a trip to the beaches in FL. We're vacationing in Yellowstone this year and are very much looking forward to that!

Working Lunch

 

Working Lunch

20x16 oil on panel
Available at Tidewater Gallery

I had three larger paintings in the Vignettes show and they are a hint of where I am going next with my paintings. I want to work a little bigger. Having focused on rather small or medium sized works for the past several years, and being used to working the paintings to completion in one sitting, it will be interesting to see how I like scaling up. The goal though is to still have the intimate scenery - the vignettes of life - but on a larger scale. 

Sunny Side of the Street

18x18 oil on linen

SOLD

Bleeker Books

10x12 oil on panel
Available at Tidewater Gallery

I'm back home after a too quick trip to the NC coast. The opening reception for "Vignettes" was delightful. My heartfelt thanks to Ray and Jan for hosting and for all their work preparing the show. I'm so grateful to have such good people to work with. It was really nice to meet new friends like Sue, Judy, Dan and Eileen - and to see my "old" friend Whitney who came to visit with me. That's her checking out my work below!

The gallery has just the most amazing collection of work - I would have gladly taken home many many items if I could have. If you are anywhere in the area, you really should visit.

The area itself is just beautiful. I've always loved the coast and I look forward to being able to return someday soon. Now, its officially summer for me! Time for R&R!

Where to Next?

10x12 oil on panel

Available at Tidewater Gallery

This is inspired from my recent trip to New York City. I painted a view of this West Village corner on site, but was so frustrated with it, that I wiped it off. I sort of regret that now. I took a photo and later could see that it was at least a good start. It was a funny day there though - the light was really super bright and intense. More like Texas! No matter where I set up, I couldn't see well. Ah, the challenges of painting "en plein air".

"Vignettes"

An exhibition of small works by Robin Cheers

Tidewater Gallery

107 N. Front Street

Swansboro, NC

910-325-0660

Opening reception Friday, June 15, 5-8 pm

Walkabout

6x6 oil on panel
$100 + s/h - sold

Its hard to paint a busy scene small. And a figure no bigger than a bobby pin? whew!
But I pushed through it. Again, its a scene that needs to be larger. Or I need to crop in closer and paint just the figure (and her little dog too! - said in the voice of the Wicked Witch).

I've had an up and down day today and almost didn't paint. The up is that we are prepping to go to Cozumel for a family vacation and I am super excited about that. The downer was being rejected again for an art competition.

While I painted I pouted. But then I began to wonder why do I WANT to be accepted? I suppose it would be nice to win an award or see my name out there. But mostly I enter and hope to be accepted as part of best 'business practices'. Shouldn't I be trying to promote myself? Building my resume? Reaching a bigger audience and increasing the value of my paintings? Maybe in some way too I want to feel part of the larger world... that what I am doing in my studio is acceptable out there in the world. One can get tunnel vision or be isolated in this profession. And though the work was rejected, I still look at it and am reallllly pleased and wouldn't change a thing about my results. And ultimately, that is the best feeling.

There are so many possible avenues to consider WHY a painting isn't accepted to show, and I don't want to go into that here. But in sharing, maybe I can just let my friends know that rejection sucks, but it doesn't really mean much. Just keep painting.

#283

7x5 oil on panel
$100 + s/h - sold

I wasn't sure I liked this one until I stepped back. Just one of the thousands of beautiful townhomes lining the streets in NYC. At one, a guy doing some renovations made us an offer to purchase. Sure wish I had a big pile of cash laying around.

This one would be cool much bigger. Then I could better depict the man entering the doorway and better describe the building's lovely stonework. Definitely going to go big on this.

What Looks Good to You?

6x6 oil on panel
$100 + s/h - sold

Saturday brunch at the Bus Stop Cafe in the Village.

Colorful Corner

6x6 oil on panel
$100 + s/h - sold

This flower vendor certainly brightens up her corner, as well as people's homes, I'm sure.

Slurpee

7x5 oil on panel
$100 + s/h - sold

I've decided that I am going to go through my 900+ NYC photos, in order, and paint the scenes as they strike me. I often spend so much time looking through images, deciding on several to paint, wishing they were better or combining pictures, editing and cropping, etc. that I don't actually get to paint or lose focus because of too much eye candy.

If I practice responding to my first instinct, paint it immediately and move on, perhaps I will get better at making these decisions for larger paintings. Also, if I do these scenes first smaller scale, I can revisit them for larger, more developed works for my galleries. And the small works will be like a visual diary of my time in NYC.

Up first, a man sitting in Abingdon Park Saturday morning enjoying a refreshing drink and his book. We headed over to this area of the West Village first so we could get some fresh peaches and other breakfast items at the weekly farmer's market. I enjoyed trying to capture that dappled light.

