Ruby and Another Sale

Ruby / 10 x 8 / oil om linen panel

Children are such a great challenge to paint - one must try and retain their childish proportions and innocence while still attending to the essence of their personalities. Young Ruby has sparkling eyes, a captivating smile and a wild individualism about her. The portrait will be a surprise birthday gift for a very dear friend (Ruby's grandmother) whom I have known since I was 10 years old - a lifetime friend. I hope both she and Ruby like it.

And more good news from the Roux & Cyr gallery in Maine - another sale. This one of a loose and impressionistic lobster. I loved this one when I sent it off to the gallery and am so happy about the sale. I think it would look great in Maine seaside cottage kitchen!

Double Sojourn / oil on linen / 20 x 16

Large Project

Oil and graphite on cardboard / 44 x 53 inches

 

This painting has been in process on and off for a few weeks and, today, I feel like it is finally finished. What inspired me was that my husband ordered a glass floor mat to put under the chair in his office and it came packaged between two huge and wonderful pieces of cardboard! Of course, with my interest in painting on cardboard, I got very excited and  could not pass up the opportunity to experiment on such a large surface. Mulling over what to paint, it seemed appropriate to place one of my large ballerinas front and center. Once the subject was selected, I decided not to prepare the surface at all but to jump right in and paint directly on the cardboard. I started out with a graphite drawing and, when that was finished to my liking, began with oil thinned with mineral spirits. Thicker paint came later. The surface is 44 inches by 53 inches. It is the largest painting I have ever done and I do admit to really loving the way the surface absorbs the paint.

I will show you the stages of how this painting developed. (Click on each photo to see it larger).... 

First the initial drawing in pencil. I had not added the man's face in the lower left at this point.

 

Second - defining the drawing in thinned oil paint and delineating the shadowed areas.

Starting to add color.

The finished picture and some close ups. 

I hope you enjoyed seeing the process - and the good thing is - I still have a second gigantic piece of cardboard!

Eyes Wide Closed!

Male portrait with eyes closed / oil on linen / 14x11

Winter is finally on the run with several days of rain that washed away most of the snow - and my Christmas Roses look like they survived beautifully. And they are still blooming. What a wonder!

Experimenting on Paper

Oil on brown paper / 22 x 28

Wanting to do a large figure painting, I found a roll of brown wrapping paper in my closet and decided to try it out as all of my linen panels were much smaller. I have not painted in oil on paper for such along time that I forgot how absorbent it is and struggled mightily with this figure. I do love how the paper grabs the paint and just won't let go - it is quite a different experience than painting on a prepared canvas or linen. 

This next portrait of Chloe was done on gessoed watercolor paper. Each painting is such a learning experience!

Chloe / oil on watercolor paper / 15 x 11

The Lovely Lynn and Another Rabbit Dream

Lynn was such a great subject to paint with her mass of elegantly unruly hair and her slight smile. And I love doing profiles!

Lynn / oil on linen panel / 18x14

And another rabbit dream painting.......

Dignity of the Hare / oil on linen panel / 14 x 18

Yesterday was another snowy day - we ended up having to shovel the snow off the driveway twice in hopes of keeping it clear. I was exhausted at days end - but today is clear and crisp with not a single snowflake in sight! 

This photo is of two small plants in my front walkway that were blooming merrily right before our last big storm. Now they are buried in snow about 8 inches deep - I wonder how they are doing? My girlfriend in the UK told me they are called Christmas Roses and they generally bloom all winter long! What a miracle!

Having some Figure Fun

Oil on cardboard / 16 x x12

This morning we were treated to the additional delight of a small herd of deer in our valley. We have seen them several times this winter. They are mule deer and I never get tired of watching them!

From Portrait to Figure-and LOTS of Snow!

 Decided to take a break from portraits and do a figure painting yesterday.

Oil on linen / 12x16

A closer look....

It began snowing as I was painting - just a delicate beautiful snowfall. But the storm continued throughout the night and when we awoke this morning we were greeted by a winter wonderland!

Early morning view from the front walkway.

My husband and the snowblower - both getting a real workout!

 

 

Afternoon delight in Reno, Nevada!

Morgan and Picasso

Morgan, almost 8 / oil on linen board, 12 x 12

Morgan is the very beautiful and accomplished 8 year old granddaughter of my cousin Audre. I painted this casual portrait of her as a surprise  Christmas gift. Morgans parents were very happy and rewarded  me with this photo of the painting nestled atop their mantle on Christmas day.

Generally speaking (and after seeing numerous cubist paintings at various museums), I am not a big fan of cubism but I am a big fan of Picasso's early work - he was such a talented and unique painter even then. Recently, after watching the Genius  television series on the life of Picasso, I purchased a used copy of the 1980 catalogue from the Picasso retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. It is a very comprehensive chronology of his work and I have spent many long hours pouring through it and learning from him. Many of the photos are in black and white but there are some fascinating color plates as well.

