Showing posts with label original. Show all posts
Showing posts with label original. Show all posts

Monday, April 8, 2013

Figure Painting Workshop Day Two


I've gotten used to painting still lifes by myself in my studio. Inanimate objects are nice to paint. You can put them exactly where you want them and they just sit there. You can leave and come back and they're still there waiting for you. Painting by yourself is nice. All your own stuff, working at your own pace, and when it comes time to compare yourself to the other painters in the room, you usually end up pretty near the top. Painting a live model with others was something I hadn't done for a really long time. I've been affiliated with this particular group of painters online for awhile, but I hadn't had the opportunity to paint with them in person. Life is rich as we like to say, and between the family and the day job and the other day job, it was hard to make it work logistically. But, finally, here I was, brushes in hand, hoping I didn't embarrass myself too badly. Surrounded by really good painters. Under the watchful eye of amazing painter Eric Bowman. No pressure, right?
Turns out the other painters were as kind and supportive as they are talented. Carol, one of the owners of the studio where we were painting, and a really good painter herself, repaired my paintbox, completely unsolicited, which had literally fallen apart midway through the first day of the workshop. And Eric Bowman is as magnanimous in his instruction as he is a virtuoso in his painting. All things said, I couldn't have had a better group of people to paint with. My best work? Far from it. But it was a good start. Thanks, everybody.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

52 Weeks 100 Paintings #56 Target Cart



Painting #56 - Target Cart
8" x 10"  (new size!) 
Oil on Canvas Panel
Sold


They say it's the little things. And for some reason, right now the little things
for me are the new carts at Target. I realize that's not profound or anything,
but as I get older I'm realizing that a lot of times, the best things aren't.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

52 Weeks 100 Paintings #54 - Macarons


Painting #54 - Macarons
7" x 5"
Oil on Canvas Panel
Sold

Angela told me I had to try a macaron. I thought macarOOn. Coconut? Shaped like a haystack? Okay I guess, but not the sort of thing you go out of your way to recommend. Little did I know. Macarons are little french cookies made with ground almonds with a filling in the middle. Actually, just go to http://www.laduree.fr/en/histoire/macaron. I can't do them justice. Those featured in the painting are pistachio, white chocolate, hazelnut and peppermint, but they come in more flavors than you can imagine. Salted caramel is our personal favorite. If you're in the Vancouver/Portland area, they've got them at Pix Patisserie or Elephants Deli. If you're not in the Vancouver/Portland area and are a fan of perfect little things, Google it. Trust me.


Friday, November 9, 2012

52 Weeks 100 Paintings #52 Venti Americano Extra Shot No Room


52 Weeks 100 Paintings
#52 Venti Americano Extra Shot No Room
5" x 7"
Oil on Canvas Panel
Sold
 
My drink of choice at Starbucks. If the barista is feeling extra magnanimous, he/she will throw in the sixth shot of espresso. Not always, but it's a nice little extra when they do. Some people say they can't exist without their coffee. But you know what? After watching the devastation of Hurricane Sandy I'm reminded that it's most definitely a luxury. It's too bad that it takes something horrific like that to make one appreciate big important things like having a place to live and being warm and dry. I just need to remind myself to be grateful for everything, large and small. And to enjoy a Venti Americano Extra Shot No Room when I get the chance. All proceeds from the sale of today's painting will go to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

52 Weeks 100 Paintings #50 Sprinkles


52 Weeks 100 Paintings 
#50 - Sprinkles
7" x 5"
Oil on Canvas Panel
Sold
Number 50. Wow! Halfway there. Time flies. It's been an adventure, and I thank all of you for being here for it. Thanks to you, thanks to Stephanie at Treat for the amazing cupcakes, and thanks most of all to Angela, for all the love and support and for helping me carve out the time from our already crazy schedule to do this in the first place. I look forward to the next 50, and I'm glad y'all are along for the ride. Thanks again for your support! Cheers!



