The next update on the lake painting

About ten hours went into bringing this to its latest

incarnation. Worked mostly on the lower part

and some on the far background. Water details

like the reflections and ripples as well as modifying

the lavendar will come next, then the fun part of all

the stuff about the trees and branches. I will also do

more on the shadows that are falling across the rocks.

Quite a challenge, but really interesting to do.

One for me - Last Stage (almost)

It will take some close looking to see what other

little touches I've added. This is not a test however!

I may yet do more, like the too-dark window that

needs some lightening so it isn't such a 'hole' in the

painting! Otherwise, it is pretty much done.

After I do a painting and have taken it as far as

I can, I will leave it for a while and then review it

to see if I still consider it fully done. If I do make any

changes, they are never big ones. I have learned

over the years how to work in such a way as to never

have to do any drastic changes. I pass on these

trade secrets to my students!

One for me Stage 4

So now the subtle stuff is coming to life with the

various refinements I am choosing to make.

With details one must sometimes FORCE oneself

to hold back until near the end.

I am liking the results!

One for me Stage 3!

Well I just went to town on this one as you can see!

I really did this all in an afternoon, just couldn't wait

to see it come to life more and more. But what a lot

to handle in the way of greens - warm greens, cool

greens, light greens, dark greens, GREENS! But now

the feeling I am looking for is emerging...

One for me Stage #2

Some of you have commented on enjoying seeing

how I develop my work. So here is the next stage

of the house. Such a LOT of green to deal with.

Also, getting the tones (values) of the roof and sky

just right as they are pretty close.

One just for me

Starting this painting for ME! It is quite special

in my life...but I will let the story unfold as I post

the development of it. Quite the GREEN challenge!

Lots of it to work with in front of and behind the

house.

Starting up a big one!

This painting is 30 x 40, the largest one I've done

in a while. It requires a LOT of standing back to

assess the effects I'm creating. This is a scene of

the lake behind my studio. I am still incredulous

about the actual occurence of violet in the water,

but it really was there. So stay tuned for the coming

installments. I think it is interesting to see how

artists develop their work and I hope you find it so

as well. This is the first go in one session after the

drawing underneath.

On my studio desk

I have been trying to get just this

photo for ages. So I had a cup of

water on my studio desk and my cat

was very interested in it. Sometimes

she will do this....dip in her paw and

then lick off the water. It is quite the

operation to watch. Artful, I'd call it.

Full view of card

Here is the card opened out so you can see how

I wrapped it. There is even a little tab that wraps

to the inside of the card.

Carded!

For my son's birthday this year I

decided to make a card for each

year of his life. I've had great fun

doing it and each card gave me

inspiration for the next one. This

is one of them where I took something

I had in my boxes of collage material

and wrapped it around the cardstock.

Then I put the personal message on

top and inside is a statement of his

purpose as he told it to me. I am also

leaving that untold as that is up to him

to spread around the internet!

I have used gold and silver inks,

photos of my Dad's, collage pieces of

watercolor paintings that my Mom did

and cut up for later use. Now that they

are no longer here, I have used bits and

pieces of the creative work of their lives

to send on to their grandson, my dear son.

Maybe he'll consider this post as yet another

card of sorts!

Getting there!

This is just too much fun! There is SO much to see

in the scene and I keep finding more in it. But it

does not serve the painting to put in every little

thing. So it is really close to completion. The leaves

at the top of the painting need more filling in, for

instance. However, I am enjoying it so much that

I hate for the painting of it to end. I was with my

son on a shopping trip inSan Francisco when I caught

this shot. So now I getto relive the pleasure of that

day with him.

Please let me know how you like it. I really love it

when you comment on my work - all of you who see

what I am doing!

Just getting started

In a case like this where you have to be extremely

accurate about perspective, I am working from my

photograph and the sketch I did. Because the canvas

is small (10" x 20") I am using a Papermate

sharpwriter that will maintain thin lines. Charcoal

is what I use when I do underdrawings for paintings

on canvas, but in this case it would not work well.

