At Court

16x20 oil on panel
Ask Castle Gallery about this painting

Sorry for my long silence. Life just moves at too fast a pace - no matter how I try to slow it down. Dogs (both ailing now), school, Girl Scout cookies, weather, life in general... you know the story!

The above is a scene from the Court of The Two Sisters restaurant in New Orleans. The photo doesn't do it justice - nor did I really. There are parts of it I like but sort of sent it out before I fixed a couple of things I'd like to adjust. Ah well... deadlines will do that to you.

I wanted to get it to Castle Gallery before their big Valentine's show "Amour de l'Art" which opens Friday night. Here's hoping another Arctic blast won't ruin their party.

I have been working on other things and stretching my wings a little which is exciting for me. I'm not ready to show the work yet tho. So for now, enjoy seeing what will be available at my galleries in the coming weeks.

No Waiting

 16x16 oil on panel

Available at Castle Gallery

This is an interior view of a Kerrville restaurant "Franciscos" that I like a lot. I painted the sidewalk in front of this restaurant during the Kerrville Outdoor Painter's event in Oct. and that painting won the Quick Draw event. I'll share a better photo of it tomorrow since its also available at the holiday show at Castle Gallery Dec. 14th.

Jeannie Seated Serendipitously

12x9 oil on paper - work in progress

Tuesday I was finally getting to work - having moved my things into my living room downstairs where it was so sunny and bright - when V called. She was nearby and wanted to see if I could meet at Starbucks. Then her sister called her and we agreed I should focus on my work and she'd visit her sister. THEN she called back and said her sister would like to pose for us if I'd like. Well, of course I liked that!

She sat in my sunny window and we all visited while we sketched.
I am definitely going to finish this up. It's a nice start.

I am in Atlanta - Marietta specifically - come visit with me at dk Gallery tonight 6-9 pm!

Making Expressive Paintings

Time passes and I have to look at my blog first to see what I've posted.Wow! Has it been that long?

I've gotten the girl back to school. She is very excited to be a 5th grader. And I am very glad to get back to a routine and have hours of studio time. The early mornings are tough tho. 

Yesterday I met V.... for hot chocolate and painting. I started a chef scene. Will finish it today. Also, I'm shipping out some work for the Farm to Table show at DK Gallery this week. 

I continue to think a lot about my work and am considering workshops or maybe asking someone - some "master" - to mentor me and help me push through to the next level. Less representational, more expressive. But I am not sure that can be taught. I think I just have to be willing to risk messing up a good painting to create something that is great. I have to stop analyzing and correcting until the soul is gone. 

The painting below has been on my easel a month now. I like it. But there are certainly things that are incorrect or odd looking. But if I go over it and make changes, won't I tighten it up and just create another average picture?

untitled, 18x18 oil on cradled panel

If I look at Dan McCaw or Tom Balderas - two amazing expressive impressionists - their perspective is off, their figures not perfectly rendered, etc. They are still much looser than I, but I am working my way there. Slowly! And I think that is part of the secret too. Their paintings might look random and messy but they have worked very hard to create that illusion. I imagine every stroke is planned and put down and left alone.

European Sculpture Court

24x18 oil on cradled panel

Ask DK Gallery about this painting

How about a little break from the big city to visit the cool and quiet interior of the Met? This view played into two of my favorites - the museum and an overhead view. This is a beautiful space at the Met. All that glass with natural light pouring in and a view to the greenery of Central park. I got there at the right time on this day!

Oyster Bar

 12x9 oil on panel each

I think I had names in mind for these but have forgotten them. Hopefully I will come up with something clever. For now, they are two more views of the Oyster Bar. I've sent these images to Castle Gallery and all three paintings are spoken for. That is a wonderful feeling. I guess I got it right!

Oyster Bar

16x20 oil on panel
sold

Last fall, I had the pleasure of meeting a wonderful couple in their favorite restaurant - The Oyster Bar - in Forth Wayne, IN. It was a dim, narrow and historical old building with a lot of charm and character and they wanted me to paint some scenes from it. They get first pick of the scenes I've worked on. 
I'm sending this and two others to Castle Gallery soon for their annual Valentine's Show. Opening night is February 9th.