Pablo Picasso A Retrospective 1980

Child Holding a Dove 1901 and Self Portrait 1901

Woman in Blue 1901

Trying my hand at a Picasso and attempting to understand and emulate his fearless brushwork, I painted this little copy of a vibrant portrait he did in Paris in 1901

Portrait of Bibi la Puree after Picasso / oil on cardboard 12 x 9

This and That

Portrait Sketch / 10x8 / oil linen panel

First portrait of the new year - done from a photo.

Untitled / 24x20 / oil canvas panel

 And a larger oil done last year. I am still struggling for a an appropriate title for this one! A close up of her face gives an indication of her demeanor and hints at a good title. I just have not discovered it yet!

The Reinert Gallery was kind enough to frame the paintings I sent to them and send me these two photos - you can see that they are safely guarded by the ferocious gallery guard dog!

My husband and I spent Christmas in Las Vegas in December as neither of our children could make it home for the holidays. It was very cold and even snowed a little bit on one frigid, windy day! But we braved the chill and drove to Red Rock Canyon, which is only about 20 miles outside of the city. It was so unique and so beautiful! Here are some photos:

 

Hope everyone is having a great beginning to this New Year and that it is proving to be filled with creativity and accomplishment!

Some New Work at Reinert Fine Art

Closer to the Elusive Goal / oil on linen panel / 18x24

Deterministic Chaos / 16x20

Fundamental Synergy / oil on linen panel / 18x24

Three new hound dog paintings shipped off to Rick Reinert at the Reinert Finae Aat Gallery in Charleston, South Carolina. Thank you to Rick, Ann and Jason. 

My husband and I are off to Las Vegas for our Christmas holiday this year as neither of our children will be home to celebrate with us. Instead we will treat ourselves to a Golden Knights hockey game and at Cirque du Soleil show. Everything changes and so we must go with the flow!

A very merry Christmas to one and all!

Having Reached the Turning Point

Yesterday afternoon was spent sequestered in my studio, under my wonderful LED daylight lighting, completing the painting begun during our stay in Stanford. It felt wonderful to be in the comfort and security of my studio, immersed in painting and letting go of all stress and worry as the artistic spirit overtook me once again.

Here is the completed jump racing picture, a photo of it in an intermediate stage and a photo of the start of the painting in the hotel room. Even though I began this painting only about a week ago, it feels like a century has passed!

Having Reached the Turning Point / oil on linen panel / 14 x 18

Intermediate stage

Hotel room beginning

The Color of Magic

The Color of Magic / oil on masonite panel / 16 x 12

Having fun painting again!

My husband and I just got back from another trip to California - this one for business with very little pleasure. He is traveling to Las Vegas in March for a week long Mathematics Convention and after that, we are planning a very exciting get-away for early May. The details are just coming together and I will post more when its for certain. I intend to spend the next few days catching up on blogs and painting, painting, painting. Please feel free to comment on this exuberant work - I welcome hearing all your thoughts and reactions!

Steeplechase Racing!

Untitled / oil on canvas panel / 12 x 16

Untitled / oil on canvas / 9 x 12

A few smaller works as I am trying to create a body of paintings for the smaller works gallery!

Working on Titles and a BIG Thank You to Sandra!

Untitled / 12x12 / oil on canvas panel

Untitled / 12 x 16 / oil on masonite

Untitled / 8x10 / oil on canvas

Untitled /10x8 / oil on canvas

I am working on titles for a group of paintings that I am still working on. Titles are very important to me and I would like to have the titles reflect my ideas and thoughts about this project, giving it a sense of cohesion. Hopefully, I will get a chance to give this some thought in the coming weeks.

And a huge hug and very big thank you to my art blogging cyber friend Sandra Busby who paints absolutely sparkling glass and wonderfully emotive teddy bears! She was kind enough to feature my work in her bi-monthly newsletter with a link to my site. I am thrilled! Thank you so much, Sandra!

Good News x2 !!!

And the good news is....the Roux and Cyr International Fine Art Gallery in Portland, Maine, is showcasing my work with a focus on ballerinas during the month of February. This is my first solo show and I am as excited as can be! The Art Walk event is on Friday, February 6th from 5 to 8 pm. I will be keeping my fingers crossed that the weather is clear and not too bitterly cold! Thank you so much to Susan Roux and Paul Cyr for giving me this incredible opportunity.

And speaking of good news, I have been invited to participate in a new gallery in Charleston, South Carolina. This gallery plans to open by mid-March and will focus on smaller works. I will post more news regarding this opportunity as we get closer to the opening date. I was told that the art market in Charleston is second in the US only to New York! Wowee! What a great art start to 2015!