There you have it for the moment. Oh yes, and that

is a piece of kneaded eraser - great for shaping to

take out tiny errors!

The last banner

After many months of squeezing in getting

the 7 banners done for the school I told

you about in an earlier post, I have now

done the last one. Here it is, the

quintessential graduation images.

I did the first banner with gold and

silver in the background. Then the

next three were the primary colors.

To finish up I went for the secondary

group and thus you have this orange

background! I hope to have a photo

for you of all the banners hanging

on their specially built structure!

It's their thirtieth year celebration

this month! Congratulations.

Almost done!

This wonderful tea set has been an unfolding

discovery journey. Everytime I go back in on

it, I discover yet more subtle reflections. I am

very amazed at the reflection splayed across the

wall behind the entire set. The window that is out

of sight on the left is pouring sunshine onto this

tray of silver. My parents had a beautiful tea and

coffee set on a silver tray. I can remember them

using it for company when I was growing up. Now

the idea of polishing silver is pretty much over.

Painting this set has brought back some very nice

memories and I hope it will do the same for the

future owners of this painting!

Reflecting!

I do love reflections that appear in shiny objects.

And then with the glass that you can see through,

well the problem of making it turn out well is

compounded. But what a lovely problem to have

and then when it has been recorded, I can have

a glass of vino and congratulate myself.

Once I heard a great interview done by the late

Charles Kerault. He was talking to an artist and

asked 'why do you paint'? And the artist said

(drumroll please) "To Thrill Myself"! Ah see?

We are our first audience.

By the way, this isn't quite done, but close!

Sides of glasses need 'shape tweaking'!

Update on painting progress

This painting is the most marvelous fun to do.

No way did I see all that was going on when I was

actually physically present. You know that a photo

will give you a frozen moment in time and so now

I have the luxury of really seeing all that was there

in that moment.

I only use my own photographs for my paintings

unless it is a commission where there is only the

other person's photo that can be used. On a few

rare occasions, there have been photos of family

members that I could use. But for the most part,

when I am shooting, I know what I need to have

in order for it to translate into a painting. I rarely

use my camera for anything else!

Razzle Dazzle

Well I hope you all liked the slide show.
I got a lot of good comments on them, especially
the last one of me at work. I am shown working on
a banner, one of seven that I have been doing for
a small private school where I taught art quite some
years ago. To show oneself at work was a tip
from Alyson at www.artbizcoach.com and you see
I took it to heart! She said that people like to
see artists doing what they do. The stars were
extra, but really, when I'm in the Zone, it can
sorta feel like that.
I have been painting a lot lately. Getting
ready for upcoming shows and needing more works
that have similar subjects to hang together.
So this is a sort of 'filling in' of what I
already like to do.
I'll post more progress pictures soon. I am
painting nearly every day now.
Wow, that is really something for me. I am
liking it very much. Think about my new ideas
'night and day'....spread my wings and fly away.
Oh wait a minute, that song has already been written.

Check out my Slide Show!

Progress on recent work

Painting such a scene is quite like a puzzle...what
pieces to put in first for the best effect in working
toward the completed image. I just love this gal
with her shopping bag swinging away from her
body, and her body all surrounded by the bright
sunlight of that October day. I see that the image
is not entirely captured here as the right side of
the wall is cut off strangely. I will look to do better
when I post the next stage.

On a roll with a glass of wine

I find a glass of wine quite beautiful to look at in

itself, but what is more intriguing is what gets

reflected in it. A glass of water doesn't have the

same height and coloring going for it to start with,

therefore my interest in the just filled wine glass.

(Of course that's my only interest!) Anyway, this

is the first go as of yesterday at this subject. I think

the purity of the clean tablecloth with its neat crease

and the as yet untouched glasses is quite beautiful.