Picking Up

10x12 oil on panel
Available at Tidewater Gallery
$900 framed
 
Ok - last one of this series. And though I am in the final throes of packing for our trip to YELLOWSTONE!!! I will write one last little story about model painting. This one isn't anything more than personality conflicts. I tired again to set up a model in public places over a year ago I guess. We had just a few artists at first, nice and small, but then someone invited so and so, and they invited another, and it grew and grew. Which is a good thing, but even the larger outdoor space we had at Mozarts on the lake, was getting cramped and I worried about our becoming a nuisance. AND we had someone join who was a real organizer and stronger leader than me (notice how politely I am saying this) so I was soon feeling pushed out of my own group. I didn't feel like it was going in the direction I had hoped. I'm kinda free-form and relaxed about things like this, and I shy away from organized stuff. If it gets too rigid, it isn't fun. Ultimately, winter came and we moved to a friend's indoor space and the models took on too traditional and stuffy a pose, so I stopped going and I believe the group kinda melted away again. 


Now I am just going to hire models when I need and want and invite a friend or two to join me if they like. No schedules, no drama, lots of variety, etc. 


We all have our ways of working that suit us best, and while its good to get out of our comfort zones to try new things, its also good to recognize what works for us and makes us happy and productive.  And there is no shame in preferring your studio, or being alone, or listening to heavy metal or talk radio, or having certain beliefs...the shame comes from not letting yourself be who you are. wow, I'm waxing kinda zen here.

May you all be happy and productive in whatever you do.  :-)

Mirror Mirror

10x12 oil on panel
Available at Tidewater Gallery
$900 framed
 
This is the same model as yesterday. This was mostly a photo session we'd done at this location, hence the different scenes. I had some comments about arranging models rather than just taking candids - which I do a great deal of too! A few years ago (I can't keep track of time!) I had the idea to hire models to pose at my house and even to pose in public spaces. I wanted to paint more from life, but still paint the scenes I love, not just a figure posed or nudes from a life drawing session. There are a lot of resources in Austin for models so finding references wasn't too hard. You can probably find them in your area through colleges, the art community, theater community, etc. 


BUT - you never can tell about personalities and I've heard horror stories from models as well as artists. I have a minorly scarey/funny story myself. Luckily, the model was fine when I had her at my house and another location in town, but she invited some of us to come to her property to paint there. Terri and Carol might chuckle over this memory! We drove out to this place, buried in the woods and a little rundown. No grand vistas, no water, lots of "funny smoke" in the air, shall we say. She took us on a grand tour through the brush telling us her big ideas about a music event she was planning on the property - spicing things up with some outlandish ideas of government plots, oil and gas industry poisonings, etc. It just got weirder. And we are all too polite to just take off, so we tried to set up and paint - our backs together in  a circle practically. Carol, as I recall managed to get a neat painting in of an abandoned car... hmmm, that seemed to become a theme for her! HA HA
Anyway, the woman was on something and unbalanced and we were happy to make as hasty a retreat as we could. I was a little shaken. 
Moral of the story, don't go out to paint alone. Ever. 


It took me awhile to decide to try the model thing again - and this time I focused on public spaces like outdoor cafes, etc. And it went well... for awhile. There is ANOTHER story. Stay tuned!

Finishing Touches

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


I had three paintings of this model in the show! I didn't realize I had quite so many of her. I'll show the others in the next couple of days. She is a lovely model and I loved the intimate "toilette" scenes we arranged during down times at a class. 

Two weeks ago my friend - and fabulous artist - V....Vaughan came over for a model session at my house. Its really wonderful to have the opportunity to compose scenes, photograph and paint from life in the comfort of your own home. Naturally, you want good people to work with in this case - and boy do I have a story for you about that!

Below is the study I started of Kelli. We had her in so many outfits and places all over the house and yard that we ended up only painting about 30 minutes. My daughter and her friend got into the action too and put on costumes and acted out scenes for us too. It was a lot of fun. I can't wait until I begin working larger scenes this fall from the images we captured during this session. I will unveil some new, big works, at the Russell Collection "Femme" show in Austin during December.

 

Dîner de Fête

10x12 oil on panel (each)
Available at Tidewater Gallery

Cafe Gitane is in NYC right in the Jane Hotel. We ate breakfast there every morning and often ended our day there too with a nightcap (a yummy chocolate chaud). Its a French theme with a little bit of Morocco thrown in - very Casablanca feeling. At night, it glows with the vapor lights from outside and the dim lamps and antique chandeliers inside add to the warm glow. It was fun to try to paint everything with an orangey-pink tinge. These paintings, un and deux, are framed separately but make a nice pair. See them at my show opening next Friday!

"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

Show catalog available on Lulu.