Thursday, October 11, 2012

52 Weeks 100 Paintings #46 Pomegranates


Painting #46 - Pomegranates 
7" x 5"
Oil on Canvas Panel
Sold

Somehow, over the course of my life, I missed out on pomegranates. I don't
know if it had to do with growing up in the Midwest or always sticking to the more conventional WASP-y fruits- you know, apples, bananas, pears, grapes, etc., but pomegranates were always something I associated more with a Gaugin painting or smooth jazz than something you would actually buy at a grocery store, take home, and consume. Curiosity got the best of me the other day, though. I bought two, not so much to eat, but just because they were so beautiful and red and round and I thought they would make a nice painting. I cut one in half. After watching Angela spoon up some of the seeds, I did the same. I was not prepared for the explosion of flavor. To be honest, I felt a bit like one of the cavemen in 2001 - A Space Odyssey, hooting and grunting in wonder and glee and my newfound, exotic discovery. Of course, the fact that this wonder was a reaction to something that to most people is just another piece of produce made me feel even more Neanderthal. Anyway, it was a nice discovery, and one found better late than never. Embarking on this painting series has been really interesting to me. I've made a lot of little discoveries along the way, everything from different ways of seeing light and mixing color to, well, pomegranate seeds. Thanks to all of you for coming along for the ride.



Monday, October 8, 2012

52 Weeks 100 Paintings #45 - Candy Corn (and Pumpkin)


52 Weeks 100 Paintings 
#45 - Candy Corn (and Pumpkin) 
7" x 5"
Oil on Canvas Panel
Sold

'Tis the season. White. Orange. Yellow. White. Orange. Yellow. Always in that order. Like biting the ears off a chocolate bunny, I've been doing it the exact same way for over 40 years.

Friday, October 5, 2012

52 Weeks 100 Paintings Painting - #44 Tiny Pumpkins



Painting #44
Tiny Pumpkins 
7" x 5" 
Oil on Canvas Panel
Sold
It's that time of year again, so this is the first in a series of
Halloween-themed paintings. We're getting to that odd point
as parents, where Sean has decided for the first time to
stay home and hand out candy instead of trick-or-treating.
Molly's still all in, though. So am I, but that's
a different conversation.

Monday, September 24, 2012

52 Weeks 100 Paintings #41 Salt Shaker



Painting #41
Salt Shaker 5" x 7"
Oil on Canvas Panel
Sold

Design is one of those things that you tend not to notice unless it's bad. Which is unfortunate, because there are lots of examples of really nice design that just sit there unnoticed because they just sit there doing what they're supposed to do and looking like they're supposed to look. This salt shaker is a perfect example. I've been picking one up exactly like it for over 40 years now, and until recently, I never really looked at it. That's one of the things I really like about this painting series. I'm starting to look more closely at a lot of things that have always just kind of been there. And I'm finding that there are a lot of really cool things all around me, if I only take a second to enjoy and appreciate them.



Thursday, September 13, 2012

52 Weeks 100 Paintings #37-Apsco Giant 6 Hole Pencil Sharpener


Painting #37
Apsco Giant 6 Hole Pencil Sharpener
7" x 5"
Oil on Canvas Panel
Sold

 New pencil sharpeners don't do it for me. No number of double AA batteries can provide the proper amount of power necessary for me to get the point I need. That's where the Apsco Giant 6 Hole Pencil Sharpener comes in. 6 holes to accommodate everything from golf pencils to pastel pencils to those giant starter pencils we had in kindergarten. Packed full of gears and blades working in perfect harmony to make short work of anything stupid enough to makes its way into one of its holes.
It weighs about 15 pounds. It could be used as a murderweapon in the game of Clue. And for some reason,it is a device that makes me very happy.



Saturday, September 8, 2012

52 Weeks 100 Paintings #36 Campbell's Soup l


52 Weeks 100 Paintings
Painting #36
Campbell's Soup I 
5" x 7"
Oil on Canvas Panel
Sold

Life imitates art. Imitates life. Imitates art. Campbell's just came out with 4 different cans
of tomato soup based on Andy Warhol'sscreenprints of Campbell's Tomato Soup.
Which I am now painting. One down. Three to go.


Monday, September 3, 2012

52 Weeks 100 Paintings #35 - nutella


Painting #35 - nutella
8" x 10"
Oil on Canvas Board
Sold

I'm not sure how I made it 40+ years without heeding the
siren call of nutella. Trust me. I'm making up for it now.