Now to get in there with my very small brushes

and do the amazing reflections in both glasses. Also,

painting cubes of ice in water is quite the challenge!

Completed painting

Here she is. You can compare this to the
post several days back and see the subtle
changes I made.
I am calling 'Quiet Reflection'. Let me know
if you have a better idea! I did not make
this a piece full of great detail as it was
the tones and subtle colors that attracted
me to it in the first place.

Next!

OK so I'm on a roll. Or a tea biscuit as relates to

this barely begun piece. I began drawing this on

the canvas yesterday and roughed in the middle

and dark tones. Today I only had a little while

to work on it as I was teaching instead! But it was

good to have a painting in the early stages to show

my students why we are studying tone or value so

carefully!

The next one

After doing my taxes, taking part in a fabulous

coaching program and training my new and

wonderful assistant, I am now back at work at

my easel. This is the beginning of a 24 x 36

piece that struck me because of the light that

day. You will see it develop. Stay tuned.

Work on Display

You saw the colorful walls of a place that

I visited several posts ago. Well here

is my work on display there now. Mine

are the two pieces on the right, a pastel

portrait (for commission requests) and my

giclee called "Daydreaming".

In progress

This is what is currently on my easel.

This young lady was in the large open

lobby of our local art center. She was at

least 50 feet away from me and I managed

to get a few fuzzy hand-held shots of her

with the wonderful reflection. That is

actually what attracted me to this...the

relaxation of her position and the abstract

quality of the reflection. There is some

keystoning in the photo I took here which

makes it looks like I can't paint a straight

line. It happens when I get close the camera

too close to the thing I am shooting. Anyway,

I consider this about 2/3 completed.

Checking it out

What, you may wonder, is this? Well it is the result of the program I am doing for which I wrote the poem. I went to check out a possible place (that is not a formal gallery) to show some work. I liked the idea of this coffee/cafe, and also that this place is surrounded by LOTS of new homes that must have LOTS of blank walls. I am also VERY glad to have seen that it is an orange wall! So later in the week I will take a couple of paintings there and hang them up!

The Poem

Making it

or A poem for artists
Dedicated by Lynne Oakes to her new friends
February 19, 2008

Coming through woods
We arrive.

The wide sparkling stream rushes past
With beauty and indifference – like Life.

Choices are made to start across,
Going from rock to rock.
Each one intent on making his way.
Nearing mid-way, caution sets in.
We seek out the stable ones
Teetering on the little ones, but moving forward,
Always moving forward.

A flat boulder near the halfway point
Is especially large and does not move
As we land.
We congratulate ourselves
On our good fortune
and
dry pant legs.

Newly arrived, we stand there mute,
looking around.
Bright waters whirl swiftly the way
water does, moving past with
debris and delights – like Life.

Safely in this place for only a while
We grin smugly at our wisdom in
Choosing this sturdy place.
Let the waters swirl!
A secure place together.
A rock! A solid sun-warmed rock
Sprinkled with the treasure of each other
And glittering mica.

Blessed with a moment both magical
And temporary, we rest here.
It is but a small oasis in the rush of life.
We gaze outward on the scene,
on each other.
We laugh because we made it this far with no real damage!
And then soon we must assess and decide
Which way to go, which path to follow to make it
Across
Each one choosing their best way.

But just now, we stand here in this safe place
Gathering our wits, sharing our space
and
Wishing all to be successful in
Naigating the rest of the way.

Laughing
We set off.

Artist Breakthrough

Well friends, I have just had my first session
on the phone with 12 other artists...in a program
called Artist Breakthrough with Alyson Stanfield
of www.artbizcoach.com. It was so good and so
fabulous to be hearing from other artists that are
all over the US and a few abroad. This is a great
service that Alyson is doing and I highly recommend
her site and services. I am writing a poem that came
to me in the early hours this morning.
It is all about the experience. Maybe I'll post it when
it's done.