Dressed Up

10x12 oil on panel

Available at Tidewater Gallery

Its June and time to begin sharing some of the paintings which will be in my upcoming show in North Carolina. This is a pretty exciting event for me. My first solo show and my first series of works. Last fall, I wanted to explore rapid paint sketches and practice getting my ideas down quickly. I chose to paint on 10x12 inch panels because the size is doable in one painting session and its a nice format. The size and process of creation is 'theme' of the series, while the subject matter reflects my usual obsession with painting my observations of daily life - 

"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

Peony Tea Room

14x11 oil on panel

Available at Castle Gallery for the Living Color show, opening May 11.

This little tea house has been the source of much inspiration for me. I need to get back to Fort Wayne for another visit! The restaurant is in a beautiful historic home not far from Castle Gallery and they serve a lovely traditional English tea.

30 Minute Start

10 minutes

30 minutes


Final
10x12 oil on panel

I frequently post work in progress on my Facebook page, but haven't done so here in awhile. I am working on paintings for my "First Impressions" show which will be at Tidewater Gallery opening June 15th.

I still work with my kitchen timer as a way to get that initial impression sketched down as quickly as possible. Once I have the big shapes massed in, I can work as long as I like modifying those shapes and working them into smaller divisions. I like the looseness and variety of brushwork that I get during the quick block in phase, its all about the energy and excitement of inspiration. I get my idea down before any external distractions can pull me away and before I analyze and question the idea to death.

I don't spend a lot of time after the timer goes off. For small works, I often stop there and love the results. But with larger works, I will go into the focal area and make more sense of things and get some nice hard or soft edges and modify colors and shapes. You can see the difference in the figure above... when the timer went off, I had the big shapes there, but spent some time bringing that figure out of the dark. In the background, I only added a few suggestions of the door, the door frame and the lamp - the rest was left alone after the first mad rush.
I'm not sure I explain this well... but it works so well for me. I find if I don't stop and paint what first inspires me, and if I spend too long composing, drawing, analyzing, etc. then I lose the "vision." The only preparation I make is to draw an X across the board and use a viewfinder with 2 strings likewise, or draw those lines across my photo reference to give me a way to measure quickly. I recently got the MVP viewfinder (scroll down on her page) from the fabulous Peggi Kroll Roberts and its pretty neat - but a whole gird is more time consuming. Maybe a few dots could mark those lines... will give that a try perhaps tomorrow.

A Well Balanced Diet

12x12 oil on panel

I have no idea where I will send this yet.

Here is the painting I showed yesterday while being varnished. I'm currently stewing over how to paint a restaurant interior without so many dark colors. I did two others last week that just seem to dismal and dim. I will let you know what I come up with.

Sanctuary - Mission San Jose

14x11 oil on panel

Ask Tidewater Gallery about this painting.

I don't do many interiors, but I like them a lot. Maybe its just that I don't like empty spaces. This is Mission San Jose in San Antonio. Its the first stop on the mission trail, if you are going to start from the visitor's center! What I love about these missions is that most are active parish churches still and people attend services there just as in old days. They are still loved and used and amazing spaces.

Moses Botkin Monthly Challenge

This month's subject was my pick. And I chose something that has challenged me before. An unmade bed. I think the difficulty is the pattern of the sheets on top of the folds and rumples. As it turns out, I didn't quite get into those sorts of issues. I saw this scene at my parent's house in Florida recently. They've had this bed for ages and its the one I now sleep in when I visit. I had gotten up one night late and when I came back, the perfect scene presented itself.


The Old Brass Bed
10x8 oil on panel - PURCHASE
(c) 2009 Robin Cheers


"Asleep in the Window Seat"
18x24 oil on canvas
(c) 2009 Marie Fox



Expedition on an Unmade Bed
8x10 oil on board
(c) 2009 Diana Moses Botkin



Wine Night
8x8 oil on board
(c) 2009 Michael Naples



The Boys
9x9 oil on canvas
(c) 2009 Vicki Ross



Unmade Bed
12x9 oil on canvas
(c) 2009 Silvina Day

Low Conversation II

16x16 oil on linen panel - sold

This painting went to Castle Gallery last week for their Valentine Show. The reception is Saturday night from 5-10 pm. Always a good party - so those nearby should try to go. This scene is from Mario Batali's restaurant Del Posto in New York City.

Looking Up To Lincoln

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

These are my friend's daughters, looking up to the mammoth statue of Abraham Lincoln in Washington D.C. This has to be my favorite monument. He was such an amazing president, facing immediate succession and civil war upon his election. Reading his speeches again gave me goose bumps. I hope that we can all come together and be positive about the changes ahead. I am rather excited.

Taking Five - Cafe Du Monde

16x12 oil on panel

Ask Castle Gallery about this painting

A favorite subject!