Morning painting West Village

Found a good spot to work this morning and had some success. My little study is on the wall. There are great scenes everywhere, just not so many convenient places to "pull over".

409 Bleeker Street

24x20 oil on linen
Available at Russell Collection Fine Art

This is my second favorite recent painting. Its based on photos and a plein air piece I did in the city on my last visit. That was '09. I didn't get to go last year, but I'm planning a trip for this summer with some artist friends.

If you are interested in a guided painting trip there, check out Phil Levine's site. He plans workshops with some of the best teaching artists all over the western world, and he is leading a figure painting class in the city in May. I'm not sure if I will be able to plan my trip around that, the end of school and all, but I hope to still meet up with him while there. If he's not in France - sigh.

Sidestreet Study

30 minute sketch

I love this exercise! It seems almost unfair to spend so short a time, but get such good results. Truly, a few more minutes could refine this to a gallery ready painting. Its about 7 inches square on a loose piece of linen. This week, more of these and I'm going to start "gallery" works with a 30 minute "flash dance" as a friend commented! Love that. First thing for Monday though is our weekly figure session at a coffee house. Can't wait for that for many reasons.

Village Market

8x10 oil on linen

I'm still playing and experimenting. I'm trying a few new colors. Playing with shadows and light and values. I've been reading Kevin Macpherson's book Landscape Painting Inside and Out. He has some really interesting exercises in there that I am also going to try, even if its not landscape painting.
This scene is from a farmers market in the West Village a couple of years ago. I bought the most delicious peaches there. Who knew!? I thought Georgia was the peach state, but there is a rival in New Jersey for sure.

Village Corner

16x16
oil on panel

I can't decide.... I don't think I like it. I started yesterday and had it "done" and then I wiped some off and changed colors in the shadow and trees today. I still think the foreground shadow is too dark. And I think overall, it seems busy or cluttered. I know its a city... I guess I like things very simple. For once, the image here looks better than the real painting. One more try tomorrow to make it sing. And then moving on!
:-)

Bleeker Bookshop

6x8 oil on panel - sold
Ask Castle Gallery about this painting.



From a corner book store in the West Village. They set tables outside on the sidewalks for people to browse. I rather got distracted from painting by all the books. I do love to lose myself browsing among all the wonderful and inspiring written words. I have this desire to paint books. The covers themselves can be so interesting, but I suppose its already been done...

My theme here seems to be aimed at cozying down rather than painting and then packing for our trip.

Open

7x5 oil on panel
$100 + $12 s/h - sold

This is really a nice little painting, if I do say so myself. :-)
I couldn't get a great photo because the dark oils are reflecting a lot.

This man, probably the shop owner, kept coming out to pose for us (not his intention I am sure!) Sherrie and I were like the paparazzi waiting to take pictures each time he'd step out. The light was just so perfect on this store front. I've painted a larger version too (below) and it will be available at Tidewater Gallery in about a week.


Antiques Dealer
11x14 oil on panel
Ask Tidewater Gallery about this painting.

Village Jeweler

6x6 oil on panel
$100 + $12 s/h - sold

I caught this view just out of the corner of my eye (and had to back track) as we walked to dinner one evening in the Village. The dark store interior and the window reflections made a neat composition.
We had stopped at a wine store on the way too and I loved this window display (below). I am a fan of the color pink - though not of rose' wine. There are such beautiful and interesting little shops in the Village. I am working on a series apparently because I am starting a larger painting of a book shop now.

Cupcake Break

6x6 oil on panel
$100 + $12 s/h

Its been ages since I've done one of these small paintings. I've done some sketches on paper or loose canvas which were actually bigger. I think the trouble I have with this size is simplifying enough. I have to find a subject that is not busy, because rather than getting looser and being suggestive with the small format, I get tighter! I find that I work on these almost as long as a larger painting. I am not certain my efforts today were brilliant, but its a start as I try to get back to my blog's purpose!

These two girls were taking a break in a stoop in the West Village, the one eating a cupcake from Magnolia Bakery.

West Village Shops

Still on Friday (the 26th) and the sun came out. We moved over to the park near the now-famous Magnolia Bakery. It was in "Sex and the City" apparently so now all these bus tours come by and stop to buy cupcakes. I did not enter the bakery, nor eat a cupcake. But I had a hot pretzel from the vendor on the corner who at least was doing well selling drinks to wash down the cakes.

I had more success here. Below was my final painting of the day - an antiques shop across the street.


409 Bleeker Street - 12x10 oil on panel


Sherrie and Petra painting.


Study of a corner (Toons Thai restaurant) - oil on paper


Study of the antiques shop across the street - oil on paper

These paintings are going to stay in my private collection for now. They are my reference material and souvenirs.