In progress

This is the first day's color work on this

piece. A few hours of juggling to balance

the tones and general colors back and forth.

Figures are very rough and are the last

thing I work on. I am loving that sky and

the golden quality over the landscape in the

late autumn day. This is a commission as

you might realize.

Work in progress

This is how I transfer my work to a canvas.

Color Chart - extreme detail!

So am I in love with this chart? Probably!

Here is the close up which shows my

key for each brand that I have in my

arsenal of paints. So now I'm done

showing off with this. Hope it has some

interest for others of you who have

bought so many tubes of paint that you

barely know what you have collected

over the years. Much less donations

made to your collection from the inventory

of expired painters whose offspring know

you are an artist and would like to have

them. Then there is Craig's list where

I had the good fortune to find a great

deal on Old Holland paints and well,

OK. The end.

Color Chart detail

Come up closer now and look at this

delicious set of colors! The pleasure of

taking color after color straight out of

the tube is really quite a different matter

than painting and mixing colors. Just

the pure stuff!

Be SURE to click on the image because

the color and detail is really neat to see!

Color Chart #2

So today I photographed my latest chart

outdoors so it would be a clearer and more

accurate representation. I spent about

12 hours on this and it is really satisfying

to work with the pure color right out of

the tube. As I said, I did this for someone

who wants to trade for a wonderful chair!

Banner #3

Here is the banner in the series I have

been designing and painting for the

private school where I used to teach

art. They are celebrating their 30th

anniversary and so this series is

being hung outside on supports that

were built by one of the parents.

This is a wonderful school, K - 12

that is in Springfield, Virginia.

Chesapeake Academy.

Winter Afternoon

I am wanting to write UNDER this new painting, and I can't seem to get cooperation! O.K. I will tell you that I just heard the snow plow going up my street and we had the most beautiful snow today. This little painting is in honor of that! It is a little one, 5" x 7". I haven't done any for a while. But the engines are revving up around here, so look out!

Sharing with other artists

Last night I got to share various successful

actions and points of view I have developed over the

years. This was for an art association in our county who

invited me to speak. What a lively and interested

group! It was a great pleasure for me to meet them.

There are a few pieces of my work around me and

my studio assistant can also be seen. She decided to

video it. In addition, my son is visiting and he was a

great help as well!

Ambiance

The warmth of a wonderful restaurant

at the holidays is always pleasing. If the

food is also great, then all the better.

I like taking shots of such scenes and

then see if I can conjure up a painting

that captures what attracted me to it in

the first place. I am also attracted to

the pristine look of glassware and utensils

before anyone has begun their meal...

There is a sort of expectation about the

whole thing. Good title: "Expectation".

Stay tuned.

Abundance of wishes for you

This is my Christmas table, all set for

a lovely dinner. I was pleased that it

turned out so well with the available

light! I wish you all the best of times

in this season of family and friends.

What else?

This is the best I could do! I was on

a winter lights tour and there was this

bear all lit up in the dark painting! So

I took the photo out my car window,

trying to hold as still as possible to get

it as clear as possible! Hoping you are

having a grand holiday!

Merry Christmas Mantlepiece

Here is my mantlepiece, a sort of long-line still

life ! I did the painting for myself over several

years, adding the sledders last year. The dolls

are from my collection and my Mom's. As a child,

my sister and I would help our parents put away

all the things that were on shelves and the piano

top (a baby grand) and then the wonderful doll

collection would be lovingly unwrapped and set up

all over the room on all possible surfaces. It was

magical and I have tried to re-create some of that

feeling here in my own home.

Do click on the photograph because you can

really see the things up close!

Merry Christmas!

Out my studio window behind my easel

OK, so first here is the scene I look at that is

behind me as I paint. I offer it to you in the

spirit of this lovely season. This was last week

however, and now we've only got rain, but hey,

it put me in the spirit for sure!

Secondly,

I've been noting my artist friends who have
been 'tagged'. Then I got tagged and

didn't do anything about it. So here goes with

5 little-known things about me:
1. I have a poster of Marilyn Monroe (the one
smelling Chanel #5) on the wall of my garage
next to the American flag that once flew from
the back of my Dad's boat, the one he had when
I was a child.
2. I get my collection of phaleonopsis orchids to
rebloom for me (mostly) and my prize one is now
four feet tall and blooming. Two years ago I counted
40 flowers and buds on it!
3. I really don't care about chocolate.
4. When I was a teen, I was at a church retreat
in New England and skated on black ice. You could
see all the way to the bottom, scary and amazing!
5. Art was my first boyfriend. (Make what you like
of this one.)

Tagged

I've been noting my artist friends who have
been 'tagged'. How neat is this?! So I got
tagged and then didn't do anything about it.
But for some reason, I am having deja vu about
this...did I already post this? Hmmmmm.
Well here goes with 5 little-known things about
me:

1. I have a poster of Marilyn Monroe (the one
smelling Chanel #5) on the wall of my garage
next to the American flag that once flew from
the back of my Dad's boat, the one he had when
I was a child.

2. I get my collection of phaleonopsis orchids to
rebloom for me (mostly) and my prize one is now
four feet tall and blooming. Two years ago I counted
40 flowers and buds on it!

3. I really don't care about chocolate.

4. When I was a teen, I was at a church retreat
in New England and skated on black ice. You could
see all the way to the bottom, scary and amazing!

5. Art was my first boyfriend. (Make what you like
of this one.)

Waiting for Santa

Here she is at the window, but now in my

painting. I hope you like it and I wish

everyone of you the happiest of holiday

seasons.

He Just Keeps Growing!

I just returned this painting

(having varnished it) to the owners

who commissioned it last year. This

young fellow sits proudly in front of

his image, but he is so much bigger now!

His mom commented on how much

brighter the colors look with the varnish

applied (Gamvar - the same varnish

used by the National Gallery of Art

in Washington, D.C.)

I got to hear this young man, not quite

six years old, play the piano very nicely.

Wow, I was impressed. Then he told me

about work he'd seen at the National

Gallery on a field trip, artist's names and

all. Very impressive.

Sorry about the flash marring one's view

of the portrait...it was really a 'grab shot'

as my photographer Dad used to say.

"Magic Time" in progress

So I've begun this challenging piece. The

softness of the photo makes it very much so.

The whiteness of her fur will be glazed once

it is dry...a golden colored glaze to capture

the glow from the candle. I am seeking to

capture the mystery of the season, of waiting

at the window for Santa? For friends?

For another cat?

Magic Time

It snowed here today. All kinds of

beautiful! I was on the front porch

in the dark trying to make photos of

the house with Christmas lights across

the street. Then I saw my Lucy

watching me and THAT was the

photo to take. Maybe it will also

become a painting...

My Beauteous Moon painting for the 3rd time

Well I just didn't like how brown the

tree mass appeared between the sky and the

lake. So here it is, posted for the third

time! It still looks rather brown in that

portion, but better.

I do love how the painting turned

out. It is on a panel and is 11x 14 inches.

Enjoy!

Another kind of art

My prize orchid has begun blooming yet another

year. I am delighted that I figured out how to get

these gorgeous additions to my life to flower each

year. I have about a dozen of them. This is my

oldest one and it is so big this year I can hardly

believe it. There are 12 bud on the main stem and

if you look closely, you'll see two other flower stems

coming off of this one. Then I have noticed yet

another flower shoot coming out of among the flat

leaves below. Wow. One year I counted 37 buds,

let's see how this year's crop is - for just this guy!

Maybe I should name him. Her?

Posing

Ah the elegant lines of a cat. Here she is, my girl

waiting for another drip from the tub faucet.

I need to do some more paintings of her. She is

quite the poser (poseur?).